Hop on Hop off buses

for me they are overpriced and useless. Others maybe not so much.

Den Haag has a vast and straightforward bus, train, and tram system. Not much figuring out to be done actually.

Why would you take a captive bus which doesn't go where you want it to? The centre of Den Haag is very compact. Delft is adjacent (a short tram ride) and so is the beach (a short tram ride).

Your choices are not limited to HO/HO ticket or city card. If the tourist card you are considering only provides transit, you might instead just buy individual bus or tram tickets when you need them, or you might walk. So that's four separate options for transit, plus combinations of the four (HO/HO + individual tickets, HO/HO + city transit card).

If the tourist card includes some sightseeing options, you need also to consider whether it covers things you actually want to see and how much those things would cost if you paid for them individually.

It's not a straightforward question and the answer could well be different for different people and for different cities. Only you can determine what is right for you.

Congratulations on making Leipzig part of your trip. You will be rewarded for that decision; it's a great city.

The grand, lovely Leipzig train station is right at the edge of the central historical district. This area is wonderfully walkable with short distances between sites. You do not need a HOHO bus for Leipzig if that will be the focus of your day in Leipzig. If you are staying in the central historic district, a trip to the top of the MDR building is worthwhile to see the city from above; there are okay views of the distant Monument of the Battle of the Nations from there that give you an idea of how expansive it is. If you go to Leipzig on a Saturday, you can attend a Motet at St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche) that features the St. Thomas Boys Choir (Thomanerchor) at 14:00; admission is 2-3 euro.

If you would like a guide for part of your day in Leipzig, I highly recommend Gisa Schönfeld. She's a lively, engaging local proudly showing off her city. She met my friends and I at the train station. Prices are reasonable. Contact info is in the RS Germany book.

You will get a better orientation to the city on a good walking tour and then riding trams and buses then you will on a hoho bus. They are a complete waste of money. If you aren't sure, read their reviews on Trip Advisor.

I have yet to ride one where I thought it improved my trip in any way at all. Usually, they just make me angry. The recordings aren't synced, the German is coming over loudspeakers, the outlet for the earphones doesn't work, you go by stuff where nothing is said at all.

Try a good orientation tour like the Original Tour from Insider Tours.

It totally depends on the city in question. For Glasgow and Liverpool, the HOHO's work very well (I was very pleasantly surprised). For most other cities, they don't.

I'm fond of the "tourist trains" that they have in many smaller cities, which are not HOHO, but make one loop around town, using a vehicle with narrower cars than a regular bus, so they can go into the old sections. The one in Toledo, Spain, for instance, not only looped through town, but took me to a vantage point just outside for great photos; it would have been impossible to get to that spot without a car. These are also cheaper than a HOHO, so I haven't lost much if I don't like them.

I agree that for Leipzig, you can walk the central section from the train station, with no need (on a day trip) to take either local trams or a HOHO. For the Hague, the attractions are separated; Rick's book will have directions on getting to them from the various arrival points (there are two main train stations, as well as a tram from Delft).

Also remember that on a day trip, a taxi ride or two can be very worthwhile, precisely because it means you don't have to learn the local transit, and because you get door-to-door transit, which saves time. I often take a taxi from the station to my first sight; in Ravenna, Italy, this not only saved hassle and walking, but got me to the mosaics ahead of the tour groups.

I also agree that for a day trip, a "city card" is rarely worthwhile. Again, though, it depends on the particulars of what's covered on the card and how you intend to spend your day. Some are almost impossible to make pay off; others can be a good deal if you're getting an early start and doing a lot (for instance, a walking tour, a boat tour, and two museums). City cards can be a better deal for more days, since the cost per day is lower, but even then, you have to do the math carefully, and remember that there are only 24 hours in a day and you can only do things when they're open, so you may not do as much as you think you will when you buy the card.

To echo the above it depends on the city. A lot of places you can simply walk depending on your health. City cards I have never seen the use in buying one on a day trip.

It all depends on the city. My sister loves a hop on bus and takes it in every city. She feels it gives her an overview and some history. I don’t always go with her, like in Rome. But in Budapest it worked for us because it was inexpensive, especially when you buy a few days, there were frequent buses, and it stopped near our hotel on the Buda side. Budapest is a large city. It was just awful in Warsaw. I think they only had one bus so it only came once per hour or two. Warsaw is a big city with big city traffic. We also didn’t mind it in Berlin because their train system is confusing, you have to know where you are going cause they charge you by distance and can only use the pass in one direction. The hop on bus there was very cheap so we bought a few days pass and used it as transportation, it worked for us. Look at the routes for each city on the websites for the bus, the frequency of buses, and how big the city is - is it small and walkable like Krakow - then it is not needed.

Thanks, everyone for your detailed and informative responses. This is one of the reasons why I love these forums as you get information from peoples' personal experience. "Feet on the ground", so to speak

Your experiences and thoughts about HoHo buses confirm my suspicions that it is probably best to do my own thing. and avoid them unless there is a very compelling reason to use them.

The info about taking a tram from Delft to the Hague and also about Leipzig is invaluable. And getting the name of a guide is very useful There is enough in Leipzig for me to consider an overnight stay particularly if I can get tickets for an evening performance at the Gewandhaus.

We fall into the camp of liking HOHO buses. I think you need to do a little homework beforehand to determine if the route does indeed give a good overview. Rome is an example when the buses just don't get close to major attractions. The Archaeology bus in Rome is the exception. And some places have multi loops and different companies. BUT, in general, we find the routes give a good overview and orientation to the city. Having a map helps. The commentary is often marginal. We will always ride one complete loop just see the lay of the land and id the places we are interested in visiting. On the second loop we will get off. In some cities the ticket is good for 24 hours. In that case we board at noon and hit a couple major sites that day. They use the next morning to hit a couple more hits and be where we want to be around noon when the ticket expires. We always thought the tickets were go value.

You may consider walking tours for a day trip? We chose a HOHO in cities that we planned several days. We had a great experience with HOHO in Barcelona. We did this upon arrival and felt it gave us the "lay of the land." It was a perfect way to stay alert after a long flight. When in Paris we took the HOHO Batobus Seine River cruise for the same reason. Great introduction to Paris.

I always do HOHO buses in new cities and ride the entire loop first to help figure out what I want to see. I find that it gives me a good overview. I can’t speak to the cities you mentioned, but overall I like the HOHO experience.

Always research all your transportation options. We were just in Toledo, Spain. I wanted to get outside of old town and across the river for the classic views. The HOHO was really expensive and way more than what we needed/wanted. We typically walk to most attractions. We then looked at the regular city bus. I think for the two of us it would have been around 6-8, euro, rountrip, no big deal, except we'd have to get out for our photos and then wait for the next bus (which would be the case for HOHO as well). My husband suggested a taxi. I asked the driver in Spanish the approximate rate for the short trip we wanted to do. It ended up cheaper than the city bus!
I have never used HOHO, but besides the cost, the big limitation to me, is that each time you get off, you are stuck waiting for another bus. I actually think a combination of walking and metros is the most efficient and cost effective. I tend to not use buses, because I find in many cities the routes can be harder to decipher, but its not always the case. I do a lot of research with multiple sources before my trips and usually have a pretty good idea what I want to do. I like to use a walking tour when I arrive, usually, but not always, one from the RS guide. Hotel staff can have great suggestions, too. Public transportation can be intimidating, but usually you can get some great help from locals and soon you will be managing the metros, etc., just like a local!

Different uses and value for different kinds of visits to different cities. We've used HOHOs in Mexico City and Buenos Aires for overview of big areas and "drive by" visits to certain lower-priority sights, in multi-day stays that also included targeted Metro and/or bus rides and/or walking to specific higher-priority sights. On the last of 12 days in Paris, we used an all-day Batobus pass to pay farewell calls on some of our favorite places. If I had just a day to "see" a big city I might do something like Frank does, take the HOHO all the way around and then stop strategically for whatever I could see in more depth. But I'd hesitate to take a long HOHO ride on an arrival day after an overnight flight, where dozing off would be hard to resist.

As a form of mass transit, HOHOs are indeed useless -- too expensive, too slow. As an overview of a city, they might be a good idea, depending on the city and the tour itself. But I'd want to hear or read very good things about a HOHO before I invested the time or money.

I’m debating the HOHO for Paris this March

I am taking my husband and he’s never been. We arrive on a Friday and have a half marathon on Sunday. So I know we don’t want to walk miles on Saturday. The bus just might be a good option.