Independent guide
Big Bus Dublin: routes, stops and tickets
Independent guide, not operated by or affiliated with Big Bus Tours.
We list 5 Big Bus ticket options in Dublin, from 1.5–7.5 hr. Big Bus Tours sells the Dublin hop-on hop-off routes on its own Dublin pages. This guide covers the route, its 25 distinct stops, when to ride and who it suits, then lines up the tickets.
- Routes1
- Stops25
- Tickets5
Route and stops
- Red Route
Twenty-five-stop route from O'Connell Street through Trinity College, Merrion Square and St Stephen's Green, then Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, the cathedrals, the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham and Phoenix Park, returning via the Jameson distillery.
Red Route
Show all 25 stops
Big Bus tickets in Dublin
Want to see every hop-on hop-off bus in Dublin, not just this one? Compare hop-on hop-off tours in Dublin.
What riders say
Across these tickets travellers rate Big Bus Dublin 4.6 out of 5 from 3,413 reviews.
Truly wonderful tour.. and Johnny (Spelling ??) the driver guide was exceptional . His knowledge and humour made the tour so pleasurable !! Thank you !!
Was a great way to orient ourselves to the city. Took the entire loop the first time then over next two days hopped on & off as navigated specific places.
Booked the 48 hr ticket in Dublin. Lucked out with some excellent weather to sit in the open area up top. Mike was an excellent guide/driver, really enjoyed his commentary and humor.
Best time to ride
Late spring to early autumn offers the longest days for an open-top ride, but showers can occur in any season, so a layer and rain jacket are useful. Mornings are usually quieter at the Guinness Storehouse and Trinity College stops.
Who it suits
- Families
- Stops at Phoenix Park, the museum at Collins Barracks and St Stephen's Green give children places to get off and move around.
- Couples
- Hop-on hop-off links Temple Bar, Dublin Castle and the distillery stops, and a separate evening Night Tour leaves from Stop 1.
- Seniors
- Hop-on hop-off lets riders choose a few stops across a spread-out city. Check the operator for current accessibility details before booking.
- First-time visitors
- The Red Route covers the central sights and the main visitor attractions in one circuit, starting at O'Connell Street.
Tips before you go
- Stop 1 at 13 Upper O'Connell Street is the main starting point, but you can board at any stop.
- The Red Route page lists 25 stops and a frequency of 20 to 30 minutes.
- A separate Coastal Tour to Howth departs from Stop 1 at set times.
- The Night Tour is not hop-on hop-off and leaves from Stop 1.
- Check the live timetable: first and last departures differ between operator pages.
Sights along the way
Trinity College and the Book of Kells, St Stephen's Green, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, St Patrick's Cathedral, Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham, Phoenix Park.
Top-ranked in Dublin: Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, Trinity College Dublin, Molly Malone Statue, Glendalough. All things to do in Dublin.
Why take the bus in Dublin
The centre of Dublin rewards walking. Trinity College, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, St. Stephen's Green and the Ha'penny Bridge sit close enough together to be strung into one on-foot area, and Molly Malone is a short stroll from the Temple Bar stop. If your plans stay inside that cluster, a bus is mostly a way to rest your legs and get an overview, not a necessity.
The case for the bus is the west side. The Guinness Storehouse, the cathedrals around the old medieval quarter, Kilmainham and Phoenix Park are spread out, and linking them on foot means long stretches along busy roads. A single loop lets you skip those gaps and spend your energy inside the sights instead. Phoenix Park in particular is big enough that you will not want to arrive on foot after a morning of sightseeing.
There is also a weather argument. Soft rain can fall in any season, and an open-top ride is a different experience on a dry afternoon than on a drizzly one. Treat the bus as a flexible tool: ride when the distances are long or you want orientation, and walk when the sights are a few minutes apart.
If you are weighing big bus Dublin against a walking tour, the two do different jobs. A guided walk usually concentrates on the old core and its stories, while the bus covers more ground at your own pace. Plenty of visitors do a walking tour on one morning and use the bus for the farther-flung sights on another day.
How the routes work together
The bus side of Dublin is simple: there is one route, the Red Route, a single loop of 25 stops. Because it is one loop, there is no puzzle of switching between lines. You pick the stops that matter, and the order simply follows the direction of travel.
In plain terms, the loop starts its sightseeing in the north-centre around O'Connell Street, swings south past Trinity College, Merrion Square and St. Stephen's Green, then crosses to the Temple Bar and Dublin Castle area. From there it climbs through the cathedral quarter, reaches the Guinness Storehouse, continues out to Kilmainham and Phoenix Park, and comes back towards the centre via the Jameson distillery.
That shape is useful for planning. The first third is dense and walkable, so you can get off and wander. The middle is where the bus really helps, linking the cathedrals and the brewery. The western end is the quietest, with park space and museums, and suits a slower pause.
Some add a river or boat cruise, and some bundle a second activity. The ticket page describes the route for each option, so compare them there instead of assuming they match.
A sample day on the bus
For a half-day, start in the morning at the Trinity College end. The stop at Nassau Street is about 50 metres from the college, and mornings tend to be calmer there. Give the Book of Kells and the Long Room proper time, then walk the short distance to St. Stephen's Green if you want green space before moving on. Dublin Grafton Street is about 450 metres from the St. Stephen's Green stop, a pleasant detour for shops and buskers.
Back on the bus, ride to the Dame Street stops. Dublin Castle is right at its stop, and Temple Bar is at the Dame Street / Temple Bar stop. The Ha'penny Bridge is about 100 metres away and the Molly Malone Statue about 250 metres. This is a natural place for lunch, since you are in pub and café territory.
In the afternoon, rejoin the bus and use it for the longer hops. Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral each have a stop at the door, so you can see one or both depending on energy. Then ride on to the Guinness Storehouse, which also has its own stop.
This plan skips Kilmainham and Phoenix Park on purpose. They are worth a separate, slower outing rather than a rushed final stop, and a second day on the same ticket style is a good fit if you have more time.
Booking advice
Start by deciding how much of Dublin you want to see from the bus.
Check what each listing actually includes before you buy. Some products are plain bus loops, some add a river or boat cruise, and some bundle an attraction or second activity. That can change the value of a ticket more than the length does, so read the description closely.
Languages are another point. Across the city's hop-on hop-off products, 12 languages appear, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Japanese and several Chinese variants. Confirm the language you want for the specific ticket you pick.
Finally, line the ticket up with your plans. If your trip is built around Guinness Storehouse or Trinity College entry, think about whether those need their own bookings and fit them around your bus day. Compare options side by side on the ticket page so you are choosing on content, not just on name.
Sights worth the stop
Trinity College Dublin is the strongest single reason to start early: the Book of Kells and the Long Room are the visit that most people remember. Dublin Castle and the two cathedrals fill out the city's medieval and later history, and all three have stops at their doors.
Temple Bar is best seen as an atmosphere stop rather than a sight, and works well at lunchtime or into the evening for traditional music. St. Stephen's Green is the easy pause on the loop, with Grafton Street a short walk away.
The Guinness Storehouse and Jameson Distillery Bow St. each have a stop directly outside, so they suit anyone building a day around Irish drink. Glendalough is a worthwhile outing, but no stop on the loop is close to it, so treat it as a separate day trip.
More on Dublin sightseeing
Questions about Big Bus Dublin
Where does the Dublin bus start?
The main start is Stop 1 at 13 Upper O'Connell Street, though you can hop on at any stop.
How many stops does the Red Route have?
The route page lists 25 stops.
Does it stop at the Guinness Storehouse?
Yes, the Guinness Storehouse is Stop 15 on the Red Route.
Is there a trip to Howth?
Yes, a Coastal Tour to Howth departs from Stop 1 at set times; it is a separate tour.
What does the Blue Route add?
The operator describes it as covering the city end to end with over 30 stops.
How many Big Bus ticket options are there in Dublin?
We list 5 Big Bus ticket options in Dublin, lasting 1.5–7.5 hr, rated 4.6 out of 5 across 3,413 traveller reviews.
Route and stop details checked 2026-10-13; routes and times change with the season, so confirm on the ticket page before you travel.