Sky Hop Bus Kyoto (スカイホップバス)
ភ្នាក់ងារទេសចរណ៍ កឥការតាក់តាញ សង្ឃឹមលើដំណើរកម្សាន្តដោយសេរី Sky Hop Bus, ក្យូតូ, ក្យូតូ, 600-8233, ជប៉ុន
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About Sky Hop Bus Kyoto
We are Hop on Hop off Bus. Board and unboard SKY HOP tourist buses anywhere with your ticket. You can purchase passes on the buses with no reservations. Buses run 12 times a day from 8:40 a. m. to 5:00 p. m. from Kyoto Station, every 40 to 50 minutes, and you can hop on and off as long as your day same ticket or 2-day ticket is valid.
Contact & Hours
Sky Hop Bus, Kyoto 600-8233 Kyoto Prefecture
Opening Hours
- Sunday: 09:30-18:00
- Monday: 09:30-18:00
- Tuesday: 09:30-18:00
- Wednesday: 09:30-18:00
- Thursday: 09:30-18:00
- Friday: 09:30-18:00
- Saturday: 09:30-18:00
Nearby Attractions
Reviews (37)
Average experience
Buses aren't frequent enough and most weren't open top - just a single deck bus. The places it stopped were okay but didn't include major attractions such as Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine or the bamboo forest. I'd recommend using public transport.
Lohnt nicht
Nicht zu empfehlen. 2 Toure der Bus kommt je nur 1x die Stunde, hält oft nicht direkt an den Sehenswürdigkeiten. Man muss zum wechseln der Tour wieder an den Hauptpunkt zurück. Erklärungen werden von zu lauter nervtötender Musik begleitet.
STAY AWAY!
What a terrible service. The bus audio is terrible, no information and loud Japanese music playing in the back ground. The bus drops you a long way from the attractions! The young guy on one of the buses was very rude and unhelpful. They dropped us at the museum at 4:40, I asked if it was open to which he replied he did not know. We got there and realised it was closed. Why would you drop tourists at a closed museum without informing them? Stay away!!!
Nope unless you like wasting your hard earned money
Inconsistent service. Nice staff but ended by taking metro home. Not many customers which at first we thought great. More room for us but unpopularity is a big clue.
Bad trip, poor experience
First of all: the bus we wanted to go with was replacement for the double decker. We skipped it as we wanted to watch city from above the ground, not pedestrian level. We lost about an hour waiting and were forced to go with a bus that takes shorter route through city. Then the audio-guide: terrible quality and first-site Wikipedia information driven. Not to mention it was read by a bot which is extremely annoying. There were only 2 person with us on the bus which pretty much sums up the overall experience. Wouldn't recommend.
Do not assume!
There are 3 different routes with different types of buses on each route. If you want to experience an open top bus ride, do not assume and please check with them which route the open top bus goes to. I assume it was meant for all routes only to find out that those open top buses only cater to the purple route on that day. Didnt try to get my tickets change coz we were in a hurry so lesson learnt- due to the expensive price of those tickets please plan ahead, dont assume and start your day early- 9 in the morning kind to fully utilise their service. With the amount you pay you will receive free WiFi, good earpiece, short introduction commentary of landmarks with different languages to choose from, inclusive of very distracting background music. Though, aircondition and the bus guide was pretty helpful. Online map provided with realtime GPS update on the bus so do sure to time it right. One thing that bugs me was that their drivers were not as friendly as i thought they would be and also, they could have been more forward on their services rather wait to be prompted.
Poor experience on Skybus Kyoto
The experience with Skybus Kyoto Hop on Hop off bus was mixed. For convenient travel around Kyoto around $40AUD, it was excellent but expect delays and the commentary on the bus is hopeless. For the English channel, the commentators voice was often drowned out by the Japanese background music and the bus Conductor spoke over the info regularly. Lots of dates and ancient Japanese emperors provided without any context. The online timetable didn't match the printed version provided when 1st boarding the bus, so be flexible with your times. Location of 1st pickup point at Kyoto Station is a bit tricky to find and not well sign posted but it is on the far rightmost bus bay.
Do not use.
The worst bus tour ever...40 minutes wait for bus at Kyoto Station. Closed top bus. Guide and bus driver talked incessantly between themselves. Computer voices audio cut off during information or talking about things we cannot see. Then the shade went up. I rarely write negative feedback. This is so bad I'm writing it on the bus itself. Pic is the view from the front seat.
Bad experience, bus stops hard to find
Horrible bus system. I am a fan of skybus in other cities but this one is horrible. Bus stops are not clearly marked. You'll find yourself wandering back and forth to where the bus pickup is and you can't find it. The stops themselves are not in good spots with bad landmarks to identify. I barely used them once at one stop and the rest of day could never find the next stop to be picked up. Would give 0 starts if I could. Just use the train subway or taxi instead. Not worth the cost
Don't waste your money!
Horrible experience! It was pouring rain but they just don't allow you to sit downstairs. We got on the second last stop, after we reached where the tour starts from they made us get off and wait in the rain for 20 minutes and asked us to only board again when they make an announcement. The same people eventually got back on the bus. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I have never experienced anything like this before. It's absolutely ridiculous. Not worth the price at all. If I could give it minus stars I would. Don't waste your money.
Horrible audio tour and you can't see many of the landmarks up close
Given that Kyoto has an excellent transit system that is relatively easy to navigate I would discourage those who want to hit all the major sights of the city from using this service. It was an expensive bus ride. I was hoping for a view of major landmarks and a good audio tour from the comfort of a bus with my 9 yr old with an option to get off at interesting sights and get back on the bus later but instead it was a basic bus ride through the city streets and didn't come near enough to temples and landmarks to get a proper view without getting off (and bc the tour company announced that the red line was crowded and some buses too full to get back on at some locations, I was worried about getting off the bus unless I was sure I'd find the stop interesting). To me the worst part was the lazy and mediocre audio guide. It's mostly elevator music and muffled facts that I can look up on the internet while we ride around. In fact, I ended up looking up a podcast and a few YouTube videos on Kyoto to learn a bit more about the locations as we drove by. They need to improve this service before I would recommend anyone to spend the money to do this tour.
No A / C, stuck in traffic
Easy to find at Kyoto Station, but top (open) deck only. Front 2 row have cover, but still hot (no air movement). Bus is at standstill in traffic prob 80% of time. They give you free headphones, and audio is in 8-9 different languages. You only really see glimpses of landmarks and audio guide is…ok (lot of sleepy music). So: As Tour- not great. As Transport- Ok, better if you are going to EVERY site. I hated it, but kids liked it. **Doesn't go to Fushimi Inari Shrine (1000 red Torii gates), which has been highlight of Kyoto for me.
Don't do it, use public transport instead!
Way too few busses as a result it's very hard to get in busses, unless you are willing to wait one and half hours. As a result, overall it's way too expensive and you are better off getting public transport. A complete waste of money. I managed to get 4 bus trips, 1, 000 yen a bus trip 😂. Also the audio guide is terrible, very old, crackly and mostly just plays music.
Kyoto HOHOT- Avoid
Not really worth it. Pick up your areas of interest and go there directly. Frequency of buses is not very much. I would visit Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, Maruyama park & Nanzengji separately instead.
They blocked off the downstairs so we got soaked in the rain !
We want our money back. It was raining, but they would not let anyone sit in the covered area downstairs. They gave us plastic, but the seats were soaked and all of our pants, shoes, everything got drenched from the rain. Although there were only a handful of people on the top deck, they would not allow us to open our umbrellas at low level to protect ourselves from the pouring rain. They did not give us headphones for aby audio and the only announcement for the next stop was in Japanese. They had cordoned off the lower level from passengers, which would have allowed us a dry place (lower level) from the rain.
First trip to Kyoto
No information given on tour, constant interruptions when story would begin and recording would stop so would assume issue with recording. Would not recommend until this issue resolved.
Great tour, just a little infrequent
Wonderful tour of so many beautiful historical sights. Clear description in english. If you have a full day then the 45-50 min gap between buses can work to visit several of the amazing sites. Otherwise a little increased frequency would make it easier. But careful planning makes for a great tour.
Great way to see Kyoto
Very nice way to get around and see the city. First day we stopped at Nishiki market, Nijo castle and Kitano Tenmangu shrine and did the whole loop back to station. The following day we went to Ginkaku-ji, then Kinkaku-ji. From there we walked the philosophers path and then took a cab to our next destination but it was a great way to see the city, beats taking the train. Commentary was easy to follow, it was open air and during a slight drizzle they closed the upper part and gave everybody rain coats to use. Highly recommend
Langweilige Strecke, schlechte Beschreibung
Langweilige Tour. Schlechte Beschreibung oft unverständlich oder unterbrochen. Man steht mehr an Ampeln, als das man fährt. Für das Geld nicht zu empfehlen!
Ideal für einen ersten Überblick
Uns hat die Rundfahrt gut gefallen. So bekommt man einen ersten Überblick über die Stadt Kyoto. Es werden alle wichtigen Sehenswürdigkeiten angefahren. Tipp: Die Early Tour nehmen.
Wouldn't really bother
Meh. It goes where you want which is useful but there isn't much commentary between places. Hop on, hope off buses in other cities have offered much more information so that the travelling between stops is interesting too. There are better ways to see Kyoto!
São poucos ônibus, demoram passar. O pior, param longe disso pontos turísticos. Deveriam incluir mais lugares com mais rotas, c
Serviço ineficiente ao que se propôs. Tem só duas rotas e similares, param longe dos pontos turísticos, demoram passar, deveriam incluir uma terceira rota. Os funcionários muito gentis. A empresa que é ruim. Entretanto, não temos opções para conhecer a cidade, então, sugiro que acorde cedo, pegue a primeira saída 7:50h, entrar no ônibus e ficar até o final na segunda rota, que infelizmente é similar, para ter uma noção de como a cidade é. Formar grupos de QUATRO pessoas+- e finalizar com taxi, os pintis mais relevantes que não estão no pacote, ficará em conta. Não achei TÃO caro como diziam
ガイドさんありがとうございました😊
8月6日に息子と二人で11:35分京都発のバスを利用させていただきました。京都愛溢れるガイドさんに大変親切にしていただき、非常に良い思い出になりました。お勧め通り大徳寺で下車し、ゆっくりお寺を廻ることができました。教えていただいたあぶり餅もおいしかったです。お名前もお伺いできませんでしたが、お礼の気持ちをお伝えしたいです。楽しいひと時をありがとうございました。
Avoid at all cost
We spent 48$ for two bus tickets. We have hop on hop off bus tours through Viator in both Madrid and San Francisco. Both were excellent but unfortunately they don't offer one in Kyoto so we decided to give this company a try. Big mistake! Only top seating with no cover, no AC and the smell of bus fumes. Miserable! We were told there are some buses on their route that have indoor seating with AC but no info on how to get one. We were in two of the same awful type. Better to decide what you want to see and get public transportation or a cab for a fraction of the price!
Convenient and Youthful Exploration of Kyoto
After reading some negative reviews on TripAdvisor, I found them to be somewhat unfair. Firstly, regular city buses tend to be crowded and have limited space, making transfers between attractions less convenient. In comparison, the Sky Hop Bus offers a more spacious and open environment with excellent views. The boarding and disembarking locations are also well-placed. Although there isn't any commentary about the attractions, they have dedicated staff onboard who provide simple bilingual assistance. If you need any help, you can approach them. I even witnessed a situation where a child vomited on the bus, and the staff promptly took out cleaning tools to address the issue. The Sky Hop Bus does have some drawbacks, such as limited frequency and early service termination, which can be challenging for travelers with tight schedules. To make the most of the bus, it's important to keep each attraction visit within a timeframe of around 40 to 50 minutes to catch the next bus. If you miss it, you would have to wait or consider alternative transportation options. However, this bus system is particularly suitable for young travelers visiting Kyoto for the first time. It eliminates the need for intricate planning as it covers most of the city's attractions with convenient stops. It's a hassle-free way to explore Kyoto and is often referred to as a " paratrooper-style " of tourism in my country.
Kyoto Bus Tour
The tour was relatively new when we went. It was a great way of getting around Kyoto with limited time. It would have been more helpful to have an English speaking tour guide who could direct and give more information. The audio did not always match the locations but you got the gist of things. It did rain on us, and there was limited undercover seating but ponchos were provided.
Not the best hop-on hop-off bus service we have encountered
The Sky Hop Bus covered quite a large area of Kyoto, but unfortunately most of the bus stops are quite a lengthy walk from the attractions you want to visit (eg Kyoto Castle). We got off the bus here and the staff member on the bus said go left, but didn't explain that the building you are next to is the University and you have to walk about 300 metres and cross the road to find the entrance for the Castle. The audio was hard to hear at times, as the background music was so loud. More information about the attractions would be good, instead of just saying you are now passing.. The buses are roughly hourly so if you miss one, you have a long wait to get to the next attraction. Not what we are used to with hop-on hop-off buses around the world.
Not good value for money
Difficult to hear the translated audio as the background music was so loud. Some of the stops are a lengthy walk from some of the named attractions. Air conditioning within internal part of bus didn't work well for the hot day myself and my friend were travelling. Short timescale of cover - last bus around 5pm and approx only hourly buses until that time.
The worst audioguide
The worst audio guide I've ever listened to. You don't understand a word from the computer animated voice. Kyoto has so much to know and the first 10 minutes of you ride you get exactly no information. At my first day I entered at 4:15 and the staff didn't tell me, i can't visit many stops - because their already closed. In my opinion it would be important to have a good English speaking staff on board on a mostly international bustour. The staff did not unterstood my questions. Unfortunately not a good but a expensive opportunity
Convenient
Usually these types of buses aren't the best deal as you can go cheaper just buying on regular transit options. Yet the loop here is good and takes you right too or close to important sites and areas of Kyoto. So for that it was worth it to us. We ended up going around the city 2x as well. Also the fact that it's good for 24 hours not just for the day makes it even better. In that respect it's better than a JR day pass. And we took advantage of it. The tour operators on the bus and at the stops are also helpful and can point you in the right direction if you're going somewhere different then the usual.
Convenient
Convenient way to get around town to see the castle, temples and palace. Upstairs on the bus will be hot in the summer, but the bus provided free single use ice packs which helped with the heat. You will want to bring a hat for sun exposure. There are headsets with narrative in several languages, but the narrative is minimal. Cost for us (adults) was 3, 500 Yen for a one-day pass.