Great experience with this bus line. It is a double decker bus with a live guide and almost 30 stops within Philadelphia, from Liberty Bell to the Rocky steps. I called them from the Amtrak station to find out where to get tickets and they offered to come pick us up. We bought our tickets online on our phone and within 20-30 minutes a shuttle came to us and took us to the beginning of the tour. It was raining but this one bus had a covered top so we could still sit upstairs. They run at least four busses and not all have this cover- it gets real hot under it on a sunny day our guide said. They recommend, if you have the time, to sit through the 1.5 hour loop and get the whole spiel before deciding where you want to hop on and off. As I said, it was raining this Sunday so we just sat on the bus the whole time. But had we had more time and it been a nicer day we definitely would have gotten off at a couple stops. Tickets were $35 each but someone in our group found coupon code that made it $32 a person. Great customer service from everyone in this company from the shuttle driver, ticket takers and tour guide. There was a little cumbersome moment showing our tickets on our phone to getting the tickets printed out and on the bus, but there were two people to help both our groups (2 families paid separately). Overall a very good experience so if you are on the fence, I say do it! Saves your feet some walking. Recommend starting early and using the whole day to hop on hop off. I'm not sure how much time between busses. They said 1/2 hour but I didn't get off the bus so wouldn't know from experience.
Response from Host
Oct 2019
Hello Barbara140,
Thank you for choosing Philadelphia Trolley Works & Big Bus. Your feedback is important to us, so thank you also for the detailed review. I am pleased you enjoyed all aspects of your tour experience, including our complimentary hotel shuttle, which also picks up from 30th Street Station. Your recommendation to start early, ride once around, and then ride again to hop off and on, is a good one. It helps to familiarize yourself with the city so you can decide what sites to visit. If you come back to Philadelphia, please ride again!