Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Sydney: 2 hop on/hop off buses - which is better? Also free 555 bus-route/attractions

I found links to these 2 hop-on/hop-off buses - which one do you recommend?

http://www.city-sightseeing.com/

http://www.sydneyexplorer.info/


Also what is the free 555 bus route all about?

The sydneyexplorer is the bus thats easiest to spot, it's completely red and known very well in Sydney. It's run by the NSW government and is my pic for seeing the sights of Sydney. At $AUD39.00 for the day (hopping on and off as many times as you like) it's a great deal. The only negative is that this bus is not an open topped bus, like the city-sightseeing transport.

The 555 bus is basically a bus that runs up and down George Street (main street in downtown Sydney) from Central to Circular Quay.

The sydneyexplorer is the bus thats easiest to spot, it's completely red and known very well in Sydney. It's run by the NSW government and is my pic for seeing the sights of Sydney. At $AUD39.00 for the day (hopping on and off as many times as you like) it's a great deal. The only negative is that this bus is not an open topped bus, like the city-sightseeing transport.

The 555 bus is basically a bus that runs up and down George Street (main street in downtown Sydney) from Central to Circular Quay.

I believe that the city-sightseeing bus tour is offered in many cities around the world. I have taken the double decker bus tour in many European cities, and I enjoyed the audiotaped commentary, and the ability to sit in the second open-topped level.

What features of the sydney explorer bus do you find more advantageous that the city-sightseeing transport?

Until you linked the city-sightseeing bus in your OP I didn't know it existed in Sydney, and I'm a local who has lived here for 30 years. I also used to work in hotels and everyone recommended the Sydney Explorer and this bus you see everywhere. The actual route is available on the web and covers all the major attractions in Sydney.

I've also been on the city-sighseeing bus in other cities around the world but have not experienced it in Sydney so can't really compare it to the Sydney Explorer.

Until you linked the city-sightseeing bus in your OP I didn't know it existed in Sydney, and I'm a local who has lived here for 30 years. I also used to work in hotels and everyone recommended the Sydney Explorer and this bus you see everywhere. The actual route is available on the web and covers all the major attractions in Sydney.

I've also been on the city-sighseeing bus in other cities around the world but have not experienced it in Sydney so can't really compare it to the Sydney Explorer.

Thank you, for the information. I am leaning towards the city-sightseeing bus, for the reasons mentioned in my OP. However, looking at the 2 links, if you believe that the city explorer goes by more sights than the city sightseeing bus, and/or the schedule for the city explorer is more tourist friendly (ie longer hours, esp during Australia's winter; also more frequent buses available at each stop), then I would go on the city explorer bus.

#555 is a convenient way of getting from Circular Quay to Chinatown... or Museum.

But it does not make a lot of stops and finishes running rather early.

#555 is a convenient way of getting from Circular Quay to Chinatown... or Museum.

But it does not make a lot of stops and finishes running rather early.

Other stops include QVB, and Hyde Park. One of the stops is quite near the Sydney Tower.

We have used the 555 a few times.

The hours of operation:

9 AM -3:30 PM - M, T, W, F
9 AM -6:00 PM - Sat/Sun
9 AM - 9 PM - Thursday