Big Bus Tours Muscat Reviews 259

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

3.7

While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more

To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more

See what reviewers are saying

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Had only the best experience with the hop on hop off bus company. The buses are modern and clean. A few times guests came back with a complaint, but the team always handled it professionally.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Purchased a 48 hour Muscat pass. What a difference on both Days. Day one: arrived onboard Celebrity Constellation, plenty of Big Buses, complete circuit taking 2 1/2 hours, bus every 30 minutes, wit... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A very convenient & economical way (as compared to taking cabs) of seeing most of the highlights of Muscat. Efficiently run trips, every half-hour, helped in seeing various places at one's own pace... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Used in Muscat when we arrived on a cruise ship. Had booked a triple ticket for Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Dubai on the Internet prior to our arrival. Direct booking easy and cheaper than prices charged... See more

Company details

Information provided by various external sources

Hop on a Muscat bus tour to discover the fascinating history and traditional Arabian charm of Oman's capital. Take in dramatic views of the city's surrounding mountains and Sea of Oman. Hop off to explore 16th century forts, museums and the Sultan’s Al Alam Palace, and immerse yourself in the culture of Muscat.


Contact info

3.7

Average

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

259 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

How this company uses Trustpilot

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Best view of Muscat

Booked online. No hassles. Bus was on time at the stop we boarded. Good commentary all the way. Could choose to sit on top in an air-conditioned area or not. Cold water was provided free of charge. Friendly, helpful staff and drivers made it an excellent experience, even though we were only 2 travellers on the bus. The attendant outside the souq stayed with us to make sure we boarded the right bus at the right time. Excellent service all round.

November 25, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Stops at important sights but that’s about it

The staff is friendly and helpful and the bus stops at the most important sights and has a well done information support in different languages while driving. Which is the basics you would expect. Though, the busses are way too irregular as if it would be possible and viable to explorer the surroundings of the sight by yourself. For the experience we believe it is way overpriced and could be done also with a taxi privately if you have the right information materials with you. Additionally it said that there was also a shuttle to go to Sultan Qabus Grand Mosque which we were not able to find.

November 11, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Muscat

Wonderful experience of the big bus tour to orient yourself in the city and very friendly and helpful staff thank you all and especially to Kevin.

November 9, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Not as advertised!

While the tour itself was interesting and informative and the staff friendly, I was disappointed on a number of counts. Firstly, we arrived there just after 11 after coming straight from our flight, we were told there was not another bus till 1. Nowhere on the website or the materials about the bus did it say these buses were so irregular, otherwise we would have made plans to do something else before we headed to join it. Secondly, you advertise a hop-on hop-off bus tour, there was no way you could actually do this as there was only one bus every two plus hours. We did want to have a quick look at a number of the sights we saw but we were restricted to being allowed off the bus for three minutes at two of the stops to take a quick photo. Considering this Big Bus Tour is far more expensive than others around the world, I was very disappointed.

November 4, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Friendly staff & a lovely tour

Friendly staff & a lovely tour, however there is not much to do at any many of the stops, plus there is 2 hours wait till the next bus which is a long time in Muscat heat! I thought it was quite expensive in comparison to other cities.

November 1, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended

As the buses are scheduled every two hours, we were delighted that the tour operator arranged an earlier tour for us, in order to gain time. Much appreciated! Thanks!

October 29, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Big Bus Tour of Muscat

As always, riding on open top double decker bus is a great way to see a new city, but for a small city like Muscat, Big Bus is over-priced.

October 21, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very...Very bad.....from staff to the …

Very...Very bad.....from staff to the bus stops everything is clumsy...I have not seen such a careless attitude of the staff, remote bus stops from the important places to view, no one to guide the new people. Being resident to the muscat, I myself is so irritated with the behaviour of the staff and the way they take care of the passengers....what will be the situations of novice passengers to the muscat. They will, for sure, make the beautiful city infamous with their attitude and high cost tickets. What ridiculous timings....every 2 hours a bus.....If the passenger does not like to spend 2 hours in that area...do he/she has to stand in the hot sun at your bus stop which has no basic amenities(not even the shelter). You are charging so high and providing nothing for the passengers. For example: If I want to see the "Royal Opera House" - one of the important places to visit, I have to get down some 5 km away and starting walking to that place in very hot sun....How ridiculous it is?.......not even in my dream I suggest about this dirty tours in muscat or else where

August 14, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Misleading information

I booked two tickets in advance for myself and my friend. The main reason we chose this tour was that the map on the website showed that the bus stopped at Shati Al Qurum (Hay as Saruj , Stop 3) from where you could get a taxi to the Grand Mosque. When we got on the bus we were given a new map which did not show the bus as stopping there. We queried this with the Big Bus Representative who assured us that the bus would definitely stop there and that we would be able to get a taxi to the Mosque. We were so disappointed when the bus went straight past the stop and didn't stop until way beyond this. I've emailed the Big Bus Tour company on two occasions regarding this, pointing out that their website (on our return) still showed the bus as stopping at Hay as Saruj and they have failed to respond!!! I do see that they have now changed the map on the website but too late for my visit.

June 29, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Lousy bus service and customer service

Not only is your bus service lousy, but so is your customer service/back office. I submitted a complaint about my bad experience with your service in Muscat, and requested a refund for my unused ticket. I was promised a refund on May 22 but got nothing to date. I followed up with the customer service twice via email (with 5 people copied), but no one bothered replying.

This was my first experience with Big Bus Tours and I assure you it will be the last. I'm a frequent traveler and I'll write this same review on all travel review websites I'm a member of.

June 8, 2017
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Bigbus did not return to ship

The tour itself was satisfactory and the commentary good. However the bus did not return to the port and set off on the 2 hour tour again. We had to get off at stop 2 and catch a taxi to avoid this. When the taxi dropped us off at the dock gates another Bigbus was returning and we hopped on this. We could understand the inconsistency with the same buses. We submitted a complaint and to their credit they refunded the extra costs we incurred. I always say a good company is one that deals well with a complaint when something goes wrong so I would be happy to use this company again

April 24, 2017
Unprompted review

The Trustpilot Experience

Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.

Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. Labeled Verified, they’re about genuine experiences.

Learn more about other kinds of reviews.

We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.

Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.

Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.

Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.

Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.

Take a closer look