With a Backpacking Europe Hop-on Hop-off Pass you can backpack Europe independently, similar to a rail pass, but in modern coach buses with the added guidance of driver/guides AND hostel to hostel pickup/drop off service.

The Europe Hop-on Hop-off Pass network includes more than 30 of the most popular European destinations. The great part is you have lots of flexibility to choose where to travel along the network and for how long to stay in each place (some stops are compulsory and some optional).

How Passes Work

With the Hop-on Hop-off Pass, you decide how long you stay at a particular destination within certain constraints based on every second day service. There are 14 compulsory stops where you can spend any odd number of nights with a minimum of one night. And there are 19 optional stops where you can stay any even amount of nights with a minimum of two nights. If you skip an optional stop, you simply stay on the bus to the next stop.

Most people spend 3 to 5 nights at compulsory stops so they have time to explore all the sights as buses usually arrive in the afternoon or evening and depart in the morning. Thus, a one night stay will not give you much time to see or do much.

There are also a few photo stops that allow you to take a quick picture and then jump back on the bus and head out to your next adventure!

Distances between stops range from 2 to 10 hours but average about 5 hours. Most buses depart in the morning and arrive in the afternoon.