City Sightseeing Italy

Who runs the red buses in Italy

City Sightseeing Italy runs the red open-top City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off buses in Italy. The about page describes the relationship with the global brand directly: "We are more than just a franchisee company; we are the heart and soul of the City Sightseeing brand in Italy." It says "our iconic red double-decker buses travel through 11 beautiful Italian cities," under the heading "11 Cities from Milan to Palermo," and calls the company "The Italian leader in the field of open double-decker busses." The page title speaks of "more than 100 red scenic buses" and "14 tourist destinations," and the text says "about 100 buses" with "a team of over 550 people - most of whom are extraordinary women."

The destination list names Rome, Florence, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Turin, Verona, Genoa, Livorno, Padua, Messina, Civitavecchia and Portofino. The footer names the company behind the site as Sightseeing Experience® s.r.l., Via Londra 5, 52022 Cavriglia (Ar), in Tuscany. The site runs in English, Italian, Spanish and French. The about page frames each ride as more than transport: "Each journey on our buses is not just a tour, but an unforgettable adventure that tells the story, culture, and beauty of Italy." It also offers the freedom "to hop on and off at their leisure" as the main selling point of the red buses, and says the aim is "to create a unique and unparalleled tourist experience."

Ownership and history

The about page says City Sightseeing Italy became part of Busitalia, of the FS Group, "with a 100% stake" following an acquisition on 15 January 2026. It describes the move as "part of a strategic project aimed at developing and strengthening integrated tourist mobility, with a view to innovation, sustainability and enhancement of the territories," and says joining the group consolidates its mission of offering tourist transport and experiences for "an increasingly intermodal tourism, accessible and oriented towards the traveler's experience." The page calls the change "a significant evolution of our industrial path." The site does not say whether tickets, routes or prices have changed as a result of the sale.

The family history goes back further. The page says "We have been operating in the tourism sector for four generations," growing from "a coach rental company" into a leader in Italian tourism. "It was 1928 when Florindo Maddii traveled with the first minibuses," in a village in Tuscany. The first City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off tour started in Florence in 2003, and the page says that "Since 2003, City Sightseeing Italy® has been painting our beautiful country with its unmistakable red buses," to become "the national leader in Hop On Hop Off services." It credits "the welcoming smile of our staff" as part of the product. In 2014 the company launched Sightseeing Experience, which the page says offers out-of-town excursions, museums, food experiences and other tours, "Initially focused on Italy" but now "expanding day by day" to destinations around the world. It later added Shore Experience, with "tailor-made services for cruise passengers," which the page says means excursions "tailored to every need." The company describes itself as having grown "as a tourist transport company, evolving and adapting to the needs of our travelers," and says that from Milan to Palermo "we traverse the entire nation."

How the hop-on hop-off tours work

The homepage explains the format for first-timers. The tours "take place in Red double-decker buses, where on board you will find a multilingual commentary that will explain the history and curiosities of the city and what you can see along the way." The buses "follow predetermined routes through the main tourist attractions with stops along the way near museums and the most important points of interest in the city." You can get on and off "whenever you wish, always with the same ticket," and "depending on the city you choose you can find tickets valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours." The homepage opens with reassurance for anyone new to the idea: "Don't worry if you've never done it before, there's a FIRST TIME for everything!" It presents the service as a way to get "an excellent overview of the city" and then visit sights on your own schedule, without having to work out how to get between them.

The menu also lists a Train category alongside the bus tours, and the page title mentions "skip the line" tickets, so the catalog goes beyond the bus.

Booking and support

The site says "you can buy your tickets online or directly on board, thanks to a dedicated service on all our bus lines," and encourages planning "from home, from your smartphone, or through the app while you're already on the go." There is a City Sightseeing app ("All our experiences in your smartphone!"), a cart for online booking, gift coupons pitched as an alternative to "boring gifts," a blog of articles about Italy, social media channels, and a newsletter that promises "dedicated discounts." Help is offered through an FAQ, a contacts page and a chat link. The footer lists accepted payment methods, a privacy policy and a cookie policy, and gives the company's tax and registry details. It also links to Terms of sale and pages for anyone who wants to become a supplier, reseller or promoter.

What the site does not settle

The homepage and about page do not show prices for any city, and they do not say which languages the multilingual commentary covers, how often buses run, how many stops each route has, or how cancellations and refunds work; those details sit on the individual city pages and in the Terms of sale. The site also gives two different sizes for its network, 11 cities in the text and 14 destinations in the page title, so check that the city you want has a live route before planning around it.

City Sightseeing Italy suits travelers moving between several Italian cities who want the same familiar hop-on hop-off format in each, and cruise passengers who can use the Shore Experience side of the business. The long family history and the new backing of the FS Group make it an established name, while the practical details are best checked city by city on its booking pages.