VALLETTA, Malta – An open-top double-decker tourist bus has slammed into a low-hanging tree branch in Malta, killing two people and injuring six others on the top deck. The accident happened in ...

The bus that pulled up was a red, cartoonish double-decker with an open top, wrapped in colorful images of Greek monuments. It looked to me like a cruise ship on wheels, minus the norovirus.

Love them or hate them, but the hop-on, hop-off bus remains a packed commodity this summer travel season. Is it the best way to see a city? No, definitely not. But personally, I have a soft spot for ...