Big Bus in New York

Big Bus in New York is one of the city’s main Hop on Hop off Bus tour providers. The Hop on Hop off bus is an ideal way of seeing a lot of New York in a short period of time. Especially during the first days of your trip, as it is a great way to familiarise yourself with the city.

Buy your tickets for Big Bus in New York here

Available now: Hop on Hop off Holiday Lights Tour

Big Bus Routes

The Hop on Hop off Bus gives you the freedom and flexibility to create your own itinerary. You can either get off at the various points of interest to explore sights and visit attractions. Or you can relax and stay on the bus for the entire route, listening to the guide as you go. In New York, Big Bus currently offers three different routes:

• Uptown tour
• Downtown tour
• Evening tour

Uptown Tour (around 2 hrs)

On the Uptown route, the bus heads through the streets of Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side. You see a number of Manhattan’s famous landmarks, such as Grand Central Terminal, the Chrysler Building and The Met.

Downtown Tour (around 2 hrs)

Discover a number of New York’s neighbourhoods during the Downtown Route, such as SoHo, Chinatown and the Financial District. With an abundance of photo opportunities along the way, for example, the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center and the Flatiron Building.

Evening Tour (around 1.5 to 2 hrs)

New York looks completely different after dark! From the bus, you have a fantastic view of the bustling streets of the city and see world-famous attractions, including Rockefeller Center, Times Square and the Empire State Building. The bus takes you over the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn, where you will have amazing views of the Manhattan skyline. As opposed to the other routes, this is not a Hop on Hop off tour, you stay on the bus for the entire route.

Book your tickets for the Big Bus Evening Tour here

Brooklyn Tour (around 2 hrs)

Do you want to take a bus tour through Brooklyn? During this tour, you will be introduced to the most populated area of New York City: Brooklyn. Discover the main attractions of this borough, like the Brooklyn Bridge, Flatbush, Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The Big Bus Brooklyn tour is currently not running. The only available option is this Brooklyn Sightseeing Bus Tour, but another great way to explore Brooklyn is to rent a bike.

Big Bus Tickets

Choose from a variety of tickets: a discover ticket, an essential ticket, an explore ticket and a ticket for the evening tour. With the discover ticket, you get a full day’s access to the Downtown route. An essential ticket gives you 1-day access to both the Uptown and Downtown routes. If you go for the explore ticket, it gives you 2 days of access to the Big Bus Uptown and Downtown routes.

With all the tickets, you receive free headphones which you can use to listen to the professional guide. The guide tells you interesting facts about all the sights as you pass them by and about the history of New York.

Are you planning on getting a New York Pass? The pass entitles you to a Big Bus ticket which allows you to take the Uptown and Downtown routes.

Practical Information

After purchasing your tickets you will receive a voucher per email which contains all the information you need. To use, just show your printed or mobile voucher to a Big Bus representative at one of the stops and hop aboard.

• Departure Times and starting points:
  • Downtown route: between 09:00 and 16:00, regular departures from Times Square
  • Uptown route: between 09:00 and 16:00, regular departures from Times Square
• The buses don’t operate on Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve
• Children under 3 are free of charge

Book your Big Bus tickets here

Read about other Hop on Hop off buses in New York