NYC Bus ToursBig Bus New York: The Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket Explained
Big Bus New York sells the most reviewed hop-on hop-off ticket among NYC bus tours, with a 4.2 rating from 6,598 verified bookings on GetYourGuide. From $62 per person you get unlimited travel on two open-top double-decker loops around Manhattan, with recorded commentary in six languages. The ticket runs from 1 to 3 days depending on the option, and the 48 and 72-hour tickets add a live-guided night tour, with the 72-hour option adding a Circle Line cruise. This page explains what the price actually buys, how the clock starts in the app, and which travellers should look at a different ticket. Compare it with the other NYC bus tours.
About This Tour
Big Bus Tours runs open-top double-decker buses around two Manhattan loops. The Downtown Loop covers Times Square, the Empire State Building, SoHo, Chinatown, Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial. The Uptown Loop adds Grand Central, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park and Museum Mile. You get on and off where you like and follow the buses live in the Big Bus app.
The base price of $62 is a from price, and the listing does not say which ticket length it belongs to. The 48-hour Essential ticket and the 72-hour Explore ticket add a 2-hour night tour with a live English-speaking guide. The Explore ticket also includes a Circle Line cruise and self-guided digital walking tours. Attraction entry, food and hotel pickup are not included.
$62 per person as a from price, with three ticket options. The listing does not name the ticket the $62 belongs to. Check the calendar when booking.
The ticket is valid 1 to 3 days from activation. The Essential ticket lasts 48 hours and the Explore ticket 72 hours. The clock starts when you activate the ticket in the Big Bus app, not at your first boarding.
Stop 1 at M&M's World, 7th Ave and West 48th St, listing address 724 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019. No hotel pickup.
Recorded audio commentary with earbuds on the day loops in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. A live English-speaking guide on the Night Tour.
Unlimited hop-on hop-off at any stop on both loops while the ticket is valid. The Night Tour is a separate ride from the day loops.
Attraction admission, food and drinks are not included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, with reserve now and pay later available.
Check Dates and Availability
Big Bus New York operates every day except Thanksgiving and December 31. Check the calendar for starting times and the price for your date.
Quick answer The short answer
The Big Bus New York hop-on hop-off ticket costs from $62 per person and covers two Manhattan loops on open-top double-deckers, valid 1 to 3 days from activation in the app.
Key takeaways
- The Downtown Loop has 13 stops and takes about 90 minutes, the Uptown Loop 7 stops and about 75 minutes, per the route guide.
- The 48 and 72-hour tickets add a live-guided Night Tour, and the 72-hour ticket adds a Circle Line cruise. See the stop map at hop on hop off NYC map.
- Admission to attractions, food and hotel pickup are not included. Travellers who want entry bundled in should read the Big Bus pass with Empire State and cruise.
- Compare it against every other ticket in NYC bus tours before you book.
Big Bus New York Stops on the Map
The Big Bus Downtown loop (red) and Uptown loop (blue), placed from the boarding corners Big Bus publishes. Dashed lines join the stops in loop order. The full stop list for both companies is on the NYC hop-on hop-off map.
Positions are placed from the published addresses on OpenStreetMap street corners. Check the Big Bus app on the day for moved stops.
What the Ticket Actually Covers
The listing names three ticket options but only two by name, Essential at 48 hours and Explore at 72 hours, so a 24-hour ticket is implied but not named. The $62 is a from price and the listing does not say which ticket it belongs to.
What Is Included
Every ticket includes unlimited hop-on hop-off travel on open-top double-decker buses for the selected duration, digital audio commentary with complimentary earbuds, and the Big Bus mobile app with live bus tracking. The 48 and 72-hour tickets add the Night Tour, a 2-hour ride with a live English-speaking guide leaving Stop 1 at 7:00 PM, and the listing also names 8:00 PM. From 3 December to 4 January that night ride becomes the Holiday Lights Night Tour.
The 72-hour Explore ticket also includes a Circle Line sightseeing cruise, a choice of the 1-hour Liberty Midtown cruise or the 90-minute Landmarks Cruise, plus self-guided digital walking tours.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Loop | All tickets | 13 stops, about 90 minutes per circuit, bus every 30 minutes |
| Uptown Loop | Essential and Explore | 7 stops, about 75 minutes per circuit, bus every 60 minutes |
| Night tour | On the 48 and 72-hour tickets | 2 hours, live English guide, departs Stop 1 at 7:00 PM (the listing also names 8:00 PM) |
| Circle Line cruise | 72-hour ticket | Liberty Midtown 1 hour or Landmarks 90 minutes |
| Digital walking tours | 72-hour ticket | Self-guided, in the app |
What You Pay Extra On The Day
The listing lists admission to attractions and landmarks, food and drinks, and hotel pickup and drop-off as not included. That means entry to the Empire State Building, the Met or anything else along the routes is a separate purchase, and so is lunch. The cruise choice and night tour time are picked after booking, and one traveller reports they do not show on the e-ticket, so keep your booking confirmation handy.
Two honest notes. First, reviews mention audio sync problems on the recorded commentary, so bring your own earbuds as a fallback if the free pair fails. Second, validity starts the moment you press Activate in the app, and travellers report that activating early in the morning wastes paid hours. Activate just before your first boarding. If you want attraction entry inside the ticket, the Big Bus pass with Empire State and cruise bundles the 86th-floor deck, the night tour and a cruise. Prices on this page come from the GetYourGuide listing and route data from the operator.
Sources: Big Bus New York service information
The Empire State Building, a stop on the Big Bus Downtown loop. Photo: Wikipatbos, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Route, Stop by Stop
There is no fixed day, because the ticket is self-paced. Here is what each loop covers, in stop order, from the operator's route pages.
The Downtown Loop (Red)
The Downtown Loop has 13 stops and a full circuit of about 90 minutes, with a bus every 30 minutes. It starts at Stop 1, M&M's World on 7th Ave and W 48th St, with the first bus at 9:00 AM and the last full circuit at 4:30 PM. You can get off anywhere and rejoin later, so most riders split the loop over the day.
One Times Square stop is on 42nd and Broadway in front of the Knickerbocker Hotel. The Empire State Building stop is on 5th Ave and W 32nd St in front of a CVS pharmacy. From Battery Park and Wall Street you look across New York Harbor toward the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, but the bus does not take you to the statue. Traffic can change timings, so leave slack between plans.
The Uptown Loop (Blue)
The Uptown Loop has 7 stops and takes about 75 minutes if you stay on, with a bus every 60 minutes. It starts at Stop 14, the Hope Sculpture on 7th Ave and W 53rd St, with the first bus at 10:00 AM and the last at 4:00 PM. The stops in order are Hope Sculpture, One Times Square, Rockefeller Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park Zoo, Columbus Circle and Carnegie Hall.
The Met stop sits on 5th Ave and E 83rd St, a straight walk into Museum Mile. The hour frequency is the weak point, since a missed bus costs you a full wait.
| Loop | Stops in order |
|---|---|
| Downtown (Red) | M&M's World, One Times Square, Empire State Building/KoreaTown, Flatiron District, SoHo, Chinatown/Little Italy, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street/Statue of Liberty, Trinity Church, World Trade Center, Chelsea/Pier 57, Hudson Yards, Circle Line Sightseeing |
| Uptown (Blue) | Hope Sculpture, One Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park Zoo, Columbus Circle, Carnegie Hall |
The Night Tour
The Night Tour is a 2-hour ride with a live English-speaking guide, leaving Stop 1 at M&M's World at 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM nightly, and guests should arrive 30 minutes early. Note a conflict in the operator's own material, since the service page lists a single 7:00 PM departure with one tour per evening. Plan around the 7:00 PM time and check on arrival.
From 3 December to 4 January the ride is replaced by the Holiday Lights Night Tour.
Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour in New York City
What the open top deck looks like on the Big Bus loops. Third-party video by Viator. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Ticket Rules Out
The hop-on hop-off format suits independent travellers with time. It rules out several kinds of visitor, and each has a better match in the catalog.
Check These Limits Before Booking
No luggage is allowed on board, so do not arrive straight from the airport with a suitcase. Strollers must be folded and stowed on the lower deck. The fleet is wheelchair accessible with lifts, but the operator says passengers with mobility impairments may not be able to reach the upper deck, so the open-top view is not guaranteed. Children aged 2 and under travel free, child tickets cover ages 3 to 12, and anyone under 15 must be accompanied by someone over 15.
The commentary on the day loops is recorded, not a live guide, and reviews mention audio sync problems. The Night Tour guide speaks English only. Routes, stops, hours and frequency can change because of traffic, weather, road closures and special events, and the open upper deck is cold work in January, when Central Park normals sit at a high of 39.5F. There is no hotel pickup, so you make your own way to Stop 1. Service stops entirely on Thanksgiving and December 31.
Better Fits Elsewhere
If you want a live guide and a fixed, efficient route, the Half-Day Luxury Bus Tour of NYC Highlights runs 4 hours with a local guide and five photo stops for $68. If you want Brooklyn and night access in one pass, the TopView premium pass adds a Brooklyn route. If you want a compact guided evening instead of a multi-day pass, any of the night buses on NYC bus tours does it in one ride.
And if the recorded commentary is the deal breaker for a day tour, the four boroughs guided tour takes a live guide into Harlem, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, places Big Bus does not reach.
Times Square at night, near Stop 1. Photo: diego_cue, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting to the Start and What to Add
Stop 1 sits in the middle of Times Square, which makes arriving easy by subway and makes the area worth planning around.
Finding Stop 1
The start point is M&M's World at 7th Ave and West 48th St, listing address 724 7th Ave. The Times Square Alliance district runs from 40th to 53rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenues, and the district averages about 330,000 daily visitors, so allow extra time for the crowds. Arrive before the first bus at 9:00 AM on the Downtown Loop, or before 10:00 AM for the Uptown Loop, and activate your ticket in the Big Bus app just before boarding.
For the Night Tour, arrive 30 minutes before the 7:00 PM departure. The meeting point is steps from the M&M's store, which is easy to spot.
What to Add Around the Loops
Places the ticket skips are cheap to reach yourself. The MTA subway and local bus fare is $3 and the express bus is $7.25, with one free transfer within two hours and OMNY fare capping at $35 over 7 days. The Staten Island Ferry is free, takes about 25 minutes between Whitehall Terminal at 4 South Street and St. George, and runs every day year round, which covers the Statue of Liberty views the Downtown Loop only gestures at.
The M15 bus runs up First and Second Avenues between South Ferry and East Harlem, and the M4 runs along Fifth and Madison Avenues to The Cloisters, covering ground neither loop reaches. For a full picture of routes and prices, read the guide to hop on hop off NYC and the stop map at hop on hop off NYC map.
A Day on the Ticket
There is no fixed schedule, but this is how a typical first day on the Downtown and Uptown loops runs, using the stated hours.
-
Morning
Activate and board at Stop 1
Open the Big Bus app and press Activate just before your first boarding at M&M's World, 7th Ave and West 48th St. The first Downtown bus leaves at 9:00 AM. Activating early burns paid hours.
-
Next
Ride south on the Downtown Loop
Stay on past One Times Square, the Empire State Building stop on 5th Ave and W 32nd St, the Flatiron District and SoHo. Recorded commentary plays through the earbuds in six languages.
-
Midday
Hop off downtown
Get off at Wall Street/Statue of Liberty, Trinity Church or World Trade Center for the 9/11 Memorial and the harbor view. Admission to attractions is not included, so buy any entry separately. Buses run every 30 minutes.
-
Early afternoon
Join the Uptown Loop
The Blue loop starts at the Hope Sculpture, 7th Ave and W 53rd St, with the first bus at 10:00 AM and the last at 4:00 PM. It runs every 60 minutes, so time the join.
-
Last hours
Finish on Museum Mile
Ride to the Metropolitan Museum of Art stop on 5th Ave and E 83rd St, or Central Park Zoo and Columbus Circle. The full circuit takes about 75 minutes.
-
Evening
Night Tour with the 48 or 72-hour ticket
The 2-hour live-guided Night Tour leaves Stop 1 at 7:00 PM, and the listing also names 8:00 PM. Arrive 30 minutes early. From 3 December to 4 January it runs as the Holiday Lights Night Tour.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the most reviewed hop-on hop-off ticket in the catalog.
What we genuinely like
- From $62 it is among the cheaper multi-day open-top passes, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start keeps it low risk.
- Two loops cover 13 and 7 stops across Manhattan, with a Downtown bus every 30 minutes from 9:00 AM.
- Recorded commentary in six languages, live bus tracking in the app, and reserve now and pay later on booking.
- The 72-hour ticket stacks a Circle Line cruise and digital walking tours on top of both loops and the night tour.
The honest downsides
- The $62 is a from price and the listing never says which ticket it buys, so the calendar at checkout decides the real cost.
- The clock starts at app activation, and travellers report that activating early in the day wastes paid hours.
- Day-loop commentary is recorded, with audio sync problems mentioned in reviews, and the Uptown Loop runs only once an hour.
- No Brooklyn, Queens or Bronx coverage, no attraction entry, no food and no hotel pickup at any ticket level.
- Night tour and cruise times are chosen after booking and one traveller says they do not appear on the e-ticket, so keep the confirmation.
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want a live-guided tour, boroughs beyond Manhattan, attraction entry in the price, or a single efficient day out will do better with a different NYC bus tour.
Questions About This Tour
How long does the Big Bus New York loop take?
The Downtown Loop takes about 90 minutes for a full circuit of 13 stops and the Uptown Loop about 75 minutes for 7 stops, per the operator's route pages. The full picture is in the guide to hop on hop off NYC.
What does the $62 Big Bus ticket include?
From $62 per person you get unlimited hop-on hop-off travel on open-top double-deckers with recorded commentary in six languages, and the 48 and 72-hour tickets add the live-guided Night Tour. The pass with the Empire State deck and a cruise is a separate Big Bus bundle.
When does the ticket validity start?
Validity starts when you press Activate in the Big Bus app on the day of travel, not at your first boarding, and travellers report that activating early wastes paid hours. Activate at the stop, and check the stop map before you set out.
Is the Night Tour worth adding?
It is a 2-hour ride with a live English-speaking guide leaving Stop 1 at 7:00 PM, and the listing also names 8:00 PM, and it comes with the 48 and 72-hour tickets. If you only want the night ride, a standalone open-top night bus tour does the same job in 90 minutes.
Does Big Bus New York run every day?
It operates year-round except Thanksgiving and December 31, and routes, stops and frequency can change with traffic, weather and special events. Alternatives are listed on NYC bus tours.
Is the bus wheelchair accessible?
The fleet is wheelchair accessible with lifts, but the operator says upper-deck access may be limited for guests with reduced mobility, so the open-top view is not guaranteed. A guided coach option such as the half-day luxury bus tour keeps the whole group on one level.
What Travelers Said
Great service , great way to see NYC. Commentary good
Handy to get around NYC, buses were frequent Found activating and using the ticket easy. Enjoyed the circle line ferry and night tour.
Very good, bused arrived on time (give or take some delay because of traffic). One suggestion - increase the frequency of the uptown bus
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