Hop-On Hop-Off NYC: The Honest Guide

The Two Operators Side by Side

The figures below come from the operators' own route, service and FAQ pages. Big Bus runs two loops in Manhattan, the Downtown Loop (Red) with 13 stops and the Uptown Loop (Blue) with 7 stops. TopView lists five routes, Downtown, Uptown, Brooklyn, a Liberty Cruise and a Night tour, and advertises 40+ stops, though its own map page names 23. The loops differ in length too: a full Big Bus Downtown circuit takes about 90 minutes, while TopView says its Downtown loop takes about 2.5 hours if you stay on.

For the stop order and the map, use the hop-on hop-off map page.

Where They Differ in Practice

TopView runs a longer day and more routes. Its Downtown service runs 8:00am to 6:00pm against the Big Bus 9:00am first bus and 4:30pm last full circuit, and the Premium pass throws in one ride each on the Brooklyn route and the night tour on top of unlimited Downtown and Uptown. Big Bus stays inside Manhattan with two loops and runs the Downtown Loop every 30 minutes. Big Bus also has the Uptown transfer built in: Stop 2 at One Times Square is shared by both loops.

The night product is the sharpest difference. Big Bus's night tour is a live-guided 2-hour ride from M&M's World at 7:00pm (Big Bus's own pages disagree on an 8:00pm departure), included on the 48 and 72-hour tickets. TopView's night tour runs about 1 hour 30 minutes with a live host at 6:00pm and 8:00pm and audio departures later into the evening.

One conflict matters for language. TopView's homepage says audio comes in 11 languages including the night tour, but its FAQ says the Brooklyn and Night tours are English only. If you need a language other than English on those two routes, treat the 11-language claim as unconfirmed. Big Bus states 6 languages on all buses without that carve-out, but its night tour guide speaks live English.

Weather cover differs too. TopView says its buses run in rain with free ponchos and lower-level seating, and in winter the open top gets a transparent cover. Big Bus says severe weather or city events can affect service, so dress for the deck.

• Big Bus Downtown: 13 stops, about 90 minutes, every 30 minutes from 9:00am to 4:30pm.
• TopView Downtown: about 2.5 hours per loop, every 20 to 30 minutes from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
• Night: Big Bus live guide for 2 hours, TopView live host or audio for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Closed days: Big Bus runs every day except Thanksgiving and December 31. TopView's listing says it runs year-round.

What About Tootbus and City Sightseeing

Tootbus does not list New York. Its English homepage names Paris, Brussels, London, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Tuscany. City Sightseeing's New York routes, stops and tickets could not be verified, so this guide makes no claims about its loops, hours or prices.

The practical choice in New York City today is Big Bus against TopView, which is why the rest of this page and the NYC Bus Tours stay with those two.

Three Tickets Compared

The table pulls the price, validity, included extras and refund rule straight from each listing. Notice what none of them include: no lunch, no hotel pickup and no general attraction entry, except where the listing itself names it. The Big Bus pass from $62 covers the buses and, on the longer options, the night tour.

The TopView pass from $75 adds Brooklyn. The combined ticket at $99 is the only one with a paid attraction inside it, the Empire State Building 86th-floor deck, plus a Circle Line cruise.

Activation and When the Clock Starts

Both operators are app-only at the gate, and Big Bus starts your validity at activation, not at purchase. For Big Bus you download the Big Bus Tours app, tap Add Booking and enter the reference, then on the day you open the hop-on hop-off ticket and press Activate. Non-hop-on hop-off tickets need no activation, you just show the screen to the driver. Multi-day Big Bus tickets run consecutive days, and the date you pick at booking counts as day one, though a fully flexible ticket can change date and time free of charge.

TopView is stricter. Tickets load in its app and a printed or emailed confirmation is not accepted for boarding. A 24-hour pass cannot be split across several days. Online tickets are non-refundable but the FAQ says they can be used up to 12 months after purchase, while the homepage says 24 months, so if you are banking a ticket for later, ask before you rely on either figure.

• Big Bus: activate in the app on the day, multi-day tickets run on consecutive days.
• TopView: phone in the app only, paper and email printouts refused at the bus.
• TopView 24-hour tickets cannot be split across several days.
• Big Bus starts validity at first activation, not at the purchase date.

Which Ticket for 1, 2 or 3 Days

One day of sightseeing: a 1-day Big Bus ticket, priced from $62 across the options, is enough if you stay on the Downtown and Uptown loops and skip the night tour. Doing both loops means about 90 minutes on the Downtown Loop and about 75 minutes on the Uptown Loop, before any hop-offs. If your one big day includes the Empire State deck, the $99 ticket covers the buses, the deck and a cruise within its 48 hours.

Two days: the 48-hour Big Bus option adds the live-guided 2-hour night tour, and TopView's 48-hour option, priced from $75 across its options, adds Brooklyn and its shorter night ride. Choose TopView if Brooklyn is the priority, Big Bus if you want the live guide at night.

Three days: the 72-hour Big Bus option adds the night tour, a Circle Line cruise and self-guided walking tours, all inside three consecutive days. TopView answers with 72 or 96 hours and one ride each on Brooklyn and the night tour, and no attraction entry, while its Liberty Cruise is promised in the description but missing from the inclusions. Four days or more, only TopView stretches, to 96 hours.

The Case For

A hop-on hop-off ticket earns its keep on a first visit with limited days. Big Bus runs 13 stops on the Downtown Loop and 7 on the Uptown Loop, so you can ride to the Brooklyn Bridge in the morning and the Empire State Building in the afternoon without reading a subway map. TopView advertises 40+ stops, though its map page names 23. The upper deck also works as sightseeing in its own right, and the loop itself becomes transport between sights. On the 72-hour Big Bus ticket, self-guided walking tours come free, and the app shows live bus arrival times so you can time a hop instead of waiting blind.

For families the maths is simple. Big Bus children aged 2 and under ride free and child tickets cover ages 3 to 12. Compare the Big Bus open-top pass from $62 per person against a single guided coach and the flexibility is the difference. The 48 and 72-hour versions of that ticket add a live-guided night tour, and the 72-hour one adds a Circle Line cruise.

The Case Against

Traffic is the honest problem. The Congestion Relief Zone covers Manhattan south of and including 60th Street, tolling began in January, and about 4,000 vehicles enter the zone every 10 minutes on average according to the MTA. The gaps between buses are long: a bus every 30 minutes on the Big Bus Downtown Loop and every 60 minutes on the Uptown Loop means a missed Uptown bus can cost an hour. TopView's Downtown route runs every 20 to 30 minutes from 8:00am to 6:00pm, which softens the wait.

Commentary on the day loops is pre-recorded on both operators, in 6 languages on Big Bus and 11 on TopView, not delivered by a live guide. Rain closes the fun part of the ride too, though TopView says its buses run in wet weather with free ponchos and lower-level seating, and in winter the buses get a transparent cover.

The fix for most of these complaints is the same. Pick the loop with the shorter gap, start early when the first buses leave (Big Bus Downtown at 9:00am, Uptown at 10:00am), and if a live guide matters more than hopping, book a guided coach instead. Full stop lists sit on the hop-on hop-off map page.

What Else You Could Book Instead

Three other ways to see the city by bus, with the figures from each operator's card and from the MTA. The cheapest hop-on hop-off card on the catalog is the Big Bus pass from $62 per person, valid 1 to 3 days from activation. A guided 4-hour coach with a live guide and five photo stops costs $68 per person.

The MTA local bus costs $3 a ride with one free transfer within two hours and OMNY fare capping that stops charges at $35 over 7 days.

Rain and Winter on the Open Deck

TopView says its buses run in wet weather with free ponchos handed out and lower-level seating available, and in winter the open-top buses get a transparent cover over the upper deck. Big Bus runs every day except Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve (December 31), and says severe weather or city events can affect service. New York winters bite: the normal January high at Central Park is 39.5F (4.2C) and the low is 27.9F (-2.3C), with 8.8 inches of snow in an average January.

If you ride in that, take a lower seat and save the open top for a warmer month. July's normal high is 84.9F (29.4C), which is when the open deck earns its price.

Luggage, Strollers and Wheelchair Lifts

Big Bus does not allow luggage on board, so this is not an airport-transfer option. Strollers must be folded and stowed on the lower deck. On access, Big Bus says 100% of its New York fleet is wheelchair accessible with lifts rated to 650 pounds, but passengers with mobility impairments may not be able to reach the upper deck.

TopView allows food and non-alcoholic drinks on board but no smoking and no alcohol. Big Bus requires passengers under 15 to be accompanied by someone over 15, and TopView's FAQ has children aged 3 and under riding free with child tickets for ages 4 to 12. Both companies deliver tickets through their mobile apps, and TopView says a printed or emailed confirmation is not accepted for boarding.

Go City Explorer

The Go City Explorer Pass starts at $89, lets you pick 2 to 10 attractions from a list of 100, and includes the Big Bus 2-Day Downtown and Uptown hop-on hop-off tour. Go City's guide says it is valid one year from purchase. Note the duration conflict in the sources: Go City's own guide says 30 days while an older comparison article on the same site says 60 days, so check the terms at purchase.

CityPASS

New York CityPASS costs $149 adult and $129 child (6-17), lets you choose 5 of 10 attractions, and is valid 9 days. It does not list a hop-on hop-off bus. If your plan is museums and observation decks, CityPASS is the stronger buy and you cover transport with the MTA at $3 a ride.

If the bus itself is the attraction, the Explorer pass wins on this page's subject.