NYC Bus ToursSex and the City Tour: Filming Locations Bus From Central Park to the West Village
The Sex and the City tour run by On Location Tours is a 3.5-hour coach ride past more than 40 locations from the series and the two films, led by a local actor guide. It costs $80 per person, meets at the Pulitzer Fountain on Central Park South and ends at Bryant Park, so plan your route back before you book. The ticket buys the coach seat and the guide, nothing else. Food and drinks, gratuities and the cosmo at Onieal's are extra, and all sales are final. This page sets out the route, the step-off stops, the age rules and the fine print, then points you to other NYC bus tours if this one is not the right fit.
About This Tour
On Location Tours runs this coach tour of Sex and the City filming locations with a local actor as the guide. The route runs from Central Park South down Fifth Avenue and through the West Village and the Meatpacking District, with over 40 locations called out along the way. You get off the bus several times, at the rehearsal dinner site for 10 minutes and at Onieal's, the bar the series calls Scout, for 15 minutes.
Two things catch buyers out. The tour ends at Bryant Park between 40th and 42nd Streets, not where it starts. And all sales are final, so a no-refund ticket is what you are buying from the first click.
$80 per person, booked on Viator. Food, drinks, gratuities and the cosmo at Onieal's are extra.
3 hours 30 minutes, single ride, no hop-on hop-off.
Pulitzer Fountain, 764 Central Park South at West 59th Street.
Live local actor guide in English. No recorded audio.
Several quick step-offs of 10 to 15 minutes, including the rehearsal dinner site and Onieal's. Fixed route, not hop-on hop-off.
ID required for the bars, minimum age 21 there, 18 and over for the tour. All sales are final, no refunds.
Check Dates and Availability
Departure times are chosen when booking and are not printed on the listing card, so check the calendar for your date. The operator recommends advance booking and the tour is non-refundable, so pick your time with care.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short answer
This Sex and the City tour costs $80 per person and lasts 3 hours 30 minutes, covering more than 40 locations by coach with a live actor guide. It meets at the Pulitzer Fountain on Central Park South and ends at Bryant Park, and every sale is final.
Key takeaways
- You get the coach and the guide only. Food, drinks, tips and the cosmo at Onieal's are extra. See what the ticket covers.
- Carrie's stoop at 66 Perry Street is a private home, so you look from the street. The route is laid out in the stop-by-stop section.
- It is adults only at 18 and over, and 21 with ID for the bars. Check who this rules out.
- Want more shows in one ride? The TV and movie locations bus tour covers Friends and Seinfeld sites for $70.
What the Ticket Actually Covers
The $80 buys transportation by coach and the guided tour. That is the whole inclusion list, so read the rest as things you pay for on the day.
Included and Not Included
The coach is a luxury bus, air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter, and most buses have bathrooms. The guide is a live local actor working in English. Everything beyond that is on you: food and drinks, gratuities, and the cosmo at Onieal's, which the listing names specifically as not included. One contradiction in the source material is worth knowing: the operator's own tour page says the tour includes a complimentary cupcake at Magnolia Bakery, but the Viator listing sold here lists no food at all in the inclusions. Budget as if it is not there.
Against other listings in the same category, this $80 ticket is narrower than it sounds. The TV and movie locations bus tour from the same operator costs $70 and covers Friends and Seinfeld sites, while the Sopranos filming locations bus tour starts at $145 and runs 4 hours for the small group into New Jersey. Compare those before you commit, along with the rest of the NYC bus tours on this site. Prices in this comparison come from the booking platform listings.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coach transport | Yes | Luxury enclosed coach, heated and air-conditioned, most have bathrooms |
| Live actor guide | Yes | English only |
| Step-off stops | Yes | 10 to 15 minutes each, including the rehearsal dinner site and Onieal's |
| Cosmo at Onieal's | No | Named in the listing as not included, buy it yourself |
| Food and drinks | No | Unless specified, so assume nothing |
| Gratuities | No | Extra, amount not stated |
| Hotel pickup | No | Meet at the fountain |
| Attraction entry | No | None included on this tour |
Sources: MTA congestion pricing, NYC Tourism
The Route, Stop by Stop
The listing gives the route and the step-off stops with durations, but no clock times. Departure times are chosen when booking.
How the 3.5 Hours Run
You meet at the Pulitzer Fountain, 764 Central Park South at West 59th Street. The coach then works down through Central Park South and Fifth Avenue, then to the West Village and the Meatpacking District before finishing at Bryant Park. The listing counts more than 40 locations from the series and the two films. Most are seen from the bus. There are several quick step-off points of about 15 minutes each, and two are named: the site of Carrie and Big's rehearsal dinner, 10 minutes, and Onieal's, the bar the series calls Scout, owned by the characters Steve and Aidan, 15 minutes.
The ending point matters. Bryant Park sits between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Midtown, not where you started, so plan your way back. This is a fixed single ride. If you want unlimited reboarding instead, a hop-on hop-off NYC ticket works differently.
| Stop | Time off the bus | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Pulitzer Fountain, Central Park South | Start | Meet the actor guide |
| Central Park South and Fifth Avenue | Pass by | Locations from the bus window |
| Rehearsal dinner site | 10 minutes | Get off where Carrie and Big had their rehearsal dinner |
| Onieal's, known as Scout | 15 minutes | Cosmo optional, you pay for it |
| West Village and Meatpacking District | Pass by plus step-offs | Several 15-minute stops, 40+ locations called out |
| Bryant Park | End | Tour finishes here, not at the start |
Carrie's Stoop
The stoop used for Carrie Bradshaw's apartment is at 66 Perry Street in the West Village. It is a private home, so view it from the street. The same applies to the Friends building at 90 Bedford Street, a private residence with the restaurant Little Owl on the ground floor, which appears on the operator's wider TV tour rather than this one.
The Sex and the City Locations Tour of NYC
A look at the stops on the tour. Third-party video by Viator. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
Several hard limits sit in the fine print. If one of them is yours, book a different tour.
Age, Access and Refund Limits
The tour is for adults 18 and over and is not recommended for anyone younger. To enter the bars, including Onieal's, you need valid ID and must be 21. If your group includes anyone under 18, this listing is not recommended. Wheelchair access is limited: the buses have no lifts, foldable wheelchairs can be stored and you must board unaided, though you may take the chair out at stops. All sales are final, no refund for cancellations, and weather does not cancel your right to a refund either. The guide speaks English only.
If the show itself is not the point, a general tour gives more city for less. The half-day luxury bus tour of NYC highlights costs $68 for 4 hours with five photo stops and free cancellation, and the four boroughs bus tour covers Harlem, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn in 6 hours for $84. Both welcome children.
Getting to the Start and What to Add
The meeting point is the Pulitzer Fountain at 764 Central Park South, on West 59th Street by Grand Army Plaza. The listing notes that public transportation options are available nearby, without naming lines, so check the subway map yourself.
Before and After the Tour
The fountain is on Central Park South, so a park walk before departure costs nothing. The Times Square district runs from 40th to 53rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenues, close to the Bryant Park finish, so you can walk from the end of the tour into the middle of it. The free Staten Island Ferry is another zero-cost add-on from Lower Manhattan, though that is a separate trip on another day given the 3.5-hour run ends in Midtown. For a cheap way back after the tour, a local MTA bus or subway ride costs $3.
Practical notes: arrive early to find the group, the tour is suitable for all fitness levels since the walking is limited to short step-offs, and dress for the season. Central Park's normal high in January is 39.5F with an average 8.8 inches of snow, while July reaches a normal high of 84.9F, and the coach is heated and air-conditioned accordingly. For more background, the guides on hop on hop off NYC and the NYC night bus tour cover how the city's bus tours work in general.
Tour Itinerary
The listing states durations but no clock times, so the steps below use the order and minutes given on the booking platform.
-
Start
Meet at the Pulitzer Fountain
Gather with the actor guide at 764 Central Park South at West 59th Street. Arrive early, the coach leaves on the booked schedule and there are no refunds.
-
Opening
Central Park South and Fifth Avenue by coach
The tour opens with over 40 locations highlighted from the series and the two films as the coach moves down Fifth Avenue.
-
Next
Step-off at the rehearsal dinner site
Get off the bus for 10 minutes where Carrie and Big held their rehearsal dinner.
-
Step-off
Cosmo stop at Onieal's
15 minutes at Onieal's, the bar the series calls Scout, owned on screen by Steve and Aidan. Bring ID, the bar minimum age is 21, and the cosmo is not included.
-
Also on the route
West Village and Meatpacking District
Further quick step-off stops of about 15 minutes each, plus pass-by locations across the West Village and the Meatpacking District.
-
End
End at Bryant Park
The tour finishes at Bryant Park between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It does not return to the starting point.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing, the fine print and what fans actually get for $80.
What we genuinely like
- A live local actor guide, not a recorded audio track
- Over 40 locations in 3.5 hours with several chances to get off the bus, including 15 minutes at Onieal's
- Enclosed luxury coach, heated in winter and air-conditioned in summer, with bathrooms on most buses
- A 4.5 rating across 1,322 reviews on the booking platform
The honest downsides
- All sales are final, so a cancellation on your side loses the full $80 with no weather exception
- The tour ends at Bryant Park, not at the Pulitzer Fountain meeting point
- Food, drinks, gratuities and the cosmo are all extra, and the operator's own site mentions a Magnolia Bakery cupcake that the booking listing does not include
- Groups go up to 40 and the bars are 21 and over with ID, so under-21 guests cannot enter them
Who it's NOT for: Not for families with children, anyone under 21 who wants to enter the bars, or travellers who need a refundable ticket.
Sex and the City Tour Questions
How much does the Sex and the City tour cost?
It costs $80 per person on the booking platform for a 3.5-hour coach tour. Food, drinks, gratuities and the cosmo at Onieal's are extra. For comparison, the TV and movie locations bus tour from the same operator costs $70.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts at the Pulitzer Fountain, 764 Central Park South at West 59th Street, and ends at Bryant Park between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Plan your return trip, or read how hop on hop off NYC tickets handle start points differently.
Do you go inside Carrie's apartment?
No. The stoop at 66 Perry Street is a private home, so look at it from the street. The Sopranos filming locations bus tour has the same rule at private houses in New Jersey.
What ages can join the Sex and the City tour?
The tour takes adults 18 and over and is not recommended for anyone younger. The bars on the route, including Onieal's, require 21 and a valid ID. Under-21 guests cannot go into those bars, so consider a general option like the four boroughs bus tour instead.
Can I cancel the tour for a refund?
No. All sales are final and no refund is available for cancellations, whatever the weather. If a refundable ticket matters, the half-day luxury bus tour of NYC highlights offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Is the cupcake at Magnolia Bakery included?
The booking listing sold here lists no food in the inclusions, only coach transport and the guided tour, so budget for nothing. The operator's own website mentions a complimentary cupcake at Magnolia Bakery on its version of the Sex and the City tour, so do not count on it.
Is the coach wheelchair accessible?
Only with limits. The buses have no wheelchair lifts, foldable wheelchairs can be stored, and passengers must board unaided, though chairs may come out at the stops. Service animals are allowed and infants may ride on an adult's lap, per the listing.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure