Sopranos Tour: New Jersey and NYC Filming Locations by Bus

Inclusions and Exclusions

The ticket covers the bus transport, the live actor guide, and the option to upgrade to a private tour. That is the complete stated list. Food and drinks are excluded, so the 20-minute stop at Holsten's ice cream parlor is a photo and atmosphere stop unless you pay for your own cone. Gratuities for the guide are also excluded and are not regulated by any stated amount. No attraction entry is included, which matters little here because the stops are working businesses and a parish rather than ticketed sights.

One figure needs care. The $145 is the lowest price on the listing and the listing does not say whether it applies to the shared small-group tour or to one of the private options. Read the option labels and the price shown for each before paying.

Costs and Rules on the Day

The bus cannot wait for late guests, and there is no assigned seating. It is first come, first served on board, so arriving at the button statue 15 minutes early does more than keep you safe from being left behind, it also gets you a better seat. Confirmation is manual, which can take longer than an automated ticket.

The Bada Bing stop and some others depend on the day and on the establishments themselves, who decide whom to let in, and those venues carry their own age minimums beyond the tour's 18-plus rule.

From the Button Statue to New Jersey

You meet in front of the large button statue on Seventh Avenue at 39th Street, 15 minutes before departure, under the blue On Location Tours flag. The route crosses the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey. Once across, the bus passes more than 40 filming sites without stopping.

Two named pass-bys are Venture Recycling, which played Barone Sanitation, and the Skyway Diner. You photograph these from the bus window, so a window seat helps, and remember that seating is first come, first served.

The Four Get-off Stops

The first stop is Satin Dolls at 230 Route 17 South in Lodi, the club used as the Bada Bing, with about 20 minutes on site. The show's Bada Bing back room was built on a soundstage, and the venue decides whom it admits, so the stop can vary by day. Next is the Muffler Man, a giant fiberglass figure, again for 20 minutes.

Then St. Cecilia's Parish, a Catholic church with a long New Jersey history, for 20 minutes. The last stop is Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery at 1063 Broad Street in Bloomfield, which has operated since 1939 and hosted the final scene of the series finale. About 20 minutes again, enough to buy ice cream if you want it, since food is not included.

Where It Ends

The listing does not state the return point or the end time for the shared tour. The private 3-hour options depart at 10 AM or 2 PM. Because the end point is not stated, plan your evening as if you finish back near Midtown and leave slack rather than booking a fixed commitment straight after.

Families and Anyone Under 18

Children under 18, including babies, are not allowed. The listing says the content and several stops are unsuitable for the young, and venues such as the Bada Bing add their own age minimums on top. If you are travelling with children, a Manhattan sightseeing option such as the half-day luxury bus tour of NYC highlights accepts children and costs $68.

Wheelchair Users and Anyone Needing Step-free Boarding

Accessibility is limited. The buses have no wheelchair lifts, passengers must board unaided, and foldable wheelchairs can only be stored. You must contact the operator 24 hours in advance.

If that does not work for you, the TV and movie locations bus tour from the same operator is an enclosed coach product and may be worth asking about, though you should verify access with them directly.

Anyone Wanting Flexibility or a Refund

All sales are final. There is no refund for cancellations, booking closes 48 hours before the start, and the listing caps groups at 40. The private options cut the duration to 3 hours and cost more, but the headline price does not say which option it refers to.

Several other tours in this catalog offer free cancellation. The Sex and the City filming locations bus tour is the same operator's Manhattan alternative, also non-refundable. For refundable sightseeing, compare the open-top night bus tour at $69 with free cancellation up to 24 hours before, or browse the full range of NYC bus tours on the NYC Bus Tours.

Finding the Button Statue

Meet in front of the large button statue on Seventh Avenue at the corner of 39th Street. The listing says public transportation options are available nearby, which fits the location: the Times Square Alliance district runs from 40th to 53rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenues, so the meeting point sits just south of it. Arrive 15 minutes early, look for the blue On Location Tours flag, and remember the bus leaves without latecomers.

What to Add Before or After

The tour skips most of Manhattan, so fill the rest of your day cheaply. An MTA city bus ride costs $3 per trip and covers the boroughs this tour never enters. The Staten Island Ferry is free and runs every day year round.

If you want more screen locations on foot, the Friends building at 90 Bedford Street and Carrie Bradshaw's stoop at 66 Perry Street are private homes you can view from the street, and the Ghostbusters firehouse at 14 North Moore Street is an active firehouse not open to visitors. Tom's Restaurant at 2880 Broadway, the Seinfeld exterior, sits far uptown. The guides to the hop on hop off NYC options and the NYC night bus tour cover how to add an evening ride if the tour leaves you with energy to spare.