New York City is one of the most amazing cities in the world, and as “the city that never sleeps”, there are virtually endless activities to participate in. While this certainly makes for a top tourist destination, it can also make it challenging to know where to start.

You’ll wonder what’s worth seeing, are you going to be able to see everything you want, and will you have to rely on subways and walking? These are all normal thoughts to have when first visiting the Big Apple, and the answer to it all is: an NYC bus tour.

I’ve gone ahead and detailed the 5 top NYC bus tours out there, that are well worth your time and money! Let’s jump right in.

Be sure to see our reviews of NYC Dinner Cruises, Helicopter Rides and Statue of Liberty Tours.

Best New York City Bus Tours

	New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour	NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens: Contrasts, Color and Character	Boroughs of NYC: Harlem, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn & Coney Island
Location:	770 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019	840 8th Ave, New York, NY 1009	109 E 42nd St., New York, NY 10170
Start:	9:00 or 10:00 AM	9:00 AM	8:30 AM
Duration:	5 hours (approx)	6 hours	7 hours
Includes:	Expert local tour guide narrative, bottled water on buses, State Island Ferry	Bus ride through 4 of NYC’s boroughs, local expert guide, stories from each borough, photo ops at Unisphere, murals, and Brooklyn Bridge	Guide exclusively in English, transportation from meeting point with shared tour, visit to the beach
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Quick Answer: The 5 Best Bus Tours of New York City for 2026

1. New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour
2. NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens: Contrasts, Color and Character
3. Boroughs of NYC: Harlem, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn & Coney Island
4. New York Night Tour: Open Top Bus Tour by TopView
5. Big Bus New York: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus

Best NYC Bus Tour Reviews

1.  New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour

This was literally the first thing I ever did in New York City – after I took the Uber from the airport to my hotel in the morning, I had to wait for check-in time. I knew that the best way to see the city was by vehicle, and I was fortunate to come across this one.

The New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour was 6 hours long, which was exactly the length of time I had before I could check in!

I walked on over to 7^th Ave as the rest of my group arrived, so we could be greeted by our guide and boarded our bus for the half-day. The bus was quite large but clearly very well-maintained, with comfortable seats, air-conditioning, and a good sound system to hear the guide on.

They also had bottled water for us, and charging ports should you happen to have your phone charger on you (highly recommend bringing it along as you’re going to take a ton of photos).

Our guide was a former actor who had performed on Broadway, and had the best personality for sharing fun facts and background about various places throughout the city in an entertaining way. It was perfect for getting a lay of the land and seeing the most popular sites in a convenient way.

We saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, went on the ferry, got off the bus to see the Rockefeller Center and 9/11 Memorial, walked through Central Park, and much more.

I loved the balance of bus time and walking time, with a break to grab lunch around the Rockefeller Center and plenty of time at the 9/11 Memorial to really take in the impact of what happened. I can’t recommend this tour enough for first-time visitors!

Tour Information & Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

Other NYC Activities You May Enjoy

2. NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens: Contrasts, Color and Character

This is a unique tour that is perfect for seeing beyond the iconic skyline or to all the most popular tourist spots. If you’ve already seen those most famous landmarks, know that there’s so much more to explore – and you’ll get to see it on the NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens: Contrasts, Color and Character tour.

For the price, it really is one of those best bang for your buck experiences where you get a lot for an affordable price. Our bus for the day was comfortable and with big windows that made it ideal for sightseeing.

This was one that truly exceeded my expectations, and is a tour I can confidently say offers something for everyone, of any age and background. Our tour guide was super fun and professional, sharing entertaining stories while expertly navigating the narrow streets seamlessly.

The first time I went to NYC, I didn’t explore a whole lot outside of Manhattan and the “main” spots, but we really got to see more this time. Seeing the Apollo Theater while learning about Harlem’s black history was quite interesting, as well as the legendary Yankee Stadium.

I had a great time exploring the Bronx, which I found out is the birthplace of hip-hop, with plenty of insight into local life I hadn’t gotten from Manhattan.

Queens really is the melting pot of the city, and I learned a ton about local cuisine here, checking out the bustling markets and different restaurants.

One of my favorite parts was stopping for lunch at Bushwick Collective Street Art, where we enjoyed delicious food and soaked up some fantastic murals and other types of creative expressions. Finish it up with a visit to Brooklyn Bridge Park and Little Italy for some amazing photo ops!

Tour Information & Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

3.  Boroughs of NYC: Harlem, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn & Coney Island

Set off on a fun and fascinating journey through New York City’s most captivating, dynamic neighborhoods for insight into how locals really live.

The Boroughs of NYC: Harlem, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn & Coney Island tour shows you that authentic New York experience full of different cultures and stories. With a well-informed, entertaining local guide there to lead the way, this enriching day is one you’re sure to not forget.

The only part of the tour I’ll say that I didn’t absolutely love was that meeting up with our bus in the morning was a bit confusing, so make sure you’re on the right corner they indicate.

For this reason, I’d recommend taking them up on their option to get picked up at YOUR preferred location for no extra cost. We had a comfortable bus with plenty of room and a great sound system to hear our guide on, making sightseeing a breeze without having to walk everywhere.

Just like with the previous tour, we got to see top attractions like the Apollo Theater, where we made a stop to really explore it and hear our guide’s in-depth educational commentary on the history of the theater and entire Harlem borough.

Next up, we headed over to Bronx where we saw the neighborhood, complete with Yankee Stadium, the stunning Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, murals, and more.

In Queens, things felt a bit more relaxed as we enjoyed Flushing Meadows Corona Park and the Koscuiuszko Bridge, crossing it over into Brooklyn where we saw the trendy Williamsburg and Crown Heights.

There’s the option to add on Coney Island (which I highly recommend), where you’ll get to stroll the legendary boardwalk, take in the amazing view of Luna Park, and enjoy lunch at the infamous Nathan’s restaurant.

Tour Information & Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

4.  New York Night Tour: Open Top Bus Tour by TopView®

While I don’t think I’m alone in saying that New York City is stunning at any time of day, it really does come alive at night. Once the sun sets, the City of Lights really shines, with all the buildings becoming illuminated against the night sky.

This is my favorite part of NYC, but it isn’t ideal for walking around as with most big cities at night, and most tours don’t operate in the evening: that’s where the New York Night Tour: Open Top Bus Tour by TopView comes in.

Clocking in at 1.5 hours long, this tour is perfect before or after dinner plans, or if you have a packed schedule and can’t fit in a longer one. There are a few different pickup times, but all are easy to access so that shouldn’t be a challenge for you at all.

Once we arrived, we met with our fun and friendly guide and boarded the comfortable double-decker bus! The bus was an open top which makes it feel like you’re more “connected” to the city, feeling the breeze through your hair, listening to all the sounds of NYC, and benefiting from truly unobstructed views.

The thrilling route through the heart of Manhattan is simply breathtaking, with incomparable views of Times Square, both Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, and the Manhattan skyline.

You get to choose between the live tour (which we selected with a real guide), or the audio tour with complimentary headphones. I recommend the latter, as you can ask all the questions you want, learn some extra fun facts, and get some insider tips from a local!

Tour Information & Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

5.  Big Bus New York: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus

If you’re looking to explore New York City in a way that balances flexibility, convenience, and a whole ton of fun and learning, look no further!

The Big Bus New York: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus is your key to the city, offering a look into the electric vibes and history that few other experiences offer. If it’s your first time in NYC and you have a packed schedule or simply want to set your own rules, this is the tour for you.

Our bus was super comfortable and easy to move around, with plenty of leg room and completely unobstructed views. I have to comment that the driver was absolutely amazing, navigating the city with obvious expertise, offering educational commentary along the way as we passed each of the different landmarks.

You get to select which route works best for what you’re interested in: either the downtown loop, the uptown loop, or both. You get to choose when you get on and off the bus, and to make sure you know exactly when the bus is coming, you can download the Big Bus app.

It’s a great way to visit all the main attractions in the city in a relatively short period of time without having to walk around or worry if you’re going to see everything you want to.

The audio for highlights and fun facts only added to the experience, and if we were particularly interested in something we could get off and explore – perfect for seeing the city at your leisure!

Tour Information & Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

New York City Bus Tours Without the Sales Pitch

Walk one block through Times Square and four different people will try to sell you a bus tour ticket. They all promise the best price and they are all shading the truth a little.

The bus tour is a real thing worth doing in New York. The trick is knowing which one to buy, when to ride it, and when to put the ticket down and take the train instead.

Why ride a bus tour at all

New York is big and dense and it does not lay out neatly in your head on day one. A bus tour fixes that faster than a paper map does.

You sit on an open top deck and the city scrolls past. Fifth Avenue, the Flatiron, the long stretch along Central Park South, the towers downtown.

In ninety minutes you get a feel for how the pieces fit, which is what a first-timer actually needs before they start riding the subway. It also beats stacking taxis all day.

If you were going to pay for an Uber from the Empire State Building to the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, one bus ticket costs less and shows you more along the way.

Here is who should skip it. If you have been to New York before and you know your way around, ride the subway and keep your money.

And if your only goal is getting somewhere fast, the bus is the slow way to do it. More on that below.

When to ride

Ride in the morning. That is the single most useful sentence in this guide.

The first buses roll around 9 a.m. and the last full loops leave in the late afternoon, usually by 4:30 or 5. Get on early and you beat the crowds, the heat, and the worst of the traffic.

By mid-afternoon the buses fill up. Riders have been stranded at busy downtown stops because the next bus pulls in already packed and cannot take anyone.

Season matters as much as the hour. Spring and fall are the sweet spot, with mild air on an open deck and clean light for photos.

Summer is the hard one. The lower deck often has no air conditioning, and sitting in ninety-degree heat in Midtown traffic is genuinely rough, so ride up top or wait for a cooler hour.

Winter has a payoff most people miss. The December holiday lights tours are worth it, and the skyline in cold clear air photographs better than it does through summer haze.

The two operators that matter

Two companies run most of the open top buses you will see, and they are more alike than their street agents admit. They are Big Bus and TopView.

Both cover the same Manhattan on a Downtown loop and an Uptown loop. Both hand you headphones for recorded commentary.

The real differences are price, how far they reach, and what they bundle in.

Big Bus

Big Bus is the global brand and the safer pick for a first-timer. Adult tickets start around $62, and you save roughly ten percent booking online instead of off the street.

You get two routes. The Red Route runs downtown through Times Square, the Flatiron district, SoHo, Chinatown, Wall Street, and the World Trade Center.

The Blue Route runs uptown past Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Met, and Museum Mile. Commentary plays in six languages through the headphones.

Stop one sits at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street by M&M’s World, about as central as it gets. The honest knock on Big Bus is the knock on the whole category.

It gets oversold, the buses pack out, and the recorded narration is thinner than you want in a city this loaded with history.

TopView

TopView is the local operator and the cheaper way in. A 24-hour pass starts around $39, which undercuts Big Bus, and the multi-day passes pile on the extras.

The extras are the actual pitch. A multi-day TopView pass can fold in a Statue of Liberty cruise, a Central Park bike rental, a Brooklyn tour, and the night tour, plus odd perks like a free Butterbeer at the Harry Potter store.

Coverage runs wider than Big Bus, reaching into Brooklyn, and the audio guide comes in eleven languages. There is one quirk worth knowing.

TopView passes stay valid for twelve months and do not start counting down until you scan them the first time. A ticket you buy today keeps for a trip you take next spring.

The night tour is the one to pay for

If you do only one bus tour in New York, make it the night tour. This is the rare case where the bus genuinely beats walking.

Both operators run an after-dark loop. At night the traffic thins, the open deck is cool, and the skyline is lit, and people who shrug at the daytime ride tend to rave about this one.

Pair it with a harbor cruise if a combo ticket makes the math work. The Circle Line and Statue of Liberty cruises bundled into the bigger passes are the add-on most riders say was actually worth the money.

Where to actually hop off

The point of a hop-on pass is hopping off, so here are the stops that earn it. Riding the whole loop without leaving your seat wastes the ticket.

Times Square is stop one for most operators and the place everyone starts. See it once, take the photo, then move, because it is loud and packed and you do not need an hour there.

Get off at Battery Park if you want the harbor, the views down to the Statue, and the walk to the 9/11 Memorial a few blocks north. This is the downtown stop worth real time.

Central Park South is the uptown stop to use. Step off, walk into the park, and you are five minutes from the Bethesda Terrace and the boat pond.

The Brooklyn Bridge stop is the other one I would not skip. Walk it from the Manhattan side toward Brooklyn with the skyline at your back, which beats riding past it on the bus by a wide margin.

Skip hopping off for the buildings you only photograph, like the Flatiron or the chrome top of the Chrysler. Those read better from the open deck than from the crowded sidewalk below.

How to buy without overpaying

The ticket sellers on the sidewalk work on commission, and the price they quote is rarely the best one. Smile, say no, and pull out your phone.

Booking online before you go is almost always cheaper, and it usually comes with free cancellation up to a day out. That flexibility matters in a city where one rainstorm can wreck an open-deck plan.

Buy direct from the operator or through a booking platform with real reviews, not from a stranger waving a clipboard. The street price tends to be higher and the deal tends to evaporate when you ask questions.

One more habit worth keeping. If a combo pass throws in a cruise or an attraction you were already going to pay for, the bundle can be a real saving, but only if you use every piece.

A three-day pass you ride once is not a deal at any price.

What it really costs, and the free version

Here is the part the street agents leave out. One day is plenty, and you almost never need three.

The reason is traffic. A bus stuck in Midtown is just a taxi you cannot steer, and a single loop around Central Park can run well over an hour when the streets clog.

Treat the bus as sightseeing, not transport. When you actually need to get somewhere, the subway is faster every time and a ride is $3 flat with a tap of your phone or card.

So buy one day, ride the full loop early to get your bearings, then hop off at the two or three stops you came for. Use the trains for everything else.

And if you want the most famous view in New York for nothing, you do not need a bus at all. The Staten Island Ferry is free, runs around the clock, and passes within about six hundred yards of the Statue of Liberty.

Board at Whitehall Terminal at the bottom of Manhattan, near the Bowling Green, Whitehall, and South Ferry trains. Stand on the right side heading out for the Statue, and the left side coming back for the skyline.

You have to get off at the Staten Island end and queue for the boat back, which makes the round trip about an hour for zero dollars. That is the best deal in the harbor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a New York hop-on hop-off bus worth it?

For a first visit, yes, as a one-day orientation and a cheap way to see a lot fast. For a repeat visitor who knows the subway, no, your money goes further on the trains and your feet.

Big Bus or TopView, which should I pick?

TopView is cheaper and reaches farther, including Brooklyn, with passes that keep for a year. Big Bus is the steadier, simpler ride for a nervous first-timer, so choose on price and coverage rather than brand name.

How long does a full loop take?

Plan on about ninety minutes per loop with no traffic, and noticeably more in the afternoon. A clogged Central Park loop alone can eat an hour, which is exactly why you ride early.

Should I buy a one, two, or three-day pass?

One day covers nearly everyone. The multi-day passes only pay off if you genuinely want the bundled cruise, night tour, or bike rental, so do that math before you upgrade.

Can I just use the subway instead?

Yes, and for getting around it is faster and cheaper at $3 a ride. The bus wins only on the open-top view and the day-one sense of how the city fits together.

When is the best time of year to ride?

Spring and fall for comfort and light. December for the holiday lights tour, and any clear night for the after-dark loop, which is the version most people remember.