BUS TOURS & HOP-ON HOP-OFF · OCTOBER 2026
New York bus tours come in two kinds. A hop-on hop-off ticket (Big Bus from $62 for 24 hours) lets you ride the loops and get off where you like. A guided bus tour keeps you on one bus with one guide: the half-day version starts from $68 and rates 4.93 from 2,989 reviews. Night tours start from $48. Here is which one fits your day, and when the $3.00 subway beats them all.
The options, side by side
The real split is between riding and being guided. A hop-on hop-off ticket is transport with commentary: you decide where to stop, and Manhattan traffic decides how long the loop takes. A guided bus tour picks the stops for you and puts a person at the front of the bus, which is why the guided tours rate well above the hop-on buses.
| Tour | From* | Length | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bus hop-on hop-off | $62 | 24 h ticket | 2 open-top loops, audio in 6 languages | A flexible sightseeing day |
| Unlimited day pass | $34.99 | 1 day | Unlimited rides, earpods | The lowest price |
| Half-day guided bus | $68 | 4 h | Live guide, photo stops, 9/11 Memorial | A first visit, half a day |
| New York in One Day | $99 | 6 h | Guide, short walks, Staten Island Ferry | A first visit, one full day |
| Open-top night tour | $69 | 90 min | Open top deck after dark, live guide | The lights, no walking |
| Luxury night tour | $48 | 3 h | Closed-top bus, DUMBO photo stop | Cold nights, photos |
| Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens | $84 | 6 h | Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Harlem with a guide | A second visit |
*Lowest “from” price on Viator, read 23 October 2026. Weekend and holiday departures can cost more; tips are extra on the guided tours.
Tour by tour
The classic hop-on hop-off
Two open-top loops, Downtown and Uptown, with audio commentary in six languages and the Big Bus app for live tracking. The 48- and 72-hour tickets add a night tour, and some tickets bundle a Circle Line cruise. It is the most-reviewed hop-on product in the city, and also the lowest-rated bus on this page, so read the recent reviews before you buy a multi-day ticket.
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The cheaper day pass
Unlimited rides for a day on another operator's loop past Times Square, the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center, with earpods for the commentary. It costs about half the Big Bus ticket. The review base is still small, so treat the rating as provisional.
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The best-rated
A live local guide on a closed, climate-controlled bus, with photo stops at the big sights and a stop at the 9/11 Memorial. You stay on one bus with one guide instead of queueing at stops, which is why it rates far higher than the hop-on buses. Best for a first visit with half a day to spare.
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The full day
A licensed guide, a bus between neighbourhoods and short walks of 15 to 20 minutes at each stop, including Central Park, Rockefeller Center and the 9/11 Memorial. A ride on the Staten Island Ferry is part of the day. It is the most-reviewed bus-based tour in New York by a wide margin. Lunch and tips are extra.
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Lights from the top deck
Ninety minutes on an open-top double-decker after dark with a live guide, past Times Square, the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge lit up. You stay on the bus the whole time. Dress for the wind up top.
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The night photo tour
A closed-top bus, which matters from November, and three hours with a guide. It crosses the Manhattan Bridge and stops for the skyline view from DUMBO, the best night photo stop of any tour here. The cheapest guided night option on this page.
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Beyond Manhattan
A day across four boroughs with a local guide: Harlem and the Apollo, Williamsburg, Bronx street art and an empanada stop, the Unisphere in Queens, and the Brooklyn Bridge. It is the one to book on a second visit, when Midtown is already done. Rated 4.9 from more than 4,000 reviews.
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Which one fits your day
Hop-on hop-off
Buy it for a day of museums and neighbourhoods strung along the loops, when you want a seat between them and some commentary on the way. Start early: the Downtown loop past Wall Street is quieter in the morning than Midtown at lunchtime.
Guided bus tour
A first visit with little time is what the half-day guided tour and New York in One Day are built for. Someone else picks the stops and the order, and you see the 9/11 Memorial, Central Park and the bridges in one go.
Neither
For simply getting around, the subway and MTA buses cost $3.00 a ride in 2026, and the OMNY cap stops charging after 12 paid rides in seven days, at $35 a week. Pair that with the free Staten Island Ferry and a deck at sunset and you have seen the skyline for very little.
November and December
From late November, buses run from Midtown to the Dyker Heights lights in Brooklyn. The Dyker Heights Christmas Wonderland bus tour starts from $59 with a guided walk and a stop at DUMBO for the skyline.
FAQ
No. Every hop-on hop-off bus in New York is a paid ticket. The cheapest bus ride is a regular MTA bus at the 2026 fare of $3.00, and after 12 paid rides in seven days the OMNY cap makes the rest of the week free ($35 at most). The free sightseeing ride in the city is the Staten Island Ferry, which passes the Statue of Liberty.
On Viator in October 2026, the Big Bus 24-hour ticket starts from $62 and a one-day unlimited pass from another operator from $34.99. Longer Big Bus tickets (48 and 72 hours) cost more and add a night tour.
Big Bus has two loops, six commentary languages and nearly 5,000 reviews, but rates 3.51. The cheaper one-day pass rates 3.57 from only 51 reviews. If what you want is a guided overview rather than a ride between sights, the half-day guided bus tour rates 4.93 from 2,989 reviews.
They are worth it for an overview from the top deck and a ride between Midtown and Lower Manhattan without the subway. For getting from sight to sight quickly, the subway is faster and costs $3.00 a ride. If you only have a day, a guided bus tour shows more in less time.
By rating on Viator in October 2026, the Half-Day Bus Tour of NYC Top Highlights (4.93 from 2,989 reviews, from $68) and the outer-boroughs tour (4.90 from 4,352) lead. By volume, New York in One Day (4.76 from 13,896 reviews, from $99) is the most-booked.
Yes if you want the lit skyline without walking. The open-top night tour (from $69, 90 minutes) is the top-deck version; the closed-top luxury night tour (from $48, 3 hours) adds the DUMBO photo stop and is the warmer choice from November.