Independent guide
Big Bus New York City: routes, stops and tickets
Independent guide, not operated by or affiliated with Big Bus Tours.
We list 6 Big Bus ticket options in New York City, from 1.5–24 hr. Big Bus Tours operates the hop-on hop-off sightseeing service in Manhattan, with a booking office listed on Fifth Avenue. This guide covers 2 routes, its 19 distinct stops, when to ride and who it suits, then lines up the tickets.
- Routes2
- Stops19
- Shortest loop75M
- Tickets6
Route and stops
- Downtown Loop
- Uptown Loop
Runs from Midtown down the length of Manhattan to the Financial District and back up the Hudson waterfront. Resellers describe a full circuit of roughly 90 minutes without getting off.
Downtown Loop
Show all 13 stops
Circles the Midtown and Upper East Side edge of Central Park, taking in Rockefeller Center and Museum Mile. Resellers describe a circuit of about 75 minutes; stop order here follows a reseller listing and may differ on the ground.
Uptown Loop
Big Bus tickets in New York City
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Want to see every hop-on hop-off bus in New York City, not just this one? Compare hop-on hop-off tours in New York City.
What riders say
Across these tickets travellers rate Big Bus New York City 3.5 out of 5 from 5,668 reviews.
Postcard Tim was amazing. He was very informative and entertaining. We thoroughly enjoyed the downtown tour of Manhattan
It was a great way to experience and see all the sights. Loved sitting on top of the bus and seeing everything. Had to sit on the lower enclosed part once and wouldn’t do that again. Very warm and stuffy can’t really see things well from below
The best, most economical way to see an overview of NYC and get off & on, taking your time at whatever stop you wish. The App explains every stop, and makes it so easy to use!
Best time to ride
Spring and autumn bring mild weather that suits an open-top deck, and Central Park is at its best then. Summer is hot and humid, so morning rides are more comfortable, while winter decks can be cold and windy. Midtown stops are busiest around midday.
Who it suits
- Families
- Seeing Manhattan from the upper deck saves small legs from long walks between sights. Stops near Central Park Zoo and the waterfront break up the day.
- Couples
- The Downtown loop links the Brooklyn Bridge, SoHo and the Hudson Yards waterfront, which suits a relaxed day of hopping off at viewpoints.
- Seniors
- A seated overview of the city reduces walking between distant districts.
- First-time visitors
- Two loops cover Midtown, the Financial District and the Central Park edge, giving a quick orientation before choosing places to revisit.
Tips before you go
- Times Square East is listed as a shared stop on both loops, so it works as a place to switch.
- Check the operator's service notices before riding; parades and street closures can pause a loop for a day.
- Resellers report the service runs every day except 25 December and 31 December.
- Sources disagree on route colours and some stop closures, so confirm current stops in the operator's app or stop finder.
Sights along the way
Times Square, Empire State Building, Flatiron Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park Zoo, Hudson Yards.
Top-ranked in New York City: Statue of Liberty, Central Park, National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Brooklyn Bridge, Ellis Island. All things to do in New York City.
Why take the bus in New York City
The case for a sightseeing bus here is distance. Midtown and the Financial District are a long way apart, and the sights in between are not especially pleasant to walk past one after another. A hop-on hop-off bus links the two ends in one seated ride and lets you see Midtown and the Financial District in a single trip, which suits a first visit when you do not yet know which areas deserve more time.
There are also places where the bus is the wrong tool. The metro is faster for crossing Manhattan when you have a fixed destination, and it is the only sensible way to reach Greenwich Village or Grand Central Station, because neither has a stop on either loop. Ellis Island has no stop either; it is reached by boat, and the Statue of Liberty is the same story for the actual island visit. For dense areas such as the cluster around Rockefeller Center, Times Square and Grand Central Station, walking is simply better: the sights are close together and street life is half the appeal.
If you are weighing the bus against a guided walking tour, the difference is mostly depth versus breadth. A walking tour typically covers one neighbourhood with a guide's stories and runs a couple of hours at street level. The bus covers far more ground with less detail. Many visitors use the bus on day one for orientation, then spend later days on foot in the places that caught their eye.
How the routes work together
Think of the two loops as two halves of Manhattan. The Downtown Loop runs from Midtown down the length of the island to the Financial District and returns up the Hudson waterfront. The Uptown Loop is shorter and stays around the Midtown and Upper East Side edge of Central Park, taking in Rockefeller Center and Museum Mile.
They meet at Times Square East, which both loops call at. That is the natural place to change from one to the other, and it makes Times Square a sensible anchor for the day. Ride one loop, return to Times Square East, then pick up the other.
The split also tells you how to choose if you only have time for one. Pick the Downtown Loop if your priorities are the Brooklyn Bridge, the World Trade Center area, SoHo, Chinatown and the Hudson Yards waterfront. Pick the Uptown Loop if you care more about Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rockefeller Center area. The Downtown Loop is the longer of the two at about 90 minutes without getting off, against about 75 minutes for the Uptown Loop, so allow far more than that once you start hopping off.
What reaches what is worth stating precisely. The Statue of Liberty stop on the Downtown Loop is shared with Wall Street, so you can reach the Wall Street area from there, though the island visit itself needs a boat. The World Trade Center stop is about 150 metres from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and about 50 metres from One World Observatory. The Central Park Zoo stop is the one that puts you at Central Park.
A sample day on the bus
This plan suits a morning start and runs through the afternoon, with the Downtown Loop first because the Financial District is calmer earlier in the day.
Begin at Times Square East and take the Downtown Loop. Stay on through the Midtown stops and the Flatiron District, then get off at the Brooklyn Bridge stop. Walking onto the bridge is the best-known thing to do here and gives a skyline view that no bus deck can match. Return to the stop afterwards rather than walking all the way across, unless you want to continue into Brooklyn.
Back on board, ride on to the World Trade Center stop. The memorial, One World Trade Center and One World Observatory are all within a short walk, and Wall Street is part of the same cluster of downtown sights. This is the stop worth giving the longest break, since the memorial and the observatory each take a good chunk of time. If the museum or the observatory is on your list, check the ticket page for what is bundled before you decide how long to stay.
If energy remains, switch to the Uptown Loop and get off at Rockefeller Center, which is within walking range of Times Square and Grand Central Station. Save the Central Park Zoo stop and Museum Mile for another half-day; trying to fit both loops in with proper stops usually leaves you rushing.
Booking advice
Decide first what job the ticket is doing. If it is purely transport and orientation, a plain bus ticket is enough. If you want a river cruise or an attraction entry on the same trip, the market includes tours that add a boat cruise and bus tickets bundled with an attraction or second activity. Across the hop-on hop-off products for the city there are several operators, with loop durations from roughly 90 minutes to two hours.
Before buying, check the points that vary between products: which route or routes the ticket covers, how long it is valid, whether commentary is available in your language, and whether any cruise or attraction entry is included. Languages across the city's hop-on hop-off products include English, German, Portuguese, Italian, French, Spanish and Chinese, but individual tickets differ. Compare the tickets side by side for those details rather than assuming they are the same.
Sights worth the stop
The Brooklyn Bridge is the strongest reason to get off the bus: the stop is right at the bridge, and the walk gives you the best skyline views of the trip. Times Square needs no planning since both loops call there, and it is most striking in the evening, though the bus is best used for daylight sightseeing.
Rockefeller Center has a stop on the Uptown Loop, and it sits in the same walkable cluster as Times Square and Grand Central Station. Central Park is served through the Central Park Zoo stop, which makes a good starting point for a stroll rather than a full park tour, given how large the park is.
Downtown, the World Trade Center stop covers the memorial, One World Trade Center and One World Observatory in one go. Wall Street and the Statue of Liberty stop share a stop, but remember that Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty islands need a separate boat trip, so build that into the day if you want it.
More on New York City sightseeing
Questions about Big Bus New York City
How many routes does Big Bus run in New York?
Resellers describe two loops, a Downtown loop and an Uptown loop, both passing Times Square East.
Does the bus reach the Statue of Liberty?
A Downtown stop is labelled for Wall Street and the Statue of Liberty; the bus serves the lower Manhattan waterfront, not the island itself.
How long does each loop take without getting off?
Resellers give about 90 minutes for the Downtown loop and about 75 minutes for the Uptown loop.
Does the Uptown loop go past the Metropolitan Museum of Art?
Yes, a stop at Fifth Avenue and East 83rd Street serves the museum.
Does it run on public holidays?
Reseller listings say it runs daily except 25 December and 31 December, but one-off closures such as parades can occur.
How many Big Bus ticket options are there in New York City?
We list 6 Big Bus ticket options in New York City, lasting 1.5–24 hr, rated 3.5 out of 5 across 5,668 traveller reviews.
Route and stop details checked 2026-10-13; routes and times change with the season, so confirm on the ticket page before you travel.