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New York: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus & Circle Line Cruise

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/13

Duration1d

Audio guideEN · DE +4

Mobile ticketAccepted

See Times Square, Central Park & Wall Street Without Planning Each Stop

You board an open-top double-decker bus at any of 19 stops and ride the Downtown or Uptown loop as many times as you want during your ticket window. With a 72-hour ticket, you also get a Circle Line cruise departing from Pier 83, a 2-hour night tour, and four self-guided walking tours. The Big Bus app tracks buses in real time and stores your mobile ticket, so you activate it once and travel for the next three days without carrying paper or planning ahead.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Explore Downtown New York City

Start at 7th Ave & W 48th St
Visit Times Square and Broadway
See Empire State Building and KoreaTown
Stop at Flatiron District
Explore West Broadway and Spring Street
Visit Chinatown and Little Italy
Pass Park Row and Beekman St
View Wall Street and Statue of Liberty
See Trinity Church
Stop at Church St & Vesey St
Visit Pier 57 near 11th Ave
Stop at 12th Ave & 30th St
End at 12th Ave & 40th St

Day 2 — Discover Uptown Manhattan Highlights

Start at 7th Ave & W 53rd St
Stop at 42nd and Broadway
Visit W 49th St & 5th Ave
See 5th Ave & E 83rd St near museums
Stop at 5th Ave & E 66th St
Explore Central Park & Columbus Circle
Visit 7th Ave & W 57th St

The Experience

What if you could ride past the Statue of Liberty, walk through Grand Central, and catch a sunset from the open-top deck without deciding your route in advance? The hop-on hop-off bus tour in New York works that way — you board at any of 19 stops across two loops (Downtown and Uptown), stay on as long as you want, then hop off when something catches your eye. The Downtown Loop hits Times Square, 5th Avenue, Broadway, Wall Street and the waterfront. The Uptown Loop swings through The Met, Central Park, Columbus Circle, and the museum district along Madison Avenue. With a 72-hour ticket, you also get a Circle Line cruise (either the 1-hour Liberty Cruise or the 90-minute Landmarks Cruise, both leaving daily from Pier 83) plus access to four self-guided walking tours and a 2-hour night tour that departs at 7 or 8 PM from Stop 1.

The bus itself is the point — open-top, double-decker, with audio commentary as you roll past landmarks. You activate your ticket through the Big Bus Tours app or with staff on the spot, and the app also tracks buses in real time so you're not guessing when the next one arrives. The 24, 48, or 72-hour tickets run consecutive days, which means you're not scrambling to use them up. Families travel easily: strollers and prams are fine, infants sit on a lap, and the buses are wheelchair accessible. The night tour is included with 48 and 72-hour tickets, so you get to see how the city lights change the whole feel of the same streets you rode past in daylight.

The rhythm is yours. Spend an hour at the Frick Collection, then catch the next bus. Skip a neighborhood entirely if it doesn't call to you. Stop at Bryant Park for lunch, walk through SoHo or Greenwich Village on foot, then board again when you're ready. The two routes don't overlap much, so you're seeing different parts of the city each time you switch loops. The Circle Line cruise from Pier 83 on 42nd Street gives you the water view — Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the skyline from angles the bus can't reach. The walking tours (included with the 72-hour ticket) let you slow down in neighborhoods like Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Flatiron District without a guide talking at you the whole time.

What’s included

Open-top double-decker bus with unlimited hop-on hop-off access for 24, 48, or 72 hours.
Big Bus Tours app for ticket storage, live bus tracking, and mobile ticket activation.
two routes covering 19 stops (Downtown Loop: Times Square, 5th Avenue, Wall Street, Statue of Liberty views.
Uptown Loop: The Met, Grand Central, Central Park, Madison Avenue).
Circle Line Liberty Cruise (1 hour) or Circle Line Landmarks Cruise (90 minutes) departing daily from Pier 83, 42nd Street (with 72-hour ticket).
2-hour night tour departing at 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM from Stop 1 (with 48 and 72-hour tickets).
four self-guided digital walking tours (with 72-hour ticket).
audio commentary on all bus routes.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Big Bus Tours - USA

Is this one for you?Best for travelers who want to cover major NYC landmarks without booking a guided tour or planning stops in advance — the consecutive-day ticket and real-time app tracking mean you move at your own pace and never wait guessing when the next bus arrives.