Hop On Hop Off NYC: Bus Tickets, Routes & Best Options

For most first-time visitors, Big Bus is the safer pick. It publishes fixed timetables, its whole New York fleet is wheelchair accessible, and on GetYourGuide it held a 4.2 rating from about 6,600 reviews when we checked on October 21, 2026. TopView is cheaper, starting around $39, but its listing averaged 3.0 from about 570 reviews. TopView makes more sense on a longer stay, because its 72-hour-plus passes add a Brooklyn tour and a night tour.

On October 21, 2026, Big Bus started at $62 for a 24-hour Downtown ticket, $83 for 48 hours on both loops with the night tour, and $99 for 72 hours with a Circle Line cruise added. TopView started around $39 on GetYourGuide for its shortest pass. Prices move by date. Big Bus charges a child fare for ages 3 to 12, and kids 2 and under ride free.

Big Bus wins on published schedules, review scores and accessibility. TopView wins on price and on longer passes that bundle a Brooklyn tour, a night tour and a Statue of Liberty cruise. If you have one or two days and want the smoother ride, book Big Bus. If you are in town four or five days and price comes first, TopView’s longer passes are worth a look.

It is worth it on your first full day if you want an overview of Manhattan with commentary, or if long walks are hard for someone in your group. It is not worth it if you are comfortable on the subway and already know what you want to see, because a $3 subway ride is faster than the bus for getting from one sight to the next.

On Big Bus, the Downtown loop takes about 90 minutes and the Uptown loop about 75 minutes if you stay on the whole way. Midtown traffic can stretch both. Most people who hop off two or three times spend the better part of a day on one loop.

You can board at any stop on your ticket’s route. Big Bus’s main staffed stop is Stop 1, outside M&M’s World at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street. TopView’s main boarding point is 2 East 42nd Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues near Grand Central.

Big Bus runs 19 numbered stops: 13 on the Downtown loop and six more on the Uptown loop, which also calls at One Times Square. TopView does not list its stop count on its GetYourGuide page, so check its app for the current stops.

Big Bus posts its current route map and stop times on its New York routes page and in its free app, which also shows live bus locations. TopView’s stops and live bus tracking are in the TopView Sightseeing app. Skip printed maps and older blog maps, because stops change.

No bus goes to Liberty Island. Big Bus’s Wall Street and Statue of Liberty stop, at Broadway and Wall Street, is the one to use for walking down to the ferries at Battery Park. The ferry ticket is separate unless you buy a bundle that includes it.

Not on a standard Manhattan hop-on hop-off ticket. Big Bus sells a separate guided Brooklyn and DUMBO bus and walking tour on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm, paused from December 31 to March 31. TopView includes a Brooklyn tour only in its 72-hour and longer Discover passes. Both companies’ night tours cross the Manhattan Bridge.

Only with a 48-hour or longer ticket. Big Bus tickets start when you press Activate in its app, and multi-day tickets have to be used on consecutive days. The 24-hour Discover ticket ends 24 hours after activation. The Big Bus ticket included with Go City passes runs for two consecutive calendar days instead.

No. Big Bus’s two-hour night tour, its seasonal holiday lights tour and TopView’s night tour are all panoramic rides. You board, ride the full loop and get off at the end, with no stops along the way to explore.

Big Bus’s service page lists one departure at 7:00pm from Stop 1, 7th Avenue and West 48th Street, and asks riders to arrive by 6:30pm. Some Big Bus ticket pages also mention an 8:00pm departure, so confirm the time in the app when you book. The tour runs about two hours with a live English-speaking guide and starts around $67. It is included in the 48-hour Essential and 72-hour Explore tickets.

The buses run rain or shine, and the lower deck is covered. Big Bus says it may suspend service in very poor weather or during unplanned city events, and posts updates in its app. Bring a rain jacket if you want the upper deck.

Big Bus says its entire New York fleet is wheelchair accessible, with lifts rated to 650 pounds, and asks riders who need other accommodations to contact it at least 48 hours ahead. The upper deck may not be possible for riders with limited mobility. TopView’s GetYourGuide listing gives no accessibility details, so contact TopView before you book.

Yes. Big Bus sells tickets on the bus, from uniformed staff at its stops and online for same-day use. Online is usually a little cheaper. Big Bus listed its 24-hour ticket at $62 online against a $65 full price. Do not buy from anyone who is not in official company uniform.

Go City’s All-Inclusive, Explorer and Essentials passes include the Big Bus two-day Downtown and Uptown ticket, valid for two consecutive calendar days. New York CityPASS did not include a hop-on hop-off bus as of October 2026.

By a lot. A subway or local bus ride costs $3, and paying with OMNY caps your spending at $35 in any seven-day stretch. A hop-on hop-off ticket is a sightseeing tour with commentary and open-top views, not a cheaper way to get around.

Big Bus runs the Downtown loop about every 30 minutes and the Uptown loop about every 60 minutes. TopView riders report a similar pattern, with Downtown buses far more frequent than Uptown ones. Traffic, closures and events can stretch the gaps, so use the live tracking in the apps.

Not with a basic ticket. Big Bus’s 72-hour Explore ticket adds a Circle Line cruise, and Big Bus bundles on GetYourGuide add the Empire State Building or the Liberty Island ferry. TopView’s longer Discover passes add a Statue of Liberty cruise and Skyscraper Museum entry. Anything else you pay for at the door.

Gray Line New York no longer runs its own hop-on hop-off buses. Since 2021, hop-on hop-off tours sold under the Gray Line name have been operated by Big Bus. City Sightseeing New York was Gray Line’s licensed brand in the city, so route maps and comparisons that still name it are out of date. Gray Line still runs escorted motorcoach tours.

For a first trip, Big Bus’s 24-hour Downtown ticket covers the most famous sights on one loop, starting at $62. With two days, its 48-hour ticket adds the Uptown loop and the live-guided night tour, starting at $83. If you would rather have a guide the whole time, Big Bus’s night tour and its Brooklyn and DUMBO tour both have live guides.

The daytime hop-on hop-off loops use recorded commentary. If you want a live guide, Big Bus’s two-hour night tour, its seasonal holiday lights tour and its Brooklyn and DUMBO bus and walking tour all have live English-speaking guides.

Big Bus’s first Downtown bus leaves Stop 1 at 9:00am and the last full loop leaves at 4:30pm. The Uptown loop runs from 10:00am to 4:00pm from Stop 14. Big Bus runs daily except Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. TopView publishes its times in its app.