Lazy NYC tourists, rejoice! For here’s a way to tick off nearly every single one of the Big Apple’s blockbuster attractions without the need to negotiate your way to each one or, indeed, take a single step. Seriously though, Big Bus is an excellent starting point for newbies keen to get the lay of the land and take in as many New York icons as possible before deep-diving into a few favorites.
We took a ride (on the top deck, naturally) to get the scoop on
- What you can expect from the Big Bus tour
- Must-see highlights
- The best photo ops en route
- How to board with your New York Pass
- Where to hop off and explore
Sounds tour-rific, tell me more…
Anyone who’s ever visited a major city — London, Paris, Las Vegas, Rome — will have seen (or even boarded) a Big Bus tour. You know the ones: a rainbow-colored selection of open-top double deckers that cruise the city centers, most easily identified by the camera-toting tourists up top, soaking in the sights and snapping selfies, all while listening intently to the on-board narration.
New York’s Big Bus covers two major routes. There’s the red Downtown Loop, which heads south from Times Square to The Battery and back, taking in A-list landmarks including the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Wall Street, Chrysler Building and New York Public Library. Meanwhile, the blue Uptown Loop skirts the eastern and southern sides of Central Park, ticking off Museum Mile, the Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Central Park Zoo and more. In short, you can pretty much see it all by riding these two routes. Bonus: as well as the Big Bus, your New York Pass also saves you money on several more major tours and attractions along the route. Truly living the (American) dream!
Ok, give me three good reasons to board the Big Bus…
- It’s a whistle-stop tour of New York’s greatest hits. If there’s a quicker and easier way to tick off must-sees like Times Square, the Empire State, Wall Street, Grand Central Station and the Flatiron Building in 90 minutes, we’d love to hear about it. For sightseeing NYC newbies, it’s really a no-brainer.
- The recorded narration is bags of fun. You’ll disembark with a treasure trove of Big Apple trivia with which to wow your friends. Which landmark held a 1932 seance in an attempt to contact Thomas Edison? Which building has starred in more movies than Meryl Streep? And what’s the one thing you’ll never see on Times Square?
- There are plenty of places to hop off. There are 19 stops across the Uptown and Downtown loops, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, halfway up Central Park’s east side to Wall Street, way down at the southernmost tip of Manhattan Island. You’re free to hop off (and back on) at any one of them for the two days your bus pass remains valid.
How do I board the bus with my New York Pass?
Make for the M&Ms World store on Times Square. You’ll find a Big Bus agent (alas, not dressed as an oversized M&M) right there on the corner. Flash your New York Pass and you’ll be issued with a paper ticket, which remains good for two whole days of bus-based attraction-hopping.
You can plan your itinerary using the Big Bus New York tour map, and you’ll find there are plenty more attractions along the route that you can access using your New York Pass. And remember, the more you visit the more you’ll save! We’re talking — deep breath — Madame Tussauds, Edge, RiseNY, MoMA, the Empire State Building, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, Top of The Rock, Intrepid Museum and the One World Observatory, to name just a few.
Tell me more about what I’ll see on the Big Bus Tour…
What will you see? What won’t you see, more like. But ok, here are a few select highlights from each route, a great many of which are included with your New York Pass…
Downtown Route (red)
Times Square (stops 1–2): Where better to take your first bite of the Big Apple than in the neon-lit wonderland of New York’s entertainment district? Highlights to hop off for here include Madame Tussauds, RiseNY and the bright lights of Broadway. Pro-tip: take a quick walk to Bryant Park, home of the New York Public Library, which old-school movie fans will recognize from its starring roles in Spider-Man, The Day After Tomorrow and — perhaps most memorably of all — Ghostbusters. Who ya gonna call?
Fifth Avenue (stops 3-4): The long cruise down Fifth Avenue takes in some of New York’s most iconic landmarks. We’re talking the Chrysler, the Flatiron and the Empire State Building itself. Jump off at stop 3 for easy access to the observatory up top of King Kong’s favorite New York attraction. Or grab a butterbeer at Harry Potter New York in the Flatiron District, right by stop 4.
Little Italy and Chinatown (stop 6): Lower Manhattan is a lunch-lover’s dream ticket. Hop off for some of the best New York pizza, velvety tiramisu, Peking duck and zingy dumplings in town, or strike out to the legendary Katz’s Delicatessen on East Houston Street for sandwiches stacked high with pastrami and pickles. The New York Pass of course has you covered for walking tours in both Chinatown and Little Italy.
Brooklyn Bridge (stop 7): Fancy an amble across the world’s most famous cable-stayed suspension bridge? This is your stop. Want more? Ok then: it also happens to be a great hopping off spot for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and the dizzy heights of the One World Observatory, a mere 1,268 feet above Manhattan. This is where it’s at for fine views of the Statue of Liberty and, well, everything else really.
Wall Street (stop 8): Show. Me The Money. Oh go on then, we will: disembark here to ogle the New York Stock Exchange, The Charging Bull (and his attendant Fearless Girl statue) and the Gothic Revival splendor of Trinity Church. For more interesting insights on all of these (and more) there’s a guided walking tour included with the New York Pass.
The High Line, Hudson Yards and Hell’s Kitchen (Stops 11–13): Skirt the mighty Hudson north back to Midtown via the west side, stopping off for New York Pass highlights as rich and varied as Edge, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the mass of metal war machines that comprises Intrepid Museum on Pier 86.
Uptown Route (Blue)
The Rockefeller Center (stop 15): Top of The Rock? Check. Grand Central Terminal? Check. Radio City Music Hall? Check. And — just around the corner – the treasure trove of 20th-century masterpieces that is the mighty MoMA. Check. That’s a whole day of New York cultural highlights right there, all within a few blocks of your stop.
Museum Mile and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (stop 16): The Mighty Met needs little introduction, but we’re going to give you one anyway: it’s where you can ogle priceless art, gems and antiquities from across the ages — think ancient Egyptian temples, Qing Dynasty jewels, Rembrandt masterpieces and oh so much more. It sits at the southern end of the Museum Mile, which also includes the Gugg, the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the Neue Galerie and El Museo del Barrio. Art fiends, fill your boots.
Central Park Zoo (stop 17): Do you like penguins, red pandas and grizzly bears? Well of course you do! Hop off here to say hey to the resident critters of Central Park Zoo, and maybe even take a stroll over to the park’s other beloved animal attraction: an old-school carousel of painted steeds that’s been charming kids (and adults) for more than a century.
Carnegie Hall (stop 19): Another cultural heavyweight and one of the world’s most celebrated live music venues, Carnegie Hall has played host to everyone from Rachmaninoff to Elgar, Billie Holiday to The Beatles. So yeah, suffice to say it has quite the pedigree. A stop here also puts you within easy reach of Central Park’s southern end.
Where are the top photo ops?
Well, that kind of depends what you want to capture. But, keep a steady hand as you traverse Manhattan and you’ll discover there’s Insta gold in them there streets. Cruise the length of Fifth Avenue on the Downtown Loop for countless coquettish angles as the Empire State Building peeps coyly across the rooftops. Camera at the ready for Brooklyn Bridge’s iconic arches. And don’t skip the chance to capture those fancy storefronts — Chanel, Gucci, Hermes, Valentino — as you take the Uptown bus along glitzy Madison Avenue.
Any tips for a smooth ride?
Yes! Several!
- The Downtown Loop (red) runs from 9AM to 5PM with departures every 20 minutes. The Uptown Loop (blue) is every 30 minutes from 10AM to 4PM.
- Download the Big Bus Tours app — this will allow you to track buses in real time for each stop along your route, saving you from potentially long waits. You’ll also find interactive maps, walking directions and live service updates in there. Essential.
- Stop 2 (42nd and Broadway) is the point where the two Big Bus loops connect, allowing you to switch seamlessly between Uptown and Downtown.
- Buses are wheelchair accessible, but customers with mobility issues may not be able to access the top deck.
- Remember you have two days to use your Big Bus pass. Plan your must-sees and set out easy itineraries for each day, rather than trying to see everything in one go.
- Sit on the (covered) lower deck if it’s raining!
Ok I’m all done here, where should I go next?
The beauty of the Big Bus experience is that you can conclude your journey wherever the heck you like, meaning that New York’s basically your oyster. Or your Big Apple. Whatever. In other words, finish your tour at the stop closest to whatever attraction you’ve elected to see next. Here are just a smattering of the highlights you can find along the route, every single one of them included with the New York Pass…
Enjoyed this little slice of New York?
Get your fix of 20th-century art masterpieces at the mighty MoMA and take a deep dive into the world of war machinery at Intrepid Museum, plus get plenty of visitor tips, cash-saving hacks and more.
With The New York Pass®, you can skip the stress and save big on Big Bus New York tickets plus dozens of other must-see attractions, all with one easy-to-use pass.
