NYC Sightseeing: 48-Hour Bus & Empire State Entry

Experience the best of New York City with a Hop-on Hop-off Tour and access to the iconic Empire State Building. Explore famous sights, museums, and more!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Discover Downtown (Red Route) (Route)

Operating Hours: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM (starting from Stop #1 - M&M’S World)
Buses arrive every 20 minutes, with the entire route taking 90 minutes.
Download the complimentary Big Bus app or visit the website for route details, customer support, and real-time bus tracking.
1. M&M’S New York
Stop 1 - 7th…

What's Included
  • Big Bus 48-hour Hop-on Hop-off Tour on Downtown & Uptown Loops
  • Entry to Empire State Building 86th floor
  • Statue of Liberty Ferry (if option selected)
  • Digital commentary aboard hop-on hop-off tour
  • Wi-Fi on board
  • Big Bus app for route information and live bus tracking
  • Save up to 30% off full retail when you bundle
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Discover New York City from every perspective with this adaptable sightseeing package. Enjoy a 48-hour unlimited access pass on an open-top hop-on hop-off bus, covering Midtown, Downtown, and Uptown. Disembark at iconic locations such as Times Square, Wall Street, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, and renowned museums whenever you wish to delve deeper….

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.3
(88 Ratings)
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Deboralimalc
Oct 14, 2025
Big bus - NY - It was a wonderful experience! I'll tell everyone to be. The photos you make are beautiful and of excellent quality. The guide who showed us the city was very friendly!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Allison_c
Sep 29, 2025
Great experience - Great company! My mother left her wallet on the bus and BIG Bus Tours promptly mailed it back to her. We also very much enjoyed our tour.
Review provided by Viator
Thomas_d
Sep 21, 2025
good deal - A great way to see NYC. Was able to see many sites that I would not made with the bus. And it included the Empire State Building for a few extra dollars. A very good deal.
Review provided by Viator
Franciscoi401
Sep 7, 2025
Amazing Amazing - Amazing Experience This was such an unforgettable tour! I will definitely be booking future tours with this company. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marc
Dec 8, 2025
Froze our tail off! - No heat in the bus. It was 28 degrees. Froze!! And the advertising print on the windows made it difficult to look out. The empire state building tour was great and we appreciated purchasing tickets earlier.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Delores_k
Dec 19, 2025
Not Worth the Money - Honestly this was a waste of money! The buses only run every 1/2 hour or so, and are slow to complete the circut - not at all as advertised! They're also NOT heated, which made riding in the winter time during our visit miserable. At one point our bus driver got in a standoff with a city bus driver, where she wasn't allowing him to move out of the way so I could comfortably board. She was stopped next to him and expected passengers to squeeze on and off the bus through a gap about 1-1.5ft wide. At 7 months pregnant, I unfortunately wasn't fitting through that gap and had to stand there awkwardly before finally just begging them to stop the contest so we could all move on with our day. Overall, we barely used our 2 day pass to hop on and off, rather rode the entire circuit back around to get home after walking most of the day. Unless you really plan to travel all over the city for quick 30 minute stops, save your money and take the subway.
Review provided by Viator
24lawrenceb
Oct 4, 2025
Not a great experience - Had a 48 Hour ticket & decided to do the red route first day & tried the blue on the next. Tried to find the stop at the Met, which tied up with the location on the app. Bus finally appeared & drove straight past. We were not the only people waiting. The information about stops is either wrong or so confusing you can’t rely on it. The buses are not frequent, so gave up & took a taxi.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C7522atedc
Dec 5, 2025
Didn't get what we paid for. - This was awful. The drivers were rude. Missed boat cruise because we waited over an hour at the Empire State stop. The employee at the stop had no clue as to why no buses showed up.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan
Sep 6, 2025
Really Bad - We were really disappointed in this tour. We entered the bus, were given headphones to listen to the pre-recorded audio. They were super loud and crackled badly. The noise was terrible. We sat in traffic for most of the time. Would have been far better with a walking tour. Sadly we lasted 45 mins, this was our only disappointment in NY The cost was way too high for the level of service.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph
Aug 14, 2025
Big bus New York is not worth money - The bus drivers were extremely rude and unhelpful. When asking what the next stop was coming, they would respond with grab a headphone and listen. The wait times for the bus were ok, but the lack of AC made the rides so uncomfortable. The headphones were so poor quality that hearing the audio was poor even with the volume at maximum. The last bus from statue of liberty kept breaking down at each traffic light. Traveling with a group of 9 with only 1 paper ticket was also hard and getting a second ticket was impossible. When I boarded I showed my ticket indicating that I had 8 others with me, but the driver didn't listen and then yells at my family where is your ticket. Waiting 20 minutes for a bus for a 5 minute ride to the next stop was not worth it but no one to ask how to get around. Changing the time chosen for empire state building tour was not possible. Customer service didn't respond or understand question.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $105
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).