7 Night Bus Tours in New York City to Build a Day Around

1.New York Night Tour: Open Top Bus Tour by TopView®

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,783 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $59Our pick

This 90-minute TopView® bus ride leaves Times Square at 6:00 or 8:00 PM, passing Fifth Avenue, the Empire State Building, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, and Brooklyn. You get skyline views and commentary, but seating, headphones, weather, and bus delays can shape the experience.

“We had a fantastic tour guide. Very knowledgeable and fun! The view were incredible. Love every second of the trip!”

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2.Dyker Heights Christmas Lights & Skyline View Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,192 reviews · 4 hours · from $69

Travel from Midtown to Dyker Heights with a live English or German-speaking guide, then walk among Brooklyn’s extravagant Christmas displays. The route includes a sunset stop by the Statue of Liberty, a Brooklyn Bridge Park skyline stop, and a final drive past New York’s illuminated waterfront.

“Delayed getting to town and missed our tour. I figured we were out the tickets but these guys got us in next day, really good folks. We were on the bilingual German tour with a bunch of overseas folks and that made it even more fun. The tour guide, Greg I think, was really good. Personable and knowledgible. After Dyker Heights we stopped at DUMBO under the bridge and got some really good pictures of the family with the skyline in the background. They had us on comfortable tour busses, warm and inside, not the rickety 2 story busses where you sit outside on top. I would do the tour…”

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3.Big Bus New York: Sightseeing Night Tour by Open-top Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 277 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $67

Ride an open-top Big Bus from Times Square after dark, passing major New York sights while a live English-speaking guide such as Shelley, Jennifer, or Rick shares city stories and tips. Seats are first-come, first-served, and the night route is one continuous ride, not a hop-on hop-off tour.

“Jen was fantastic! Had such a fun time on the bus getting to see the city lights at night with some fun people.”

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4.From Manhattan: 4-Hour Christmas Lights Luxury Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 222 reviews · 4 hours · from $95

Ride a heated bus from Greeley Square Park to Dyker Heights with an English-speaking NYC guide. Walk past extravagant displays, stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and finish near Rockefeller Center. Guides such as Fred, Ray, and Dave are known for adding local stories to the route.

“Dave was a phenomenal tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and gave lots of facts. I highly recommend this company.”

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5.Sightseeing Night Tour by Open-Top Bus with Live Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 216 reviews · 2 hours · from $67

Join Big Bus Tours at 7:00pm for a two-hour English-language ride through Midtown and lower Manhattan. Your live guide may include hosts such as Ric, Diane, Craig, or Shelley, with stories, jokes, and photo stops from the open-top deck.

“Diane the guide was very knowledgeable and great with all the others on the bus. Loved the games, singing and shouting, as well as finding out all anout the places we went. Greg the driver was very good at navigating low hanging trees.”

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6.Skyline Night Tour on Double-Decker Bus

★★★★★★★★★★3.2 · 35 reviews · 1h 30m · from $49Best value

Start in Times Square and ride through Manhattan after dark on a double-decker bus. Your English-speaking guide shares city stories while an audio guide offers 11 languages. Look for the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, and Statue of Liberty, then finish back in Times Square.

“Vraiment pas terrible mais pratique si vous n’avez pas beaucoup de temps dommage le bus est en mauvais état et les plexiglas du toit abîmé ce qui empêche de prendre les photos”

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7.New York Christmas Lights Tour by BUS

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 5 reviews · from $49

Ride from Midtown Manhattan to Dyker Heights with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide, then walk among lavish Christmas displays before stopping in Dumbo and at the Brooklyn Bridge. Jorge has guided this tour, which suits families who want festive views without arranging Brooklyn transport.

“We had Jorge who made the trip what it was. Be prepared...it's incredibly busy! But we did it on Christmas eve and despite it being so busy it was amazing. highly recommend. Get to the bus early to sit together with your family. we got there on time but were last to arrive so had to sit separately on the bus but Jorge was so informed on everything around whilst we travelled and about the Dyker Heights neighbourhood. Brilliant tour to do with kids for Xmas. Loved the stop off in Dumbo too. Got some incredible pics. we got lucky with the snow and clear skyline.Read more”

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