New York: Madame Tussauds and Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off Tour

Madame Tussauds gives you a playful look at fame, from Lady Gaga and Whitney Houston to Audrey Hepburn, Lionel Messi, and the Kardashians. Then the open-top Big Bus turns New York into a moving sightseeing platform, with stops near the Empire State Building, Times Square, Wall Street, and the 9/11 Memorial.

I like the easy mix of indoor entertainment and outdoor sightseeing. I also like the freedom to get off when a neighborhood catches your eye, then catch another bus later. The main catch is timing: a single day can feel rushed if you try to see Madame Tussauds and make many stops on the Downtown Loop.

Key points to know before booking

• 85,000 square feet of wax figures and sets: Madame Tussauds fills more than five floors with pop stars, film figures, sports icons, world leaders, and television scenes.
• Marvel 4D is included: Your admission covers the Marvel Superheroes 4D Experience, not just the wax displays.
• A 90-minute Downtown Loop: The Big Bus route passes through SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, Battery Park, and the Financial District.
• Thirteen hop-on hop-off stops: Buses arrive about every 10 to 15 minutes, giving you room to build your own short city tour.
• The Statue of Liberty is part of the view, not the admission: You can see major sights from the route, but this package does not include entry to the Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building.
• Redeem the bus voucher first: Big Bus staff must activate or redeem your ticket before you visit Madame Tussauds.

Two New York experiences in one day

This package joins two very different ways to see Manhattan. Madame Tussauds is fixed, indoors, and built around close-up photo moments. Big Bus is open-air and flexible, giving you a broad first look at several neighborhoods without paying for a string of taxis or rideshares.

The price is $99 per person. Buying the activities together saves 10 percent compared with purchasing them separately, so the value depends on using both parts. If you only want a quick look at wax figures, the bundle may be more than you need. If you already plan to visit Madame Tussauds and want a simple way to cover Lower Manhattan, the combination makes better sense.

You get a 24-hour Big Bus ticket, but the activity itself is described as valid for one day from first activation. Treat it as a full sightseeing day rather than a pass you can spread across several dates.

Madame Tussauds in Times Square

Madame Tussauds occupies more than five floors and about 85,000 square feet in the heart of Times Square. That location matters. You can pair it with nearby Broadway theaters, shops, restaurants, and the bright signs of Times Square without spending time traveling across town.

The museum is not a quiet gallery where you simply walk past figures behind ropes. It is designed for interaction. You can stand beside Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, Lionel Messi, Audrey Hepburn, and the Kardashians, then use the scenes around them for photographs.

The figures cover several kinds of fame:

• Music artists and singers
• Film and television personalities
• Sports stars
• World leaders
• Marvel superheroes
• Fashion and entertainment figures

The appeal depends on how much you enjoy pop culture. If you recognize the people on display, the museum gives you plenty of easy photo opportunities. If your interests are narrower, some sections may feel less relevant, since the collection spreads across many eras and fields.

You can also enter staged settings rather than only viewing individual figures. The experience includes Broadway sets, a representation of the Oval Office, and a Tonight Show scene where you can sit beside Jimmy Fallon. The New York Fashion Week section lets you walk the catwalk during the Glow Gala runway experience.

That staged approach works especially well for families, groups of friends, and anyone building a day around photographs. It also gives you something to do in bad weather, a useful advantage in New York, where rain or winter cold can quickly change your plans.

Marvel Superheroes 4D adds motion and effects

General admission includes the Marvel Superheroes 4D Experience. This is an important part of the package because it adds a show-style attraction to the wax displays.

You can step into the Marvel Universe and pose with superhero figures, then attend the 4D presentation. The supplied details do not specify its exact running time or seating arrangements, so plan to follow the on-site schedule rather than building your whole day around a precise show slot.

If you are buying this package for a child or Marvel fan, the 4D attraction may be one of the strongest reasons to choose the bundle. If you are mainly interested in Audrey Hepburn, musicians, or the fashion areas, treat Marvel as an included extra rather than the center of your visit.

The museum is large enough that you should allow a generous part of the day for it. No exact visit length is provided, and your pace will depend on how many photos you take and how much time you spend in the staged rooms.

Taking the Big Bus Downtown Loop

The Big Bus portion uses an open-top double-decker bus. From the upper deck, you get a broad view of streets and buildings that can be hard to appreciate from inside a car. The bus also lets you rest between walks, which is useful when your New York day already includes Times Square and a large museum.

The Downtown Loop takes about 90 minutes if you remain on board. It passes through 13 stops and connects several areas that feel quite different from one another. Buses arrive about every 10 to 15 minutes, so you can get off without committing to a long wait, though traffic can affect actual arrival times.

Digital commentary is included in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian. The driver speaks English. The Big Bus app provides route information and real-time bus tracking, which is worth using before you leave a stop. It helps you decide if you have time for a walk, a snack, or a photo stop before the next bus.

The route is best viewed as an introduction to Lower Manhattan rather than a full tour of every major New York sight. You will see and pass near important landmarks, but you must get off to explore properly.

What each Downtown Loop area offers

Empire State Building and Midtown sights

The route includes the Empire State Building area, one of New York’s most recognizable landmarks. This package does not include entry to the observatory, so you should not expect to go inside as part of the bus ticket.

Even so, the bus gives you a useful look at the building and the Midtown setting. If the Empire State Building is a top priority, consider this stop a way to orient yourself, not a substitute for an observatory ticket.

Times Square

Times Square is the natural connection between the two parts of this package. Madame Tussauds is located here, and the Big Bus activation point is at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street, outside M&M’S World.

The area is convenient but crowded and loud. It is a good place to begin if you want to handle your ticket before entering Madame Tussauds. It is less pleasant if you hope for a calm first stop, so use it as a practical base rather than a peaceful neighborhood walk.

SoHo

SoHo brings a different feel, with cast-iron buildings and streets suited to wandering. The bus gives you access to the area, but the value comes from getting off and walking at your own pace.

Do not treat the 90-minute circuit as a reason to stay on the bus the entire time. SoHo is one of the places where a short walk can add more than another pass by the same buildings from the upper deck.

Little Italy and Chinatown

The route also reaches Little Italy and Chinatown, two nearby areas with strong food and shopping identities. The package does not include meals or guided walking tours, so plan to explore these areas independently if you get off.

This is a good example of the pass’s flexibility. You can use the bus for orientation, choose one neighborhood for a brief walk, then return to the route instead of arranging separate transportation.

Wall Street and the Charging Bull

The Financial District includes Wall Street and the Charging Bull. These stops connect modern finance with some of the city’s oldest downtown streets and civic landmarks.

The Charging Bull is a quick photo stop for many people, while Wall Street rewards a little more walking. Again, the bus only gets you into the area. You decide how long to stay and what to see on foot.

One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial

The Downtown Loop passes near One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial. The memorial is a place for quiet reflection, so it can feel very different from the playful scenes at Madame Tussauds and the noise of Times Square.

You can use the bus to reach the area, then get off and pay your respects. Admission to One World Observatory or other paid attractions is not included, and the package does not describe a guided memorial visit.

Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty views

Battery Park offers one of the route’s most useful waterfront stops. It is also the place to look toward the Statue of Liberty.

The important distinction is that this package includes sightseeing from the bus route, not a ferry ride or admission to the Statue of Liberty. If you want to visit the island, you need a separate ticket and a separate time plan.

How to organize the day

You must redeem the voucher with Big Bus staff before visiting Madame Tussauds. The easiest starting point is the activation point at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street, outside M&M’S World. You can also activate the ticket through the Big Bus app or with a driver at any stop.

The app method is straightforward: add the booking with your reference number, open the ticket on the day you travel, press Activate, and show it to the driver. The app also gives you route details and live bus tracking.

For the most efficient day, activate the bus ticket first, then visit Madame Tussauds while you are already in Times Square. Afterward, take the Downtown Loop and choose two or three areas for short walks.

Trying to visit every stop, fully explore Madame Tussauds, and enter extra attractions in one day would be ambitious. I would choose the 9/11 Memorial and Battery Park for one stretch, or SoHo, Chinatown, and Wall Street for another. The pass works best when you accept that you are sampling New York rather than completing it.

Who gets the most from the $99 price

The bundle suits you if you want a clear plan with both indoor and outdoor elements. Families can use Madame Tussauds and Marvel as the main attraction, while adults can use the bus to reach downtown neighborhoods without arranging several rides.

It also works well for a first visit. The loop shows you where major areas sit in relation to one another, and the commentary supplies background in several languages. A direct taxi or rideshare may be faster for one trip, but several separate rides can cost more and give you less city context.

The value is weaker if you dislike wax museums, staged photo scenes, or hop-on hop-off buses. It is also less useful if you already have a detailed Lower Manhattan itinerary and only need transportation to one destination.

The strongest praise in the available feedback centers on flexibility and value. One booking from the United States described using the bus to avoid paying for several rides, getting off at multiple locations, and then continuing on the next bus. That is exactly how I would use the pass.

The ratings are generally positive but not perfect, with an overall score of 4.2 from five ratings. The comments describe the day as easy to adjust and say Madame Tussauds offered more to see than expected. That matches the package’s main strength: it gives you options, but you still need to make the day’s choices.

Practical details that matter

The experience is wheelchair accessible. No hotel pickup or drop-off is included, so you must make your own way to the activation point or another bus stop.

The audio guide is included, while the driver’s spoken language is English. Audio commentary is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund. A reserve-now, pay-later option is also available, which helps if your New York schedule is still changing.

Keep your expectations clear about the landmarks. You can visit or see the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, One World Trade Center, and Brooklyn Bridge areas from the route, but the package does not include admission to each attraction.

Should you book this New York bundle?

Book it if you want Madame Tussauds plus a flexible introduction to Lower Manhattan in one day. The 10 percent bundle saving, included Marvel 4D experience, open-top bus, multilingual commentary, and live tracking give the $99 price a reasonable case.

I would especially recommend it for families, pop culture fans, first-time visitors, and anyone who wants to cut down on separate rides. I would skip it if you prefer museums with original objects, dislike staged attractions, or want to spend a full day at only one major sight.

Use the bus pass with a plan. Activate early, visit Madame Tussauds in Times Square, then choose a small number of downtown stops instead of chasing all 13. That approach gives you the fun of the wax museum and a useful first look at New York without turning the day into a race.

FAQ

How much does the Madame Tussauds and Big Bus package cost?

The package costs $99 per person and saves 10 percent when the two activities are bundled.

How long is the activity valid?

The ticket is valid for one day from the time you first activate it.

What is included at Madame Tussauds?

General admission and the Marvel Superheroes 4D Experience are included. The museum covers more than five floors and about 85,000 square feet.

How long is the Big Bus Downtown Loop?

The complete Downtown Loop takes about 90 minutes if you stay on the bus.

How often do Big Bus vehicles arrive?

Buses are scheduled to arrive every 10 to 15 minutes along the Downtown Loop.

Does the package include entry to the Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building?

No. The route lets you see or reach areas near these landmarks, but attraction admission is not included.

How do I activate the ticket?

You can add the booking to the Big Bus app, activate it on the day of travel, and show it to the driver. You can also redeem the voucher with Big Bus staff at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street outside M&M’S World, or with a driver at any route stop. Remember to redeem the voucher before visiting Madame Tussauds.