As a local, I never thought about taking a nighttime bus tour until I had a friend visit from out of town.
It was her first time in NYC and I wanted her to get an overview of the city right away so she could make some choices about what to see on her trip.
She landed in the afternoon so we booked a night bus tour. She was dazzled by the city lit up! It was a relaxing, fun time and I am glad we did it.
If you are considering a night bus tour, this post compares many tours, including double-decker buses, small group outings, and Christmas bus tours.
- Overview
- Double Decker Buses
- Unique Night Tours
- Christmas Themed
- Deals and Offers
- Things to Do at Night in NYC
OVERVIEW
In the city that never sleeps, many NYC tourist companies offer bus tours that start at sunset or later.
The city changes dramatically from day to night, and even iconic landmarks look different when the sun goes down and the city glows.
A night bus tour is perfect for anyone who wants to experience NYC from a new perspective.
As I mentioned above, a bus tour -- day or night -- is a great way to familiarize yourself with the city which can help you decide what sights to see and which you'd rather skip.
Taking a night bus tour saves your days for walking and going to attractions.
So what are your options?
A common type of night bus tour is on a double-decker offered by hop-on hop-off bus tour companies.
From the top of a double-decker bus, you'll get unparalleled views and have plenty of photo ops!
Unlike day tours that allow you to hop on and off at the bus stops to explore the area at your leisure, night tours generally do not make stops.
Instead, you stay on the bus for the duration of the journey.
Alternatively, you might want to consider a small group bus tour, which is longer and covers a lot more ground than the double-decker bus tours.
If you are in town for the holiday season, you can take a Christmas bus tour. Since they focus primarily on lighting displays these tours begin after dark.
Prices for night bus tours range from $45 - $80 at most, with the average cost of $50 - $60 per person.
To save money on this activity (who wouldn't!), check the deals section below.
DOUBLE DECKER NIGHT BUS TOURS
A few companies offer night tours, though these are not hop-on-hop-off but continuous tours.
Tickets typically cost between $45 - $79, which is one of the most affordable options.
Several of the options covered below are free for holders of money-saving tourist attraction passes or attraction combination tickets.
Be sure to check out our detailed post comparing New York City bus tours to find out more.
Top View NYC
This company runs a 90-minute continuous night tour on a double-decker bus with frequent service.
Tours are offered frequently from Monday through Thursday, between 6 pm and 12 am and Friday through Sunday, 6 pm to 1 am.
With so many times available, this company gives you a lot of flexibility schedule-wise.
Just a few of the sites you will pass are the Empire State Building, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Grand Central Terminal.
Tours have live commentary, though you can opt for one of their audio guide-only tours to save a few bucks.
Ticket Price:
- $59 per person
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
TIP: If you are considering a daytime hop-on hop-off bus tour, the night tour is included in the 2, 3, and 5-day hop-on hop-off bus tours.
One thing I'd point out is that while this is a great price -- and Top View has sales periodically -- the company doesn't typically receive great reviews.
I suggest that before choosing Top View, look through all the options. Even if you spend a little more, a better company will be a better experience!
Big Bus Tours
This is the company that my friend and I took for our night tour and we were happy with the experience.
Like the other tours, it's not a hop-on, hop-off. Instead, it's a two-hour ride that takes you from Times Square to see all the landmarks that dazzle at night.
The bus crosses the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn for spectacular skyline views from your open-top bus.
Tours run every night from 7 pm to 9 pm. This is the only company offering a two-hour tour rather than a one-and-a-half-hour tour. While the price is a bit higher, you get your money's worth.
Ticket Price:
- $69 per person
- Purchase tickets here.
The tour has a live host who offers commentary in English only. There is no audio commentary available, so if you aren't an English speaker, you may want to look at other options.
CitySights/Gray Line/City Sightseeing
This well-known bus tour takes you to several awesome New York City sites similar to the other companies.
This is a 90-minute tour that starts at 6:30 pm and comes with live commentary from a professional guide.
Ticket Price:
- $44 for Adults | $34 for Children
While this ticket price is on the lower end of the spectrum, it's a half-hour shorter than the others.
Also, a start time of 6:30 pm and an end time of 8:00 pm means that during parts of the year, your tour will take place while the sun is still up.
I say opt for a longer tour when you'll get some after-dark time when the lights are spectacular!
UNIQUE NIGHT BUS TOURS
Below are three tours with interesting takes on the typical night bus tours.
One is a small group, four-hour tour that takes guests off the bus for brief walks at a few key spots.
Another wildly popular tour gives guests a front row to short whimsical theatrical performances on the street!
A third tour offers stunning skyline views of Manhattan from the nearby waterfront of New Jersey.
Since these tours tend to be longer and more exclusive, you can expect prices to range from $50 to $80 or more.
USA Guided Tours
At 4 hours long, this tour is one of the longest - if not THE longest - night bus tours out there. But that isn't what makes it so special.
Unlike the other tours, this one is on a small shuttle van with a handful of other passengers. Better still, this tour makes a few stops at key locations that offer spectacular skyline views.
Your adventure starts at 5:30 pm from Times Square. The bus takes you through some of the most lively and bright neighborhoods.
You'll see Midtown East, the Financial District, Tribeca, Battery Park City, Little Italy, Greenwich Village and others.
Along the way, you'll stop and leave the bus for short guided walks of the High Line and Little Island Park, along the Hudson River, and Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport where you'll get stunning views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Ticket Price
- $89 per person (children aged 2 and under are free)
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
While the cost may seem steep, you get so much for your money! I think that this tour is seriously worth considering as an unforgettable experience.
The Ride
This is a very popular bus tour in New York City because of its unique immersive nature.
On a bus with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and stadium-style seating, guests face the sidewalks while two comedic hosts keep things fun.
Along the ride, they'll see theatrical moments performed right there on the street, some recreating famous New York City moments!
Don't expect to see a lot of NYC on this 75-minute tour, but you will see some of the most iconic sights of Midtown Manhattan including Times Square, Grand Central Station, 42nd Street and more.
The Ride tour is offered both day and night. Evening tours run at 5:50 pm, 6:05 pm, 7:30 pm and 7:45 pm.
Ticket Price
- $79 per person. Children 5 and younger are not permitted.
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
You can save on this tour if you are looking into getting a tourist attraction pass. Read more in our deals section below.
Royal City Tours
This small group tour offers the best skyline views of the west side of Manhattan and Lower Manhattan as it travels along the waterfront in New Jersey, just across the river from Manhattan.
None of the other tours offer such great views since they take place within the city itself.
During the 4-hour tour, you get much more than outstanding views.
With your tour guide, you will make stops for photos, short waterfront walks and even pastries at the famous Carlo’s Bakery.
Two tours are offered each night: a 5:30 pm tour that departs from 7th Avenue and W. 51st Street and a 5:50 pm from 7th Avenue and W. 31st St.
- Ticket Prices: $60/Adults | $55/Children (4-10)
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Royal City also offers a Christmas Bus Tour. See just below.
CHRISTMAS NIGHT BUS TOURS
During the holidays a few companies offer tours that take you to the best lighting displays in the city.
You'll have a fantastic time seeing the sparkling lights and decorations from a warm and comfortable tour bus.
In this video below, my fellow tour guide Derrick shows you around Dyker Heights and what you will see in a bus tour. It's pretty crazy!
Below are holiday bus tours with prices between $50 - $75 per person.
Read more about the Dyker Heights Lights here.
A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours
This company has been running a Dyker Heights Lights bus tour for over ten years so you know you are in good hands.
In addition to seeing the lights both from the warmth of your bus and also some on foot, you'll enjoy the vintage Christmas TV specials like Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby on screens on the bus!
Unlike other Dyker Heights tours, A Slice of Brooklyn takes you to the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst to see even more fantastic light displays.
The tour is approximately 3.5 hours and there are multiple departures daily from 5 pm to 8 pm. The tour leaves from Union Square.
2025 ticket dates are yet to be announced. However, last year tickets were available from December 1 to 30 (except Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 31st and January 1st.)
- Priority Adult: $75
- Priority Children: $65
- Standard Adult: $65
- Standard Children: $55
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Royal City Tours
This company offers a small group Christmas Magic Tour from November 29 to January 4.
You'll ride to Dyker Heights and take an hour-long walk to see the decorations up close.
Then you'll visit DUMBO near the Brooklyn Bridge for gorgeous skyline views of Manhattan.
The tour departs from Midtown Manhattan at 4:15 pm.
- $60/Adults | $55/Children (10 and under)
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Tour America NYC
This company offers a Christmas bus tour visiting Dyker Heights and the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn.
These are some of the best places to spot beautiful lighting displays!
The tour is 3.5 hours and starts at 5 pm.
Tickets are available from December 1-30.
- $60/Adults | $50/Children (3-11)| Age 2 and younger free
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
See our New York Bus Tour Overview for more information on all of these services.
Deals and Offers
Several of the services listed above here are available at a reduced price.
You'll also find several tour packages which include excursions after dark.
Here's a quick rundown of the many deals and offers available on New York night tours.
- Big Bus Tours – If you purchase a 48-hour or 72-hour ticket, their night tour is sometimes included. These tickets are also included with several of their tour packages.
- New York Pass – This tourist pass includes access to services already listed, including Circle Line cruises and Big Bus Tours. They also offer The Ride at no additional cost. They also offer deals on Spirit Cruises, helicopter rides, and other sightseeing tours.
- Explorer Pass – The Explorer Pass includes access to such services as Big Bus Tours, Circle Line cruises, and at times New York Water Taxi. You'll also gain admittance to attractions like Top of the Rock, Madison Square Garden, and Radio City Music Hall. Like its competitors, this company also offers admission to The Ride.
- Sightseeing Pass – City Sightseeing offers its very own tourist pass including quite a few attractions and tours. You'll also enjoy access to locations such as One World Observatory, Madame Tussaud's, and the 9/11 Tribute Center.
Make sure to check websites like Groupon and Living Social which run periodic sales for bus tours. Want to save even more on your trip? Check out our guide to New York on a budget!
What Does Reddit Say?
Many people take bus tours in NYC, including night tours. In this post, I shared with you my experience, but I am just one person.
So I wanted to offer you a few other opinions on these tours.
I reviewed several threads on Reddit about bus tours but the threads were mostly about daytime Hop-on, Hop-off bus tours.
Though I didn't see many thoughts about night bus tours, I found a few positive comments.
Any negative comments were directed to bus tours in general and they were from locals telling visitors to walk around the city instead of taking a bus tour.
I disagree with this, but to find out if a daytime bus tour is right for you, read our post comparing New York City bus tours.
Back to night tours. Here, the user Not_Ayn_Rand is a local who took a night bus tour with her visiting family and really liked it.
She said it was even better because it was summer.
I agree that these bus tours are especially nice on warm nights, though I wouldn't let cold temperatures stop you.
There is no requirement to sit outside the bus on the upper deck and even if you want to, just bundle up!
Here Reddit user and New York City local, genericinterest took his parents on a night bus tour.
They’ve visited him a few times in NYC already, so he thought the night bus tour would be something new for a change.
Just the fact that it is night is a new experience and a different perspective. Plus, if you sit on top of the bus, the city can look slightly different than if you were at street level.
Here another local took the night bus tour, knowing it might be a bit touristy.
But the idea of doing something beyond her typical experience living in NYC appealed to her and she had a lot of fun.
One thing to note is that, as someone who knows a lot about New York history, she noticed that the live guide made up a few facts.
The night tours in this post (other than the specialty/small bus tours) do not have live guides or commentary so just sit back and enjoy the lights and sights of the city!
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