I always use the big bus tour group when I come to NYC with teenagers. The customer service is…read moregreat-- as we are checking in between 18 and 25 people. it's an easy way for us to travel around the city and let them separate off into some smaller groups but not get worried they don't know how to get back to the meet up. The open top is a great way to see the buildings especially when it's your first time to the city. The recorded running commentary is informative and witty. This year we again did one day on the red route and one day the blue route. Great experience- especially Denise and Wanda!

Big Bus Tours is a great concept with extremely poor execution and staff mentality of hustling…read morecustomers. Before even coming to New York we had already planned to do the Big Bus Tour through the New York Pass via Go City. As we wandered the streets, we were constantly hounded by their aggressive staff in the streets trying to get us to buy tickets. Chill, we already have tickets!! Honestly if we didn't already have tickets I would have been so turned off I wouldn't have gotten tickets for it. On the day we redeemed the Hop On Hop Off we went to the stop by M&M World as indicated on their map. And just for the record I have their App, so it SHOULD be simple. Since we wanted to do the uptown loop, we were directed by their staff to walk a few blocked the other way to a different stop. Then ran into another staff member who gave us the opposite direction. The first person gave us bad directions and wasted AT LEAST an hour of our time. And as I mentioned the App, there were buses that were synced without any updates for 20-30mins. What's going on?? And even when we asked their staff they didn't know when the next bus would come either. So frustrating!! In THEORY the value of this hop on hop off bus would be to help you explore the city. You can stay on the bus the entire time and do full loops of the uptown or down town loops OR you can get off and explore a little bit, and hop back on at a later time. All great... if it was actually reliable. Also they give you headphones to listen to their audio tours. Jeez who uses wired headphones these days? Give me something to sync to so I can use my airpods. The audio quality was so poor. It was be loud one moment and then hard to hear the next... and if you increase the volume, later it would be too loud in a painful way. And I've done a lot of these tours in many cities. Usually I have a PERSON telling me amazing facts about the city. This is a recorded unpersonal tour, I am expecting THE BEST FACTS. After being disappointed by the segment I listened to, I gave up on the audio tour. I enjoyed the view from the top deck, and being able to see things without the pedestrians in my way. Well the pleasant feeling soon ended because we were almost at our final destination when the bus stops WITH NO ANNOUNCEMENTS and we're all sitting there baking in the sun wondering what happened. People started leaving. MORE WASTED TIME. Awful operations. I was over it after a while and told my boyfriend we should leave too. When we got off we saw their staff in some deli nearby eating lunch. Obviously I want people to take their lunch breaks but an FYI would have been nice. They allegedly "gave" us a second day but I didn't even want to deal with it. Too unreliable of a service and too much wasting time. Is there another tour bus company that's better than this one in NY?

I've never rented a party bus before but I am SO glad I did so with Tour Rider. I was looking for a…read moreparty bus to take my friends to the Met museum for my bday party (the Met Gala, if you will). We started at my rooftop in Hudson Yards and took a Tour Rider party bus to the Met. Most tour companies make you book a 5-6 hour minimum and require a round trip, but Tour Rider let me do a one-way trip and only charged for one hour. They were super professional, respectful, and even provided water. They were by far the cheapest option, and still delivered an exceptional, premium experience. The MOST bang for my buck. Tour Rider helped me execute the best birthday I've ever had - I would recommend Tour Rider to everyone! Now I have a Party Bus guy

I could not recommend Tour Rider enough! I spent weeks and weeks and endless estimates because I…read morewasn't sure what was valid or good prices or reliable - don't waste your time. Tour Riders has the best prices and most reliable, and I've been in NYC for 22 years with a lot of party bus rides in my life. His prices are really good, others were quoting significantly higher. He is very responsive and super flexible and also just a really nice guy in general. Will definitely be using him in the future!

My husband and I love learning about history. Tour guide, Franky and Guy, are the original New…read moreYorker. "Youse guys." The stories the can tell about New York is non stop and rich in history. I used to think New York was a dirty and scary place as it is depicted in the news and movies. Boy, was I wrong. Very wrong. Thank you Small Bus Tours NYC Franky and Guy for opening my eyes and giving me a new appreciation of New York. They're worth the money. Trust me!

Great tour!!! The…read moreonly hiccup was the bus was unmarked and not parked in front of McDonalds as described on the website/email instructions. I had just explained to my son the importance of arriving early because arriving on time makes you late(he wondered why we left the hotel early though we were only a couple of blocks away from McDonalds.) The unmarked bus was parked across the street in front of the Paramount building. We were in line for a different tour who was parked in front McDonalds who informed us that we were in line for the wrong tour and pointed to the unmarked bus. We still arrived on time. I then explained to my son that situations like this is why you arrive early. I had a ton of missed calls and was contacted by email but a sign of some sort would've helped(a magnetic sign on the driver and passenger doors, or a foldable sign that can be transported on the bus) as I noticed the bus from across the street(the same side as Applebees and Ellen's Stardust Diner) but had no way of identifying it.

just did a tour with Luke yesterday. Great tour , very informative and a great atmosphere. i would…read morehighly recommend Reel New York Tours for your travel plans . You will enjoy .

We had the best day exploring New York City as a family. We have three girls ages 20, 12 and 10…read more Like did an amazing job of making the history and city exciting for each of them. They asked to hang out with him the rest of the week. He stopped for snacks and let me customize the day according to what the girls were interested in learning. Thank you for being a part of our memories!!

Service is bad. We waited over an hour at one of the stops and no bus ever showed up. The tours…read morewe were able to get on were not that great: the audio is not in sync with actual location. Salesman was aggressive. There are better hop-on hop-off bus tours in NYC

This experience was extremely disappointing and did not match what was advertised. We paid more…read morethan $250 for a family of four to take the 8:00 p.m. tour, including an additional fee for a live entertainer who was supposed to provide trivia, local knowledge, and interactive commentary throughout the tour. The confirmation email emphasized the importance of arriving on time, stating that the tour would depart promptly and would not wait for late customers. We arrived on time, only to find a very large line of people waiting for the same tour. When we asked about seating, we were told there would be multiple buses and that we could wait for another bus if we were unhappy with the available seating. Despite the strict departure policy communicated to customers, our bus did not leave until approximately 8:55 p.m.--nearly an hour after the scheduled departure time. Before departure, we were informed that the live entertainer we had paid extra for would not be present because "the guy called in sick." No substitute was provided, and there was no offer of a partial refund despite the fact that a key feature of the upgraded experience was unavailable. When we asked employees about the entertainer's absence and the additional amount we had paid for that experience, their response was apathetic and dismissive. There appeared to be little concern that customers were not receiving the service they had purchased. During the tour, we were provided headphones and listened to prerecorded narration rather than a live guide. Long stretches of music played between narration segments, and the commentary frequently did not align with our actual location. As a result, many landmarks were either missed entirely or discussed after we had already passed them. To make matters worse, the tour concluded around 10:00 p.m., giving us only a few minutes of actual sightseeing after finally departing. Between the nearly one-hour delay, the absence of the live entertainer we paid extra for, the dismissive customer service, and the poor quality of the prerecorded tour, the experience felt disorganized, misleading, and far from worth the price we paid. I would not recommend this tour to others.

Rachel and Manuel are the best! If you can get on their tour, DO IT!!!…read moreKnowledgeable, friendly and special.

Had an amazing experience with Rachel! She's the best tour guide. Worked with the group as a team…read moreand covered all aspects of the tour nicely. Highly recommend her for the tour and you'll learn more about NY. Kudos to bus driver Jimmy as well!

We were taking our kids to NYC for the first time on a quick weekend trip and wanted to do a…read moresightseeing tour so they could see a lot of famous landmarks from across the city in the short amount of time we had available. I researched various options and saw the many positive reviews for this company. After reading their itinerary and how they cover both uptown and downtown landmarks as well as a boat ride past the Statue of Liberty, we were sold and booked immediately. The day of our tour, we arrived at our meeting location that was outside of McDonald's. I knew from reading other reviews that we would be looking for a small unmarked van. We walked up to the driver and gave our name, he was able to check us in before I could even pull up our digital tickets. Our tour was small, a total of 10 people, plus our guide, Bryant, our driver, and their "supervisor" This was exactly what we were looking for; personalized service, access to many different points of interest, a knowledgeable guide who shared a lot of information with us and who had an awesome personality which made the tour very fun for everyone. This was by far the best sightseeing tour in NYC, don't get roped into the hop on hop off big bus tours, they simply don't compare.

This tour has a lot going for it. So here's a list of the pluses and minuses…read more - There's only 24 people so it's very intimate. Our bus held 42 people so you aren't crowded either. - Our guide Bryant was extremely knowledgeable, funny and made our tour very special. - In 6 hours we covered most of Manhattan with a few walking opportunities. - We really got a great feel for the neighborhoods and what sets them apart. - Our Staten Island Ferry experience was outstanding. - There is some walking required. Our step counter registered around 5300 steps. - The bus was hot. We had to ask the driver every time we got on to turn on the A/C.

My Husband and I took this tour today and it was pretty great! The best part of the tour was going…read moreon the Water Taxi and seeing the Statue of Liberty. The second best part of the tour was seeing the 9/11 memorial! It was great to hit some main attraction sites of NYC that we probably wouldn't have been able to do in such a short amount of time. Thanks High Quality Tours and "Tour Guide J" for being great and showing us a good time! I recommend this tour to anybody visiting NYC A few pics from the Tour

This was a gift for our anniversary from the kids. They made a great choice. The bus was…read morecomfortable with nice air conditioning. The tour began at 11 am near Central Park and took us to many sites. We stopped and had plenty of time for pics. The tour guide was great about taking pics so we didn't have to selfie at every stop. Jay was very knowledgeable about the history of the city and the buildings. Of course NYC traffic is a nightmare but Karim and Jay got us to all the stops on time and safely. The tour ended with a boat trip to the bay by the Statue of Liberty which provided great views (go stand on the bow for best pics and experience.) If you want an overview of the city with comfort, this is a great choice. Then you can plan what to do the rest of the trip. (We stayed at Marriott Times Square, saw Hamilton, filming of Stephen Colbert, 9/11 Museum, walked Central Park, 5th Avenue) and ate great food.

I had about an hour left in the evening when I spoke with the agent. I asked him exactly when they…read morewere going to leave when they approached me about buying a seat on the bus tour. He said "right now" and that the tour would take an hour. Well, we sat on the bus 65 minutes and they still didn't leave. These guys insist on filling the bus before they take off so what they told me was garbage. Don't take one of these tours unless you have plenty of time to waste waiting for them to fill every seat. Very misleading. By this time it was 10:20pm. We left told the driver before he left l that it was too late for us and we wanted our money back. He said that I needed to take that up with the ticket agent. We exited the bus and found the person who took our payment and told us the bus was leaving right away. He said that he could do nothing more than put us on the next bus. He refused to reverse the charge and said "just ask your bank to take care of it".

From the owner: Hop On Hop Off Tours LLC is your gateway to exploring the iconic sights and hidden gems of New York…read moreCity in the most flexible and immersive way possible. As a premier sightseeing company, we offer a seamless and exciting experience, allowing you to hop on and off our comfortable buses at any of the city's must-see attractions. Whether you're admiring the towering Empire State Building, strolling through the lush greenery of Central Park or snapping photos of the *Statue of Liberty, our tours provide the perfect blend of convenience and adventure. Our routes are designed to give you the freedom to explore at your own pace, offering an in-depth, guided journey through the city's most dynamic neighborhoods. With live commentary and stunning panoramic views, Hop On Hop Off Tours LLCconnects you to New York's vibrant culture, history, and landmarks like no other. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a New York enthusiast, we ensure every ride is more than just a tour—it's a journey through the heart of the city.

From a Native NYer's POV--…read more It's been cold in NY! And it just so happens that my cousins have birthdays the first week of December. In order to make their day special, I wanted to take them on a tour of New York City. As a local, I would normally do a walking tour, but when the temperatures hit below, freezing, my Floridian cousins could not handle the cold. OK, I admit it. I couldn't handle it well either. So I was looking for an experience that would give me the tour. I wanted to share with them, but better than a hop on hop off bus. That's when I found The Ride! Honestly, the experience was exceptional! You get on the bus and you sit sideways to see the incredible cityscape of New York around you. We went around Times Square, radio city, Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, and the very bottom of Central Park. When you experience The Ride, you have two tour guides on the bus who tell you some facts about the city in a very funny and interesting way. The bus itself also gives you facts, because "The Ride" bus also has a personality of its own. My cousins had no idea we were doing this, and they absolutely loved it . Because it was called the holiday ride, we also saw some surprises along the way, including dancers, actors, and Freestyle rappers! It really made it feel like a true New York City Disney World attraction. You also can't control what you see on the street, so sometimes people wave at you just to wave and sometimes people make interesting gestures at you lol . Overall, as far as tourism goes for New York City , 10/10, 5 stars, and that's coming from a local born and raised. This was an awesome experience to bring my family to.

Based on the great reviews, I decided to book The Ride for my family during my children's first…read morevisit to NYC. Unfortunately, I was very underwhelmed. One of the street performers was a fantastic singer, but the rest were honestly a waste of time -- poor singing and awkward acting. It's far too expensive for what you get. That said, if you're celebrating a special occasion, it might be worth considering. They went out of their way to make a woman celebrating her birthday feel special, with repeated shoutouts from the performers.