★★★★★
Started on time and well organised, with stops for pictures and sightseeing.
Ijeoma_I · Couples · September 2026
New York Night Bus Tour: Midtown to Dumbo on a Closed-Top Bus
Closed-top busTwo stops on foot, 10 and 20 min8th Ave at 49th StMax 34 people
Three hours on a climate-controlled closed-top bus from 8th Avenue in Midtown, with a local guide on board and bottled water. You ride past Central Park South, Fifth Avenue and the lights of Broadway, get off twice, for ten minutes on 34th Street and twenty in Dumbo, and cross the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn for the skyline across the river.
Three hours, two stops on foot, one roof
A closed-top bus
Climate-controlled, so the evening works in rain, wind or August heat.
Two stops on foot
Ten minutes at the Art Deco tower on 34th Street and twenty in Dumbo.
Over the river
Across the Manhattan Bridge for the view back at Lower Manhattan.
A local guide on board
Commentary all the way round, from Central Park South to Hudson Yards.
$45 a seat
Bottled water is in the fare; tips for the guide are not.
4.6 from 338 reviews
281 of them five stars, for the guides, the timing and the photo stops.
The closed-top bus from 8th Avenue
You meet the bus on 8th Avenue between West 49th and West 50th Streets, across from Worldwide Plaza and in front of the Carnegie Diner, at 822 8th Avenue. The start time for your date shows when you book. The nearest subway is 50th Street on the C and E, at 50th Street and 8th Avenue. Where it sits among the other starting points, with the stations for each, is on the meeting-point map.
The bus is closed-top and climate-controlled, and carries up to 34. That is the choice this fare makes: you trade the open air of a double-decker for a seat that is warm in January and cool in July, and for a guide you can hear over the traffic. Everyone meets at the kerb; there is no pickup.
Ten minutes on 34th Street
From 8th Avenue the bus heads for Central Park South and the Plaza, then down Fifth Avenue past St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center, and through the lights of Times Square. The first stop on foot is ten minutes at the Empire State Building, outside, for photographs of the tower from the street.
Ten minutes is not a visit to the top. The observatory needs a ticket for a set time, and this autumn it is open until 10pm or 11pm depending on the date, with the last entry an hour before closing. If you want the view from the deck, book it for another evening; which decks stay open late is set out on things to do at night.
Over the Manhattan Bridge to Dumbo
South of 34th Street the bus passes Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building, the arch in Washington Square, SoHo and Chinatown, and then crosses the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn. The second stop is twenty minutes in Dumbo, the old warehouse district whose name stands for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass".
From the cobbled corner of Washington and Water Streets the bridge frames the tower you stood under an hour earlier, and from the waterfront the whole of Lower Manhattan is across the river. On the way back the bus passes the Brooklyn Bridge and returns up the west side past Little Island and Hudson Yards. Our post on Dumbo after dark covers the view and how to go back on your own.
When the dark arrives
A three-hour bus is a different evening in different months. In mid-June the sun sets at about 8:29pm and it is fully dark by about 9:02pm, so a tour that leaves before 8pm starts in daylight and reaches Dumbo in the dusk. From October to February it is dark before six, and the whole route is lit from the first block. Weather and dark times has the sunset for every month.
Open-top or closed-top
The other evenings on wheels are open-top double-deckers from 7th Avenue. They give you the open air and the skyscrapers straight overhead, but neither gets you off the bus for long.
| This bus | Open-top, 90 minutes | Open-top, 2 hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fare a person | $45 | $59 | $67 |
| Roof | Closed, climate-controlled | Open top deck | Open top deck |
| Length | 3 hours | 90 minutes | 2 hours |
| Off the bus | Twice: 10 and 20 minutes | No stops | 10 minutes at the start |
| Leaves | Time shown at booking | 6pm or 8pm | Time shown at booking |
| Wheelchairs | No | Limited: ask first | Yes, with a lift |
Take this bus if you want the stops on foot, the river crossing and a roof. Take the 90-minute open-top from 7th Avenue if you want the open air: it leaves at 6pm and 8pm, and in summer only the 8pm departure is after dark. Every bus, kerb and departure is compared on our page of night bus tours.
Important. This bus is not wheelchair accessible. If
someone in your party uses a wheelchair, the two-hour open-top from 7th Avenue
lists a wheelchair lift; confirm it with the operator when you book.
The three hours, stop by stop
- Before the start. Meet on 8th Avenue in front of the Carnegie Diner, across from Worldwide Plaza.
- Central Park South. Past the Plaza and down Fifth Avenue.
- Midtown. St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center and Times Square from the bus.
- 34th Street. Ten minutes on foot at the tower, outside.
- Downtown. Madison Square Park, the Flatiron, Washington Square, SoHo and Chinatown.
- Brooklyn. Over the Manhattan Bridge for twenty minutes on foot in Dumbo.
- The west side. Back past Little Island and Hudson Yards to 8th Avenue, three hours after you left.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book it if
- It is your first night and you want Midtown, downtown and Brooklyn in one evening.
- You would rather sit in a warm or cool bus than on an open deck.
- You want to get off and stand in Dumbo, not just see it from a window.
- You have a stroller: it is stroller accessible, and infants ride on a lap.
Book something else if
- You want the open air. The open-top from 7th Avenue costs $59 for 90 minutes; take the 8pm bus in summer.
- You want longer at the views. The Dumbo and Queens skyline evening costs $38, collects you in Manhattan, and gives about 70 minutes in Dumbo and an hour on the Queens waterfront.
- You would rather walk. The haunted walk in Greenwich Village costs $35 for 1 hour 40 minutes on foot.
- You want the harbor instead: the sunset cruise from West 42nd Street costs $45.
What $45 covers, and what it leaves out
In the fare
- 3-hour guided tour
- Local New York guide
- Photo stops
- Climate-controlled closed-top bus
- Bottled water
Not in the fare
- Gratuities
- Entry to the observation deck: the stop on 34th Street is outside
- Pickup: everyone meets on 8th Avenue
Know before you go
- Meet at the diner. 822 8th Avenue, between West 49th and West 50th Streets.
- Not for wheelchairs. The bus is not wheelchair accessible; service animals are allowed.
- Strollers are fine. Infants ride on a lap; there are no infant seats.
- Short stops. Ten and twenty minutes: be back at the bus when the guide asks.
- Bad weather can cancel it. You are then offered a new date or a full refund.
- Tips are extra. Gratuities are not in the fare.
What travellers said back on 8th Avenue
★★★★★
Educational, with a knowledgeable guide and a safe, courteous driver.
Scottie_R · Couples · July 2026
★★★★☆
A decent overview driving round the city in a comfortable bus; the photo stop in Dumbo at the end was the best part.
Michele_P · September 2025
Frequently asked questions
Is it an open-top bus?
No, it is a closed-top, climate-controlled bus. For open air, the open-top double-deckers leave from 7th Avenue, and in summer the later departure is the one after dark.
Do we go up the tower on 34th Street?
No. The stop is ten minutes outside, for photographs. The observatory needs its own timed ticket and stays open until 10pm or 11pm this autumn.
Does it pick us up?
No, everyone meets on 8th Avenue at West 49th Street. The Dumbo and Queens skyline evening collects from hotels and set points in Manhattan.
Will it be dark?
From October to February, yes, from the start. In June the sun sets at about 8:30pm, so an early start begins in daylight; the month-by-month table is on weather and dark times.
Can we bring a stroller?
Yes, the bus is stroller accessible. Infants ride on an adult's lap, as there are no infant seats.
Is there a way to see the city from above instead?
Yes. The shared flight from New Jersey spends 25 to 30 minutes over the harbor and Manhattan, for $330 a seat.
Other ways to see the city lit up
Ready for the bus from 8th Avenue?
Check the dates still open for your party, with a full refund up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability