New York Bus Tour recommendation please

[anonymous-user]

Hi
We're going to New York for a few days & was going to do a hop on/off Bus Tour to see the usual tourist spots.
A quick google shows 101 different companies, reviews saying they are Fantastic or Rubbish (for the same tour) so no use at all..
Can anyone recommend a good one please? Staying near the bottom of Central Park.
Thanks in advance

[Challo]

Jimboka said:

Hi
We're going to New York for a few days & was going to do a hop on/off Bus Tour to see the usual tourist spots.
A quick google shows 101 different companies, reviews saying they are Fantastic or Rubbish (for the same tour) so no use at all..
Can anyone recommend a good one please? Staying near the bottom of Central Park.
Thanks in advance

We used Viator to book our tickets, and have used City Sights & New York Sightseeing. They are all pretty much similar and offer the same routes. We have done the Uptown, Downtown and Brooklyn tours and always had good guides.

If i can remember if you book online you can pick up tickets on 7th Ave not far from time square then grab a bus where you see the signs.

http://www.viator.com/New-York-City-tours/Hop-on-H...

[Fas1975]

If you have time, do the alternative bus tour called "the ride"

http://theridenyc.com/

Side facing seats and basically, the city is the stage. Check the website. One of the highlights of our tour a couple of years ago

[craig1912]

Fas1975 said:

If you have time, do the alternative bus tour called "the ride"

http://theridenyc.com/

Side facing seats and basically, the city is the stage. Check the website. One of the highlights of our tour a couple of years ago

We did this earlier in the year and it was brilliant in a typical American sort of way. I did think it was a little overpriced though but something different. A bit different to the hop on/off tours though.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the tips folks. That viator site is useful, don't know how I didn't find that. Then again the other looks good too. Decisions decisions !

[Fas1975]

Jimboka said:

Thanks for the tips folks. That viator site is useful, don't know how I didn't find that. Then again the other looks good too. Decisions decisions !

Here's a great user perspective of The Ride:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZFynS4uu_s

Basically, you're on the bus and you get to see some amazing street performers where mic's are directly linked to the bus. The best part is, onlookers / bystanders genuinely have no idea what's going on initially. Watch the rapper a couple of minutes in. True freestyler, interacting (or not), with with general public

[Challo]

Jimboka said:

Thanks for the tips folks. That viator site is useful, don't know how I didn't find that. Then again the other looks good too. Decisions decisions !

We ended buying alot of our tickets through that site the last 2 times we have been. Not sure if you could get cheaper elsewhere but was easy to use and we found it good value for money.

[anonymous-user]

Chose the big bus hop on/off tour in the end, best £43 each we spent! A 2 day pass + extra day & boat trip around Ellis island. It's 72 hour pass so used over 4 days in effect. So forced ourselves to stay awake for night tour in the first evening, really good. Downtown tour & Ellis island next day. Uptown tour after the thanksgiving parade. Then used it as a 'taxi' yesterday to get downtown to look about before walking back up 5th avenue then walked around Central Park in 20 odd degree sunshine! All good.