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

New York delivers two very different kinds of sightseeing here: close-up pop culture at Madame Tussauds and wide city views from an open-top Big Bus. You can pose with Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, Audrey Hepburn, and Lionel Messi, then watch Times Square, Wall Street, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty roll past from the top deck.

I like the easy mix of indoor and outdoor activities, especially the included Marvel Superheroes 4D Experience and the bus’s 13-stop Downtown Loop. I also like the freedom to get off for the 9/11 Memorial, Chinatown, or Battery Park instead of paying for several short taxi rides.

The catch is timing. A 90-minute bus circuit plus five floors of Madame Tussauds can fill a day quickly, and the bus pass begins when you first activate it. You must also redeem the voucher with Big Bus staff before visiting the wax museum.

Key points

• Five floors and 85,000 square feet at Madame Tussauds: Meet music stars, film figures, sports legends, political leaders, and famous New Yorkers.
• Marvel Superheroes 4D included: Add a cinematic, action-focused experience to the standard wax museum admission.
• A 90-minute Downtown Loop: See SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, Wall Street, Battery Park, and Lower Manhattan from an open-top double-decker bus.
• 13 places to hop off: Use the route for sightseeing, not just a narrated ride through Manhattan.
• Live route information: The Big Bus app provides city information, bus tracking, and ticket activation.
• 10 percent bundle savings: The $99 package makes more sense when you plan to use both attractions rather than treating the bus as a short ride.

Two New York experiences in one $99 day

This package works because the two halves serve different moods. Madame Tussauds is indoors, highly visual, and built around staged encounters. Big Bus is a practical way to see a wide slice of Manhattan without arranging several separate rides.

At $99 per person, the price is fair if you visit the museum and use the bus for several stops. The stated bundle saves 10 percent compared with buying the activities separately. If you only ride the bus for one full circuit and spend little time at the museum, the value is weaker.

I would plan this as a full sightseeing day, not a quick add-on. Madame Tussauds can easily take several hours if you stop for photos and explore all five floors. The bus loop itself takes about 90 minutes without getting off, but the point of the ticket is to leave the bus and shape the day around your own interests.

Madame Tussauds turns Times Square into a photo set

Madame Tussauds sits in Times Square, making it easy to pair with other Midtown plans. Inside, you get 85,000 square feet spread across more than five floors. This is not a quiet museum of historical objects. It is a hands-on photo stop where you can stand beside famous figures and use the surrounding scenes as backdrops.

The collection covers music, film, sport, politics, television, and fashion. Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, Audrey Hepburn, Lionel Messi, and the Kardashians are among the figures listed. The appeal is simple: you are not looking at stars behind glass. You are invited to pose beside them.

That makes the museum especially useful for families, pop culture fans, and anyone who wants a reliable indoor activity in Midtown. It also gives you a break from New York’s crowds and weather, though the photo-focused format may feel less rewarding if you prefer traditional museums with original objects and historical displays.

From Broadway scenes to the Glow Gala runway

The museum’s themed sets give you more to do than walk past wax figures. You can step into Broadway settings, take part in a New York Fashion Week-style catwalk, and join the Glow Gala runway. These staged scenes make the visit feel more like a series of photo opportunities than a standard gallery.

The Oval Office setup adds a political touch, while a seat next to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show brings television into the mix. The Broadway and fashion sections are likely to be strongest for anyone who enjoys costumes, show business, and playful pictures.

You should allow extra time if you want to try each setting. The museum is large, and rushing through it would undercut the main reason to visit. Some displays will matter more to you than others, so the freedom to pause, pose, and skip around is part of the experience.

Marvel Superheroes 4D adds action to the museum

The included Marvel Superheroes 4D Experience changes the pace. After moving through wax figures and themed rooms, you get a more cinematic attraction centered on Marvel heroes.

It is an important part of the package because it gives children and comic-book fans something beyond celebrity portraits. If your group has mixed interests, one person can enjoy the music and fashion displays while another gets the superhero feature.

The supplied details do not specify its exact running time or seating arrangements, so check the day’s operating information when you arrive. What is clear is that it is included in general admission, so you do not need to budget for a separate Marvel ticket.

Start the Big Bus route near Times Square

You can activate the Big Bus ticket in the app or redeem the voucher with Big Bus staff at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street, outside M&M’s World. You can also activate it with a driver at any stop along the route.

The app is worth using. Add your booking reference, activate the ticket on the day you begin, and show it to the driver. It also provides live bus tracking and route information, which matters in New York when you do not want to wait blindly at a stop.

Keep one rule in mind: redeem the voucher with Big Bus staff before visiting Madame Tussauds. Do not assume you can walk straight into the wax museum with an unused voucher. Handling this early will make the rest of the day simpler.

The pass is valid for 24 hours from first activation, although the package is described as a one-day activity. Since the bus ticket starts with activation, avoid activating it the night before you plan to sightsee.

What you see on the 90-minute Downtown Loop

The Downtown Loop is a 90-minute circuit, with buses arriving about every 10 to 15 minutes. That frequency makes the pass more useful than a single sightseeing ride because you can get off, explore, and catch a later bus.

The exact order of stops can vary with city traffic and operations, but the route covers several distinct parts of Manhattan.

Times Square and Midtown

This is the easiest starting area if you visit Madame Tussauds first. From the open top, you get a broad view of the giant signs, busy avenues, and Midtown streets. It is a useful first ride because the commentary helps put the city’s districts in context before you begin hopping off.

The drawback is traffic. Midtown can move slowly, and an open-top bus does not make congestion disappear. If you are short on time, stay on for the sights you cannot reach easily on foot, then use the bus only for selected stops.

SoHo

SoHo is known for cast-iron buildings and shopping streets. The route gives you a quick look at the neighborhood without requiring a separate subway trip.

Get off here if you want time to walk rather than simply photograph the streets from above. The bus provides orientation, but the architectural details are easier to appreciate at street level.

Little Italy and Chinatown

These neighboring districts give the route some of its strongest food and cultural flavor. Chinatown and Little Italy are good places to pause for a meal or a short walk, especially if you want something different from the chain-heavy streets around Times Square.

The bus cannot replace exploring the side streets. Use the stop as a starting point, then return to the route when you are ready. With buses arriving every 10 to 15 minutes, you do not have to build the whole day around a rigid departure time.

Wall Street and the Financial District

Lower Manhattan’s financial district brings a change of scale and mood. You can see Wall Street and photograph the Charging Bull, one of the route’s recognizable photo stops.

This section is most useful when you want a quick introduction to the southern end of Manhattan. If you get off, allow time for walking between nearby sights. The route’s value here is not just the commentary, but the way it links several Lower Manhattan stops without making you navigate each connection yourself.

9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center

The route includes the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center. These are among the most important stops for visitors who want to understand modern New York, not just collect skyline photos.

Give this area the attention it deserves. The memorial is a place for quiet reflection, while One World Trade Center offers a strong visual marker of Lower Manhattan’s changing skyline. The package includes bus transportation and sightseeing access, not a ticket to an observation deck or a separate memorial tour.

Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty views

Battery Park is the southern tip of Manhattan and a natural place to pause for harbor views. From this part of the route, you can look toward the Statue of Liberty and take photographs from land.

This package does not include a ferry ride or entry to the Statue of Liberty. That distinction matters. You are using the Big Bus route to see the landmark as part of a wider city tour, not visiting the island itself.

Battery Park also makes a good endpoint for a walking stretch through Lower Manhattan. If the weather is clear, the open-top view is one of the nicer parts of the bus ride. If conditions are poor, the bus still provides shelter below, but the sightseeing experience loses some of its appeal.

Brooklyn Bridge

The bus route includes views of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of New York’s most recognizable structures. Seeing it from the bus helps you understand its place in the city, though a bus ride is not the same as walking across it.

If crossing the bridge is a major goal, treat the Big Bus stop as your starting point and plan separate walking time. The package gives you a useful overview, but it does not turn every landmark into a guided visit.

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is another headline sight included in the route. From the bus, you can frame the tower with Midtown streets and get a sense of how tightly the surrounding city is packed.

Admission to the building is not included. The bus is best used to reach or view it, while a separate ticket would be needed if you want to go inside or visit an observation level.

How to plan the day without rushing

I would begin by redeeming and activating the Big Bus ticket, then visit Madame Tussauds while you are already in Times Square. This removes the risk of reaching the museum with an unredeemed voucher.

After the museum, board the Downtown Loop and stay on for the full 90-minute circuit if you want an overview. On a second circuit, hop off at the stops that matter most to you, such as the 9/11 Memorial, Chinatown, Wall Street, or Battery Park.

Another workable plan is to split the activities. Visit Madame Tussauds in the morning, use the bus for Midtown and Lower Manhattan in the afternoon, then finish near Battery Park or the Financial District. Just remember that the ticket is valid for 24 hours from activation, not an unlimited pass across several unconnected days.

The open-top deck is the best place for broad views and photographs. The lower deck is the practical choice when you need a break from sun, wind, or rain. Audio commentary is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian, while the driver speaks English.

Who gets the most from this package

This combination suits you if you want flexible sightseeing with a strong indoor backup. Families can split their attention between wax figures, Marvel heroes, and major city sights. First-time visitors can use the bus to get oriented before deciding where to spend more time.

It also works well for a short New York visit. Instead of arranging separate transport to Times Square, Lower Manhattan, Chinatown, and Battery Park, you have one route connecting them. The bus is particularly helpful if you want to avoid paying for several short rides, a benefit highlighted by the package’s practical design.

You may want to choose something else if you dislike staged attractions, have already seen Madame Tussauds in another city, or prefer small-group walking tours. The bus commentary is recorded digital audio rather than a personal guide, and the route gives you an overview rather than long visits at every landmark.

The bus is wheelchair accessible, another useful point for planning. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, so you make your own way to the route or to Madame Tussauds.

Should you book this New York combo?

Book it if you want a simple, adjustable first look at Manhattan and you know you will enjoy a photo-heavy wax museum. The $99 price is easier to justify when you use several bus stops, complete the museum visit, and take advantage of the 10 percent bundle saving.

Think twice if you only want the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, or 9/11 Memorial as full guided visits. This package takes you to or near those sights, but admission to the landmarks is not included.

For most first-time visitors with one open day, I would use the package as a city sampler: Madame Tussauds in Times Square, a full bus circuit for orientation, then two or three carefully chosen stops. That approach gives you both the playful side of New York and a useful look at its neighborhoods without locking you into a strict group schedule.

FAQ

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

The package costs $99 per person. Buying the activities together provides a stated 10 percent saving compared with purchasing them separately.

How long is the experience valid?

The Big Bus ticket is valid for 24 hours from the time you first activate it. The activity is described as valid for one day.

What does the Madame Tussauds admission include?

General admission to Madame Tussauds and the Marvel Superheroes 4D Experience are included.

What is included on the Big Bus portion?

You receive a 24-hour Downtown Loop ticket, an open-top double-decker bus ride, digital commentary, and access to the Big Bus app with city information and live bus tracking.

How long is the Downtown Loop?

The Downtown Loop takes about 90 minutes if you remain on the bus for the complete circuit.

How often do the Big Bus vehicles arrive?

Buses are scheduled to arrive approximately every 10 to 15 minutes.

Which languages are available for the audio commentary?

Audio commentary is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian. The driver speaks English.

Where can I activate the ticket?

You can activate it in the Big Bus app, with Big Bus staff at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street outside M&M’s World, or with a driver at any stop on the route.

Are landmark admission tickets included?

No. The package provides bus sightseeing around landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, and the 9/11 Memorial. Separate admission is not included.