NYC Bus ToursDyker Heights Christmas Lights Guided Tour
This dyker heights christmas lights guided tour by Scatto a New York leaves Midtown at 4:15 PM on a heated 55-seat coach with a restroom on board. The ride to Brooklyn takes about an hour. Because buses cannot enter the narrow streets of Dyker Heights, the guide walks the group to Lucy Spata's house and the most illuminated streets, then gives you about an hour among the displays on your own. The coach then stops at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO for about 25 minutes of skyline photos before returning over the Manhattan Bridge. The tour ends at the Winter Village in Bryant Park, not at the meeting point. It costs $63 per person, runs rain or shine, and has a 4.5 rating from 922 reviews on Viator. Compare it with the other NYC Bus Tours.
About This Tour
This is a single-ride, fixed-route coach tour with a live English-speaking guide. The coach boards at 4:15 PM at the north-east corner of 10th Avenue and 41st Street, by Roast'd Coffee at 566 10th Avenue. It runs during the holiday season on an enclosed, heated and air-conditioned 55-seat motor coach with a restroom on board.
The heart of the tour is about an hour on foot in Dyker Heights, where the guide walks you to Lucy Spata's house and the two most illuminated streets before leaving you to explore and take pictures. The second stop is DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge for 20 to 30 minutes of photos, depending on traffic. The ride back to Manhattan crosses the Manhattan Bridge and the tour ends at Bryant Park's Winter Village.
$63 per person. Children up to 2 ride free on an adult's lap, youths are 3 to 14, adults 15 and over.
3 hours 45 minutes, single ride, one departure at 4:15 PM. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early, booking closes at 3:30 PM on the day.
North-east corner of 10th Avenue and 41st Street by Roast'd Coffee, 566 10th Avenue. Look for the guide holding a sign.
A live local guide in English. No recorded audio, no other languages.
Fixed itinerary, not hop-on hop-off. Two walking stops: about an hour in Dyker Heights and about 25 minutes in DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights.
Hotel pickup, gratuities, ice skating and coffee or tea are not included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund.
Check Dates and Availability
The tour runs during the holiday season, and the listing gives no exact dates for the lights. Check the calendar for open evenings before you plan the rest of your day.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short version
This guided tour costs $63 per person, lasts 3 hours 45 minutes and leaves 10th Avenue and 41st Street at 4:15 PM on a heated coach with a restroom. You get about an hour on foot in Dyker Heights with a live English guide, a 25-minute DUMBO skyline stop, and the tour ends at Bryant Park.
Key takeaways
- The coach cannot enter the narrow streets, so expect an hour of walking in Dyker Heights in winter cold. See the route and stops.
- Wheelchair users and travellers with serious mobility issues are not well served. The access limits are listed in full.
- If the $63 price is above budget, the Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights tour is the cheaper alternative in the same category.
- Want the most reviewed holiday bus with a skyline photo stop? Compare it with the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Bus Tour.
What the Ticket Actually Covers
The $63 ticket buys the coach, the guide and the walking stops. Everything you might buy on the way is your own cost.
Included and Not Included
The inclusions are the live local English guide, all taxes, fees and handling charges, the restroom on board and the fully heated and air-conditioned motor coach. The exclusions are just as clear. There is no hotel pickup or drop-off, no gratuities, no ice skating at the Winter Village and no coffee or tea.
There is no admission to any attraction because the tour needs none, but skating at Bryant Park and hot chocolate there are on you. The DUMBO stop is a photo stop, not entry to anything.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live local guide | Yes | English only |
| Heated 55-seat coach with restroom | Yes | Enclosed, air-conditioned |
| Taxes, fees and handling charges | Yes | No add-ons stated |
| Walking time in Dyker Heights | Yes | About 1 hour with the guide |
| DUMBO photo stop | Yes | 20 to 30 minutes, traffic dependent |
| Hotel pickup and drop-off | No | Make your own way |
| Gratuities | No | Not included in the ticket |
| Ice skating | No | Not included in the ticket |
| Coffee and tea | No | Buy before boarding or at the Winter Village |
Sources: MTA congestion pricing, NYC Tourism
The Rockefeller Center tree in a December snowstorm. Photo: Anthony Quintano from Mount Laurel, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Route, Stop by Stop
The itinerary is fixed. The coach boards in Midtown, and you step off twice, once in Dyker Heights and once by the Brooklyn Bridge.
Boarding and the Ride to Brooklyn
Boarding is at the north-east corner of 10th Avenue and 41st Street by Roast'd Coffee, and the coach leaves at 4:15 PM. The listing asks you to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before departure. The ride from Midtown to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn takes about an hour on the heated coach.
Sunset in New York on 21 December is at 4:31 pm. Time Out says most Dyker Heights houses switch off after 9pm.
Dyker Heights on Foot, About an Hour
Buses are not allowed into Dyker Heights because the streets are narrow, so the guide walks you to the two most illuminated streets and orients the group. The walk includes Lucy Spata's house on 84th Street, which the listing calls the house that started the tradition. The lights concentrate on the blocks around 84th Street between 11th and 13th Avenues.
After the orientation you have about an hour to explore and take pictures on your own. Wear comfortable shoes and a warm coat. Traffic can stretch the schedule, so treat the stop times as approximate.
DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights, 20 to 30 Minutes
The second stop is at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in the DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights area. You get 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic, to photograph the Brooklyn Bridge and the illuminated Manhattan skyline. If you want a longer DUMBO visit, the Brooklyn and DUMBO Open-Top Bus and Walking Tour builds a whole walking tour around the neighbourhood.
Return Over the Manhattan Bridge and the End Point
The coach returns to Manhattan over the Manhattan Bridge, and the tour ends at the Bryant Park Winter Village. It does not return to the meeting point. The Winter Village is a market with over 150 stalls selling seasonal food, drink and gifts, plus a large ice skating rink with skate rental and the colorful Bryant Park Christmas tree.
Rockefeller Center and its tree are only a few minutes walk away if you want to keep going.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The listing is blunt about its limits, and they matter more in the cold and dark of a December evening.
Mobility and Walking
The coach is not wheelchair accessible, and the listing does not recommend it for travellers with serious mobility issues or for wheelchair users. An hour of walking on hilly residential streets is required, and the listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness. If walking an hour at night is a problem, the Three-Hour Luxury Bus Tour of NYC at Night keeps you on the bus apart from one short photo stop, though it does not visit Dyker Heights.
Language, Group Size and Weather
The guide speaks English only. If you need German or Spanish, the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Bus Tour runs with a German and English guide, and the Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Tour runs in Spanish and English. The group can reach 52 travellers on a shared 55-seat coach, so you are not getting a small-group format.
The tour runs rain or shine with no weather refund, so dress for the wet and the cold. Cancellation for a full refund is possible only up to 24 hours before the start, and later cancellations do not get a full refund.
Families and the End Point
Children up to 2 ride free on an adult's lap, youths are 3 to 14, and adults are 15 and over, and children must be accompanied by an adult. One practical catch for families ending the night late: the tour ends at Bryant Park and not where it started, so plan the ride back to your hotel from Midtown.
Getting to the Start and What to Add
The meeting point sits on the western edge of the Times Square district, and the finish line at Bryant Park sets up a second evening stop.
Finding the Meeting Point
The meeting point is the north-east corner of 10th Avenue and 41st Street by Roast'd Coffee at 566 10th Avenue. The Times Square Alliance district runs from 40th to 53rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenues, so you are just west of the busiest blocks. The listing notes only that public transportation options are available nearby, and no subway lines or walking times are given, so check a map before you set out.
Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the 4:15 PM departure and look for the guide holding a sign.
Before and After the Tour
The tour ends at the Winter Village in Bryant Park, which opens for the season in late October and runs into late February with free skating and about 180 vendors. The Rockefeller Center tree is lit in early December and stands a few minutes walk from Bryant Park. On your own, Time Out says to take the D train to 79th Street and New Utrecht Avenue and walk about 15 minutes over hilly terrain, and warns that parking and traffic are generally bad.
For a wider look at every option, the site's guides to the NYC Christmas bus tour and the NYC night bus tour compare the formats side by side. You can also start from the NYC Bus Tours or see which bus tour fits.
Itinerary
Clock times are stated only for the departure. The rest is measured from the start of the tour.
-
Start
Board at 10th Avenue and 41st Street
Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before departure at Roast'd Coffee, 566 10th Avenue. The coach leaves at 4:15 PM.
-
First hour
Ride to Dyker Heights
About an hour on the heated coach from Midtown into Brooklyn while the guide sets up the visit.
-
About 1 hour on foot
Dyker Heights lights walk
The guide escorts you to the two most illuminated streets and to Lucy Spata's house, then you explore and take pictures on your own for about an hour.
-
20 to 30 minutes
DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights
Stop at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge for photos of the bridge and the illuminated Manhattan skyline. The duration depends on traffic.
-
Last stretch
Manhattan Bridge to Bryant Park
The coach crosses the Manhattan Bridge back into Manhattan. The tour ends at the Winter Village in Bryant Park, not at the meeting point.
Pros and Cons
What works, what does not, and who should book something else.
What we genuinely like
- A live English-speaking guide walks you to Lucy Spata's house and the most lit streets, so you do not guess which blocks matter
- A heated enclosed 55-seat coach with a restroom on board, which matters in December when Dyker Heights bathrooms are hard to find
- Time Out says most Dyker Heights houses switch off after 9pm, and this is an evening departure
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund
- The tour ends at the Bryant Park Winter Village, so you can add the market and the tree without backtracking
The honest downsides
- Buses cannot enter Dyker Heights, so the visit is an hour of walking on cold, hilly streets
- The guide speaks English only, with no audio in other languages
- The coach is not wheelchair accessible and is not recommended for travellers with serious mobility issues
- The tour ends at Bryant Park and not at the meeting point
- It runs rain or shine with no weather refund, and the group can reach 52 people
- At $63 it sits above the cheapest holiday lights bus in the same category
Who it's NOT for: Not for wheelchair users, travellers who cannot walk for an hour in the cold, or anyone who needs commentary in a language other than English.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does this Dyker Heights Christmas lights guided tour cost?
It costs $63 per person. Children up to 2 ride free on an adult's lap, and all taxes and handling charges are included. Compare it with the Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights lights tour, which is the lower-priced option in the same category.
How long does the tour last and when does it leave?
It lasts 3 hours 45 minutes and departs at 4:15 PM from 10th Avenue and 41st Street, with boarding 15 to 20 minutes earlier and booking closing at 3:30 PM on the day. See the full stop-by-stop route.
Do you actually get off the bus in Dyker Heights?
Yes. The coach cannot enter the narrow streets, so the guide walks you to Lucy Spata's house and the most illuminated streets, and you get about an hour on foot to explore. That is the difference from a pure night bus like the Open-Top Double-Decker NYC Night Bus Tour, which has no stops.
Where does the tour end?
It ends at the Winter Village in Bryant Park, a market with over 150 stalls and an ice skating rink, and not at the meeting point on 10th Avenue. Rockefeller Center is a few minutes walk away if you want the tree afterwards.
Is the tour suitable for wheelchair users or small children?
The coach is not wheelchair accessible and is not recommended for travellers with serious mobility issues, and an hour of walking is required. Children up to 2 ride free on an adult's lap and children must be accompanied by an adult. The Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights lights tour has the same walking format, so check its details too.
What happens if it rains or snows?
The tour runs rain or shine, and there is no refund for weather. You are inside the heated coach except during the walks, so bring waterproof layers. Cancellation for a full refund is possible up to 24 hours before the start.
Is a guided tour of Dyker Heights worth it?
A guide removes the two hardest parts of a DIY visit, which Time Out describes as bad traffic and parking and bathrooms that are hard to find. This tour adds a heated coach with a restroom, a guide who leads you to the right blocks, and a skyline stop in DUMBO. If you prefer the most reviewed option, look at the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Bus Tour.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure