The Best NYC Tours to Explore New York
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Looking for the best way to see the sights of NYC? Whether you are visiting New York City for the 1st time or have been living in the city for years, NYC day tours are a great way to visit both the well-known attractions and the off-the beaten path gems.
Does the thought of taking NYC guided tours make you hesitant? Don’t worry I am not suggesting a rigid multi-day guided tour. I enjoy travel planning and like having my freedom when exploring a new place too. Day tours, on the other hand, are perfect. They typically only last a few hours and give you information that you wouldn’t otherwise know. Many tours often take you places that you wouldn’t be able to visit on your own.
If you are looking to explore New York, here are some of the best NYC tours. I have personally taken every one of these tours!
NYC Sightseeing Tours
Do you want to see the most well known sights of the Big Apple? Are you short on time? Do you need to give your legs a rest? The tours below are some of the best NYC Sightseeing tours that show you a lot of the city in a short amount of time. It can be exhausting getting around Manhattan, both of these tours offer relaxing options where you don’t need to worry about transportation.Â
Best of NYC Circle Sightseeing Island Cruise
On this 2.5 hour cruise you will sail around the entire island of Manhattan. During the narrated journey you will see and hear about over 130 of the city’s most famous landmarks. While a tour guide is narrating the cruise live, there is a translation app that provides the audio in seven other languages. What I loved best about this cruise was getting a better sense of the size of Manhattan and seeing the city’s most famous landmarks from new angles. The cruise completely circumnavigates Manhattan so you can see it from every vantage point. There is no backtracking and passing the same landmarks twice. The cruise runs year-round and has both outdoor and indoor seats.
Cruises take off from Pier 83 on the western side of Manhattan near Hudson River Park. The Intrepid, Sea, Air & Space Museum is nearby and a great place to visit before or after your cruise.
Tips: Circle Line cruises are one of the many free attractions included with the New York Pass, NY CityPASS, and the New York City Explorer Pass.Â
Other Circle Line Cruises: You can also do a 90 Landmarks cruise of lower and mid Manhattan. There is a Harbor Lights Night cruise that offers amazing views of the city at night. The lights of Manhattan are best appreciated when you are not directly on the island. If the Statue of Liberty is on your list of places to see in NYC (and it should be) take a Statue of Liberty Cruise. The cruise is only 60 minutes so it is the best option if you are very tight on time.Â
Book the Best of NYC Cruise today!Â
City Sightseeing Hop-on Hop-off Tour
You are probably familiar with the concept of hop-on, hop-off tour buses. They can be found in most major cities around the world. In NYC, City Sightseeing has four different routes, Downtown, Uptown, Brooklyn & Nighttime. How many routes you have access to depends on what type of ticket you purchase.
I definitely recommend taking the subway in NYC. But you can’t really see the city when you take the subway, so for a day or two it’s nice to do a bus tour. When taking a bus tour you are able to see the city, learn about the famous sights and get transportation all in one. I did the uptown route with family after living in the city for several years and I discovered new places and new tidbits about the city that I never knew. Unlike other bus tours the commentary is live and amusing. Recorded commentary is also available in 11 other languages.
Possible NYC 2 Day Itinerary
Let’s say you are staying in Times Square and you buy the two day uptown and downtown route pass. Day one you could hop on the uptown bus in Times Square and get off at the American Museum of Natural History on the west side of Central Park. After visiting the museum you could continue on the uptown loop around to Harlem where you can do a bit of exploring and eat some amazing soul food. Then back on the bus to continue down the east side of central park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Following that museum you can wander around in Central Park and then take the bus from the southern end of the park back to Times square.
On day 2 take the downtown loop bus. Head down to the financial district to wall street, battery park, the 9/11 Museum and the One World Trade Center. After a morning in southern tip of Manhattan you can start heading back north and stop in Chinatown or the Lower East side for a food tour (bel0w). Then head a little further north to the Empire State Building and the iconic Macy’s in Herald Square.
Other Bus Tours: Big Bus also runs five different routes with their hop-on, hop-off buses. I prefer City Sightseeing’s uptown route because it takes you all the way around Central Park on both sides and into Harlem. On the other hand, Big Bus is included on the New York Pass and the New York City Explorer Pass. If you are taking a bus tour and going to several of the attractions I listed above it is definitely worth it to buy a pass.Â
Book the Hop-on, Hop-off Bus today!Â
Tours of Iconic Locations in NYC
After getting an overview about the city and seeing it from either a bus or a cruise, I’m sure you will want to get up close and personal with some of New York’s most iconic places. Here are some of the best NYC tours that take you in, around and behind the scenes of New York’s most well-known buildings.
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
Can you say you’ve been to New York if you haven’t been to the Statue of Liberty? It is a must to visit. This tour starts with a live guided tour in Battery park. The tour also includes the ferry trips and audio guides on both islands. You can explore Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty at your leisure using the audio guides that have hours of information on them. At the Statue of Liberty you will have access to the pedestal. It’s definitely worth walking up all the stairs to be able to say you were inside of Lady Liberty herself!
Tips: Before getting on the ferry you will need to go through a airport like security screening. You can’t take any food with you, only water in a clear bottle. Large bags are also not allowed. There are lockers you can pay to use if you need to leave any belongings behind. The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island are one of the many free attractions included with the New York Pass, NY CityPASS, and the New York City Explorer Pass
Book a Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Tour today!Â
Grand Central Station
What could be more iconic than Grand Central Station? Everyone has heard of Midtown’s bustling transportation hub, but do you know the secrets within? Aren’t you curious why people are whispering into the corners? On the Secrets of Grand Central Station tour you will discover parts of the station you never knew were there and unbelievable hidden facts. You will have a whole new appreciation the next time you pass through the station!
While the tour with a guide is a little more interactive, you can also do a self guided audio tour. Unlike the scheduled guided tours, you can listen to the audio tour at any time.
Tips: Bathrooms are located on the lower level in the dining concourse. The Grand Central Audio Tour is one of the many free attractions included with the New York Pass.
Other Things to Do at Grand Central: The dining concourse is a good place to eat before or after your tour. There is a wide variety of local vendors. There is also a beautiful European style gourmet market on the main floor. The produce and other goods are a little pricey, but it’s still fun to walk through.Â
Book a Grand Central Tour today!Â
New York Public Library
Right down the road from Grand Central Station is the New York Public Library. The library’s free tours take you behind the scenes of the library. The tours are the only way to visit some parts of the library and see certain exhibits.
Other Things to Do at the NYPL: The library often has exhibits open to the public and has a packed list of events.Â
Check the NY Public Library tour schedule today!Â
Radio City Music Stage Door Tour
On my very first trip to NYC I did the Rockettes Experience where I was able to take a dance class with the Rockettes and have a mock audition. Part of this experience included the stage door tour. Don’t worry you don’t need to dance and do the full experience to get behind the scenes at Radio City! Even though I took this tour over 10 years ago I can still picture my tour guide and remember laughing at his jokes. I loved learning about the Rockettes and seeing their costume and dressing rooms.
Tips: The Stage Door Tour is one of the many free attractions included with the New York Pass, New York City Explorer Pass
Other Things to Do at Radio City: If you are visiting in November or December make sure you buy tickets for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. They also sometimes have a spring or summer show.Â
Book a Radio City Music Stage Door tour today!Â
Madison Square Garden All Access Tour
Madison Square Garden is the multi-purpose indoor arena that hosts big name performances and is the home arena of the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks.The Madison Square Garden All Access Tour gives you a peak into the parts of the arena that the average game or concert goer would not have access to. While visiting the luxury suites, the locker rooms and other places you will learn about the history of ‘the Garden’ and why it is known as America’s most famous arena. I was excited to walk on the sidelines of the basketball court and see the cheerleaders practicing for that night’s Knicks game.
Tips: The Madison Square Garden All Access Tour is one of the many free attractions included with the New York Pass, New York City Explorer Pass
Other Things to Do at Madison Square Garden: I found it really interesting to take a tour and get insider knowledge and then return again later the same night to attend a game. It’s fun to see the same place from two different perspectives. Buy Knicks, Rangers, concert or other event tickets to Madison Square Garden.Â
Book a Madison Square Garden All Access tour today!Â
Lincoln Center Guided Tours
Lincoln Center offers one of the best New York City tours. Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side is home to some of the most prestigious art venues in the world such as the New York City Ballet, Juilliard and the Metropolitan Opera House. As Lincoln Center has several buildings, you won’t go inside all of them. Every tour is different. What I really liked about this tour is that it felt personal. Many tours follow a script and each guide follows it. I could tell our tour guide was passionate and he relayed many stories from his numerous years working at Lincoln Center.
Tips: Lincoln Center Guided Tours are one of the many free attractions included with the New York Pass and theNew York City Explorer Pass
Other Things to Do at Lincoln Center: The Metropolitan Opera also offers its own backstage tour. It’s absolutely worth it to go to a performance at Lincoln Center. I love that people dress up a little more than Broadway. Going to the symphony, ballet or opera always feels like a classy affair!Â
Book a Lincoln Center tour today!Â
New York Food Tours
Free tours by Foot is an awesome company that offers free tours (surprise, surprise) in different cities around the world. In NYCÂ they have both walking tours and food tours. Below are the food tours that I have taken and recommend. What I love about them are that they take place in the best neighborhoods of the city. These neighborhoods don’t always have as many tourist attractions, so visitors don’t usually get to them. A walking food tour is a great way to explore new neighborhoods and try some of the city’s best foods. I mean, whenever you combine food with an activity it is always improved, right?
Lower East Side Food Tour
You see the view from the top of the Empire State Building, you walk through Central Park and you see the flashing lights of Times Square, but have you seen the real New York? The Lower East Side is where you can discover what makes New York the city it is today. This is the neighborhood where struggling immigrants from overseas began their lives in America. You can still see tenement buildings and try the ethnic foods that were brought from many different groups of people. So many tasty food stops on this tour too. Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery was one of my favorites.
Tip: The first stop Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery has a bathroom. If you need a bathroom at the end of the tour go to the nearby Essex Market (below). Â
Book the Lower East Side Food Tour today!Â
Chinatown Food Tour
Did you know that New York City has multiple Chinatowns? The one in lower Manhattan is one of the biggest and most well-known. It’s interesting to walk through Chinatown on your own, but there is so much you would never know if you did that. Could you find the street were gang fights used to take place? The food is fantastic as well. I tried soup dumplings and a pork bun for the first time on this walking tour.
Tip: There is a bathroom at Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the first stop. At the end of the tour you could use the bathroom at Columbus Park or the McDonald’s on canal street.Â
Book the Lower East Side Food Tour today!Â
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, known as “the village” is home to New York University. There is a vibrant nightlife and an interesting history to the neighborhood as well. The food stops on this tour weren’t my favorite, but it wasn’t the tours or the food places’ faults! I don’t like cheese, believe it not. The majority of the foods we tried were rather cheesy. For most people this might be good news, for me it wasn’t as much. Molly’s Cupcakes, the last stop, redeemed the tour for me!
Tips: You can use the bathroom at the Starbucks near the starting point before the tour starts. The last stop of the tour is Molly’s Cupcakes which has a bathroom for customers.Â
For all the tours you only pay for the food you want to purchase and try. It’s not required, but encouraged to tip at the end of the tour.Â
Other NYC Tours: An East Village and a Williamsburg food tour are also regularly scheduled. Check the tour website to see what other tours they offer.Â
Book the Lower East Side Food Tour today!Â
Essex Market Food TourÂ
The Essex Market Food Tour is a paid tour that is not part of Free Tours by Foot. While you do have to pay for the tour, the tastings are included. The Essex Market has been serving the Lower East Side community for over 100 years! While the market is in an updated building now, the concept of small vendors specializing in one area and getting to know their customers still remains. It’s fascinating to learn about the history of the market and the vendors in it. Taking a tour of the market versus only walking through it on your own is a totally different experience. I had been to the market before I took the tour and the tour gave the location, the vendors and the food a whole new meaning.
Tips: There are bathrooms at the market.Â
Book the Essex Market Food Tour today!Â
Raaka Chocolate Factory Tours
While many of the best NYC tours take place in Manhattan, New York’s other four boroughs have a lot of interesting places too. Explore Red Hook, a neighborhood in Brooklyn which is way off the usual tourist track. Visit the Raaka Chocolate Factory for a tour. The tour takes you inside the factory and next to the machines that produce the chocolate. The tour starts with a bit of information about the cacao pod that is used to make chocolate. As you go around the factory you see the equipment that is used for each step, up until the very end when the bar is wrapped in foil. The tour is interesting and informative. It is pretty tasty too!
Tips: The Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook has a laid-back seaside feel to it with some unique places to eat. Get the freshest lobster at the original Red Hook Lobster pound and savor the key lime pie at Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies.
Other NYC Food Factory Tours: If you haven’t tried waffles at the Wafels & Dinges food carts and stands around the city you have probably got a wiff of a wonderful aroma floating in the air. Trust me, the waffles taste just as good, if not better than they smell. Take a tour inside de Royal Dinges Factory and see how they are made and learn about the distribution process.Â
Book the Raaka Chocolate Factory Tour today!Â
TV & Movie Tours
There are too many TV shows and movies filmed in NYC every year to count. One of the most fun ways to see the iconic sights of the city is through a TV & Movie tour. It’s always fun to go back home afterwards and watch the show or movie and say “I was there!” The tours are given by actors or wanna be actors at least so I found each one to be really good quality unscripted commentary.
NYC TV & Movie Tour
This guided sightseeing bus tour takes you to some of the most popular TV & Movie filming sites in the city. You visit places like the Friends apartment and the well-known firehouse from Ghostbusters. I found it really cool that we would see a clip of the show or movie on the bus and then see the place in person. Our guide would tell us amusing stories and unknown facts about each place and show/film. As it is a bus tour we covered a large portion of Manhattan and saw many places. We were able to get off several times to take photos. It’s a good mix of seeing many sites and photo stops.
Tips: This TV & Movie tour is one of the many free attractions included with the New York City Explorer Pass.
Book the NYC TV & Movie Tour today!Â
Holiday Lights & Movie Sites
The Holiday Lights & Movie sites is another bus tour that has a mix of driving by many locations and stopping for longer periods at a few of the places for photos. You also see a clip of the movie or show before seeing the same spot in real life. Unlike the general tour above this one is focused on holiday films! NYC at Christmastime is magical! Experience the holiday decorations of the city and your favorite holiday movies at the same time on this bus tour.
Book the Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour today!Â
Central Park TV & Movie Sites
As the name suggests, this movie walking tour takes place in Central Park. This is a great tour to take if you want to explore more of Central Park and love movies. I had no idea that so many movies were filmed within Central Park. You also learn a little about the many celebrities who have apartments around the park.
After learning about the movies that show Tavern on the Green treat yourself to this iconic restaurant in the park!
Tips: This Central Park Tour is one of the many free attractions included with the New York Pass, Use the bathroom before the Central Park tour across the street at the Plaza Hotel. The bathrooms are located in the lower level in the food hall (a good place to eat, but pricey). For the bus tours you can use the bathrooms on the bus.Â
Other NYC TV & Movie Tours: There are several more specific TV & Movie tours you can take including: a specific East Village TV & Movie sites walking tour, a private pedicab Gossip Girl Tour of the Upper East Side & Central Park, a group Gossip Girl Bus Tour, the Superheroes of New York walking tour, a Sex & the City Bus tour with drink, shopping & photo stops, the Classic Film Locations bus tour, and the Sopranos bus tour to New Jersey.
Book the Central Park Movie Sites Tour today!Â
Outdoor Tours
Visitors see New York City as a concrete jungle. In reality there are a lot of green spaces and beautiful river views with the skyline in the background. Explore the best of what NYC offers outside.
The High Line Tour
The High Line is one of Manhattan’s many unique parks. It is a 1.45 mile long linear park on the western side of Manhattan in Chelsea. On the free tour you will learn about how this park in the sky developed over the last century from a railroad track to what it is today.
Tips: Bathrooms are located along the high line at Gansevoort St., 16th St., and 30th St. Visit Chelsea Market before or after the tour.Â
Check the High Line tour schedule today!Â
Greenwood Cemetery Trolley Tours
You’re probably wondering why I am suggesting you tour a cemetery. Greenwood cemetery, founded in 1838, is a national historic landmark in south Brooklyn. In the 1860s more than 500,000 people visited the cemetery every year. The only tourist attraction in the US with more visitors was Niagara Falls! Of course there are many more popular places to visit in NYC for tourists now, but it is still a beautiful place to visit. The cemetery is full of history and famous people. On the trolley tour you can see the beautiful grounds and hear stories about the former people of New York that you have never heard before. Throughout the trolley tour there are many opportunities to get out and walk around.
Tips: Bathrooms are at the entrance to the park on 5th Ave & 25th St. Baked in Brooklyn, across the street from the entrance, was my go to place to buy bread. You can pick up some provisions and have a picnic in the cemetery. Giuseppina’s Brick Oven Pizza nearby on 6th Ave & 20th St is one of my very favorite pizza places in all of NYC.Â
Other Greenwood Cemetery Tours: You can do a self-guided walking tour or a guided walking tour as well. They have various events throughout the year.Â
Book a Greenwood Cemetery Trolley Tour today!Â
Brooklyn Bridge Boathouse Kayaking Tours
The Brooklyn Bridge Boathouse provides free kayaking in the East River a couple times a week during the summer. In order to do so they need a lot of volunteers to make the program run smoothly. When you become a volunteer you are able to sign-up for free kayaking tours around NYC. I did one of their most popular trips to Red Hook. When I did it I was quite a beginner and it was a challenge for me to cross the river quickly to Governor’s island and back again to Red Hook. Luckily I was in good hands as there are always some experienced kayakers leading the group.
Sign-Up to volunteer and take kayaking tours with Brooklyn Bridge Boathouse today!Â
The best way to tour NYC is to take the very best New York City tours! Which one do you want to book first?Â
More About New York City
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ITINERARIES
LIFE IN NYC
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Spending several days in New York and overwhelmed by all the options? Don’t worry I can help! Through my Personal Travel Planning service I can figure out all the details for you and plan the NYC itinerary to meet your travel needs…or any other place you dream of visiting!
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28 Comments
Jennifer Prince
This is so timely! I’m in NYC right now, and I’m actually BORED. Ha! There’s so much to do that I just can’t decide. I totally think that a food tour (hello, chocolate!) would be fun. I also think that the cemetery would be super interesting, too. I’m going to peruse this a bit more and pick one. Thanks for the suggestions!!
admin
You can’t be bored in NYC, lol! The food tours are great, you should definitely give one of them a try! I have several other posts on NYC so if you need more ideas on what to do check those out 🙂
Erica
Thank you for such a great post! I had no idea there were so many tours in NYC (although I really shouldn’t be surprised). The tours of Grand Central Station and the library are now at the top of my list of things to do next time I’m in the city. They are definitely up my alley, and I would love to visit them! The holiday TV tour sounds like my mom’s dream, and I would love to surprise her with it one year. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
admin
You’re welcome, I hope you get to try out some of these NYC tours one day!
Danik
I been to NYC before I and I still got a lot to do. However I have done most of the touristy sights but I want to get to know NYC how a local would do it. However if I was to do a tour again, I wouldn’t mind anything outdoorsy or the movie tour (as I do love to the watch the flicks). Not a big fan of the hop on hop off tours, I just find them lazy and not a good way to see a city. Fantastic ideas here and hopefully I be back very soon.
admin
I usually don’t like the hop-on-hop-off tours either, but I think they are good for your first time in NYC. The city is so huge that most people can’t walk the miles and miles of Manhattan in one day and with the subway you don’t actually see the city. It’s nice to get an overview of the city and then explore more on your own on foot or with a more specific walking tour in one area.
Yukti Agrawal
It is great that you posted some worth doing sightseeing tours in NYC as there is so much to do and so many tour offerings that one get confused. You have rightly placed all best tours that first timers should take. I too take same tours and I loved Cruise tours to Statue of Liberty as it has the stunning view of NYC skyline. Also city tour for 2 days is great option with night tour also to see NYC night time. Thanks for sharing all details.
Katherine
I’d love to do the Lower East Side and Chinatown food tours! I always spend so much time on historical and old building tours (which I love), but I think it’s time to try something new.
admin
Food tours are a lot of fun! The best part is you get some history with the tour too.
Meghan Emcee
This is such a great guide! I’m always looking for different tours to do in the city, saving for next time I’m in New York!
admin
Thanks!
Kavita Favelle
I’ve not been to NYC for a long time and it’s on my list of places to revisit. I’ve never thought to take a tour though, but I like the look of some of the ones you have suggested. The boat cruise and the self-guided tour audio tour of Grand Central Station appeal to me in particular.
admin
NYC has some great tours 🙂
Jackie
This is perfect! I am planning a trip from Boston to NYC in the near future and wasn’t sure how to find reputable tours. I appreciate you pulling together this round-up. Now, my task will be to narrow the list down. I may have to make a few trips because they all sound fantastic. Totally bookmarking page.
admin
Great to hear it! Let me know if you have any questions or need help deciding 🙂
Lisa
We were just back in NYC, so what a shame I missed reading your post. From the list, I’d most like to try the Greenwood cemetery trolley tour. I’ve never made it that far south in Brooklyn, so I’m super curious to find out more. The Essex market tour also sounds fascinating, as I’m a big foodie. I can’t believe it’s been operating for so long and I’ve never heard of it!
admin
The Greenwood cemetery trolley tour is great. If you are just visiting for a few days it’s really nice to get out of Manhattan. I’m a big foodie too so I love all the NYC food tours!
Nicole Claesen
Love,love,love NYC! I still haven’t taken the Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour, need to add that to my list!
I definitely want to take the Chinatown Food Tour – that looks AMAZING!
admin
I love NYC too! So many great tours and things to do.
Alexandra Booze
Ohh I would love to check out the Chinatown Food Tour! So many amazing new restaurants popping up there!
Clarice
This is timely as we’re visiting NYC next month. The Island Cruise sounds wonderful. Happy to know that they have both outdoor and indoor seats. Thank you for sharing this.
Shreya Saha
It’s really nice to read your blog. You have described the best way to travel to NYC and there are more things. I have never been to NYC but really love to go there and visit the iconic the Grand Central Station. Also, there is Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, so many movie tours, food tours, and more.
Katie
Love this post! We love revisiting New York City time after time but, when you are only visiting for a long weekend, it can be hard to decide what to do! The kayaking tours look awesome and I definitely want to visit NYC in the holidays and see the Christmas lights. We took a movie and TV tour on our last visit and found it so interesting! We even visited a random little rice pudding cafe which was apparently in Hitch!
The Fearless Foreigner
Thank you! If you visit NYC during the holidays make sure to check out my other post with lots of holiday things to do in the city. There are so many things to do in NYC all year though 🙂
tourist mini bus for sightseeing in jaipur
It’s not my first time to pay a quick visit this site, I am browsing this web page daily and take pleasant facts from here every day.
The Fearless Foreigner
That’s great to hear, thank you!
Юрий
Hello. You write that they don’t speak much English in Moscow. If I come to America, will many Americans speak Russian?
The Fearless Foreigner
The comment was based off of the fact that most European countries the Europeans speak English or will try to speak in English. For example almost everyone in Denmark speaks English, but they wouldn’t go to the US and expect anyone to speak Danish. The point was that many Americans aren’t as comfortable visiting places that don’t speak English so it is something to be aware of. Most other European countries would never expect another country to speak their native language. I’m not saying that is right or wrong, but that is just how it is and language and culture are important things to know before visiting a place!
FYI I am not sure why you posted this on a NYC tours post? If you are genuinely looking for a place to speak Russian in NYC you could check out the neighborhoods of Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.