New York City Tours

In NYC, you can find New York City tours of all kind; on land, on water or in the sky, free tours or paid tours indoors and outdoors. There is so much to see and do in NYC, and the best way to get acquainted with the city is by trying out a few of the New York tours.

By taking a tour you will quickly discover exciting New York attractions that you may not have thought of, and the tour guides are very knowledgeable and share a wealth of valuable information.

To fully experience the best of New York tours, whether on foot, or by boat, bus or helicopter, plan to stay for a few days, or even a few weeks to enjoy a variety of New York events:

• Boat Tours
• Guided Walking Tours
• Free Walking Tours
• Self-Guided Walking Tours
• Hop On – Hop Off Bus Tours
• Film and Television Tours
• NYC Public Library Tour

New York City Tours with Buses, Boats and Helicopters

Take advantage of the Double Decker tour buses or the fleet of beautiful boats with tour guides and thrilling helicopter rides which are exciting ways of sightseeing Manhattan and other boroughs.

The Double Decker tour buses give you the freedom to wander all over the city on your trips to New York without worrying about parking or waiting for a city bus. There are so many tour options including 24 hour, 48 hour and 72 hour passes to choose from.

Routes of the Hop-On Hop-Off Double Decker New York Tours by Bus

• Freestyle New York
• Classic New York Double-Decker Bus Tour
• Downtown Loop
• Uptown Loop
• Brooklyn Tour
• New York Night Tour
• All Loops Tour
• See the City Tour in Foreign Languages

A Fantastic Variety of NYC Boat Tours & Cruises

• NY Harbour Midtown Cruise
• NY Harbor Downtown Cruise
• NY Harbor Midtown Twilight Cruise
• Daytime Statue Sail on the Clipper City Tall Ship
• Daytime Statue Sail on the Shearwater Classic Schooner
• Circle Line Harbor Cruises
• Zephyr Seaport Liberty Cruise
• Statue of Liberty Express
• Statue by Night
• Day Sails on Schooner Adirondack
• World Yacht Dinner Cruise
• Statue of Liberty Ferry

Stunning New York City Tours by Helicopter

• Liberty Helicopter Tours of NYC - The Big Apple
• Liberty Helicopters Tours NYC - New York, New York
• Manhattan Helicopters The Deluxe (12 - 15 min)

New York City Tours at the Top of the Rock
in the Rockefeller Center

From the observation deck, you can see spectacular views of New York and take fantastic pictures for your photo collection. You will want to include this tour on your trips to New York. It’s not free but the fee is definitely worth it.

From the Top of the Rock Observation Deck on the 70th floor, you can walk around and see 360 degrees of unobstructed panoramic views of the NYC skyline, Central Park, the Empire State Building and much more.

On a clear day, try to make it up to the Top of the Rock during daylight, just before the sun goes down. That way you can see the skyline during the day and be delightfully surprised with glorious views of the sunset over the Hudson River.

Treat Yourself to Culinary New York City Tours

New York is an internationally known culinary center and with so many restaurants dotting the city, it’s hard to know which eatery to try.

if you want to take the guesswork out of your search for unique dining establishments and really experience the multicultural foods and haute cuisine NYC has to offer, consider taking a Food Tour.

On your trips to New York check out these tour companies which cover many exciting NYC neighbourhoods:

1. New York Food Tours
2. Walking Tours Manhattan
3. Rum and Blackbird Tasting Tours in Hell’s Kitchen

New York Events Passes

New York City tours offer a wealth of great attractions and it can become expensive to purchase tickets individually for each event you want to attend on your trips to New York.

Consider buying a New York Events pass with multi-attraction options and get reduced prices and line-skipping privileges.

1. New York CityPASS

Get great discounts on admissions to New York tours.

New York attractions include:

• The Empire State Building
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Cloisters
• American Museum of Natural History
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
• Circle Line Cruises
• Top of the Rock™
• and much more.

New York CityPASS includes one-time admission to 6 of New York’s most famous attractions.

CityPASS ticket booklets are valid for nine days beginning with the first day of use.

www.citypass.com/new-york

2. Explorer Pass

Select 3, 5 or 7 top New York attractions to visit.

Cardholders have 30 days to use the card after visiting the first attraction.

Choose from a selection of New York City tours including Top of the Rock Observation, Rockefeller Center Tour, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NBC Studio Tour, movie tours, cruises, and more.

Included with the card are shopping, dining, and additional attraction discounts.

www.explorerpass.com

3. New York Pass

Provides a card with a computer chip that grants discounted access to over 55 top New York attractions with line skipping privileges.

Options include passes for 1 day, 2 days, 3 days or 7 days.

You pay one price which varies depending on the number of days you select, and can visit as many attractions as you want within that time frame.

For this pass, you have to get your ticket in each attraction and during the period can visit as many New York attractions as you like, keeping in mind that the more you see, the more you save.

www.newyorkpass.com

New York City Tours with the Big Apple Greeter

How would you like to have a personal tour guide for FREE?

Big Apple Greeter is a small non-profit organization with friendly New Yorkers who volunteer their time to greet you and take you around their beautiful city.

Although the New York tours are FREE with a NO Tipping Policy, it does take an office and staff to accept the invitations, respond and coordinate the volunteers with the visitors and the tours.

If you have enjoyed their hospitality and can afford it, consider giving a small donation to cover their administrative costs. Make sure to book well in advance.

New York City Tours of Lower Manhattan
and Wall Street

There is a variety of free New York events provided by the Alliance for downtown New York City tours. Here are some of the venues you can explore on your trips to New York:

• Free 90-minute guided walking tour
• History, dramatic events, architecture and people of Downtown
• See the financial capital of the world
• Explore the hottest new neighbourhoods in the city
• Visit the U.S. Custom House, Trinity Church, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and other nearby architectural and cultural sites.

New York City Tours of the Brooklyn Bridge

While you are in the Lower Manhattan neighbourhood, take a walk over to the Brooklyn Bridge. This will be a free self-guided tour but the experience is spectacular.

From the Brooklyn Bridge, you can see all of the Manhattan around you and its famous buildings. The bridge itself is an amazing work of art.

This bridge is a long walk so be prepared, but there are park benches if you need to take break.

There is a pedestrian lane and a bicycle lane so make sure to stay on the pedestrian side because you could get run over by a bicyclist, as I almost did while taking pictures and walking close to the line.

New York City Tours of Central Park

The Central Park Conservancy offers year round free guided walking tours. Here are some of the highlights of the Central Park walking tour:

• The New York tours of Central Park will take you over streams, under arches, through the woods along a maze of winding pathways, ponds in a secluded 38-acre woodland area and a stop at Strawberry Fields, a living tribute to John Lennon.
• Learn about the Central Park's landscape design of pastoral landscapes.
• Walk around the historic lands of Belvedere Castle, high on Vista Rock.
• Enjoy the 70-year-old Conservatory Garden, the history, design and its unique plantings.
• See how the landscape architects Olmsted and Vaux designed the North Woods to resemble the forests, crystal streams, tumbling cascades, rustic bridges and picturesque pools of the Adirondack Mountains.
• This walk will take you through a scenic part of the western edge of the Park, off the beaten track for most visitors, and near one of New York attractions, the Dakota Hotel, where the great Beatles's life was tragically ended.

Have a look at the schedule for Guided Tours of Central Park.

New York City Tours of Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village, often referred to as The Village, is a cultural and trendy neighbourhood in west side of Lower Manhattan.

The Village has gained a reputation as being the bohemian capital and an artists haven.

The free 1 ½ walking tour leaves at 11:30 AM every Saturday, rain or shine. Make sure to be at the northwest corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark’s Place (in front of Roastown Coffee, 133 2nd Avenue) early so you don’t miss this great free adventure in the Village.

If you are arriving by subway, take the N or the R Train to the 8th Street station or the #6 Train to Astor Place & walk one block east to 2nd Avenue.

Visit the Village Alliance Information Booth at the Ruth Wittenberg Triangle on 6th Avenue, between West 9th St. & Greenwich Avenue.

www.villagealliance.org

www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/445/village-alliance-information-booths

New York City Tours of the Lower East Side (LES)

The LES is becoming a hot neighbourhood in Manhattan and home to upscale boutiques, trendy dining establishments on its restaurant row on Clinton Street, and its numerous contemporary art galleries.

One of the oldest neighbourhoods of the city, the Lower East Side has meandering streets which are fun to explore. Also home to many live music venues, LES has become a popular late night destination

The Lower East Side Business Improvement District (LES BID) offers several tours. Take a free podcast tour or consider several other fascinating New York tours provided by the community.

The free walking tours are available Sundays at 11 a.m. (April - December) in front of Katz’s Delicatessen (corner of East Houston and Ludlow Street)

www.lowereastsideny.com/explore/306-2/

New York City Tours of Grand Central Station
and Surrounding Landmarks

This award-winning free guided walking tour is sponsored by the Grand Central Partnership and powered by NYC.com.

Highlights of this Tour Include:

• Famous New York attractions like Grand Central Terminal and discover the secrets of the Whispering Gallery
• The Chrysler Building
• The News Building See the Midtown Manhattan hangout of Mercury, Hercules, and Minerva
• Learn why Pershing Square isn’t really square
• Circle the globe in a matter of seconds like Superman
• Visit the original Lincoln Memorial by Daniel Chester French.

The walking tours meet every Friday at 12:30 pm in the Sculpture Court at 120 Park Avenue, at the southwest corner of East 42nd Street and Park Avenue, directly across from Grand Central Terminal.

While reservations are not necessary, if you have any questions or group tours, please call 212-883-2420.

New York City Tours of Union Square

Union Square is an amazing intersection and historic point in New York City and is surrounded by great neighbourhoods such as the Flatiron District to the north, Chelsea to the west, Greenwich Village to the south, and Gramercy to the east.

If you would like New York tours of this district, the Union Square Partnership (USP) and Big Onion Walking Tours have created a free 90-minute walking tour called Union Square: Crossroads of New York.

On this tour, you will get to see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock on “The Metronome” sculpture. The walking tours begin every Saturday at 2 pm at the Abraham Lincoln statue, Union Square South Plaza by the 16th Street transverse in Union Square Park.

The tour guide will be holding a Union Square Crossroads of New York sign.

While reservations are not required, if you have any questions or group bookings, please call 212-517-1826.

unionsquarenyc.org/park/walking-tour/255

New York City Tours of the New York Public Library

The New York Public Library main building is located on Fifth Avenue at 42nd St.

The free tours are led by docents and provide an excellent way to experience the highlights of this grand building and its exhibitions.

Building Tours

Free one-hour tours of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building Mondays to Saturdays have two sessions starting at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Sundays have only one tour starting at 2 p.m. Tours meet at the reception desk in Astor Hall.

Exhibition Tours

Free docent-led tours of exhibitions in the Gottesman Exhibition Hall for current exhibitions Monday through Saturday have two sessions starting at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m Sundays have only one tour starting at 3:30 p.m. Exhibition tours meet outside the entrance to Gottesman Hall.

www.nypl.org/help/getting-oriented/visiting-the-library

New York City Tours of Film
and Television Locations

NYCs Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting has published a series of podcast tours of famous film locations in NYC. Although these are not guided walking tours, you have the option of listening to the podcasts or printing the self-guided walking tour.

The printed tour guide provides instructions which are easy to follow and features locations of famous films such as:

New York Tour 1

Ghostbusters, Saturday Night Live, Law & Order, Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice, Annie Hall, Mo Better Blues, City Hall, Spin City, The Wiz, the 25th Hour and many films which were shot featuring the Brooklyn Bridge.

New York Tour 2

Klute, Patterns, Wall Street, Desperately Seeking Susan, Working Girl, and Men in Black.

Tour 2 finishes up in the spectacular Battery Park waterfront promenade at the south end of Manhattan with its fantastic views of New York Harbour—the site of many prominent films.

New York City Tours featuring
the Times Square Expose Walking Tour

Times Square has a Visitor Center provided by the Times Square Alliance.

At the Times Square Visitor Center you can get free city wide information and brochures on New York attractions, purchase Times Square books and tickets to Broadway shows, and book a Gray Line/Circle Line bus or boat sightseeing tour.

The Times Square Alliance also offers the Times Square Expose Free Walking Tour.

The guide will take you to see the best of the neighbourhoods, historic theatres and new sites, plus a tour through the Crossroads of the World.

Location: Times Square Visitor Center

Time: every Friday at noon. Be there early to sign up for the tour at the NYC & Co Official Visitor Information Desk.

There are unlimited choices to New York City tours and they will keep you busy and excited on all your trips to New York.

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