8 Best Bronx Tours in NY

The Bronx is one of New York's most popular boroughs. From lights at the zoo to walking tours, you'll always find interesting things to see in this area.
8 Best Bronx Tours in NY

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The Bronx is much more than danger and criminality, the truth is that this neighborhood, which is listed as one of the most popular and well known neighborhoods in North America, has much more to show to tourists.

This is a place that you have to include in your list of things to see and do in New York because it gives you a clearer impression of the different faces of the city, in fact one of the most realistic faces of New York. So I'll show you some of the best things to see on your tour of the Bronx.

1. Bronx Zoo Tour

Zoo Entrance| ©Shinya Suzuki
Zoo Entrance| ©Shinya Suzuki

One of the most interesting and fun places for the whole family without a doubt is the Bronx Zoo. During this tour you will be able to discover what animals are in the Bronx Zoo and also appreciate and see how they perform in an environment that emulates their natural habitat.

Although it is not an urban tour of the entire Bronx, it is a good place to get to know the most popular neighborhood in North America. In this type of tour you will not only pay for the entrance fee, but also for an escort who will tell you everything you need to know about the place and the species found inside.

You can also do this tour on your own, buying only the entrance to the zoo. This way you will be able to get to know the place at your own pace and each of the places of interest inside the enclosure.

Details of interest

  • Price: Zoo tickets are available from 41 euros and up.
  • Duration: These zoo tours can last from 3 to 4 hours.
  • Means of transportation: This tour is done on foot at the zoo, but you must walk to the zoo gates on your own.
  • Advantages of this option: You will be able to see all the animals that are exhibited in the zoo. You will also have the commentary of an expert zoo guide. Entrance to the park and the tour guide are included.
  • Disadvantages of this option: You will not have transportation from your lodging to the zoo and back. Snacks and beverages during the tour are not included.

Reserve your Bronx Zoo Tickets

2. Bus tour through the boroughs of New York: Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens

New York City Sightseeing Bus Tour| ©CarDun78
New York City Sightseeing Bus Tour| ©CarDun78

In this complete tour of New York City you will get to know the most popular neighborhoods of the city, such as Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. It is an experience of contrasts, because you will also have the opportunity to see Harlem, Little Italy and find good places to eat in Chinatown at your own expense.

Not only will you have the chance to take lots of pictures of each of the places you stop at, but you will also get to know the history behind each of these places. Your English speaking guide will show you the contrasts of the city and show you that New York is much more than just 20 things to see and do in Manhattan.

It is a good tour for people who are coming to New York for the first time and want to see more than what tourists always ask to see. But it is also an excellent tour for people who have been to New York before and have the impression that the Bronx is all about gangs and danger.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 40 euros per person.
  • Duration: This is a tour can last approximately 5 hours.
  • Means of transportation: This tour is done by bus with all the amenities.
  • Advantages of this option: It is offered in both Spanish and English. The tour guide is included as well as transportation from the hotel. The bus or minivan is air-conditioned throughout the tour.
  • Disadvantages of this option: The return to the hotel is not included because the tour ends in Chinatown or Little Italy. Drinks and meals are not included and tips to the tour guide are not included.

Book your contrasts tour

3. South Bronx Graffiti Tour on foot

Walking around New York City| ©Hellotickets
Walking around New York City| ©Hellotickets

This is a tour especially for young people who appreciate street art and want to know those places where you can see a lot of this art in New York. Most of the walking tour takes place in the South Bronx, where you can take all the pictures you want of the street art.

You will also have the commentary of the tour guides who will tell you everything you need to know about street art and how it has taken over the entire city. It is a tour that you can enjoy with your friends and family, but this is an experience that you will enjoy only if you appreciate art in all its expression. If you want to continue with the graffiti tour, you can take a graffiti workshop in Brooklyn, very close to the Bronx.

Details of interest

  • Price: This tour can be found from 51 euros per person.
  • Duration: The tour can last approximately 3 hours.
  • Means of transportation: The entire tour is on foot, and in case you want to be picked up at the hotel where you are staying, you will get into a vehicle with all the amenities.
  • Advantages of this option: The tour is in charge of an expert guide. The use of a professional camera is included in case it is necessary. You are offered bottled water during the tour.
  • Disadvantages of this option: If you want transportation to and from the hotel where you are staying then you have to request the service separately. Admission to Yankee Stadium is not included.

Book your graffiti workshop in Brooklyn

4. Private tour of the Bronx and other NYC neighborhoods

Entrance to the Apollo Theater in Harlem| ©Ken Yuel
Entrance to the Apollo Theater in Harlem| ©Ken Yuel

On this private tour of New York City neighborhoods you will get a great insight into the urban culture of these popular areas. You will learn about the lifestyle of the families on this side of the city and above all you will have access to the most interesting sights in the Bronx or Queens, even those that you would see on some of the best tours in Harlem or Brooklyn.

In just one day you will get to see four of the five boroughs that comprise New York City and the tour guide will tell you everything you need to know about each of them. You will also have the opportunity to stop at a restaurant for a taste of New York cuisine.

You will visit the Coney Island boardwalk while you take lots of pictures of the beautiful views that this place of the Big Apple has to offer. This is a bus tour that you can enjoy with your family or friends, for a much broader experience than a tour of upper and lower Manhattan.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 66 euros per person, price may vary according to the size of the group.
  • Duration: This full day tour can last between 6 to 7 hours approximately.
  • Means of transportation: The tour is conducted entirely aboard a bus with all the comforts.
  • Advantages of this option: The transfer from the hotel where you are staying is included. You will have commentary from an expert guide about each of the interesting places in these neighborhoods in New York. You will not have to worry about the route because it will be done by the tour guide.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Entrance to Yankee Stadium is not included, nor is admission to any other place that requires an entrance fee. Food and beverage service is not included.

5. Hip Hop Culture Tour in the Bronx

Inside the Hip Hop Museum| ©Randy Patrigon
Inside the Hip Hop Museum| ©Randy Patrigon

During this tour throughout the Bronx your guide will focus on showing you all the places that pioneered the birth of the Hip Hop genre in the United States. During the tour you will be able to visit from the Hip Hop museum to the most popular and common places where the movement started.

If there is something interesting that you can learn during this tour is the stories that the people who started the Hip Hop legacy have to tell. So the tour is more than just places, it also includes stories and characters that tell their own development in this type of urban and popular music.

This is a tour exclusively recommended for people who are lovers of the genre and the best thing is that you can form your group and go on this adventure in the company of your own friends and family, without sharing the experience with other people.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 500 euros per group.
  • Duration: It is a full day tour that can last up to 8 hours.
  • Means of transportation: The tour takes place aboard a private bus with all the comforts.
  • Advantages of this option: Entrance to most of the places that will be visited during the tour is included. It is a private tour, which means that only your group can participate.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Transportation from and back to your hotel is not included. It is not recommended for people with back problems or for those with heart problems.

6. Bronx bike tour for small groups

Bicycle Tour| ©Gwenael Piaser
Bicycle Tour| ©Gwenael Piaser

In this bike tour around the Bronx you will see some of the most iconic places of this neighborhood such as the stairs where the popular Joker scene was filmed, you will know how it is to visit the Yankee Stadium and other sites of interest for tourists.

This tour is one of the best bike tours in New York, you will be accompanied by a tour guide who will always be attentive to all your questions and concerns. In addition, you will ride on the safest bike paths you will find in the Bronx.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 114 euros per person.
  • Duration: This tour can last approximately seven hours.
  • Means of transportation: The entire tour is done by bicycle.
  • Advantages of this option: You will be accompanied by an expert tour guide in the Bronx area. You will also have the advantage of going with a small group to make the tour as specialized as possible. Helmet and all other safety equipment is included.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Tips for the tour guide are not included. It is not suitable for people with back problems or for those who do not know how to ride bicycles.

7. Walking tour of the most interesting places in the Bronx

Bronx Criminal Court| ©Gendery G
Bronx Criminal Court| ©Gendery G

You will like this walking tour because not only will you see interesting places, but you will also see the Bronx as if you were a local, walking through its streets and learning about its culture. You will be accompanied by a tour guide and you will be guaranteed safety during your tour.

But on this tour you will not only see the most iconic places, but also those that have a darker history such as the criminal court, a place where the crimes committed in the Bronx district are followed up. During this tour you will also have the opportunity to eat and drink at your own expense before continuing the tour.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 28 euros per person.
  • Duration: The tour can last from 3 to 4 hours.
  • Means of transport: This tour is completely on foot. You must arrive on your own at the terminal where the tour begins.
  • Advantages of this option: The tour is completely in Spanish, along with an expert guide who will tell you everything you need to know about this district. You can make a reservation online before going on the tour.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Transportation to and from your accommodation is not included. Drinks and meals during the tour are not included.

8. Pizza tour through Manhattan

Pizza, fast food in New York| ©Jeremy Keith
Pizza, fast food in New York| ©Jeremy Keith

This is one of my favorite tours because it has to do with food. It really is a tour worth doing because even though it starts in Manhattan, you are sure to get to other boroughs of New York like the Bronx.

During the tour you will get to see the best pizza places in the city, which are sure to be included among the best places to eat in New York and of course you will have the opportunity to taste the pizza that is prepared in each of them.

After seeing the area and taking a food tour of the borough of Manhattan, you will most likely end up somewhere in Little Italy in the Bronx tasting the best American pizza.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 59 euros per person.
  • Duration: About 2 hours and a half.
  • Means of transportation: The tour is done on foot, but to get to the starting point you have to get around on your own.
  • Advantages of this option: You will have access to a tour guide who will take you to all the places to learn about American pizza. The pizza to be tasted during the tour is included. It is an adapted tour for people in wheelchairs.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Drinks and additional pizzas you want to try are not included. Some pizza toppings are not included. Transportation from your accommodation to the tour location and back is not included.

Book your food tour in Manhattan

Duration of the Brox tours

Botanical Garden in the Bronx| ©Melody Ann Crespo
Botanical Garden in the Bronx| ©Melody Ann Crespo

The duration of these types of tours is usually short, about two to three hours, although in most cases it depends largely on what you want to see as a tourist. It also has a lot to do with the agreement you make with whoever you have contracted the experience with.

Another determinant of how long this type of tour lasts is how you are going to tour the Bronx. If you go by car, walking or biking, you will last a little more or a little less time.

Depending on where you start your tour from, the length of the tour may be longer or shorter. But if it is a tour that starts and ends in the Bronx, then certainly as a rule of thumb this type of tour should last between two and three hours, as I have warned you before.

What will I see on this type of tour?

Aerial View of Yankee Stadium in New York City| ©Nick Fewings
Aerial View of Yankee Stadium in New York City| ©Nick Fewings

Basically in this type of tours what you will see is all the activity that the Bronx has to show you, from shopping to cultural places of interest that are located in this popular New York neighborhood.

Among the most interesting attractions you can find in the Bronx are the Yankee Stadium and other museums dedicated to street art and hip hop, one of the most representative rhythms of this area of the city.

You can also visit the Bronx Zoo, where you can see animal species from all over the world gathered in one place. This is one of the best experiences you can have in the Bronx, especially if you are walking with children.

Tips for an excursion in the Bronx

New York City| ©Jeffrey Czum
New York City| ©Jeffrey Czum
  • Always go with a person who has knowledge of the entire Bronx area, its busiest streets and the safest places to walk.
  • Do not go with too many valuables, and if you do try to walk carefully, it is not a dangerous area in its entirety but there are places that are.
  • Do not walk on streets that are too lonely or within the common areas of community buildings.

Reviews from other travellers

4.6
· 64 Reviews
  • D
    D. V.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    The experience of exploring the neighbourhoods was unique and enriching, but I think they could include more photo stops at iconic locations.
  • Z
    Z. C.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    Exploring the city's most iconic neighbourhoods with an expert guide was an unforgettable experience, highly recommended!
  • G
    G. M.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    I loved seeing the city's most iconic neighbourhoods in one day. I always wanted to see the cultural differences in New York and this tour allowed me to do just that.
  • A
    A. R.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    This tour is the best, you see everything that's cool about New York. Highly recommended, don't miss it.
  • N
    N. A.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    I went with my sister on the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens contrasts tour and we loved it - a unique way to see the real New York!