13 best New York City Tours
The best way to tour the city without missing anything is with a professional guide who will accompany you on the tour.
Listening to the guide's indications | ©Hellotickets
New York is much more than Times Square, the Statue of Liberty and Central Park. It is its squares, avenues and neighborhoods. Get to know the history of the Big Apple and the New York lifestyle in the most authentic way with a selection of the best New York tours in English.
1. The ultimate favorite: the New York contrasts tour
With the New York Contrasts Tour you will get a complete idea of New York City and discover the five big boroughs of the city (Manhattan, Harlem, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn) with a guide in Spanish.
As the name suggests, you will be reviewing the diverse cultural identity of New York's neighborhoods. You will discover the true essence of each borough and you will get a more complete vision of the city thanks to the comments and anecdotes of the local guide.
In addition, it is suitable for anyone as part of the tour is done by transportation. In this Tour of Contrasts you can choose where to end: in Chinatown or under the Brooklyn Bridge, in DUMBO, to continue with your next plan in your travel agenda.
What you will see
- Harlem: The first stop is this Manhattan neighborhood to learn a bit of its history and pause to photograph the Brownstones. You will also see the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club, two institutions of New York jazz music in the 1920s, a time of great cultural effervescence in Harlem.
- The Bronx: This stop will take you on a tour of iconic Bronx landmarks such as Yankees Stadium including film locations and New York's most famous street art. In fact you will visit an entire outdoor art gallery, known as the Graffiti Universe.
- Queens: New York's largest and most multicultural borough. In this part of the tour the group will enter the luxurious neighborhood of Malba to continue to Flushing Meadows Park where you can see the stadium of the Mets, rival team of the Yankees. You will also see the US OPEN stadium and the globe from the movie Men In Black. Among other points of interest you will also explore the neighborhood of Little India.
- Brooklyn: The borough with the most identity in New York. You can explore the Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg, the industrial charm of DUMBO under the Brooklyn Bridge and ends in Manhattan, in Chinatown and Little Italy with its rich gastronomy.
Why I like it
Doing this Contrasts Tour will take you just one morning to see many different parts of New York that would take you a day or two to see on your own, saving you time.
2. A Bird's Eye View of New York: the Helicopter Tour
Taking a helicopter ride over New York is an experience you can't do without on your trip, especially on a sunny day. Seeing the city from a bird's eye view is very impressive and you will have an unforgettable memory to tell when you return home.
From the heights you will enjoy the best views of Manhattan's most iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the One World Observatory, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the George Washington Bridge or the immense natural expanse of Central Park, among others.
Get ready to admire the imposing skyscrapers from the same height and fly over the Big Apple in an exciting helicopter tour of about 15 minutes. If you want more information about this experience, I leave you this article about the best helicopter rides in New York.
What you will see
- Downtown Heliport
- Ellis Island
- Statue of Liberty
- Governors Island
- Ground Zero and One World Observatory
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Empire State Building
- Madison Square Garden
- Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Building
- Times Square and MetLife Building
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Central Park
- Washington Bridge
Why I like it
Whether it's your first time in the city or you're a regular, this bird's eye view tour will give you the best views of the city as well as a good dose of adrenaline, I assure you that you will never forget it!
3. Tour the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn by bus
Like the previous one, this Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn Contrasts Tour allows you to know other districts and neighborhoods beyond the touristy Manhattan in the center of the city, where many travelers are tempted to stay.
Again, in this tour you will delve into the multiculturalism and contrasts of the city, the different architecture of its neighborhoods, its people... In short, a complete tour that in my point of view is perfect to kick off our trip.
What I would highlight of this bus tour of the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn is that it takes you away from the center of the city to show you scenes of everyday life in other "boroughs" of New York such as Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx in a comfortable 4-hour sightseeing tour aboard a bus. You will explore the areas less visited by tourists and get to know the authentic side of New York.
What you will see
- The Bronx: This stop will take you around the Bronx to see the outside of the world's most famous baseball stadium, Yankee Stadium. You will also pass through Little Italy where you can soak up New York's Italian heritage and grab a coffee.
- Queens: The most multicultural and extensive borough of New York. In this part of the tour the group heads to Flushing Meadows Park where the stadium of the Yankees' rival team, the New York Mets, is located. It is also the site of the US OPEN and here is the popular Men In Black's Unisphere.
- Brooklyn: The borough with the most identity in New York. You can go into the Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg and admire the panoramic view of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge in the charming bohemian neighborhood of DUMBO.
Why I like it
It seems to me a good opportunity to get to know the city and the best neighborhoods of New York if you want to enjoy it as a New Yorker, with the advantage of being accompanied by a professional guide who will tell you the curiosities of each neighborhood in Spanish, which is great if you do not master English well. And with a bonus: he will show you parts of New York that many tourists never explore.
If this is the first time you visit the Big Apple, it is a good first contact. While listening to the guide's explanations you can contemplate the city through the bus window, get off at the stops and walk around each neighborhood a little to discover some of the places that have built the history of New York. All in a matter of a few hours.
4. Discover the soul of New York with a tour of Harlem and a gospel mass
The best way to experience the cultural diversity of New York and discover the roots of the African American community is to immerse yourself in the culture of Harlem with a full Harlem tour with gospel mass.
What you will see
On one of the many tours of Harlem you will discover emblematic sites of the neighborhood as the Morris-Jumel mansion (the oldest house in Manhattan dating from the eighteenth century), Sylvan Terrace (a peculiar cobblestone street of identical houses) the Cotton Club (a famous nightclub opened during Prohibition) and the legendary Apollo Theater (where music stars such as Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Diana Ross or The Jackson 5 triumphed), among others.
If you also complete the visit with a Gospel Mass in the Harlem Churches, you will stop being a tourist for a moment and become a neighbor of the neighborhood.
The tour of Harlem ends at the Malcolm X Mosque and contemplating the striking graffiti in the area that celebrate African-American culture, you won't stop taking pictures! You will also discover the best places to listen to Jazz in Harlem.
Why I like it
A neighborhood with so much culture and contrast is worth discovering with a guide who will introduce you to the customs and way of life of its neighbors. He will take you to discover the most emblematic enclaves of the area and will give you the best recommendations if you want to continue exploring on your own.
5. Say hello to the Statue of Liberty and visit Ellis Island
There are many ways to get to know New York: at street level walking among its skyscrapers, flying over the city in a helicopter or aboard a ferry overlooking the Manhattan skyline and heading to Liberty and Ellis Island.
To visit the Statue of Liberty, you can buy tickets and take the ferry to the Statue on your own or take a tour that takes you to the Statue of Liberty and learn about the history behind the great icon of the United States, the Statue of Liberty, along with the Liberty Island Museum and a guided tour of the grounds of Liberty Island.
What you will see
The tour is accompanied by a professional guide with whom you embark in a Battery Park, at the southern tip of Manhattan to avoid the crowds. Since the Statue of Liberty is one of the main tourist attractions in New York, it is usually crowded so my advice is that, if you want to avoid them, take the first ferry in the morning as for the following ones the waiting time is usually much longer and can reach up to an hour.
During the trip, the guide tells the story of Lady Liberty and how she came to the United States from France to become the symbol of freedom she is today.
Some tours include a visit to Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum, where photographs, letters and personal items from the era are on display. Reading the true stories of those immigrants in search of a better life is awe-inspiring.
Why I like it
In addition to getting up close and personal with the symbol of the city, take a close look because during the visit you will have incredible views from the Statue of Liberty:
- One World Observatory
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Manhattan Bridge
- The Empire State Building
- Hudson Yards Skyscrapers
6. Discover movie locations on a "cinematic" tour
If you are looking for a fun excursion during your stay in New York, take a tour of the best movie and series locations. How many times have you seen the Big Apple as a great TV set? Now you can step on its streets and feel like you have slipped into a movie during the almost 3 hours that lasts this tour through the locations that have appeared in shows like 'Friends', 'Seinfeld', 'Girls' or 'Glee', among many others.
If you are a movie buff you will enjoy it a lot because the guide knows a lot about the entertainment industry and tells great anecdotes about 'Ghostbusters', 'I Am Legend', 'How I Met Your Mother' or 'Spiderman' to name a few titles. For this, you can take a guided tour or head out in search of the sets on your own.
What you will see
- Central Park
- Wollman Rink
- Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
- Fifth Avenue
- GhostBusters Firestation
- Macy's Herald Square
- Friends Building
Why I like it
One of the main factors that makes New York New York is its appeal as the setting for thousands of movies. By going out to explore the city in search of its most legendary locations, you'll be forced to wander the streets and discover New York's secret spots.
7. Bike through Central Park
If there is a famous park par excellence in New York it is Central Park, the most visited urban park in the world and a real green lung for the city. It is considered one of the best parks in New York and is ideal to visit at any time of the year.
What you will see
Given its size, walking through Central Park will take you several visits because there is a lot to see and it is huge. It was created in 1857 in the center of Manhattan for New York's elite to enjoy nature in an ever-expanding city.
Renting a bike or touring the park on wheels on your own, you will discover the area in a fun way and see some of the movie locations that have been filmed here, as well as several of the celebrity homes.
Why I like it
During the fall in New York, biking through Central Park is one of the best things to do when the sun is still warm in the morning. The landscape is tinged with shades of ochre, reddish, brown, orange... It's an explosion of color worth admiring! Take your camera and get ready to take the most beautiful pictures of your trip.
8. Hudson River Cruises: the best tour of New York, by boat
Night falls and you feel like relaxing, but you don't want to miss anything in New York City. The solution? Continue to enjoy its illuminated skyline while taking a relaxing boat ride on the Hudson River around the island of Manhattan. Can you imagine dining aboard a luxury yacht? Or would you prefer to watch the last rays of sunset from a romantic sailboat?
What you will see
New York offers several Hudson River cruises to suit all tastes and (most importantly) all budgets, so whatever time you have or budget you want to invest in this tour, it's worth taking a look at the options and choosing yours.
If what you want is to cross the Brooklyn Bridge from the water enjoying Manhattan illuminated, it is best to choose one of the best dinner cruises on the Hudson. Dust off your best clothes and set sail!
Why I like it
It's one of the most relaxing attractions in the city and believe me: after being there for a few days you'll need it. You'll enjoy magnificent views while dining under the stars.
9. The most comfortable: the sightseeing bus tour of the city
With the New York sightseeing bus you will have the opportunity to explore the Big Apple in total comfort and freedom: you will cross the city aboard a double-decker bus with a live guide who will tell you all its secrets and anecdotes. You can choose 1, 2 or 3 day sightseeing bus tickets.
The tour has more than 40 stops and allows you to explore the city at your own pace.
Downtown tour
The downtown tour lasts 3 hours and operates between 8AM and 6PM every 15 - 20 minutes. This guided tour of downtown New York can start at any of the 18 stops on this route. Some of the sights on the downtown tour include:
- Statue of Liberty
- Empire State Building
- Rockefeller Center
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Fifth Avenue
- Times Square
- Radio City Music Hall
- SoHo
- Chinatown
- Madison Square Garden
- Top of the Rock Observatory
- Lower Manhattan
- 9/11 Memorial
- One World Observatory
Uptown Tour
This tour of Uptown New York operates between 9 AM and 4 PM every 20-30 minutes. It lasts 2 hours and the tour can be started at any of its 20 stops. Some of the tourist attractions that are part of the Uptown tour are:
- Strawberry Fields, John Lennon Memorial
- American Museum of Natural History
- New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
- Museum of the City of New York
- The Jewish Museum
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Central Park
- Central Park Zoo
- Rockefeller Center
- Radio City Music Hall
Night Sightseeing Bus
The New York City night tour bus also has its advantages. You will tour the city while enjoying the incredible lighting and taking a rest after a long day of sightseeing. There are some that are about 2 hours long and operate between 6 PM and 9 PM usually.
These night tours are not "hop-on hop-off", meaning you do not have the option to get off and get back on at any part of the tour. You have 2 stops and this tour can only be done once. Best of all, you will go over the essentials of the city:
- Times Square
- Empire State Building
- Greenwich Village
- SoHo
- TriBeCa
- Chinatown
- Manhattan Bridge
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade
- Lower East Side
The Ride Experience
If you want to get away from the more traditional bus tours and get a different view of the city, I recommend you get these tickets for The Ride experience, an interactive ride through the best streets of Manhattan, where the guide will give you a new perspective on the city that you didn't know and you will spend a different night.
The guide will give you a new perspective of the city that you didn't know and you will spend a different night. In New York, everything is possible!
Why I like it
It's a great way to tour the city from top to bottom without having to worry about public transportation: you'll move quickly and comfortably between the city's main tourist spots while still enjoying the sights and taking the best photos.
10. The most cherished souvenir of your trip: Brooklyn Christmas tour
If you visit New York at Christmas, the neighborhood of Dyker Heights is probably familiar to you: it is the Brooklyn neighborhood where neighbors compete every year to show off the best Christmas decorations and lighting. When you visit, you'll see the most incredible decorations and lighting in New York, beyond anything you've ever seen before.
What you'll see
On Brooklyn Christmas tours you'll stroll through the Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge neighborhoods, see all kinds of Christmas decorations, Santa Claus, reindeer, Christmas elves, Nutcracker soldiers, and other stars of the American Christmas imagination.
Of course, this is a night tour to enjoy the lights in all their splendor, and with you will be a local guide who will tell you the amazing stories behind the decoration of each house, and there are some that, honestly, will melt your heart.
If you travel to New York with children, this will be the tour they will definitely remember forever, as it will be like being transported to a fairytale world. A beautiful way to discover Brooklyn at this special time of the year. If you want to continue discovering the best of the city at Christmas, do not miss the best Christmas trees and Rockefeller Center at Christmas, a dream enclave.
Why I like
Beating the cold in winter in New York is not always easy, but these Christmas tours will make you feel the warmth of the lights and the unique atmosphere that characterizes New York at this magical time of year. It's truly a movie experience.
11. Gay Pride Tour
Are you familiar with the Stonewall uprising and the relationship of cosmopolitan New York with the LGBT movement? On this tour you will discover why New York is one of the largest cities in the world and not just in terms of the size of its skyscrapers.
What you will see
Mythical places of the city, but from a different point of view: that of a guide who tells you how the Stonewall uprising that took place in New York laid the foundations of the entire LGBT Movement. Included in the tour are the Stonewall Inn, the Axis Theatre Center or the Gay Liberation Monument.
Why I like it
Because it is a necessary tour, even today, to keep in mind what was the seed of the rights we currently have and also to remember how much we still have to do in places that are not New York.
12. Historical tour about slavery
Doing this tour is a new way of looking at the city, not all the important places in New York are in the guide books and this is an opportunity to discover a different side of the city of skyscrapers.
What you will see
Those places in New York that are historically linked to slavery such as the African Cemetery or the Underground Railroad. Of course, you will also discover how the liberation of slaves took place in the 1800s.
Why I like it
Because it deals with a part of New York History that is often ignored when we climb the Empire State or walk through Central Park. Cities are also the people who have lived, suffered and struggled in them and so a visit to New York would not be complete without this tour.
13. New York Pub Crawl
Feel like partying after an intense day of sightseeing? This is the tour you are looking for, and if you want to meet people, this is your chance too! The classic pub crawl also has its New York version.
What you will see
Four historic taverns located in the center of New York where you will taste drinks such as beer or the best quality cider. In addition, this is not only a visit to several pubs, but an expert guide also tells you the history of the mythical Stone Street in New York and will take you back to colonial times.
Why I like it
Because of all the tours, this is the one where you are most likely to meet other travelers with whom you can exchange experiences. Besides, it's not easy to get to know the nightlife in an unknown city; if they show you around, you'll get to know a part of New York that you won't be able to discover on your own so easily.