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Sometimes a guided tour is the way to go, even if you usually prefer to fly solo. It can be a great way to investigate out-of-the-way areas, to get an insider’s perspective on where locals eat and play in the city, and to learn about interesting aspects of the city’s history, inhabitants, or architecture. Whether you want the classic hop-on, hop-off bus tour to get oriented in the city, or a more personal, interest-specific walk, you’ll find it here. TIP Some of the bigger tour companies offer discounts if you book in advance online.
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise.
In good weather, a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise around Manhattan Island is one of the best ways to get oriented in the city. A “Best of NYC” 2½-hour, $41 cruise runs at least once daily. Shorter, cheaper options are available too, including the 30-minute thrill ride, the Beast. | Pier 83, W. 42nd St.
,
Midtown West
| 212/563–3200
|
www.circleline42.com
| From $29
.
Manhattan By Sail.
Looking for a more historical experience? Manhattan By Sail has an 82-foot yacht dating from the 1920s that makes daily 90-minute public sails and Sunday brunch sails from mid-April through mid-October. Themed sailings include a wine-tasting sail, lobster-and-beer-lovers sail, and a jazz sail against stunning moonlit views. They also offer two-hour sunset sails in June, July, and August. Reservations are advised. | North Cove Marina at World Financial Center
,
Lower Manhattan
| 212/619–0907
|
www.manhattanbysail.com
| From $25
.
Big Bus New York.
Like its double-decker competitors, Big Bus offers various hop-on, hop-off open-top tours of the city, but its most popular ticket is a two-day pass that includes loops that cover downtown, uptown, and Brooklyn, as well as a night tour and a free sightseeing cruise with Hornblower Cruises from Pier 15 at the South Street Seaport. | Ticket desk, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St.
,
Midtown West
| 212/685–8687
|
www.bigbustours.com/newyork
| From $47
.
Gray Line New York Sightseeing.
Gray Line runs various hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus tours, including a downtown Manhattan loop, an upper Manhattan loop, a Brooklyn loop, and evening tours of the city. Packages include 48-hour and 72-hour options plus entrance fees to attractions. | 777 8th Ave., between 46th and 47th Sts.
,
Midtown West
| 800/669–0051
|
www.newyorksightseeing.com
| From $54
.
Big Onion Walking Tours.
The wisecracking, PhD candidates of Big Onion Walking Tours lead themed tours such as “Upper East Side: A Clash of Titans,” “Immigrant New York,” and “The Official Gangs of New York,” as well as famous multiethnic eating tours and guided walks through neighborhoods from Harlem to the Financial District and Brooklyn. Tours run daily and last about two hours; there’s an additional $5 tacked on for tours that include making various stops to eat. | New York
| 888/606–9255
|
www.bigonion.com
| $20
.
Levy’s Unique New York.
With tours that include “Jewish Gangsters of the Lower East Side,” “Staten Island: Sailors, Suburbs & Secrets,” and “Graffiti to Galleries: Street Art in NYC,” family-run Levy’s tours are anything but the usual top attractions hit list (although you can visit those, too). Guides are knowledgeable and personable, and will cater to specific interests. All tours are private so the more the merrier (and it’s cheaper the more people that are on the tour). | New York
|
www.levysuniqueny.com
| From $300
.
Like A Local.
Walk like a local, talk like a local, and best of all eat like a local with a highly curated tour from Like A Local. Tours include the Flatiron Food tour, which is a lovely walk from the Flatiron District to Union Square with a lot of tasty stops, photo ops, local history, and private kitchen visits along the way. If you’re looking to feel like a hip local in Brooklyn, take the Sunday Funday tour of Williamsburg. | New York
|
www.likealocaltours.com
| From $50
.
The Municipal Art Society of New York.
The Municipal Art Society conducts a series of walking tours that emphasize the architecture, history, and changing faces of particular neighborhoods. Options include “Empire to Penn,” “The Bronx’s Urban Art,” and “Storefront: the Disappearing Face of New York.” An official daily walking tour of Grand Central explores the 100-year-old terminal’s architecture, history, and hidden secrets. Tours begin in the main concourse at 12:30 and last 75 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or from the ticket booth in the main concourse. | 111 W. 57th St.
| New York
| 212/935–3960
, 212/935–3960
for recorded info
|
www.mas.org/tours
| From $20
.
New York City Cultural Walking Tours.
Alfred Pommer’s walking tours cover such topics as buildings’ gargoyles, the TriBeCa Historic District, and the Upper East Side Millionaire’s Mile. Two-hour public tours run on some Sundays from March to December (no reservations needed); private tours can also be scheduled. | New York
| 212/979–2388
|
www.nycwalk.com
| $25
.
New York Food Tours.
Options from the New York Food walking tours include “The Freakiest and Funniest Food” and a “Tastes of Chinatown” tour. Prices range from $75 for a 2½-hour East Village food and culture tour to $125 for a 3½-hour multicultural bar-hopping tour. | New York
| 347/559–0111
|
www.foodtoursofny.com
| From $75
.
Bike and Roll.
From Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge, there’s a lot of ground to cover; do yourself a favor and use wheels. Bike and Roll NYC offers guided bike (and Segway) tours of the city with a range of distances and levels of difficulty. The Bike and Boat tour is a scenic ride from Lower Manhattan’s Battery Park across the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn Heights. From Brooklyn, there’s a NY Water Taxi ride to Midtown Manhattan and then a final bike ride south along the Hudson River. Other tour options include New York at Night, 9/11 Memorial, and Central Park. Rates include bike rentals, helmets, and water. | New York
| 212/260–0400
|
www.bikenewyorkcity.com
| From $50
.
Boroughs of the Dead.
From tours taking in haunts of the East and West Village to 19th-century true-crime tours to Manhattan’s only dedicated Edgar Allan Poe walking tour, the Boroughs of the Dead two-hour tours suggest that the inhabitants of this city truly never sleep—even when they’re dead. Don’t wait for Halloween to explore the historical crime, gore, and paranormal activities of Manhattan and Brooklyn. No capes, costumes, or gimmicks here: just dark, haunting history. | New York
| 646/932–0680
|
www.boroughsofthedead.com
| From $20
.
Shop Gotham.
If you’re on a mission to shop till you drop, you won’t want to waste time with a map. The fashion-savvy guides at Shop Gotham will save you time and money by guiding you to the best boutiques of SoHo and NoLIta and elsewhere, getting you exclusive shop discounts, and also offering styling advice. Tours last two to three hours. Private tours are available, too. | New York
| 212/209–3370
|
www.shopgotham.com
| From $40
.
A Slice of Brooklyn.
You can manage fine without a guide to hold your hand through Rockefeller Center and past the decked-out windows of 5th Avenue, but if you’re interested in experiencing a more local holiday light tradition, take A Slice of Brooklyn’s bus tour to the festive (and blinding) neighborhood light scene that is Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights. The 3½-hour tour, offered nightly in December, introduces you to some of Brooklyn’s less touristed neighborhoods. Other tours include the Original Brooklyn Pizza Tour, a 4½-hour bus tour of iconic Brooklyn pizza joints, and tours of quintessential Brooklyn neighborhoods. | New York
| 212/913–9917
|
www.asliceofbrooklyn.com
| From $50
.
Big Apple Greeter.
This free volunteer-led tour service pairs visitors with knowledgeable locals who share insights and tips and cater tours to specific interests. It’s like having a friend in town who squires you around and pays for his or her own lunch. Request a greeter at least three weeks before your visit by filling in the online form. | New York
| 212/669–8159
|
www.bigapplegreeter.org
| Free
.
Central Park Conservancy.
The Central Park Conservancy offers free one- to two-hour guided tours that provide an introduction to the different areas of Central Park: its woodlands, romantic vistas, Conservatory garden, Seneca Village, and secret corners and off-the-beaten-path walks. Volunteer-led Welcome Tours meet at different points in the park, so check the website for details. Premier tours are ticketed ($15) and provide a more in-depth experience. | New York
| 212/794–6564
|
www.centralparknyc.org
| Free
.
Free Tours by Foot.
The walking, photography, food, and biking tours of Manhattan and Brooklyn hosted by Free Tours by Foot are technically free (you pay what you feel the tour was worth, if anything, upon completion), but there is a rental fee for bike and bus tours—still significantly cheaper than most other bike and bus tours. Highlights include a sunset walking tour of the High Line, a Harlem food tour, and a journey through the storied past of the East Village. Reservations are required for all tours. | New York
| 646/450–6831
|
www.freetoursbyfoot.com
| Free (suggested donation)
.