Organized Tours

Reservations are required for some of the tours listed here, but even if they’re not, it’s always best to call ahead to confirm prices, times, and meeting places.

Roosevelt Island Tram -- Want to take in a little-known but spectacular view of the New York skyline? Take a ride on the Roosevelt Island Tram (tel. 212/832-4555; http://www.rioc.com/transportation.htm). This is the tram you have probably seen in countless movies, most recently Spider-Man. The tram originates at 59th Street and Second Avenue, costs $2.25 each way ($1 for seniors), and takes about 5 minutes to traverse the East River to Roosevelt Island, where there are a series of apartment complexes and parks. During those 5 minutes you will be treated to a gorgeous view down the East River and the East Side skyline, with views of the United Nations and four bridges: the Queensboro, Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. On a clear day you might even spot Lady Liberty. And don’t worry; despite what you’ve seen in the movies, the tram is safe, and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has everything under control. The tram operates daily from 6am until 2am and until 3:30am on weekends.

Harbor Cruises

If you’d like to sail the New York Harbor aboard the 1885 cargo schooner Pioneer, check out  the South Street Seaport & Museum listing for more information. Note that some of the cruise lines may have limited schedules in winter, especially for evening cruises. Call ahead or check online for current offerings.

Seeing NYC from the Deck of a Historic Fireboat -- The fireboat John J. Harvey served New York City from 1931 to 1994. Saved from the scrapyard by a group of boat lovers who purchased her in 1999, the Harvey is being lovingly and painstakingly preserved and restored, mostly by volunteer labor, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Currently docked at Pier 66 on the West Side of Manhattan (btw. 26th and 27th sts.), the boat offers occasional free tours around the harbor and up the Hudson River from May through autumn, periodically unleashing the “deck pipes” (water guns) to spray all around (at 18,000 gallons a minute). Expect to get soaked! Check the calendar at www.fireboat.org to see if you're lucky enough to be in town when one of these tours is offered, to learn more about the historic and heroic boat and its crew, or make a donation to help fund its restoration. Even after starting its second life, the fireboat answered the call for New York City once more: on September 11, 2001, the John J. Harvey left its slip to head down to Ground Zero, and the crew rigged its pumps to draw water from the Hudson when downtown’s fire hydrants weren’t working after the attack on the World Trade Center. The boat and its crew pumped water for 80 hours. For more about the John J. Harvey and how New York Harbor and the Hudson River have shaped New York City and the United States from the Colonial era through today, pick up a copy of Jessica DuLong’s My River Chronicles: Rediscovering the Work that Built America (Free Press, 2009), a personal memoir and history of the river and its times by the Harvey’s acting chief engineer.

Bus Tours

The Attack of the Double-Decker Buses -- They are everywhere. There is no escape. They clog up the already overcrowded streets, spewing exhaust, their red or blue exteriors splashed with a garish display of self-promotion and advertising, loudspeakers blaring as the people huddled on the upper deck (swathed in plastic ponchos when it rains) look down at the natives on the streets. I’m talking about double-decker buses. They run in the morning, they run at night, they run all day long. Can you tell I’m not a fan? I think New York is best appreciated on foot, or on public buses and subways. Sure these double-decker buses have guides but take the facts they dish out with a grain of salt; they aren’t always accurate. If you insist, the top bus tour is Gray Line New York (tel. 800/669-0051 or 212/445-0848; www.newyorksightseeing.com). Tours depart from various locations. Hop-on, hop-off bus tours start at $49 adults, $39 children 3 to 11 (for 48 hours).

Take the M5: A City Bus That Hits the Highlights -- If your feet are worn out from walking, but you still want to see some sights, I suggest hopping on the M5 bus. Its route runs from Washington Heights down to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. If you board uptown, around 125th Street and Riverside Drive, and take it downtown, you’ll pass landmarks such as Grant’s Tomb, Riverside Church, Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library, Empire State Building, Flatiron Building, and Washington Square. And all you need is your MetroCard (or exact coin change) and your trusty Frommer’s New York City guide with your maps in hand. The bus will move slowly enough where you will be able to consult your book and find the corresponding landmarks.

Grabbing a (Pedi)cab

You really don’t want to burden that nag with a carriage ride through Central Park in the middle of the summer, do you? Better you should hire a real beast of burden—a driver of a pedicab who probably really needs the money. Pedicabs are becoming common sights on the streets of New York. The drivers are friendly, informative, and don’t poop in the street. The Manhattan Rickshaw Company (tel. 212/604-4729; www.manhattanrickshaw.com) is one pedicab company, where fares range from $15–$30 for a street hail ride; call to arrange a guided tour.

Specialty Tours

In addition to the options below, for those interested in touring lower Manhattan, the Municipal Art Society (tel. 212/935-3960 or 212/453-0050; www.mas.org) offers a 90-minute downtown tour Tuesday at 12:30pm and a walking tour of Grand Central Terminal Wednesday at 12:30pm—though there is a $10 “suggested donation” for those tours.

The Downtown: Where New York Began guided tour explores the vivid history and amazing art and architecture of the nation’s first capital and the world center of finance. Stops include the New York Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, Federal Hall National Monument, Cass Gilbert’s gorgeous U.S. Customs House, and many other sites of historic and cultural importance. Tours begin at the Downtown Information Center, at 55 Exchange Place, Ste. 401 (Subway: J, M to Broad St.; 2, 3 to Wall St.). Reservations are not required (unless you’re a group), but you can call tel. 212/935-3960 or 212/453-0050 or visit www.mas.org to confirm the schedule.

Take a Shopping Tour -- If you want some help in your shopping and feel a bit intimidated by all the options Manhattan has to offer, you might want to consider taking a shopping tour. Shop Gotham ([tel] 212/209-3370; www.shopgotham.com) offers walking tours of SoHo and Nolita (Fri–Sat at 11am, Sun at noon) and the Garment Center “Insider” Tour (Wed and Fri at 10am). They can also customize private and group tours like the Sweet Sixteen Shopping Tour. Tours range from 2 to 4 hours and from $38 to $58.

Cultural Organizations

The Municipal Art Society (tel. 212/935-3960 or 212/453-0050; www.mas.org) offers excellent historical and architectural walking tours aimed at intelligent, individualistic travelers. Each is led by a highly qualified guide who offers insights into the significance of buildings, neighborhoods, and history. Topics range from the urban history of Greenwich Village to “Rockefeller Center: Art Deco Masterwork” to an examination of the Broadway theater district. Tours are $15. Reservations may be required depending on the tour, so it’s best to call ahead. The full schedule is available online.

The 92nd Street Y (tel. 212/415-5500; www.92ndsty.org) offers a wonderful variety of walking and bus tours, many featuring funky themes or behind-the-scenes visits. Subjects can range from “Carnegie Hall Tour and Tea” to “The Great Cupcake Challenge: Taste and Rate Tour,” or from “Central Park West” to “Jewish Harlem.” Prices range from $25 to $100, but many include ferry rides, afternoon tea, dinner, or whatever suits the program. Guides are well-chosen experts on their subjects, ranging from historians to an East Village poet, mystic, and art critic (for “Allen Ginsberg’s New York” and “East Village Night Spots”), and many routes travel into the outer boroughs; some day trips even reach beyond the city. Advance registration is required for all tours. Schedules are planned a few months in advance, so check the website for tours that might interest you.

Independent Operators

NYC Discovery Tours (tel. 212/465-3331; www.ny.com/sights/tours/nycdiscovery) offers more than 80 walking tours of the Big Apple, divided into seven categories: neighborhood and architecture (such as "Brooklyn Bridge"), cultural theme (“Art History NYC”), biography (“John Lennon’s New York”), tavern tours, food tasting (“Little Italy” and “Chinatown”), indoor ("U.S. Customs House"), and American history (“Civil War” and “American Revolution”). Tours are about 2 hours long and cost $18 per person ($25 per person for tasting tours; drinks cost extra for the tavern tours). Call for reservations and to receive a schedule.

All tours from Joyce Gold History Tours of New York (tel. 212/242-5762; www.nyctours.com) are offered by Joyce Gold herself, an instructor of Manhattan history at New York University and the New School for Social Research, who has been conducting history walks around New York since 1975. Her tours can really cut to the core of this town; Joyce is full of fascinating stories about Manhattan and its people. Tours are arranged around such themes as “Wall Street: From Windmills to World Finance,” “The Genius and Elegance of Gramercy Park,” “Downtown Graveyards,” “The Old Jewish Lower East Side,” “Harlem: Keystone of African America,” and “TriBeCa: New Diversity from an Industrial Past.” Tours are offered most weekends March to December and last from 2 to 2 1/2 hours, and the price is $15 per person ($12 for seniors); reservations are not required. Private tours can be arranged year-round, either for individuals or groups.

Myra Alperson, founder and lead tour guide for NoshWalks (tel. 212/222-2243; www.noshwalks.com), knows food in New York City and knows where to find it. Since 2000, Alperson has been leading adventurous, hungry walkers to some of the city’s most delicious neighborhoods. From the Uzbek, Tadjik, and Russian markets of Rego Park, Queens, to the Dominican coffee shops of Washington Heights in upper Manhattan, Alperson has left no ethnic neighborhood unexplored. Tours are conducted on Saturday and Sunday, leaving between 11:30am and 1pm. The preferred means of transportation is subway and the tours generally last around 3 hours and cost about $45 (including all tastes but not beverages; "Bronx Bites" and "New Bronx City" tours last longer and cost more). Space is limited, so book well in advance.

On Location Tours (tel. 212/209-3370; www.screentours.com) offers narrated minibus tours through screen history on their "NY TV and Movie Sites"; tickets are $38 for adults (plus a $2 ticket fee). Or, if you want to see Carrie Bradshaw’s Big Apple, cut right to the chase and take the company’s "Sex and the City Hotspots," which includes more than 40 show-related sights; tickets are $42 (plus the $2 fee). Schedules and departure points varies depending on what tour you take. There’s also a 4-hour “Sopranos Tour” that will take you over to New Jersey for an afternoon of sights that range from Satriale’s Pork Store to the Bada-Bing! club; this tour leaves near Seventh Avenue and 39th Street on Friday at 10am and Saturday at 2pm and costs $44 (plus $2). Reservations are required for all tours, as most sell out in advance; it also makes sense to confirm days and times and check for any additional offerings.

Harlem Spirituals (tel. 800/660-2166 or 212/391-0900; www.harlemspirituals.com) specializes in gospel and jazz tours of Harlem that can be combined with a traditional soul-food meal. A variety of options is available, including a tour of Harlem sights with gospel service or a soul-food dinner. The Harlem jazz tour includes a neighborhood tour, a stop at Apollo Theater, and a visit to a local jazz club. Bronx and Brooklyn tours are also an option for those who want a taste of the other outer boroughs. Prices start at $55, $39 for children 5–11, for a “Harlem Gospel” tour, and go up from there based on length and activities/meals. All tours leave from Harlem Spirituals’ Midtown office, 690 Eighth Ave. (btw. 43rd and 44th sts.), and transportation is included.

Active visitors with an adventurous spirit can hook up with Bike the Big Apple (tel. 877/865-0078 inside the U.S., 347/878-9809 outside the U.S.; www.bikethebigapple.com). Bike the Big Apple offers guided half-day, full-day, and customized tours through a variety of city neighborhoods, including fascinating but little-explored upper Manhattan and Harlem; a "Secret Streets" tour that takes you over the legendary Brooklyn Bridge, through Chinatown and the East Village, to Ground Zero and around Wall Street. You don’t have to be an Ironman candidate to participate; tours are designed for the average rider, with an emphasis on safety and fun; shorter rides are available, but the rides generally last around 5 to 7 hours. Tours are offered year-round; prices run from $80 and include all gear and a bike.

For a bit more whimsy on your tour, The Levys’ Unique New York! (tel. 877/692-5869; www.levysuniqueny.com) offers a lighter look at the city’s history and landmarks. The tours are all custom planned, depending on the size and needs of the group; travel is by foot, subway, and private vehicle. A few of their most popular tours include the “Bohemians and Beat Poets of Greenwich Village: Sightseeing Literature Tours,” and “Hey Ho! Let’s Go! Punk Rock on the Bowery Pub Crawl and Walking Tour,” which contrasts the culture of the 1850s with the punk rockers of the 1970s. The group is Brooklyn based, and they are extremely knowledgeable about their home borough; tours of Coney Island and another called “Edible Ethnic Brooklyn Eats” are just a few that feature Brooklyn. Tours are $25 per person, depending on group size and duration.