Top 10 Most Popular Tours in New York

Coming to New York soon and want to get to know the world's number 1 city? No need to stress, let certified guides show you all the must-see spots in the Big Apple.

Here are 10 New York tours that we think will serve up all the can't-miss attractions in Manhattan on a silver platter ????

1. Guided Sightseeing Tour of Manhattan's Most Famous Sites
2. Guided Tour to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
3. Guided Tour of Ground Zero – The 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center
4. Helicopter Tour Over Manhattan's Skyline
5. Guided Tour at the Metropolitan Museum
6. Guided Bike Tour in Central Park
7. Guided Culinary Tour in Greenwich Village
8. Street Food and Restaurants of Chinatown and Little Italy – Guided Tour and Tastings
9. Free Tour (pay as you wish tip) in Manhattan
10. Guided day trip to nearby cities and sites of New York – Washington, Niagara Falls and more

Tour 1: Guided Sightseeing Tour of Manhattan's Most Famous Sites

The New York Highlights Tour is the fastest and most popular way to cover the immense mass of Manhattan quickly and efficiently. It's a well-rounded tasting tour taking groups (from vans to full buses) through all the major sites of New York – from Downtown, the bridges to Brooklyn, the skyscrapers of Midtown, Fifth Avenue, Uptown, and Central Park.

This is the ultimate must-see tour of Manhattan. The tour offers focused guidance and quick stops at a list of selected sites, all considered must-see in the city. The sightseeing tour is probably the most realistic way to try and absorb the abundance of Manhattan, and the buses are often packed with tourists from around the world.

Click here for the full Sightseeing Tour of New York City…

Tour 2: Guided Tour to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

The guided tour to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is the best way to experience New York a little from afar. Of course, visiting the Statue of Liberty's island and the Museum of Immigration at Ellis Island is the tour's highlight, but the cruise itself to the islands is an experience in its own right, where explanations about the city's skyline as seen from the Hudson River can be heard. The Statue of Liberty itself is a must-see site and one of the most iconic symbols of the entire USA. The museum at Ellis Island is a fascinating place to learn about the history of the United States.

For a guided tour with a ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, click here…

Tour 3: Guided Tour at Ground Zero – The 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center

Ground Zero in Downtown Manhattan is the most important historical site of contemporary New York. On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers, the iconic modern symbol of Manhattan until that fateful day, collapsed into what is now called Ground Zero. As big as the disaster was, so great was the recovery, and the nearby One World Tower is now the tallest building in Manhattan and one of the new symbols of the city.

Click here for a guided tour of the 9/11 Memorial and to ascend the One World Observatory… 

The guided tour at Ground Zero provides all the information about the terrorist attack, including a visit to the memorial and the site itself. Afterwards, you climb to the observation deck of One World Tower, one of New York's leading attractions today.

Tour 4: Guided Helicopter Tour Above Manhattan's Skyline

New York is the city of heights and making the impossible happen. The guided helicopter tours have become a hit in Manhattan's tourism scene. As there was demand, supply was created, and there are numerous companies flying tourists for guided tours over the towers of downtown and midtown. Due to the supply, the tour prices are relatively reasonable, and there are deals that really bring down the cost. This is a very special tour, not long but an unforgettable experience.

Click here for a guided helicopter tour over Manhattan's skyline…

Tour 5: Guided Tour at the Metropolitan Museum

New York City boasts a list of world-class museums such as the Guggenheim, MoMA, and the Frick Collection, for example. But none compare to the impressive collection of the Met, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met in the Upper East Side is a must-see for art and archaeology enthusiasts, but not only.

• The guided tour at the Met is the best way to deeply explore the museum's impressive collection, considered the second best in the world in art after the Louvre in Paris (forgive me the Anglophiles and fans of the National Gallery in London)
• There are tailored tours within the Met's vast collections, according to periods and themes, but most tours are highlights of the collection and are well-suited for those less knowledgeable about art
• There are also guided tours in other museums in Manhattan such as the Guggenheim and MoMA

Click here for a selection of guided tours + entry to the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan…

Tour 6: Guided Bike Tour in Central Park

New York is quite an intimidating concrete jungle, filled with shadows of tall towers and initially inducing a feeling of claustrophobia. But there's no need to worry, the city is well-planned, and if you're feeling a little stifled, it's worth joining a bone-relieving bike tour in the city's stunning green lung – Central Park.

This is probably the most famous urban park in the world. Central Park has fascinating attractions, large natural spaces, and plenty of biking and walking trails for sports or strolling. The bike tours in Central Park are the most fun way to experience a bit of nature in the big city and to delve deeply into one of the most popular attractions in all of Manhattan.

Click here for a guided bike tour in Central Park…

Tour 7: Guided Culinary Tour of the Greenwich Village Food Scene

New York City is a city of food. It's the city with the most restaurants in the world and the most advanced culinary scene. In New York, you can find it all – post-modern molecular food, traditional dishes, classic American cuisine, fast food chains, street food, and upscale dining experiences that are nearly impossible to snag a reservation for.

Greenwich Village is considered the district with the most advanced culinary scene. It's brimming with small restaurants offering exciting culinary experiments, alongside longstanding eateries that stick to tried-and-true recipes. The district has marketed itself successfully as the culinary anchor of Manhattan and hosts numerous culinary tours with tastings that have become extremely popular.

Click here for a culinary tour of the dynamic restaurant scene in Greenwich Village…

Tour 8: The Street Food and Restaurants of Chinatown and Little Italy – Guided Tour and Tastings

For those who want to save room for New York's traditional ethnic food, it's best to join the culinary tours held in Chinatown. The culinary base of New York is rooted in the immigration that has flooded and continues to flood it from all corners of the world.

New York's fusion is so intense that it is considered the homeland of Chinese food (in China they eat different food from American Chinese food) and the homeland of pizza (the pizza in Naples is entirely different from American pizza). The tours in Chinatown include tastings of authentic Chinese food at various local restaurants and tastings of the traditional Italian food of Little Italy nearby.

Click here for a tasting tour of the ethnic culinary gems of Chinatown and Little Italy…

Tour 9: Free tour (pay what you wish in tips) in Manhattan

Let's start with the famous saying – there's really no such thing as a free lunch, especially not in New York City…

The “free” tours rely on tips for the guide and how much you want to reward them after the tour. This pricing method indeed lowers the cost of the tour and is worthwhile if the guide was exceptional. Since the payment is a tip, guides have an incentive to excel, and usually, the tours are surprisingly good (if not, then tip more stingily).

• The tours do not enter the main attractions, but they provide important orientation about New York and reveal information and corners you probably wouldn't know or discover without the tour
• The free tour is a fantastic way to mingle with other tourists, they are quite entertaining and a great chance to meet people from all over the world.
• Free tours are based on walking and focus on different parts and neighborhoods of Manhattan. The tours are usually divided by neighborhoods and the entire tour focuses on a small area.

Click here for a free tour of downtown Manhattan sites…

Tour 10: Guided day trip to cities and sites near New York – Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and even Niagara Falls

Manhattan is a world unto itself, but for those who want variety, there's also Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Still, if you're already in New York and looking to explore a bit of America, there are plenty of day trips from Manhattan to a variety of cities and attractions nearby (what's ‘nearby' in America can be quite far compared to Europe, so expect a good few hours on a bus or a mini-van).

Click here for a guided day trip from Manhattan to Washington D.C…

• The most popular day trip from Manhattan is to Washington D.C.. The federal capital is a highly desired travel destination, just a 4-hour drive away. There are guided tours that include a stop in Philadelphia along the way
• There are also day tours departing to Philadelphia and Amish Country in eastern Pennsylvania
• If you really want to experience America's mighty nature (and check off another state), there are also pretty challenging day trips to Niagara Falls, a six-hour drive from Manhattan. These trips involve an early morning departure, a brief visit to the falls on the Canadian side (don't forget your passport), and a return to Manhattan in the afternoon. For those wishing to visit Niagara Falls, it's better to take a trip that includes a one-night stay
• Additional day trips reach Boston (a 3.5-hour drive) and the neighboring Connecticut cities – Hartford and New Haven (including the Yale University campus)

Click here for a guided day trip from Manhattan to Niagara Falls…

7 Tips from Guy for Great Tours in New York City!

A trip to New York City is unlike anything else in the world of tourism. It's the most intense city on the planet, a full-blown assault on all the senses. New York has everything in abundance and it's all on a massive scale. The tallest and most famous skyscrapers in the world, the best restaurants, the most popular theaters and musicals, renowned museums, and more.

To help tame the overwhelming sensation that grips anyone just arriving in Manhattan, it's definitely recommended to take guided tours that offer a buffer against the city's extravagant edge.

1. How to choose the right tour for you? – Visiting the Metropolitan Museum (or, for example, MoMA or the Guggenheim) might be a dream for one person and quite boring for another (personally, I never miss an art museum, but that's just me????). Choose a tour theme that interests you. If Bruegel's paintings at the Met aren't your cup of tea, there's no real point in paying for an entry ticket plus someone to explain about the Flemish Renaissance painter known only to art enthusiasts. Pick a tour that's genuinely interesting to you, so you'll enjoy it the most.
2. Group size per cost – The market works well and makes sense. An important rule when booking tours – the larger the group, the more budget-friendly the tour price is. The more intimate and smaller the group, the more you can tailor the itinerary to your personal interests, but naturally, the price goes up.
3. English or Hebrew? – The market for Hebrew tours in New York is quite developed but very niche. If your English is alright, then your tour options are unlimited. There are countless guided tours in English in New York, welcoming tourists from all over the globe. It's a chance to mingle with other tourists and enjoy the New Yorker guide who proudly promotes their city (and they've got plenty to offer!).
4. Comfortable shoes – We know appearance is important, but do your feet a favor and come with comfortable closed-toe shoes for the tour. The accumulated walking in New York is significant, and you don’t want to wake up the next day with sore feet and miss another day of exploring the streets.
5. Dress appropriately – Tours in New York are conducted all year round, both outdoors and indoors. Summer days can be hot, so it's best to come in light clothing. Winter can be freezing, so it's wise to come prepared with warm clothing that can be easily removed when entering indoor spaces.
6. Backpack with drinks and light snacks – Guided tours are a group framework designed for participants' convenience on one hand, but with fixed schedules on the other. The tours involve walking and, more tiring, the need for listening and concentration. To avoid delaying the group or being hungry, it's advisable to bring a backpack with water, a drink, and some snack in case hunger strikes.
7. Read a bit about where you're going in advance – Nothing whets the appetite more than snacking a little bit of information the night before about the tour destination. For those who love to travel and delve deeply into places, a basic prep will provide some orientation. Once you reach the destination on the tour path, you'll understand what the guides are talking about and have a clear context.