18 Apr The best tours and excursions in New York
New York is an ideal city to go savor and enjoy its corners. But many times we do not have enough time or we first want a local guide to show us the main points and we already dedicate ourselves to selecting what we want to return to afterward, That’s why the tours or excursions in New York were invented and here we are going to show you the ones that, for us, are the best in New York.
Contrast Tour
It is the most famous tour in New York. And in which you can go to see some points far from the center of Manhattan. Otherwise, it is likely that you would not go on your trip.
The tour covers 4 of the 5 neighborhoods of New York: Manhattan, from where we start, Queens, and ends in Brooklyn. Only Staten Island is not visited, for that, we recommend you use the ferry to Staten Island.
On the tour we will stop in some curious areas: Harlem, the Joker stairs or the graffiti of the Bronx or Queens, the Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg and we will end up at the Brooklyn Bridge or in Chinatown, depending on the tour you choose.
In addition, on the excursion, you usually have two options: the normal option, Excursion of Contrasts, in which you usually go on the bus with 40-50 other people, and the option Excursion of Contrasts VIP, in which you go on a much smaller bus and that I recommend, because the difference is not very big.
In the end, without a doubt, it is time to visit Brooklyn, DUMBO, and cross the Brooklyn Bridge, if we are not too tired, to return to Manhattan.
Contrast Tour + Gospel Mass In Harlem
You can do this tour with both Civitatis and Interviajes. And it combines the previous tour with an authentic gospel mass in Harlem. It takes place on Sundays and will allow you to unify in a single tour two of the most typical excursions to New York for the first time. The tour will start very early in the morning, around 8 in the morning, and will end around 3:30 p.m.
Upper and Lower Manhattan Tour
The tour of Upper and Lower Manhattan is ideal for the first day of your stay in New York. On one morning, the excursion lasts 3 and a half hours. You will get to know all the main and most famous sites in Manhattan. And you have already choose the sites that you want to know more in-depth. The tour begins by showing us Central Park and the Morningside Heights neighborhood, and then, after passing through Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center, we will discover SoHo, Chinatown, and Little Italy.
Is it an excursion that you can do on your own? Yes, if you have time, I recommend four of our routes that will show you all these corners. Although it will take you between a day and a half and two to do these four routes.
Central Park Tour
If you have little time, you may be interested in a walking tour of Central Park, about 2 hours long. In which they will show you the main sites of the park. Where some of the movies were shot and they will tell you the history and anecdotes of the park.
Movie And Series Tour
If you are a big fan of a series set in New York, these can be your tours. Although you have to keep in mind that the vast majority of them are in English and the guide will not speak Spanish or will only speak it a little.
The most famous is the Sex and the City tours. Where you will become Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, or Miranda for a day. The Sopranos tour will cross to neighboring New Jersey to show you the main places. Where the series takes place and the life of Tony Soprano, and the Gossip Girl tour, which will show you the locations of this youth series.
Free Tours Of New York
Before starting to talk about them, I want to tell you how these tours work so that you don’t have problems later. These tours are done on foot and are free. That is when you reserve your place they do not charge you. But you have obliged to tip the guide who accompanies you during your visit. How much does he expect you to tip him? Well, it depends on whether you liked the visit a lot or not. But the minimum is usually to give about $10 per person, and if you liked it a lot, give $20 or more per person. Keep in mind that the guide does not have a salary. So he only earns what the members of the group give him, so if you have any questions, ask him. He will be happy to answer you, and if he is good, be generous with him.
Can these tours be done on your own? Undoubtedly, you have at your disposal in our guide a few routes that are similar to these routes in some parts. But go with a guide who speaks your language. Who knows the area, tells me anecdotes and curiosities. And teaches me the main points of interest is something that I particularly like to do on. The first days of my trip to focus on the city, and that I usually do in all the destinations I travel to that offer me this possibility.
Free Walking Tour Of New York
This tour is ideal to discover the Financial District: Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial, the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park will be some of the things you will see on tour.
New York Private Tour
If what you want is a private tour of New York, exclusively for your group. You can also hire it and choose between the different possibilities that they offer you. Which mainly coincide with the options that we have previously recommended. The price of these private tours depends mainly on the number of people in your group and the duration of hours of your tour, and if you have the strength you also have the option of doing it by bicycle.
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