New York City is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world. The Big Apple offers everything from exotic shops to world-renowned cuisine and everything in between. In a city of neighborhoods, it may be hard for tourists to know exactly where to go to maximize their trip. A bus tour can be one of the best ways to see New York City's monuments and attractions.
CitySights NY operates double-decker buses with top-deck-only seating to give tourists the best views of New York City. Instead of reserved seating on one bus, the company has designated stops where you wait for a CitySights bus with available seats. This allows tourists to get off one bus at any of its stops, walk around and explore the area, then get back on another CitySights bus when they're ready. Buses run every 15 to 20 minutes, according to the company, and tours last an average of 2 to 3 hours.
Tickets can be purchased online or over the phone, and you will be emailed a confirmation number used to access the tour. You can also buy tickets at the Empire State Building.
CitySights offers an Uptown tour, a Downtown tour and a Brooklyn tour. Notable stops on the tours include Harlem, the Guggenheim Museum, Greenwich Village, Ground Zero, Rockefeller Center and the Brooklyn Museum.
CitySights NY
234 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018
(212) 812-2700
citysightsny.com
Gray Line offers double-decker bus tours with top-deck-only seating for optimum viewing on several different loops. These tours make many of the same stops as other New York City bus tours, but Gray Line also offers tourists a chance to see New York City at night.
Gray Line does not provide reserved seating on its buses. It has particular stops where tourists wait for a bus with available seats, allowing them to get off at any of its stops to walk around and explore the area on their own time. Bus tours last between 2 and 3 hours.
You can purchase tickets for this tour on the company's website. Tickets are nonrefundable but can be used up to one year from the date they are purchased, according to the site.
Gray Line New York Times Square
Visitor Center
1560 Broadway, New York, NY 11221
(212) 445-0848
newyorksightseeing.com
OnBoard New York offers an inclusive guided tour where tour guides get off the bus with tourists at each stop and give detailed explanations of the sights. OnBoard has reserved seating all day on the same bus, as opposed to other tour companies where tourists wait for a bus to come with empty seats.
OnBoard makes several stops in different points of interest throughout the city. Because there is reserved seating with this tour, tourists are allowed only a specific amount of time at each spot.
Some of the stops along this tour are St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park and the Flatiron Building. OnBoard also offers its customers free bottled water on all mixed-group New York City tours, according to the company's website.
OnBoard New York
110 West 40 Street #1503
New York, NY 10018
(212) 852-4821
newyorkpartyshuttle.com
