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There’s a LOT to see in New York City and it’s not always easy to navigate the city, especially if you’ve never been there. I still remember my very first trip to NYC when I was about 13, and the stress on my dad’s face as we tried to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B. If only we had known about this New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour by Viator. At this point, I feel fairly confident getting around the city since I’ve been there quite a few times. But on my latest visit, I was only going to be there for two days, but I still wanted to see all of the famous sites and landmarks. Is it really a trip to NYC if you don’t visit Times Square and Central Park?!
This tour was perfect because it’s only from about 9:00 am to 3:30pm, so you still have plenty of daylight left afterwards to continue exploring on your own. And the tour starts and ends right next to Times Square, so you can spend the rest of your day visiting all of the fun shops and restaurants in the area.
Our tour guide, Don, was incredible. He grew up in the city and knew everything about every single building we drove by. He had so many entertaining stories and truly brought the city to life. It was amazing to hear about how the city has changed over the last few decades.
Some of the highlights of the tour included Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Staten Island Ferry, the 9/11 Memorial and so many others. I can’t imagine trying to do all of this in one day on our own. It was so nice to have a bus driver who kept us on track and got us everywhere in a timely fashion. Plus, the fact that this tour also included a two-way trip on the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty truly made it a full, classic NYC day. It was pretty rainy on the day of our tour, but we were given rain ponchos from our tour guide which we were very grateful for, considering we totally forgot to bring an umbrella.
When we were near Rockefeller Center we got to see some of the famous TV filming locations, and we got lucky and saw Jenna Bush and Leslie Bibb filming live on the Today Show! If you’re a White Lotus fan, then you know Leslie Bibb. That totally made my day!
This tour is perfect for families with kids of all ages because it takes the guess work out of the day. I’m sure my dad would have felt much more relaxed back in the day if we’d had a guided bus tour to drag us all around the city. He also would have loved our tour guide, an NYC native with that classic New York accent and personality that you’ve seen in the movies. This tour is also great because it doesn’t involve too much walking, and you’re always welcome to stay on the bus at any point and skip one of the visits. The bus was super nice and fully air-conditioned, which I’m sure makes a big difference on those hot summer days in NYC. I feel like this tour would be perfect around the holidays too, since it gets so crowded in the city near Rockefeller center. Our tour guide knew the best ways in and out of everything to avoid crowds, so I think it would really help make your holiday trip to NYC more relaxing and easygoing. Not to mention, you’ll get to see the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree and ice skating rink!
If you’re interested in reading more about this tour and seeing more photos from our day, make sure to check out my photography blog here! And if you’d like to book this exact same tour, you can find it on Viator here. And make sure to check out my Viator Shop for all of my recommended tours all around the world. Take it from me, tours are the best way to see everything without the hassle of figuring out transportation yourself. And if you’re traveling with your parents, grandparents, or children, these tours are a game changer. If you’re looking for a hotel in the Times Square/Hell’s Kitchen area, I highly recommend the StayPineapple Hotel in Midtown. It’s great for couples and super affordable. The rooms are somewhat small so I’m not sure I’d recommend it for larger families, but it’s super cute and quirky! We loved it.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy travels!
❤ Myles Katherine
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