While it’s impossible to see all of New York in a single visit – and believe us, it’s a superhuman task even for those who have lived here and enjoyed this opportunity all their lives – the specialist tour guides for the five boroughs can help you make the most of your visit.
Whether you’re passionate about music, history, cuisine or art, you’ll be able to find a guided walk that will allow you to discover the five boroughs with fresh and attractive eyes. Our summer recommendations include a sightseeing helicopter flight, a visit to the back of the Metropolitan Opera and a walk along Wall Street.
1. Adirondack Sailing Excursions
Rest, relax and let the summer breeze from the Hudson River blow you away.
Schedule an excursion through New York Harbor on the Adirondack, an 80-foot, 1890s schooner-style boat. Various routes are available, including a sunset and sailing on full moon nights. A special outing on 4 July allows the whole family to enjoy the fireworks from New York Harbour. Please note that the boat is available for private excursions.
2. Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
This year marks the cruise line’s 70th anniversary; it’s easy to see why it has remained so popular for so long. Circle Line’s round trips on the Hudson and East Rivers offer some of the most famous views of the whole of New York. See the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the United Nations building on a 90-minute sunset tour through Downtown and Lower Manhattan.
Special events this summer include a full day of festivities in June to commemorate the company’s anniversary and a cruise on the evening of 4 July that will allow visitors to see fireworks from the deck of the ship – the best place to watch the show.
3. Haunted Manhattan
Spooky towers aren’t just for Halloween. In New York, you can enjoy ghoulish entertainment all year round. Fans of the paranormal have a choice of haunted districts in the city centre: three different walks cover East Village, Greenwich Village and West Village (and the spirits who call them houses).
The tours, led by costumed guides, combine history with chilling supernatural trivia. In East Village, visit an ancient watering hole that served Edgar Allan Poe; in Greenwich Village, hear the story of when Washington Square Park was a place of sacrifice – according to some, more than 20,000 bodies still lie underground.
4. Sightseeing with Big Onion Walking Tours
Big Onion offers a series of tours that explore different types of neighbourhoods in the city, including Seaport Historic District (south of Manhattan), DUMBO and Harlem. In the latter, stops include the Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of Harlem’s most impressive religious buildings, and the Apollo Theatre, the famous concert hall. The Seaport Historic District tour takes visitors back into the area’s past with stops at the Paris Café (established in 1873), the Old Fulton Fish Market (1822) and Schermerhorn Row (some buildings date back to 1811).
5. Visits to Coney Island
The home of the Cyclone rollercoaster and the entertainment district of Luna Park, Brooklyn’s darling Coney Island is a must on every tourist itinerary this summer. One of these 90-minute walks takes you to the amusement park and along the wooden plank pier, illuminating the history, heritage and mysteries surrounding this entertaining waterfront area.
Visitors to this tour are entitled to a free bumper car ride on the Eldorado Bumper Cars ride as well as a small discount on admission to the New York Aquarium.
6. Visit Ellis Island with Tom Bernardin
Long ago, Ellis Island was one of the most significant ports of immigration to the United States: 4 out of 10 Americans will find traces of their ancestors there.
Today, you can explore the site and get in touch with your roots thanks to the American Family Immigration History Centre, which keeps records of over 50 million passenger arrivals (from 20 May, you can also check at the Peopling of America Centre). On this guided tour, former National Parks guide Tom Bernardin takes visitors inside the National Museum of Immigration’s Great Hall and around Ellis Island.
Tours begin at Clinton Castle in Lower Manhattan, the island’s ferry departure point.
7. Walks on Wall Street
Take a stroll through the financial capital of the world (Wall Street) and follow in the footsteps of business titans such as J. P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. Learn about the importance of this area in American history, but also its darker sides. This tower caresses various media scandals and disasters linked to the city’s leading financial institutions. With first-hand accounts from insiders and stops at historic landmarks (including a visit to One World Trade Center), this experience gives visitors an invaluable tour of the city centre.
8. FAO Schwarz
Kids of all ages – even your inner child – will love visiting America’s oldest toy shop, one that has been selling toys since 1862 (the shop’s current location dates back to 1986). Choose one of two guided tours, both led by a soldier dressed as a Schwarz FAO toy: one option involves visiting the premises at 8am, before the shop opens, to enjoy breakfast and plenty of entertainment; the other, aimed at school classes and tourist groups, takes place during working hours, but still allows you to play a little.
Both tours end with visitors having the chance to dance on the piano, like Tom Hanks in the film “Big”.
