Top 10 tours and excursions in New York

This list of the best tours and excursions in New York will help you enjoy a complete experience in one of the most incredible cities in the world.
It is important to know that although many of the things to see and do in New York are concentrated on the island of Manhattan, it is also highly recommended to visit other boroughs, known for being more multicultural, such as Brooklyn, Harlem or Queens, something that will also allow you to get to know the most authentic and local part of the city.
If you don't want to go on your own, you can get to know all these points of interest by booking one of the best tours in New York, such as the famous Contrasts Tour, a helicopter flight over Manhattan or a cruise on the Hudson River. And if you have more days, you can take a trip to one of the nearby American wonders such as Boston and Washington DC, or Niagara Falls.

Based on the number of times we visited this amazing city, the first time on an 11-day trip to New York and the second time living in a flat for almost two months, after which we wrote this guide to the must-see places in New York, we have compiled a list of what we think are the 10 best tours and excursions from New York in English. Let's get started!

1. Contrasts Tour

The Contrasts Tour is the most famous and one of the best tours and excursions in New York with a guide in Spanish, especially for travellers who are visiting the Big Apple for the first time and want to get a first taste of neighbourhoods like Harlem, Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, which are off the beaten track.
If you book this Contrasts Tour, the most recommended by travellers visiting New York, you'll be picked up at your hotel or at a specific meeting point (the address can be found on the booking form) in a van or small bus to tour part of the neighbourhoods of Harlem, Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn while an expert guide in Spanish explains the history, curiosities and anecdotes of each of them.
The tour lasts about 5 hours and at the end you can either take you back to your hotel or stay in the Brooklyn Bridge area, a perfect option to get to know the most famous part of Brooklyn on your own and why not, go to Grimaldi's to taste one of the most famous pizzas in the city.

We did the New York contrasts tour on a Saturday so we could see the atmosphere in Williamsburg, as this is the Orthodox Jewish holy day and we think it's an added bonus to what the tour already has to offer.
Another quieter option is to book the VIP Contrasts tour in a minibus for up to 15 people or save money with this combination tour which includes the must-see Gospel Mass in Harlem.

The Bronx in New York City

2. Niagara Falls, one of the best tours from New York City

Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world located more than 600 kilometres from the city of skyscrapers, is another of the best day trips from New York.
Before you make the trip, bear in mind that summer is the busiest time of the year and hotels can get expensive if you want to stay overnight, while in winter you might find the waterfalls frozen, which, by the way, doesn't make them any less spectacular - quite the opposite, in fact.
Another important thing to know is that the Canadian side offers the best views, but it is interesting to visit both sides, and it is advisable to take the boat tour to get as close as possible to the waterfall and hear its thrilling sound.
If you only have one day, the best option is to book this tour by plane. Although the price is high, you will be picked up from your hotel and you will be able to enjoy both sides of the falls for more than 5 hours. Another less comfortable option is to book this day trip by bus which is much cheaper but will take you almost 20 hours.
If you want to go by bus, we recommend this two-day tour to enjoy these impressive falls in peace and quiet.

Niagara Falls

3. Helicopter Tour

The helicopter tour is one of our favourite New York City tours and although the flight lasts only 15 minutes, we can assure you that you will enjoy unique views of Manhattan, the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty.
After our experience we advise you to book your helicopter tour in New York at midday, when the sun is as high as possible, so you don't have the sun in front of you to get the best views and take the best pictures.
The New York heliport is located on the south side of the island, at Pier 6, very close to the financial district, so a good combination would be to visit this area in the morning and then take the tour at noon.
For more information you can check out this post about the best helicopter tours in New York.

Helicopter Tour

4. Washington DC Tour

A visit to Washington DC, the capital of the most powerful country in the world, is another of the best day trips in New York.
In addition to the famous White House and the US Capitol there are many other things to see and do in Washington DC such as visiting the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial and other monuments dedicated to great moments in the history of this great country.
To get from New York to Washington you can take the train from Pennsylvania Station, which takes about 3.5 hours, or the bus, which is cheaper but takes about 5 hours.
If you prefer the comfort and convenience of getting to know the interesting history of this city, we recommend you book one of these excursions from New York with an English speaking guide:

Washington DC Day Tour in Spanish
Private tour of Washington DC in English
Washington DC and Philadelphia tour

Washington

5. New York City Night Tour

If New York is already impressive during the day, then a tour of the city at night with this tour that allows you to see the main monuments lit up will exceed all your expectations.
As well as being amazed by the number and size of neon signs advertising Broadway shows in Times Square, it's worth taking the Staten Island Ferry, one of the best free things to do in New York, where you'll get incredible views of Manhattan at night and the Statue of Liberty.
Other top New York experiences at night include crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, climbing the Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building, from where you have the whole city lit up at your feet, and for the icing on the cake, book this Hudson River cruise which includes dinner with a unique view of New York.

Times Square

6. Excursion to Boston

Visiting Boston, one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the United States, is another of the best tours and excursions in New York.
Although you could spend several days in Boston, if you don't have that much time, you can always make a quick day trip from New York and see some of its treasures such as Harvard University, the harbour, Quincy Market, the Freedom Trail or the Boston Public Garden.
To get from New York to Boston, as with Washington DC, you can take the train from Pennsylvania Station, which will take you about 3 hours, or opt for the bus, which is much cheaper but a bit slower (4 hours).
If you want to get to know the history of the city and travel in the most comfortable way possible, we recommend you book this tour with an English speaking guide.

Boston

7. Gospel Mass and Harlem, one of the best tours and excursions in New York.

One of the things we had marked in red in our New York in 7 days itinerary was to attend a Gospel Mass in Harlem.
We enjoyed this experience at Bethel Gospel Assembly Church, on a Sunday morning at 8am, and made great memories. Access to the church, as well as attending the mass, is free but it is or should be almost an obligation to be generous with the donation they ask for afterwards, as the mass, which lasts almost 3 hours, is well worth it. For more information you can check out this post on how to see a gospel mass in New York.

After the mass you can complete this list of things to see and do in Harlem by visiting emblematic places of African-American culture such as the Apollo Theatre or the Cotton Club, and finish off with a typical Sunday brunch.
An interesting way to learn about the history of Harlem and attend the Gospel Mass is to book this tour that includes a tour of the neighbourhood or this private tour, especially for groups.

Harlem

8. New York Outlet Shopping Tour

We can't forget that New York is the city of shopping, so you should save time if you want to come back from the city with one (or more) new outfits.
If you want to save a lot of money, especially on brands like Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and many others, with discounts from 20% to 70%, the best thing to do is to go to some of the best outlets in New York such as The Woodbury Common Premium Outlet, Outlet Jersey Gardens.
Our favourite is The Woodbury Common Premium Outlet, located an hour's bus ride away, which is like a small village full of shops. The Outlet Jersey Gardens is a 45 minute bus ride away and it is important to take your passport with you as you can use it to claim discount vouchers!
To get to The Woodbury Common Premium Outlet we opted to book this tour which was about the same price as the regular bus and this way we were assured of a place in advance.

Outlet in New York

9. Philadelphia and Amish Region Tour

Another of the best day trips from New York is a visit to the city of Philadelphia and the curious Amish region of Lancaster.
Philadelphia, the city where independence from Britain was declared, has many points of interest such as the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the President's House Site, Christ Church Cemetery, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the historic downtown or the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where you can reenact the famous scene from the movie Rocky by running up the stairs.
To get to Philadelphia you can take a bus which takes about two hours, the train which takes over an hour or book this guided tour, which includes a visit to a traditional Amish village, where everything is handmade and they are completely disconnected from the modern world.

The Amish

10. Guided tours of New York

Our last suggestion for tours and excursions in New York is to book a guided tour in Spanish to learn about the history of the city and visit some of the most emblematic places in the city.
Among the most fashionable guided tours are the best free tours in New York, where you should pay an amount according to your level of satisfaction as a tip to the guide.
Among the top-rated tours by travellers who know the city are: