New York by Land and by Sea

New York Water Taxi. Photo: Budd Williams/Getty Images

NEW YORK CITY BUS TOURS
  Tour Routes Guide Price The Lowdown OnBoard Tours Four tours available: See the Best, See the Lights, See It All, and the Premium See It All. The latter hits all the most popular attractions like Times Square, Fifth Avenue, and World Trade Center.

Most Popular Tour: Premium See It All.

Duration of Tours:
3 to 9 hours. Guides disembark at each location and continue their commentary on the ground. Adults and children, $39.99–$119.99.

Reserve online; your confirmation email is your ticket. These family-friendly tours have received TripAdvisor’s certificate of excellence every year since 2012.

Gray Line Over fifteen different tours and packages that range from niche (Sex and the City Hot Spots) to all-embracing (the aptly titled All Around Town Tour).

Most Popular Tour:
Downtown Tour, which encompasses Macy’s, Ground Zero, and Katz’s Deli.

Duration of Tours:
2 to 8.5 hours as well as hop-on-hop-off tickets, which are valid 48 to 72 hours. Tour guides on all buses provide commentary on sights and stops. Tours are available in French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. Adults, $24-$155; children, $17-$155.

Reserve online. Print out your confirmation page or email, then bring it to Gray Line New York Visitor Center at 777 Eighth Avenue, between 47th and 48th Streets to receive your actual tickets. With so many tours available, at least one should grab you … unless you really don’t like being grabbed. City Sights NY

Tours include the Uptown Tour, the Bronx Tour, the Brooklyn Tour, and the Night Tour. The All Around Town Tour gives hop-on-hop-off privileges to all routes for 48 to 72 hours.

Most Popular Tour:
All Around Town.

Duration of Tours:
2 to 5 hours with hop-on-hop-off tickets valid for 48 to 72 hours. Knowledgeable guides provide historical information about each attraction. Headsets are available free of charge in 11 different languages. Adults, $15–$159; children, $5-$139. (Prices may include entrance to attractions.)

Reservations are not required but they are recommended. Buy online for a $5 discount on each ticket.Some rooftop-seating-only Hop-On-Hop-Off buses are decked out with heated floors, individual PA systems, and a see-through canopy in very cold weather.

On Location Tours

A choice of nine tours hitting some of the city’s most famous film locations, from the How I Met Your Mother pub (NYC TV & Movie Tour) to New Jersey landmarks like Holsten’s (a stop on the Sopranos-themed excursion).

Most Popular Tour:
NYC TV & Movie Tour.

Duration of Tours:
2 to 4 hours. Guides recount trivia and little known stories about locations and their relevance to the productions. German-speaking guides are available for Sex and the City Hotspots Tour, and a French app is available for the NYC TV & Movie Tour. Adults, $23–$47, plus a $2 ticket fee; children, $25–$47, plus a $2 ticket fee.

Buy online, or call 212-913-9780.Live out your deranged Carrie Bradshaw or Tony Soprano fantasies while visiting real locations with fictional backstories.

The South Street Seaport Museum’s Pioneer schooner. Photo: Courtesy of South Street Seaport Museum

NEW YORK CITY BOAT TOURS
  Tour Routes Guide Price The Lowdown Circle Line Sightseeing The longest cruise circles the isle of Manhattan, while the shorter ones stick to the southern half.

Most Popular Tour:
Landmark Cruise—a cruise down the Hudson, around the Battery, then up the East River as far as the U.N. before heading back again.

Duration of Tours:
30 minutes to 2.5 hours. Guides point out sites of interest on shore. Adults, $29–$41; children, $20–$27.

Buy online, directly through the Circle Line website, to forego waiting in line for a boarding pass at the Circle Line Box Office, located at Pier 83 near West 42nd Street. The BEAST Speedboat Ride operates from May through September. All other cruises operate year-round. The reputation, price, and comprehensiveness (not to mention the life preservers) make this a safe bet.

Gray Line Tours Trips take place on an amphibious vehicle, which starts and ends on land at various piers but splashes down in the Hudson River for a cruise, too.

Most Popular Tour:
Twilight Cruise

Duration of Tour:
1-4.5 hours. “Captain” (driver) and “First Mate” (tour guide) provide insight into the passing attractions.Adults, $28–$199; children, $17–199.

Buy online. Bring your confirmation and a photo I.D. to the boarding location. Tours operate year-round. You won’t see much of interest once seaborne, but how often do you get to pretend to be Henry Hudson? CitySightseeing Cruises

Offering two cruises, including one at twilight and another hop-on hop-off daytime ferry, this semi-circular route sails from one side of midtown to the other.

Most Popular Tour:
Twilight Cruise

Duration of Tours:
90 minutes Tour guides on all ships offer factoids and commentary on shoreline attractions, including the Chyrsler Building, United Nations, and Museum of Jewish Heritage. Adults, $29; children, $18.

Buy online. These cruises are entertaining, educational, and relatively short—with the Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing Ferry offering ultimate flexibility.

New York Water Taxi

A dozen stops are scattered around midtown, downtown, Brooklyn, and Queens. Hop on and off at any stop with your one- or two-day pass. The one-hour Statue By Night tour includes a champagne toast at dusk.

Most Popular Tour:
Specialty Cruises & VIP Experiences.

Duration of Tour:
30 minutes to 5.5 hours; hop-on-hop-off tickets are good for one to two days. Choose an All-Day Access Pass to hop on and off throughout the day, or opt for specialty tours, like the Audubon Summer EcoCruise and the House on the Hudson boat party with celebrity DJs. Adults, $15-$251; children, $19-$48.

Reservations are not required; tickets can be bought at any one of a dozen piers. Specialty cruises operate according to weather, usually from mid-May to mid-October.Take advantage of the company’s partnership with the 9/11 Memorial Museum and get timed tickets to the site with an all-day access pass.

New York by Land and by Sea