Tour New York

New York City is one of the great cities of the world. Broadway theatre, dance, music, and the top performing arts venues, renowned architecture, historic sights, superb museums and galleries, eclectic neighborhoods, fabulous restaurants and a uniquely diverse cultural heritage – New York City has it all. With Small Journeys’ fully escorted custom itineraries, you can be sure to see all the city has to offer with each itinerary customized to your special interests. Our guides are chosen for their genuine interest in offering visitors a lively view of our city so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy your visit.

New York City

We are a market leading provider of custom tour packages to this amazing and diverse city. Our reputation for quality has been earned with over 30 years of successful tour planning for a wide variety of groups. Based on our years of reliable service, Frommer’s New York City with Kids and other New York guides have recommended our tour service for their readers.

Our intimate knowledge of this destination, its neighborhoods, food, entertainment, history and attractions as well as our reputation and experience with local service providers and guides is what makes us the best choice to plan and manage your tour.

We provide custom packages for all kinds of group tours. Student groups looking for custom tours within budget, conference planners coordinating family and spouse programs and NYC itineraries, corporate clients looking for personalized receptive services, and travel agents with VIP or group clients where everything must be just right have all chosen Small Journeys based on our reputation for reliable service and destination knowledge.

We offer a wide variety of general interest packages with specialized options and attractions, too numerous to list, so feel free to give us a call at 1-866-874-7300 with any unique requirements you may have. You may also use our contact form.

ATTRACTIONS

Empire State Building
The Empire State building has appeared in more than 90 films and stands as one of the most famous landmarks of New York.   Located on famous Fifth Avenue and constructed during the Depression in just over one year, it was completed in 1931 and remained the tallest building in the world for decades.  No visit to New York is complete without a visit to the 86th floor outdoor observation deck offering spectacular 360 degree views of New York City, the Hudson River and beyond.

Metropolitan Opera House/Lincoln Center tour
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts offers an array of tours and special programs including  Meet the Artist programs designed for every type of performing arts group. Guided tours offer visits to Lincoln Center’s magnificent venues including The Metropolitan Opera House, New York State Theater, and Avery Fisher Hall.

Radio City Music Hall backstage tour
After an extensive restoration in 1999, the Music Hall now reflects its original grandeur of opening night, 1932. Lead by Radio City’s experienced tour guides, guests explore: the Great Stage, one of the largest indoor performance stages in the world; the stage’s hydraulic system, still in operation since the ’30s; the renowned private suite, with 12-feet high gold leaf ceilings and onetime home to Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel. And as an exciting climax to the Stage Door Tour, guests will meet one of the world-famous Radio City Rockettes.

Carnegie Hall tour
Catch an insider’s glimpse of Carnegie Hall and  learn the story of Andrew and Louise Carnegie, hear how the Hall was saved from demolition in 1960, and experience a century-long performance tradition that has showcased the world’s finest artists — from Tchaikovsky to Mahler, from Horowitz to Callas to Bernstein, even Judy Garland and the Beatles. Come and share in the history of America’s most famous concert hall.

Museum of Natural History
Nothing rivals the range of experience at the American Museum of Natural History—from dinosaurs to the  Hall of African Mammal, precious gems, Native American arts,  IMAX films, the new Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, and the thrilling Space Show in the spectacular Rose Center for Earth and Space, a must-see for any visitor.  Enjoy a  weekend performance of  Sonic Vision, the music  and light  show.   A great New York tradition, located in the lively Upper West Side along Central Park, young  and  old enjoy this great museum.

Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum
Berthed on the mighty Hudson River in Manhattan, the Museum boasts educational exhibits and exciting events. Building on the long and distinguished history of the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the Museum provides a glimpse back to a time when the future of the free world hinged on these great ships. Together with the submarine USS Growler and over twenty-five aircraft, visitors are treated to an inside look of life at sea, past, present and future.

Statue of Liberty
The grand symbol of America has welcomed immigrants to New York Harbor for over a century.  Take the ferry to Liberty Island for stroll on Liberty Island.  Timed admission  tickets allow visitors to once again enjoy walking out onto the Statue’s observation deck to see the panoramic views of New York City and the Harbor and to view the statue up close from her promenade.

Ellis Island
The exhibits at the Ellis Island Museum chronicle Ellis Island’s role in immigration history and view it in the context of four centuries of immigration to America.

Ellis Island

The three floors of exhibits offer artifacts, museum objects, photographs, prints, videos, interactive displays and oral histories. The largest exhibit is the building itself — the imposing French Renaissance revival Great Hall designed by Boring and Tilton, built in 1900 and restored to its 1918-1924 appearance.

Harbor Cruises
There are a number of operators providing a variety of short and long tours in and around NY Harbor. They feature informative and historic narration, breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline, New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge, the United Nations, and other sites. Options include lunch, dinner & dancing, a romantic twilight sail, extended day tours to historic locations in the Hudson Valley such as Lyndhurst Castle, West Point and The Rockefeller Estate.

Small Journeys can arrange Circle Line and New York Waterways sightseeing cruises or dinner and dance cruises on Spirit, World Yacht or Bateaux New York.

NBC Studio
The tour of NBC network headquarters in Rockefeller Center includes a peak into working television studios and the technical facilities and control rooms.  Visitors may catch a glimpse  of celebrities in the halls or see a Saturday Night Live rehearsal.  Learn about the history of broadcasting at this pioneering  television studio and take part in a real studio taping.

 Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
This Museum has a lot more going for than just wax figures of the stars from Hollywood and history.  Choose from a variety of multi-sensory themed attractions. Get scared in the Chamber of Horrors or participate in the American Idol simulation and feel what it like to be a contestant on the hit show, play ball with Derek Jeter or dance with J.Lo.

Loews IMAX
The biggest Imax in the city offers a screen 8 stories high, with frequent 3-D options. See more, hear more, feel more — IMAX is the ultimate movie experience. With crystal clear images and wrap-around digital surround sound, IMAX takes you to places you only imagined.

Sony Wonder
Sony Wonder Technology Lab features interactive exhibits in technology and communication. Explore four floors of hands-on exhibits where you can connect and create with communications technology and entertainment

Apollo Theatre Tour & Amateur Night
The famous Harlem theater’s guided tour features exhibits, a view of backstage and control rooms and the chance to get up and perform on the stage of  this inspiring and famous NYC cultural institution.

Wednesday night is Amateur Night, a great way to fully experience the Apollo.  Tickets are reasonably priced and you may see a rising  star just like many of the greats who got their start on  this stage

New Amsterdam Theatre
This famous grandly restored Broadway theatre is the former home to the Ziegfield Follies and now home to Disney’s Lion King,  This behind  the scenes tour includes a walk on the stage, an up close view of the masks used in the production and inside information about the show and the historic theatre.

 Macy’s behind the Scenes
Tour the “World’s Largest Department Store” – a favorite  feature of our special fashion, marketing and  DECA programs.  Advice on marketing, visual strategies,  merchandise placement and  more.

FIT design lab
Fashion fans and student groups can see a remarkable  collection  of garments and accessories from Medieval to Modern, described  and  displayed by knowledgeable docents.

Museum of Modern Art
In with the new and modern, the newly rebuilit and recently opened building is one of the most popular museum features in New York City with its remarkable permanent collection and special exhibitions.  Picasso, Matisse, Calder, the famous industrial design gallery and more, the Museum of Modern Art is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum’s collection of art and artifacts is one of the most renown in the world.  The collection now contains more than two million works of art including Egyptian, Greek and Roman Art, Medieval Armor,  Impressionist paintings, photography and more from ancient through modern times.

Whitney Museum
The Whitney Museum of American Art invites you to see American art at its best. Experience the creativity and pioneering spirit this country is known for as you walk through the world’s preeminent collection of American masterpieces.

Guggenheim Museum
The famous Frank Lloyd Wright designed Guggenheim Museum, with its ramped galleries, is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of art, architecture, and modern and contemporary visual culture.  Docent-led tours introduce the Wright architecture and highlight the permanent collection, and featured exhibitions.

United Nations
When you pass through the gates of the United Nations headquarters in New York you enter international territory, the site of some of the most significant events in recent history.  The guided tour of the United Nations starts with a brief overview of the organization and its structure. The main part of the tour consists of exhibits in the Visitors’ Lobby, a visit to the chambers of the Security Council and other areas of  this international institution.

Central Park
Take a stroll through New York’s backyard, the  lungs of the city.  This  sprawling 840 acre park is filled with open spaces and quintessential New York sights.  Enjoy visits to Strawberry Fields and the Imagine Mosaic memorial  to John Lennon, Bethesda Fountain, the Central Park Zoo  and the Carousel.  Or just take a relaxing break from the city amid the trees, fields, fountains, lake and ponds.

SAMPLE ITINERARIES & EXTENSIONS

NYC – 3 Nights

Day 1

  • NYC arrival by your own coach or airport pickup and coach transportation arranged by Small Journeys
  • Midtown sightseeing.  Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral
  • United Nations, Grand Central Station.  42nd Street Deco Architecture
  • Hotel check in
  • Group dinner in midtown
  • Empire State Building night skyline view

Day 2

  • Upper West Side/ Lincoln Center
  • Central Park walk (Strawberry Fields to the Bethesda Fountain)
  • American Museum of Natural History or Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Columbia University, Grant’s Tomb, Harlem tour, Apollo Theatre, African Market,
  • Group dinner
  • Times Square-42nd Street sights and lights
  • Broadway Theatre

Day 3

  • Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
  • Lower Manhattan History touring
  • Federal Hall, Trinity Church, Wall Street, South Street Seaport
  • Brooklyn Bridge walk
  • Lower East Side immigrant history tour
  • Greenwich Village walk and shopping
  • Dinner in Chinatown or Little Italy
  • Chinatown-Little Italy sights and shops

Day 4

  • Additional sights subject to departure time
  • SoHo cast iron buildings
  • Chelsea galleries
  • Macys shopping
  • 10pm: Depart NYC

Extensions:

Historic Hudson

  • Kykuit/ Rockefeller Estate
  • Lyndhurst Castle
  • Sleepy Hollow
  • Sunnyside (Washington Irving’s home)
  • West Point