Tour companies

By bike

Bike the Big Apple
1-877 865 0078/www.bikethebigapple.com. Tours Call or visit website for schedule. Tickets $70-$80 (incl bicycle and helmet rental). Credit MC, V.
Licensed guides take cyclists through both historic and newly hip neighborhoods on themed tours. The five- and seven-hour rides are family-friendly and gently paced, and they can be customized to your interests and riding level. Check the website for seasonal events and deals.

Central Park Bike Tours
Bite of the Apple Tours (1-212 541 8759/www.centralparkbiketour.com). Tours Apr, May, Nov, Dec 10am, 1pm, 4pm daily; June-Oct 10am, 1pm, 4pm Mon-Fri; 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 4pm Sat, Sun. Tickets $40; $20 under-15s (incl bicycle and helmet rental). Credit AmEx, Disc, MC, V.
The main tour visits the John Lennon memorial at Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle and the Shakespeare Garden. Film buffs will enjoy the Central Park Movie Scenes Bike Tour (10am, 1pm daily), which passes locations from When Harry Met Sally… and Wall Street. Most tours run at a leisurely two hours duration. Spanish-language tours are available.

By boat

Circle Line Cruises
Pier 83, 42nd Street, at the Hudson River (1-212 563 3200/www.circleline.com). Subway: A, C, E to 42nd Street-Port Authority. Tours Call or visit website for schedule. Tickets for 3hrs $29.50; $25 seniors; $17 children. Credit AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
Circle Line’s famed three-hour guided circumnavigation of Manhattan is a great way to see the sights. Themed tours include a New Year’s Eve cruise, a DJ dance party or a fall foliage ride to Bear Mountain in the Hudson Valley. From April to October, there’s a fun 30-minute speedboat ride on The Beast.Other locations: South Street Seaport, Pier 16, by Burling Slip & Fulton Street (1-866 925 4631).

NY Waterway
Pier 78, 38th Street, at the Hudson River (1-800 533 3779/www.nywaterway.com). Subway: A, C, E to 42nd Street-Port Authority. Tours call or see website for schedule. Tickets 90-minute Manhattan cruise $26; $21 seniors; $15 under-12s. Credit AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
The scenic 90-minute ride run by NY Waterway makes a complete circuit around Manhattan’s landmarks. A sundown ‘City Lights Tour’, and other specialist cruises focusing on architecture and history are also available.Other locations: World Financial Center Pier, Pier 11, Wall Street.

By bus

Gray Line
777 Eighth Avenue, between 47th & 48th Streets (1-212 445 0848/1-800 669 0051/www.graylinenewyork.com). Subway: A, C, E to 42nd Street-Port Authority. Tours call or see website for schedule. Tickets $40-$82. Credit AmEx, Disc, MC, V.
Yes, this is your grandma’s classic red double-decker (the line runs other buses too), but it offers something to interest everyone. Gray Line operates more than 20 bus tours, from a basic two-hour ride (with more than 40 hop-on, hop-off stops) to the guided Manhattan Comprehensive, which lasts an impressive eight and a half hours and includes lunch, admission to a United Nations tour and a boat ride to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Check the website for online deals.

By helicopter, carriage or rickshaw

Liberty Helicopter Tours
Downtown Manhattan Heliport, Pier 6, East River, between Broad Street & Old Slip (1-212 967 6464/1-800 542 9933/http://www.libertyhelicopters.com). Subway: R, W to Whitehall Street; 1 to South Ferry. Tours 9am-7pm daily. Tickets $77.50-$206.50. Credit AmEx, MC, V.
There won’t be any daredevil swooping and diving on this tour—Liberty’s helicopters provide a fairly smooth flight—but the views are excitement enough. Even a five-minute ride (durations of flights vary) is long enough to give you a thrilling look at the Empire State Building and Central Park.Other locations: VIP Heliport, Twelfth Avenue, at 30th Street.

Manhattan Carriage Company
333 W 57th Street, between Eighth & Ninth Avenues (1-212 664 1149/www.ajnfineart.com/mcc.html). Subway: N, Q, R, W to 57th Street. Tours 10am-2am Mon-Fri; 7pm-2am Sat, Sun. Tickets $40 per 20-minute ride (extended rides by reservation only). Hours and prices vary during holidays. Credit AmEx, MC, V (reserved tours only).
The beauty of Central Park seems even more romantic from the seat of a horse-drawn carriage. Choose your coach from those lined up on the streets along the southern end of the park, or book in advance.

Manhattan Rickshaw Company
1-212 604 4729/www.manhattanrickshaw.com. Tours noon-midnight Tue-Sun and by appointment. Tickets $10-$50, depending on duration and number of passengers. No Credit cards.
Manhattan Rickshaw’s pedicabs operate in Greenwich Village, Soho, Times Square and the Theater District. If you see one that’s available, hail the driver. (Determine your fare before you jump in.) For a pre-arranged pick-up, make reservations 24 hours in advance.

On foot

Adventure on a Shoestring
1-212 265 2663. Tours Mon-Sun. Call for schedule and reservations. Tickets $10. No Credit cards.
The motto of this 45-year-old organization is ‘Exploring the world within our reach… within our means’, and founder Howard Goldberg is dedicated to revealing the ‘real’ New York. The company’s walks take you from one charming neighborhood to another, and topics can include Millionaire’s Row and Haunted Greenwich Village. Special celebrity theme tours, including tributes to such luminaries as Jackie O, Katharine Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, are also available.

Big Onion Walking Tours
1-212 439 1090/www.bigonion.com. Tours Sept-Apr 1pm Mon, Thur, Fri; 11am, 1pm Sat, Sun. May-Aug 1pm Mon, Wed, Thur; 11am, 1pm Fri, Sun; 11am, 1pm 5pm Sat. Tickets $15; $12 seniors; $10 students. No Credit cards.
New York was known as the Big Onion before it became the Big Apple. The tour guides will explain why, and they should know—they all hold advanced degrees in history (or a related field). Check the website for meeting locations. Private tours are also available.

Harlem Heritage Tours
1-212 280 7888/www.harlemheritage.com. Tours call or visit website for schedule and meeting locations. Tickets $20-$100 (reservations required). Credit MC, V.
Now operating more than 15 bus and walking tours, this organization shows visitors the soul of Harlem. ‘Harlem Song, Harlem Nights’ takes you to landmarks such as the Apollo Theater. The ‘Renaissance’ tour walks you through Prohibition-era speakeasies, nightclubs and one-time residences of artists, writers and musicians.

The Levys’ Unique New York
1-877 692 5869/www.levysuniqueny.com. Tours call or visit website for schedule & meeting locations. Tickets from $25 (reservations may be required for some tours). Credit AmEx, MC, V
This family tour company not only features two-hour walking tours, the Levys go the extra mile with their comprehensive, specialty four-hour Manhattan tours. ‘Starring New York’, for example, dazzles participants with a relentless slew of TV show and movie spots.

Municipal Art Society Tours
1-212 935 3960/recorded information 1-212 439 1049/www.mas.org. Tours call or visit website for schedule and meeting locations. Tickets $12-$15 (reservations may be required for some tours). No credit cards.
The society organizes bus and walking tours in New York and New Jersey. Many, like ‘Art Deco Midtown’, have an architectural bent. There’s also a free guided walk through Grand Central Terminal on Wednesdays at 12:30pm (suggested donation $10). Private tours are available by appointment.

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