Gray Line City Sightseeing is one of New York City’s major operators of guided tours. For nearly a century now they’ve provided visitors to New York City with an extensive menu of possible NYC tours to choose from. Some of their most popular offerings are the Best of Manhattan Tour, the Downtown Tour, the Uptown Tour, and the New York Night Tour. Guests on Gray Line City Sightseeing tours ride on open-top, double-decker buses that make stops at or near a variety of attractions throughout New York City, and maintain hop-on and hop-off privileges for the duration of their tour ticket.
History of Gray Line City Sightseeing
Gray Line New York Sightseeing has been operating guided bus tours of New York City since 1926. Their extensive experience in the sightseeing industry has made them a popular choice for tourists visiting New York City from all over the world. In addition to their numerous guided tours of New York City, Gray Line City Sightseeing runs tours to Woodbury Common Premium Outlet and charters its fleet of double-decker buses, motorcoaches, vans, and minibuses for special events and private group outings.
What’s great about Gray Line City Sightseeing
Gray Line City Sightseeing offers a variety of guided tours highlighting many different aspects of New York City, but its most popular options are the Best of Manhattan Tour, Downtown Tour, Uptown Tour, and the New York Night Tour.
The Best of Manhattan Tour is your go-to option if you want to see as much of New York City as you possibly can in a single day. There are several highlights to this remarkable six-hour tour. It provides you with intimate perspectives of major city landmarks from an open-top, double-decker bus, but it also includes the following experiences: a walking tour of the High Line; a walking tour of the reconstructed World Trade Center complex; and an hour-long ferry cruise complete with spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty.
The Uptown Tour takes you along Central Park and Manhattan’s Upper West Side, past Riverside Park and through Harlem, before riding down 5th Avenue and the “Museum Mile.” You’ll be able to hop-on and hop-off at various rewarding stops along the way. The Downtown Tour features stops near prominent attractions like Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Flatiron Building, while passing through the heart of bustling neighborhoods like SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, and more.
If you’re in the market for a unique tour experience, you’ll want to consider the New York Night Tour. New York City is famous the world over as the city that never sleeps—meaning no visit here is ever truly complete without seeing it lit up at night. This special Gray Line City Sightseeing tour lets you do just that, passing landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, and Times Square in the glow of an evening.
Tips for Visiting with Gray Line City Sightseeing
- Gray Line City Sightseeing Bus is included on several money saving tourist passes including the NYC Sightseeing Pass and NY TurboPass
- If you take the New York Night Tour, be alert for its excursion to Brooklyn. This will be the absolute best moment to snap your pictures of New York City’s skyline, when you can get the entire vista in a single shot from across the river.
- The simplest way to purchase your Gray Line City Sightseeing tour tickets are online, in advance of your visit. However, if you find yourself already in New York City and want to spontaneously jump on one of their excursions, you can buy tickets in person at their ticket office at 777 Eighth Avenue, or at the Times Square Visitor Center.
- Don’t let the weather deter you from making the most of that open-top, double-decker bus: if it rains during your guided tour, Gray Line City Sightseeing will give you a complimentary poncho so that you can still ride it out in the open air. That is, if you’re so inclined: the lower level is always dry and welcoming, no matter the conditions outside.
- Every one of Gray Line City Sightseeing’s tours are available in 11 different languages. Be certain to inquire about these varied language options if that would work well for you and your group.