I am visiting NYC for the first time. I am limited to two full days. Should we do the Grayline 48 hour on-off tour or do it on our own using the subway? In checking Grayline reviews on TripAdvisor, I see many negative reviews. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Use the subway, as needed, and get to exactly where you need to go. Why wait for buses when the subway is continuously running?

Also - look at the public bus routes - MetroCards are good on the public buses - For 16.50 (2 day passes - you can have unlimited bus and subway rides in all 5 boroughs -- For 54 dollars, you are limited to Grayline loops when they run.

As CPGirl and Sue noted there are many ways to get around NYC including the subway, city buses, taxis, and walking.

Unless you venture to the Cloisters, most tourist destiantions, museums, restaurants, and shops are just a subway stop or a short taxi ride from one another.

I loved the Grayline on/off. Sorry. But I found it went to all the places I wanted to see in the limited two days I had there. So, that may be the difference.

And while there might be some waiting for a bus, not really. They come regularly about every 1/2 hour. At least that is my experience.

I loved not having to mess with what bus, what train, what stop, how much, another ticket, whatever. The Grayline bus stopped directly in front of the places I wanted to see.

So, one recommendation for that. If you use public transportation when you are "home", then you will probably be comfortable doing the what bus/what train/what line thing.

Have fun! You will LOVE NY!!!

It's true they come every half hour or so (versus every 5 minutes for a city bus or subway) and you do get to see the outside of a lot of places.

But you spend a large amount of time sitting in traffic watching locals go to work or do errands - rather than spending your time actually inside museums or exploring Central Park or going up the Top of the Rock. It really insulates you from the city - NYC is a place that really should be enjoyed on foot to get the flavor of the city and the people.

But then I'm not in favor of these city bus tours in any city - tried one (free) in London and got off at the second stop never to get on one again. I don't need someone saying to me look left and you can see the National Gallery building. I want to go inside and see the art, or inside Westminster Abbey and see the tombs and chapels and - well you get the idea.

Thanks for all your responses. You have been a big help!

nytraveler- I'm wondering- have you ever been on the Grayline? You're not just "seeing" famous buildings. I got on and off the bus regularly. Spent quite a bit of time, actually, at places like St. John's Cathedral, MOMA and the Hayden Planetarium, not to mention half a dozen other museums, Rockefeller Center, etc.

We spent very little time in traffic, actually.

Just an FYI. I still recommend it.

No - I'm a native and have never been on a Grayline - but see the tour buses sitting in traffic every day on the way to and fro work. And I know that grabbing a subway or local bus to get somewhere is a lot faster than waiting 25 minutes for a tour bus to arrive.

And I do mean that you need to walk to get the full flavor of New York - it's a completely different city than when seen out of a bus (even city bus) window.

My POV is that it is inefficient s transit and uninformative as a tour vehicle. If peopel ride that for a full 1 or 2 days and then go home they've seen very little of the real Ne York.

There's good and bad on the bus/subway. The heat of the subway and the bus crawls, and there are panhandlers, etc... But the good is the interesting people, musicians, performers and potential conversations. You'll have good and bad experiences, but at least you'll have experiences. On a bus, the experiences will be much fewer.

Today, as I walked out of my subway stop, I walked straight into a movie shoot and the camera was right on me. I moved out of the way, didn't even check what movie and went home. The woman, perfectly coiffed, meditating at the bottom of stairs holding back 6 people with nary a complaint should have been a hint.