My sister and I are heading to NYC for her 50th bday celebration the first week of December. It will be her first visit to NYC. She is looking at possibly doing an 8 hour or less Grayline tour. What are your thoughts on the tours?

Which did you like or not like?
Is it worth the money?
Is there a better tour for the price out there?

Any adiitional suggestions for the trip are welcome!

Are you coming to NYC for just one day? Are you looking at the hop-on-hop-off buses or a different tour?

One problem with these tours (aside from cost) is that especially in Christmas crowds they move very slowly and you spend more time in traffic than actually seeing anything.

If there are no mobility issues with the 2 of you, you could probably see more of what you like for less money with walking, subways, and taxis .

What are your interests?

We will be in town for 4 days. Mobility is not a concern.

We want to see Rockerfeller Center, Statue of Liberty, broadway shows, the typical tourist stuff.

I enjoy local restaurants, the hidden gems that the locals go to. It can be a hole in the wall or someplace rather nice.

IMHO these large bus tours are very expensive and you spend a large amount of time sitting in traffic - often in the cold and possibly rain or snow (you can see only from the open top level) and waste most of a day since you see only the outside of a small number of sights. (I always wonder what the people on these buses are thinking while they drive around my neighborhood watching me and my neighbors do our daily errands. Also, there are a lot of areas that the buses aren't allowed in

Much better to pick out what you want to see and just go an see it. The best way to see the city is by foot - or by subway for longer distances. Save the money towards the cost of your hotel room or a nice dinner.

As for sights - not sure when the SoL is reopening. But you definitely need to get ferry tickets in advance from the National Park Service. for tickets to B-way shows go to the Broadwaybox.com site and see if you're interested in any of the discounted shows. Better to buy them in advance than wait until you get here and have to wait on a long line at the TKTS discount booth.

Your first task should be to et hotel reservations while any of the lower rates are still available - since this is the most expensive time of year to go to the city.

For overviews go to Top of the Rock to see most of the city and take a 2 hour Circle Line Boat Tour that will show you much of the city and the harbor, including great views of the skyline - in much less time.

That was very helpful. Thank you! We do have a hotel booked on W 54th. And you are right, it was pricey.