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When does Christmas in New York City start? Now! Holiday decorations are going up all over town! The Holiday Village is open at Bryant Park! New York City Christmas tours are underway – the City is starting to transform for the holidays!
There’s so much to see in New York City over the holidays, it can feel overwhelming. As a licensed New York City tour guide, I’m quite partial to taking tours. As remarkable as it is to simply walk around the city, there’s something special about taking a tour and having someone explain the details and history behind the traditions.
Updated for 2020: Although some of these tours are canceled for the 2020 holiday season, many others are still operating and were modified to accommodate New York state restrictions.
Walking Holiday Tours in New York
Small-Group New York Christmas Holiday Walking Tour
If you’re looking for New York City Christmas tours, you’ll want to take a walk through Midtown Manhattan’s Holiday light displays with a licensed tour guide. Learn about the history of the Fifth Avenue window presentations, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, do some light shopping at the Bryant Park Winter Village and finish this Christmas in New York tour in front of the Christmas icon itself, Macy’s Herald Square department store.
Small-Group NYC Holiday Lights Walking Tour with Dessert
If you’d like to add a bit more leisure time to your experience, then give this Small-Group NYC Holiday Lights Walking Tour with Dessert a try. This four-hour Christmas lights tour includes a few more stops and an included break for a lovely drink and dessert at Max Brenner Chocolate Bar in Union Square to recharge.
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
New York City Holiday Lights and Markets Walking Tour
However, if you’re interested in seeing all of the Winter Markets on your New York City Christmas tours, not just the Bryant Park Winter Village, then this tour is for you. You’ll see four of the Manhattan Holiday markets, as well as explore the city’s festive window displays.
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
Central Park Ice Skating Ticket and Rental at Wollman Rink + Intro Walking Tour
Ready to get your skates on in Central Park? There are New York City Christmas tours for that too! Meet your guide at the famous The Plaza Hotel and take a quick, half-hour walking tour through Central Park to Wollman Rink. Your tour ticket guarantees admission onto the ice and includes skate rental. All that and a little history of Central Park!
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Holiday Window Tour
There’s nothing quite like your first time watching the Rockettes dazzle Radio City Music Hall during the Christmas Spectacular. Although this isn’t a backstage tour, it will give you some of the history of the historic theatre, as well as visiting Rockefeller Center during the holidays, and the window displays on Fifth Avenue, before sitting down to enjoy the show.
This Christmas in New York tour is either before or after the Christmas Spectacular, depending on the show time, and includes the price of your ticket to the performance.
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
VIP Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Viewing in Equinox Rockefeller Center
Only one night each year, the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center gets illuminated for the first time. The tree stays lit throughout the holidays, but there’s always a celebration on its first lit night of the season. Complete with speeches, performances from popular singers, and NBC hosting the events.
While you can go stand outside in the cold, packed in among a crowd of people to watch the tree lighting ceremony, there’s a better way. Instead, you can get a VIP experience by buying a ticket to the Equinox and watching the events happen from above.
Although I didn’t go with Equinox, I did have the opportunity to watch the Christmas Tree Lighting from above, inside another Rockefeller Center building, and the experience is definitely worth the price!
Cruise New York City Christmas Tours
Holiday Lantern Festival with Guided Ferry Ride
Holiday Lantern Festival transforms Staten Island’s Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden into a magnificent festival filled with vibrant colors and lights to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It’s truly a sight to behold. But, if venturing to Staten Island on your own seems overwhelming, take the Holiday Lantern Festival with Guided Ferry Ride tour.
A licensed tour guide will handle the logistics of navigating the Staten Island Ferry and give you a bit of history on your way. Then, you’re free to explore the festival at your own pace. You can even pop by Empire Outlets on your way back to Manhattan to get some seasonal shopping done!
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
Holiday Brunch Cruise Aboard the Manhattan
The views of Manhattan from the water are spectacular. But, it can get a bit chilly on an open-air vessel in winter. Instead, try the Holiday Brunch Cruise Aboard the Manhattan. Departing on the weekends from Chelsea Piers at 10 a.m., you’ll discover views of the city on an enclosed, “1920s-style motor yacht,” all while warm and surrounded by the holiday spirit.
These almost three-hour New York City Christmas tours include a 4-course brunch with eggnog and mimosas and covers sights of everything from the Statue of Liberty to the George Washington Bridge.
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
New York City Holiday Cruises
If you’re looking for romantic New York City Christmas tours, you might enjoy the boat cruise instead! These one-and-a-half-hour cruise tours usually depart from Chelsea Piers during the holiday season, but confirm when you’re booking to be sure.
Most of these tours include a complimentary drink with your ticket, as well as your entertainment for the experience. Listen to jazz or sing along to carols playing as you take in the views of the New York City skyline at Christmas.
Depending on your preference, there are a few different holiday cruises offered:
- Cocoa and Carols Holiday Cruise
- Sunset Cocoa Holiday Cruise
- Night Holiday Lights and Cocoa Cruise
- Christmas Holiday Statue & Skyline Cocoa Cruise
Read More: 5 Historic Streets in Manhattan You’ll Want to Discover
Bus Holiday Tours in New York City
Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights Brooklyn
No holiday tours in New York City are complete without a stop in Dyker Heights to see the Christmas light displays. Every year, the residents of Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, go all out in decorating their homes with the most brilliant creations. This marvel, which started as friendly neighborhood competition, has now spanned decades and bridges innovation and tradition in Holiday decorations.
Have a licensed guide take you out to Brooklyn on this New York City Christmas tours, show you around a Dyker Heights Christmas lights tour, and bring you back to Midtown.
THE RIDE: Holiday Edition New York City
If you haven’t heard of THE RIDE, you’re in for a treat. This Christmas in New York tour is a theatrical tour bus experience. You ride around New York City on an enclosed bus with stadium seating to catch glimpses of set performances happening among the city.
While the company offers a few different tours throughout the year, they make this list for their Holiday Edition! It’s a kid-friendly, fun thing to do in NYC in December. Relax on your warm bus and watch the show happening outside your window!
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
Read More: Your Guide To New York City Museums Free Admission and Pay-As-You-Wish
New York Holiday Lights and Movie Sites Bus Tour
Ride around this Christmas in New York tour from the comfort of a bus, taking in the holiday lights. Not only will you get to see the different displays, but you’ll also get to learn a little bit about the city’s film history. Your tour guide, who is also a New York City actor, will show you both the holiday lights and different filming sites on this 2.5-hour tour.
From the apartment where Buddy the Elf stayed with his father to the Home Alone moment at Rockefeller Center, you’ll get a glimpse into where some of your favorite holiday movies have been filmed, along with all of the other holiday lights.
1-Day Adventure Aquarium, Christmas Village and Longwood Gardens Tour
For a full day extravaganza, consider the 1-Day Adventure Aquarium, Christmas Village, and Longwood Gardens Tour. In the morning, a tour bus picks guests up around three different locations in New York City. Then, it brings you outside the five boroughs for the day’s festivities. First stop, the New Jersey Adventure Aquarium, where you can marvel at the aquatic life.
Then, head over to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The botanical garden is decorated with a dazzling array of twinkling lights, glittering crystals, and sparkling snowflakes for the holidays.
Finally, you’ll finish your day at the most extravagant Christmas village in North America – Koziar’s Christmas Village in Bernville, Pennsylvania. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get out of New York City and see how the holidays are spent in other parts of the United States, not to mention seeing two additional states. Talk about maximizing your experience, it’s almost like a mini Christmas in New York tour package!
2020 Update: Unfortunately, this tour is not running for the 2020 season.
From Central Park to Union Square, Brooklyn, and beyond. If you’re planning on New York City Christmas tours, there’s definitely something for you!
Are you planning to take one of these holiday tours in New York City? Let me know how it goes!
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