My husband and I love learning about history. Tour guide, Franky and Guy, are the original New…read moreYorker. "Youse guys." The stories the can tell about New York is non stop and rich in history. I used to think New York was a dirty and scary place as it is depicted in the news and movies. Boy, was I wrong. Very wrong. Thank you Small Bus Tours NYC Franky and Guy for opening my eyes and giving me a new appreciation of New York. They're worth the money. Trust me!

Great tour!!! The…read moreonly hiccup was the bus was unmarked and not parked in front of McDonalds as described on the website/email instructions. I had just explained to my son the importance of arriving early because arriving on time makes you late(he wondered why we left the hotel early though we were only a couple of blocks away from McDonalds.) The unmarked bus was parked across the street in front of the Paramount building. We were in line for a different tour who was parked in front McDonalds who informed us that we were in line for the wrong tour and pointed to the unmarked bus. We still arrived on time. I then explained to my son that situations like this is why you arrive early. I had a ton of missed calls and was contacted by email but a sign of some sort would've helped(a magnetic sign on the driver and passenger doors, or a foldable sign that can be transported on the bus) as I noticed the bus from across the street(the same side as Applebees and Ellen's Stardust Diner) but had no way of identifying it.

We were taking our kids to NYC for the first time on a quick weekend trip and wanted to do a…read moresightseeing tour so they could see a lot of famous landmarks from across the city in the short amount of time we had available. I researched various options and saw the many positive reviews for this company. After reading their itinerary and how they cover both uptown and downtown landmarks as well as a boat ride past the Statue of Liberty, we were sold and booked immediately. The day of our tour, we arrived at our meeting location that was outside of McDonald's. I knew from reading other reviews that we would be looking for a small unmarked van. We walked up to the driver and gave our name, he was able to check us in before I could even pull up our digital tickets. Our tour was small, a total of 10 people, plus our guide, Bryant, our driver, and their "supervisor" This was exactly what we were looking for; personalized service, access to many different points of interest, a knowledgeable guide who shared a lot of information with us and who had an awesome personality which made the tour very fun for everyone. This was by far the best sightseeing tour in NYC, don't get roped into the hop on hop off big bus tours, they simply don't compare.

This tour has a lot going for it. So here's a list of the pluses and minuses…read more - There's only 24 people so it's very intimate. Our bus held 42 people so you aren't crowded either. - Our guide Bryant was extremely knowledgeable, funny and made our tour very special. - In 6 hours we covered most of Manhattan with a few walking opportunities. - We really got a great feel for the neighborhoods and what sets them apart. - Our Staten Island Ferry experience was outstanding. - There is some walking required. Our step counter registered around 5300 steps. - The bus was hot. We had to ask the driver every time we got on to turn on the A/C.

We had the best day exploring New York City as a family. We have three girls ages 20, 12 and 10…read more Like did an amazing job of making the history and city exciting for each of them. They asked to hang out with him the rest of the week. He stopped for snacks and let me customize the day according to what the girls were interested in learning. Thank you for being a part of our memories!!

After touring with Luke twice in 2011 (group tour as a couple in April then a private tour on a…read moregirls trip in October) when we were planning our itinerary for our trip back to NYC in November 2025 with our 11 year old son, Real New York Tours was the top of our list. We chose the private family tour and booking was quick and easy and the customer service as great as I remembered. On to the tour itself: Luke met us at the Museum of Natural History on time and we got reacquainted. My son is autistic and can have some trouble warming to new people but absolutely no the case with Luke, he immediately put my son at ease and they were chatting like old friends as we made our way into Central Park. The tour covered loads of Central Park, including an exciting off track visit to a secret cave, the plaza hotel, grand central station, some fun subway rides, and concluded at the Brooklyn Bridge. But more than just seeing so many iconic sites, Luke had hundreds of facts and stories (which my son loved) about what we were seeing. It was truly like spending a wonderful day with an old friend. I cannot recommend highly enough Luke and Real New York Tours. Until next time!

I've never rented a party bus before but I am SO glad I did so with Tour Rider. I was looking for a…read moreparty bus to take my friends to the Met museum for my bday party (the Met Gala, if you will). We started at my rooftop in Hudson Yards and took a Tour Rider party bus to the Met. Most tour companies make you book a 5-6 hour minimum and require a round trip, but Tour Rider let me do a one-way trip and only charged for one hour. They were super professional, respectful, and even provided water. They were by far the cheapest option, and still delivered an exceptional, premium experience. The MOST bang for my buck. Tour Rider helped me execute the best birthday I've ever had - I would recommend Tour Rider to everyone! Now I have a Party Bus guy

- very responsive - clean bus…read more- twenty person charter was available at 9pm on a Sunday for a ride at ten pm - the driver was courteous enough to put up with our lack of promptness

Bill was our guide for our first visit to NYC. He could not have been more knowledgeable &…read moreprofessional. Our time was well spent with Bill. He knows the city & its history & its back stories ... Bill showed us the city in ways we would never have been able to manage on our own. Six stars if possible....... Highly Recommend!!

I hosted an afternoon Greenwich Village walking tour for client financial advisors prior to an…read moreevening event in lower Manhattan. The Street Teacher, Bill Goodhart, was exceptionally well-prepared for presenting current and historical facts about The Village, including significant events, unique architecture, famous residents and side bar items of interest. Bill's love of New York City and his unique "feel for place" made this tour a memorable experience for all of us. I highly recommend The Street Teacher for corporate functions and family outings alike. Bill's articulate, very well-educated style and wry sense of humor really humanized the tour and made everyone comfortable. He was very accessible to our questions and stimulated conversation among us. He ensured that he knew the "audience" in advance by prepping with me and even followed-up post-tour to ensure that we were satisfied, which we were. It actually exceeded our expectations. This is was a five-star experience which I plan on doing again with Bill in another area of NYC!

Booked the See It All bus and boat tour and no one showed up to the location. We were there 25 mins…read moreearly and stayed almost 30 mins after. I checked with several people that I was at the location the email stated and they said yes. I also tried to call for assistance and they only had automated messaging, so I left a message and no one has called me back. Pretty sure this is a scam!

Review for 12:30 pm See It all Tour! Wed. June 13th…read more Hit all the spots as described on the website and advertisements. Check-in on the back-side of the Winter Garden Theater was a bit unorganized and chaotic. I think we checked-in about 4 times with 4 different people who asked us the same question. Hint: Maybe if you use some kind of ticket or voucher, then you would know who checked in already. Because of this disorganization, we were "upgraded" to the Premium tour, at no charge. However, I feel sorry for the two or three couples that paid for the premium tour, I don't think they got any refunds... However, throughout the tour, guide made us feel "rushed" and he seemed to be in disagreement with the bus driver on what direction and stops to go next. This became very tiresome and frustrating throughout the day. The tour guide was well informed and versed on each attraction that we visited. Despite, being a bus tour, there is a lot of walking involved, so elderly or families with children please be aware. By the end of our tour, 3 or 4 tour attendees just remained on the bus. Learning lesson from all of this, NYC, with all its famous traffic, is best seen on foot. With so many attractions to see and visit its best you target a certain area, Lower East, Mid-Town West etc. and tour the city that way without being rushed or getting burned out. However, if your time is limited, then you may have to settle for one of the bus tours.

Had an amazing experience with Rachel! She's the best tour guide. Worked with the group as a team…read moreand covered all aspects of the tour nicely. Highly recommend her for the tour and you'll learn more about NY. Kudos to bus driver Jimmy as well!

Kevin our tour guide and Manny our driver was awesome!! They created the best experience that our…read morefamily will always remember. I love that he used music to create a feeling to remember.

From a Native NYer's POV--…read more It's been cold in NY! And it just so happens that my cousins have birthdays the first week of December. In order to make their day special, I wanted to take them on a tour of New York City. As a local, I would normally do a walking tour, but when the temperatures hit below, freezing, my Floridian cousins could not handle the cold. OK, I admit it. I couldn't handle it well either. So I was looking for an experience that would give me the tour. I wanted to share with them, but better than a hop on hop off bus. That's when I found The Ride! Honestly, the experience was exceptional! You get on the bus and you sit sideways to see the incredible cityscape of New York around you. We went around Times Square, radio city, Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, and the very bottom of Central Park. When you experience The Ride, you have two tour guides on the bus who tell you some facts about the city in a very funny and interesting way. The bus itself also gives you facts, because "The Ride" bus also has a personality of its own. My cousins had no idea we were doing this, and they absolutely loved it . Because it was called the holiday ride, we also saw some surprises along the way, including dancers, actors, and Freestyle rappers! It really made it feel like a true New York City Disney World attraction. You also can't control what you see on the street, so sometimes people wave at you just to wave and sometimes people make interesting gestures at you lol . Overall, as far as tourism goes for New York City , 10/10, 5 stars, and that's coming from a local born and raised. This was an awesome experience to bring my family to.

Based on the great reviews, I decided to book The Ride for my family during my children's first…read morevisit to NYC. Unfortunately, I was very underwhelmed. One of the street performers was a fantastic singer, but the rest were honestly a waste of time -- poor singing and awkward acting. It's far too expensive for what you get. That said, if you're celebrating a special occasion, it might be worth considering. They went out of their way to make a woman celebrating her birthday feel special, with repeated shoutouts from the performers.

Celebrated my good friend's 60th birthday. The experience was top notch. Imagine touring the…read morestreets of NYC without having to navigate the traffic while enjoying 4 course meal made onboard by our top tier female chef!! Kudos!!

This was an AMAZING experience for my husband and I. We celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary…read moreweekend in NYC and this was definitely one of the highlights. Chef's kiss to Bianca for the very flavorful food and how timely it came out. I am allergic to shellfish and our host and server Jonathan and Fernando made sure to substitute my food and keep me on schedule with the other passengers. The ride was smooth and very scenic. The music was Perfect and it made my anniversary weekend a memorable one. I would Highly recommend Bustronome!!! We will definitely return again...

I have been an on-again-off-again patron of the Met since I was very young. However, I have never…read morefelt as informed, energized, and enthusiastic about art as I did when I participated in the Gay Secrets of the Metropolitan Museum tour with Professor Lear. Wow! Professor Lear is a bit of a character with an overall sunny disposition and an indisputably shining passion for art. His knowledge about the history of homosexuality and of art in general is quite vast, and his entertaining yet thorough explanations make each stop on the tour such a delight. He was very open to questions, comments, and playful back-and-forths with the people in the tour group, which added a much-welcomed sense of community and casualness. I learned so much and couldn't have been happier with my experience. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! (Note that I have copied+pasted my review from Trip Advisor to ensure this service is properly reviewed across multiple platforms. I'm not a robot or paid, I promise!)

I'm not surprised for the current and very rare ALL 5-star reviews here for these tours. I…read morethoroughly enjoyed the "Gay Secrets of the Metropolitan Museum" I took last weekend. Andrew, our guide, a former art professor and academic author, was very knowledgable about the museum and the works, guiding us through centuries of art (somewhat out of chronological order, but to keep walking in that massive museum to a minimum) and telling us some of the stories behind them. I saw works I never noticed before and even visited rooms I had never been in before -- which with even dozens of previous museum visits is understandable, given the Met's hundreds of galleries and easily more than 10,000 works on display. It was great to have a knowledgable guide, and I thought I got a very good value.