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.

A Hudson Valley wine tour to celebrate a friend's landmark birthday was perfect! Hudson Valley…read moreBucket list did an outstanding job coordinating the day from transport and an itinerary of beautiful wineries to a magazine photo worthy picnic lunch orchestrated by an on-site host. Our group of 12 were treated like special guests everywhere we went and we were wowed by the friendly, welcoming reception at each stop and the delicious wines we were able to taste. HVBL made planning this event easy and the day memorable

Becky was the best and the day couldn't have been planned any better! Best time ever !read more

I wish I could give them 0 stars if possible. They are literally the worst!!!!!!!!!! Me and my…read morecousins [Group of 10 ladies] were heading to AC for a bachelorette party this past weekend . We bought 10 tickets about a week before our trip. The day of the trip as we waited for the bus, they told us that there was no more room for us and that the bus was full, mind you we had already paid for our tickets a week before!! The owner/manager Dean was not helpful or apologetic at all! They oversold their tickets and left us literally hanging. We demanded for them to refund our money immediately and Thank goodness that they did. WORST BUS COMPANY EVERRRRRRRR!!!!!

The worst experience ever I walked in and was no 13…read moreAnd told To wait by Denise the woman who sells tickets As I was told I either stayed in Yonkers or went to mgm Boston Please note that I was told by the owner Dean that reservations are not required. 7 more people showed up after me and we were told that would have to drive to the Bronx to get the bus as there was no room in the van to take us to the bus to Atlantic City. We ended up taking what we thought was Uber but what was a Mexican car service and it cost 6 people $42. I saw the owner Dean when we were getting in the taxi and told him that he should be picking up the cab fee. All he could do was laugh in my face and say no sale. this is how Funaway aka Sterling operates their bus service to Atlantic City. Oh and by the way For no reason at all Denise the woman who sells rockets had an attitude when I got on the bus at 179th street and told Ron the bus driver that I was a bitch and giving her a hard time because I questioned the fact that they made everyone pay for a cab after they bought their bus tickets and then had to leave Burger King in Yonkers by cab to get the bus at 179th street to go to ac. Is this any way to run a business? Shame on you Dean, the owner of Funaway bus Shame on yo Denise fit your attitude problem. You took away all the fun of being able to take a bus to AC. Oh and by the way had a broken seat on the bus and there was nowhere else for me to sit. They only have 2 buses W

I recently took the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise, and it turned out to be one of the most…read moreenjoyable ways to experience the city from a fresh perspective. From the moment we boarded, everything felt well-organized and welcoming. The staff were friendly and efficient, making the check-in and seating process smooth. The real highlight, of course, was the view. Seeing the skyline from the water gives you an entirely different appreciation for the city's architecture and scale. Passing by iconic landmarks while listening to the live narration added a lot of depth to the experience. Our tour guide, Andrew, was especially knowledgeable about the history of the city--he shared fascinating facts, stories, and context that really brought each landmark to life, all while keeping things engaging and easy to follow. The boat itself was clean and comfortable, with plenty of space to move around and take photos. Whether you prefer sitting inside or enjoying the open-air deck, there's a good spot for everyone. I especially appreciated how unhurried the cruise felt; there was enough time to soak in each sight without feeling rushed. I'd highly recommend the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise to both visitors and locals--it's a relaxing, informative, and scenic way to see the city from a whole new angle.

I had a great time on this sightseeing cruise! It was so cold but there was plenty of enclosed…read moreseating on the 1st and 2nd floor. The history of the city was nice to learn about from the informative and fun tour guide. And we cannot forget the amazing views!

I liked it, I did. But, honestly, how do they think that they should charge so much?! It's…read morebasically a guy telling the story. Which I get that they tell you - but I kept thinking that there would be something more. There's not. That's it.

Very cool experience. Great acting. Very engaging and even comical. Had a nice spooky feel to it…read morebut not scary at all. An enjoyable event for the whole family. Dress warm!! The entire show is held outdoors, regardless of frigid temps and no flash photography as to not scare the headless Horseman's steed.

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.

I HAD to go back to this because it's such an amazing experience. I'm sure they do more than "Fall…read moreFoliage" trips but that's when I visited in the past. Despite my best efforts in the past to do Fall train rides, which turned out to be disappointing only because there was never any good colors on trees, this by far is the very best fall foliage experience I've ever had in my life. You get great views of the tree color transitions and just great photo opportunities. It does get cold on the water so bring a jacket. Experience is as excellent as last time with beverages and snacks for purchase. If you enjoy fall colors, great scenery and boats then you have to do this at least once.

A peaceful Hudson River cruise from Peekskill to Bear Mountain. Beautiful views and a truly…read morerelaxing experience! Such a wonderful way to spend the day. Very pleased with this cruise!

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 joined one of the beginner paddle board classes with a friend on Sunday a week or two ago. I…read morethink the class had about 7 participants total, with two teachers. I came in from Manhattan, and took the PATH to get back home. The walk from the station to Pier 13 isn't short, so I can see why Google Maps suggests the bus to get to Pier 13. Personally I plan to snag a ride share from the station to Pier 13 in the future since I run late to most things and the walk took a while. Although I've been paddle boarding before, this class highlighted that I had never been taught some paddle boarding basics during my prior adventures. We hung out pretty close to the docks most of the time because the water was so choppy that day, but I believe the instructors said under better conditions the class sometimes ventured further out. For those of you wondering about how clean the water is - I personally did not mind falling in and was splashing my hair with the water to cool down as needed. The water felt fairly clean, and was "brackish," as the instructors liked to say. The instructors for this class were great, namely Ben (I believe that was his name anyway). He was fun, easy to talk to, and 100% willing to jump into the water to demonstrate re-mounting the board for people that had fallen. They cover how to get onto your board from the dock, how to hold your paddle, which parts of your body you should be engaging to paddle, paddling while kneeling, paddling while standing, tips on steadying yourself, and re-mounting the board. By the end of the hour I felt way more confident, and was interested in signing up for their other classes where you get a guided tour of the nearby areas. There was mention of paddling to an island nearby for one of those classes. Would highly recommend this as a weekend activity. There's plenty to eat and drink on the piers/walkways around there after you get done.

What an amazing time! A safe new and enjoyable adventure. We learned a new skill, the people in…read morecharge made sure we had an amazing experience.

My visit to Untermyer Gardens Conservancy this year was a highlight. It is such a majestic place…read more Although our trip was short, we made the best of it. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was a crowded day, and the traffic entering and leaving the Gardens was intense. For anyone who enjoys natural beauty and has a whole day to relax and explore these grounds, you will absolutely love it. The fact that this garden is free is also a great gift to the community. One drawback is that you can't bring your fur babies.

I had the opportunity to visit the gardens twice in the past month. Each time it was just perfect…read more Easy parking, free admission, not crazy busy and beautifully cared for grounds. Take time to spend a few hours and read what you can about its most interesting history. There's flowers, architecture, sculpture/art, grottos, views, and peaceful surroundings. Lots of places to sit and rest. Great for professional picture taking.