The Best One Day Guided Sightseeing Tours from NYC

By nmwgroup | Updated June 29th, 2022

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New York City is the hottest part of New York and offers countless things to see and do, but you don’t have time to waste wandering the streets searching for something memorable to experience. 

Instead, use this one-day guided sightseeing tour of New York City and tours leaving from New York City to make the most of your visit by seeing the city’s best attractions in their most efficient order and at your own pace! From Times Square to visit the nation’s Capital to shopping at the outlets, you will find the best one-day tour events here.

New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour

Time Square, New York
NEW-YORK – JANUARY 6: Illuminated facades of Broadway theaters on January 6, 2011 in Times Square, NYC

If you’re planning a day trip from New York City, look no further than your backyard for a memorable experience.

By taking advantage of every sightseeing opportunity in Central Park and on both ends of Manhattan (South Street Seaport and Battery Park), you can make a day out of sightseeing in NYC easy to do. 

This will give you enough time to fit in highlights like The Whitney Museum, Frick Collection, and Top of The Rock. USA Guided Tours, New York is one Tour company you can rely on for this beautiful experience. 

They take you from Times Square to New York Harbor and everything in between; give them a call to start planning your day trip to New York!

Pick up and return address: 770 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019, USA

Washington DC Day Trip from New York City

Washington, DC
The United States Capitol building at sunset, Washington DC, USA.

Washington DC is an ideal day trip from New York City. Within a few hours’ drive, you can enjoy our nation’s capital. 

Take a tour By Empire Vacations Day Tours – New York with a one-day itinerary to visit all of DC’s most historic sites. You will see Arlington National Cemetery, many stops at and around the White House to the Korean War Veterans Memorial.  

Make your Washington DC sightseeing adventure as enjoyable and hassle-free as possible with free wifi and a climate control vehicle to make your trip more enjoyable.

Pick up and Return address: 330 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036, USA.  6:30 AM Departure.

Niagara Falls in One Day from New York City

Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls from the American side in spring. A view from Niagara State Park on American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Goat Island and Horseshoe falls on the background.

When it comes to day trips from New York City, Niagara Falls is a popular destination for travelers and natives alike. 

Luckily for those who want to leave city life behind for a day or two and experience nature firsthand, Amigo Tours has a solution: a guided sightseeing tour of Niagara Falls one day from NYC. 

They offer a comfortable motor coach bi-lingual tour guide, taking you to the waterfall and the park with plenty of time to take in the scenery and take memorable pictures.  Book now!

Pick up and Return address: 714 7th Ave, New York, NY 10036, USA

Philadelphia and Amish Country Day Trip from New York City

Armish Country
Horse and Buggy on Highway in Oklahoma Amish Country

Explore Philadelphia and Amish Country with a day trip from New York by Empire Vacations Day Tours. 

During your 1-day guided sightseeing tour, travel by luxury motor coach as you admire Philadelphia’s landmarks and visit Pennsylvania Dutch Country (Amish country) to see how these simple people live. 

Your guide will give you information about their way of life and point out notable sites along your route.  While you’re there, try a traditional Amish horse-drawn carriage ride.  

Pick up and Return address: 330 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036, USA

Long Island Wine Tour from Manhattan

Wine Tasting
Closeup of Winery Tasting Room Open sign with bokeh background of grape vineyard winery farm landscape

One of the most popular things to do in New York, especially if you’re looking for a change of scenery from the Manhattan skyline, is taking a Long Island Wine Tour from Manhattan. 

Enjoy a nice scenic ride into the North Fork of Long Island Suburbs to enjoy a fun-filled wine tour with Sourced Adventures.  Sample selected wines from these three highly-rated vineyards and enjoyed the convenience and ease of round-trip hotel transportation from the city. 

This entertaining tour includes a gourmet picnic lunch from Perfect Picnic and a guide to answer questions throughout your journey.  What better day trip from New York than relaxing, enjoying the fresh air, and enjoying fine wine!

Pick up and Return address: 85 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002, USA

See It All NYC Walking and Boat Tour

Walking Tour
Crowds of people in motion across the busy intersection of 23rd Street and 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City NYC

If you are coming to NYC, there is no better way to see it all than with a walking and boat tour, where you can cruise past historical landmarks, parks, and neighborhoods of great cultural significance. 

Tour by Timothy Rosen is operated by a professor at the City University of New York.  As a local, you can be sure he will share all the secrets about the city. 

Visit landmarks such as Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Central Park, and more. Plus, you’ll ride on the Staten Island Ferry for a different view of the City while enjoying the time on the water. 

If you’re like most visitors and time is short, and you have a lot of sightseeing on your itinerary,  this is the perfect day trip from New York to learn about all the city offers.

Pick up and Return address: The Plaza, 5th Avenue at Central Park S, New York, NY 10019, USA

Hamptons Beach Picnic with Private Helicopter from Manhattan

Private Helicopter
Beautiful young woman disembarking a helicopter with pilot supporting her. Gorgeous young women travelling a helicopter.

If you’re looking for a fun day trip from New York with some romance in your life, head to Manhattan, take a helicopter flight out to The Hamptons, and enjoy a fantastic beach picnic lunch! It’s an experience that will be hard to forget. 

Try By Wings Air Helicopters for this beautiful trip.  Your expert pilot will fly you out of Manhattan across Long Island and then over beautiful vineyards to Southampton Village.  You land in the Hamptons, where you’ll enjoy a beautifully set up gourmet picnic served by a personal attendant with fantastic views of the beach.  What could be more romantic than that!  The helicopter takes you back to Manhattan so you can enjoy most of the time on the beach with your special someone.

Pick Up Location for Hamptons Private Helicopter from NYC

  • Air Pegasus Heliport – 335 W 30th St & 12th Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA
  • TSS Heliport, E 34th St, New York, NY 10016, USA (Weekdays Only)
  • 6 East River Piers, New York, NY 10004, USA

NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens: Contrasts, Color and Character

NYC Bus Tour of Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens is a one-day guided sightseeing tour that explores three diverse boroughs of NYC. Experience NY in one day by visiting three different places. 

The Big Apple is known for its contrasts, from bustling Manhattan to picturesque Brooklyn, from the gritty Bronx to charming Queens. Hop on an NYC tour bus leaving Midtown Manhattan and explore all three boroughs in a single day with a tour by Experience First.  

Pick up at 840 8th Ave, New York, NY 10019, USA.

The tour ends at Lafayette Street & Canal Street, Lafayette St & Canal St, New York, NY 10013, USA.

BEST Instagrammable NYC Day Tour by Air, Land and Water

For a complete one-day guided tour of New York City (by air, land, and water), we recommend Best Tours by Jupiter Legend Corporation. 

If you love Instagramming photos  (and let’s be honest here—you probably do!), then you’ll want to book a trip with Best Tours. Your Instagram page will be full of excellent photos and stories from your NYC adventure. 

Here’s an itinerary of what your day could look like:  From Grand Central to the New York Public Library with time to visit inside to  Bryant Park, Blue Bottle Coffee (Optional), Lady M Cake (Optional), On towards Central Park, Roosevelt Island with an included one-way cable car ticket, traveling to DUMBO, Little Island, Starbucks, Chelsea Market, The High Line, Lunch (Optional),  The Vessel (outside visit). Give them a call to confirm all details.

Pick up and return from two locations, respectively:

2 Times Sq, New York, NY 10036, USA

13330 39th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354, USA

Day Trip to Boston & Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.

Amigo Tours offers various sightseeing tours of Boston and its surrounding area. This 1-day Boston tour lets you experience Boston’s highlights by bus and foot, including Harvard University, Boston Common, and the Freedom Trail. 

Then stop at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets for shopping and specialty shops at lower prices than many other major metropolitan cities in America. Hop aboard an Amigo bus; It’s time to shop ‘til you drop!

Pick up and return 688 8th Ave, New York, NY 10036, USA.

As we’ve seen in our list of day trips from New York City, there are many options available for travelers who want to visit America’s most populous city. However, not all of them offer both value and quality at an affordable price—which is where our recommendations come in. Today, you learned about ten different day trips that should be on every budget traveler’s list when visiting NYC.