My Christmas in New York
NYC Christmas Tours
Guided Christmas bus tours through Manhattan’s best holiday lights and Brooklyn’s most spectacular Christmas houses.
Looking for an easy way to tour NYC at Christmas without planning it all yourself? Our NYC Christmas tours take you straight to the sights that make the season here so famous: the Rockefeller Center tree, the Fifth Avenue holiday windows, the giant Christmas decorations along Sixth Avenue, and the dazzling home displays of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. Every tour mixes bus rides with short walks, so you can stay warm between stops even in the coldest NYC winter weather. All of our tours are led by a licensed New York City guide and a professional driver, so you just show up, and we handle the rest.
We run three New York Christmas tours, each one different, so you can easily book more than one: a morning walk through Midtown with a reserved lunch at Papillon, one of NYC’s most in-demand Christmas restaurants; an evening bus tour out to the Dyker Heights lights in Brooklyn; and a nighttime tour that leaves the touristy sights behind for Lower Manhattan, ending at 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar and its famous heated igloos. Find the one that fits your trip below.
The Christmas Tours
Three ways to see Christmas in New York
From classic Manhattan sightseeing to Brooklyn’s most famous lights, these are the Christmas tours in NYC our guests book again and again. No complicated logistics to plan, with exclusive skip-the-line perks built into selected experiences. Just show up and enjoy the season. Pick the one that matches your trip, or scroll down to compare all three.
My Christmas Morning in Manhattan Tour with VIP Access to Papillon Christmas Restaurant
Start your day with New York’s most iconic Christmas experience: the Rockefeller Center tree and rink, Radio City, the giant ornaments and Christmas trees on Sixth Avenue, and the Fifth Avenue holiday windows, before a skip-the-line reserved lunch at Papillon Christmas Restaurant.
- Rockefeller Center Tree, Rink & Channel Gardens
- Radio City Music Hall & Sixth Avenue's giant Christmas ornaments
- St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Lotte Palace courtyard tree & the Fifth Avenue Snowflake
- Skip-the-line, reserved 2-course lunch at Papillon Christmas Restaurant
- Starts at Times Square, ends at Papillon in Midtown
3 hours
Midtown Manhattan
Coach bus & walking
Starting from $99
Dyker Heights, DUMBO & Free Hot Chocolate Tour
Our most popular NYC Christmas bus tour heads straight for Dyker Heights, Brooklyn’s legendary Christmas lights neighborhood, then swings by DUMBO for breathtaking skyline photos before a free hot chocolate at Bryant Park Winter Village.
- A 1-hour guided walking tour through Dyker Heights' most elaborately decorated blocks
- DUMBO skyline & Brooklyn Bridge photo stop
- Your choice of coach bus with restroom, or a luxury minivan
- Free hot chocolate voucher at Bryant Park Winter Village
- Starts at Times Square, ends at Bryant Park Winter Village
4 hours
Brooklyn
Coach bus or Minivan & walking
Starting from $69
Holiday Spirit in Manhattan Tour with VIP Access to Christmas Rooftop Bar
See a different side of Christmas in New York: Hudson Yards’ two-million-light Shine Bright display, the Wall Street Christmas Tree, and South Street Seaport, ending with skip-the-line entry to 230 Fifth, NYC’s most famous Christmas rooftop bar.
- Hudson Yards' Shine Bright, 2 million holiday lights
- Wall Street, the Charging Bull, South Street Seaport & Pier 17
- Skip-the-line, no cover charge at 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar
- Starts at Times Square, ends at 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar
4 hours
Lower Manhattan
Coach bus & walking
Starting from $69
WHY US
Why book your NYC Christmas tour with us
Here’s what thousands of guests already know about touring NYC at Christmas with us.
Local guides
Licensed NYC guides who know the city's holiday history and best photo spots.
Your choice of ride
From intimate luxury minivans to full climate-controlled coach buses with restroom on board.
40,000+ guests hosted
Over 13,500 guests welcomed in the past season.
Free cancellation
Book with peace of mind. Plans change, and that's okay.
Skip-the-line perks
Built into every itinerary, from Papillon Christmas Restaurant to the 230 Fifth rooftop.
You're talking to us
Every booking comes with direct support from Marco and Dora, the owners, not a call center.
Local guides
Licensed NYC guides who know the city's holiday history and best photo spots.
Your choice of ride
From intimate luxury minivans to full climate-controlled coach buses with restroom on board.
40,000+ guests hosted
Over 13,500 guests welcomed in the past season.
Free cancellation
Book with peace of mind. Plans change, and that's okay.
Skip-the-line perks
Built into every itinerary, from Papillon Christmas Restaurant to the 230 Fifth rooftop.
You're talking to us
Every booking comes with direct support from Marco and Dora, the owners, not a call center.
COMPARE
How to Choose the Right NYC Christmas Tour
Not sure which one fits? First-time visitors often book all three, since each tour is different and covers its own part of the city, so they complement each other rather than overlap. Here’s a quick side-by-side to help you choose where to start.
| Tour | Best For | Vehicle | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The perfect introduction for first-time visitors to New York City: classic Midtown Christmas sights like Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue, with plenty of stops for photos. Suitable for everyone, from families and kids to grandparents and groups of friends, and includes a skip-the-line reserved lunch at Papillon, one of NYC’s most in-demand Christmas restaurants. |
Coach Bus w/ Restroom |
3 hours |
From $99 |
|
|
A once-in-a-lifetime must-do for anyone visiting NYC at Christmas, first-timer or returning guest: the famous Dyker Heights Christmas lights and a Brooklyn skyline view after dark, without the parking or traffic of visiting on your own. Suitable for everyone, with a longer 1-hour neighborhood walk that’s perfect for holiday-mood photos and memories. |
Coach Bus w/ Restroom or Luxury Minivan |
4 hours |
From $69 |
|
|
A quieter, less touristy evening through Lower Manhattan’s Christmas sights, open to everyone, and especially popular with returning guests who’ve already covered Midtown on a previous trip. Ends with skip-the-line, no-cover-charge access to 230 Fifth, NYC’s most in-demand Christmas rooftop bar (21+ to enter the bar on Fridays and Saturdays; all ages welcome the rest of the week). |
Coach Bus w/ Restroom |
4 hours |
From $69 |
COMPARE
How to Choose the Right NYC Christmas Tour
Not sure which one fits? First-time visitors often book all three, since each tour is different and covers its own part of the city, so they complement each other rather than overlap. Here’s a quick side-by-side to help you choose where to start.
The perfect introduction for first-time visitors to New York City: classic Midtown Christmas sights like Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue, with plenty of stops for photos. Suitable for everyone, from families and kids to grandparents and groups of friends, and includes a skip-the-line reserved lunch at Papillon, one of NYC's most in-demand Christmas restaurants.
View Full Tour →A once-in-a-lifetime must-do for anyone visiting NYC at Christmas, first-timer or returning guest: the famous Dyker Heights Christmas lights and a Brooklyn skyline view after dark, without the parking or traffic of visiting on your own. Suitable for everyone, with a longer 1-hour neighborhood walk that's perfect for holiday-mood photos and memories.
View Full Tour →A quieter, less touristy evening through Lower Manhattan's Christmas sights, open to everyone, and especially popular with returning guests who've already covered Midtown on a previous trip. Ends with skip-the-line, no-cover-charge access to 230 Fifth, NYC's most in-demand Christmas rooftop bar (21+ to enter the bar on Fridays and Saturdays; all ages welcome the rest of the week).
View Full Tour →QUESTIONS
NYC Christmas Tours FAQ
Everything you need to know before booking your New York Christmas tour.
Check the comparison table above for a full side-by-side, but as a rule of thumb: if it’s your first time in New York, we suggest starting with My Christmas Morning in Manhattan, then Dyker Heights, DUMBO & Free Hot Chocolate, and finishing with Holiday Spirit in Manhattan. If you can only fit in one or two, book them in that order. If you’re a returning guest who already knows Midtown, go straight to Holiday Spirit in Manhattan, and add Dyker Heights if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s also worth doing every year, since the houses occasionally update their decorations from season to season.
Our Christmas tours in NYC run 3 to 4 hours. We always depart on time, but New York traffic can be unpredictable, so we suggest not booking anything else directly afterward, just in case. In that time we cover a lot more ground than you’d manage on your own, and our coach buses have restrooms on board and give you a chance to warm up between stops.
Weekends and popular time slots start selling out as early as September, so we recommend booking as soon as you know your travel dates. All of our tours are fully cancellable and refundable up to 5 days before departure, so there’s no downside to booking early. You can always change your date or cancel later, but you won’t risk missing out on the tour you want.
Dress for New York winter weather: warm layers, a hat and gloves, and comfortable, weatherproof walking shoes. This matters most on the Dyker Heights tour, which includes about an hour of walking through the neighborhood.
Yes. We have plenty of families with kids join us, and kids especially love seeing the Christmas decorations and lights up close. Children aged 0-2 ride free on a parent’s lap. Just note that Holiday Spirit in Manhattan ends at a rooftop bar with a 21+ policy for bar entry on Fridays and Saturdays.
Hotel pickup is available for our private tours, but not for our public Christmas tours. For those, the meeting point is always Times Square, and the exact address is confirmed in your booking confirmation. Where each tour ends is different. Check the tour card or comparison table above for details.
Have a more specific question? We’ve got a full list of tour-specific and general FAQs.
BOOK NOW
Ready to see Christmas in New York?
Spots fill up fast in December, especially on weekends. Pick your tour above, or message us and we’ll help you choose.
