Top New York City Literary Tours

One of the most iconic symbols of America, the Statue of Liberty rises up from New York Harbor, welcoming the immigrants who once entered the United States through nearby Ellis Island. Pay a visit to Lady Liberty and learn the stories of those who passed through Ellis Island with this convenient and flexible tour that lets you choose how long you want to spend at each attraction.

See the highlights of New York City without the hassle of navigating traffic or public transportation with a hop-on hop-off tour. This tour enables busy travelers to relax and enjoy the sights from a double-decker bus; depending on the option you pick, you can access both Uptown and Downtown routes . Along the way, choose to disembark to see the attractions that interest you most, rather than being caught up on a group tour.

Get up close and personal with Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on a tour that covers two essential NYC landmarks. Listen to the live narration from your guide, and enjoy priority access to the ferry, saving you time spent waiting in long lines. Then, get the best views of Manhattan as you cross New York Harbor by boat, and get ready to discover the sights.

Prebook your admission to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in lower Manhattan, and guarantee your entry to the center that documented the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Museum artifacts include first-person accounts of what happened on that September morning in 2001, multi-media displays, and exhibits on history, which commemorate nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the attacks.

Artists have always called New York City’s Greenwich Village home. Learn about the artists of this area from past and present during this Greenwich Village walking tour. Perfect for new and seasoned visitors to NYC, hear little-known facts about Edgar Allan Poe, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and countless others, that you wouldn’t hear if exploring independently. Walk the winding streets and visit Washington Square Park, reliving more than 200 years of history.

Take a deep dive into the history and culture of Harlem with this exclusive gospel experience that includes a visit to a neighborhood church with a local guide to enjoy a traditional Sunday gospel service. Join local women in their immaculate Sunday best to listen to the lively worship songs and get to know this important historic neighborhood through one of its most vibrant traditions.

Though there’s serious competition for where to find the best NYC views, you can enjoy the cityscape from the tallest outdoor observation platform in the entire Western Hemisphere with a visit to the Edge Observation Deck. Secure this prebooked admission ticket to guarantee your time slot, and head to the West Side to experience New York’s newest, sky-high attraction. Just walk across a suspended glass floor and enjoy 360-degree views.

Get up close and personal with several New York City icons on this hassle-free tour. Meet your guide in Battery Park, and receive priority access to the Statue of Liberty ferry. You'll sail across the New York Harbor to Liberty Island, where you'll learn explore the Statue of Liberty Museum. Next, hop on another ferry to Ellis Island to discover the stories of the millions of immigrants who journeyed through this historic site.

Harlem is one of New York City’s most culturally rich neighborhoods. Don’t miss out on its beauty just because you don’t know where to go on your own. This Harlem Sunday morning gospel tour, complete with a gospel choir service, takes care of the details for you. See local landmarks like the Apollo Theater and Cotton Club, and explore different parts of this neighborhood. Upgrade to include a soul food brunch at a local restaurant.

In remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001, take this guided tour of Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial. Walk through the space of the former World Trade Center in NYC, and get a deeper understanding of the events that took place on that day. Your ticket includes skip-the-line access to the 9/11 Museum and Memorial, as well as the One World Observatory for panoramic views of the city.

Harlem’s contributions to hip-hop are unmatched, and on this guided walking tour led by a hip-hop historian, you can check out important landmarks like the Apollo Theater, the Graffiti Wall of Fame, Lenox Lounge, and historic Harlem jazz clubs. See popular locations for hip-hop music videos and hear exclusive stories. Admission to the Museum of the City of New York is included.

Don’t settle for seeing Central Park through the window of a non-stop tour bus. Instead, make the most of good weather and enjoy a tour of the park in one of New York City’s iconic horse-drawn carriages. Hear about the history of Central Park and the Big Apple from your driver and take advantage of photo stops at park highlights made famous in so many movies, books and television shows.

On this New York to Washington DC tour, check out the nation’s capital in a day with all logistics, transport, and entrance fees included. Traveling by comfortable minivan or bus with a guide for commentary—another advantage over an independent trip—you'll view landmarks including the White House and Washington Monument. Plus, visit Arlington Cemetery and the National Smithsonian Air and Space Museum or National Museum of Natural History.

Get an equal taste of local brews and local literary icons during this historic tour of Greenwich Village. Follow your friendly guide through city streets and learn where writers, poets, and playwrights lived, drank. and partied. You have time to relax at each stop—purchase a drink if you'd like—while you guide shared details about some of the city's most influential minds.

Explore the literary side of Brooklyn on a 3 hour walking tour with an informative guide. Visit Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill, stopping at bars that were favorite watering holes for renowned writers. Purchase a drink to sip while hearing passages of the writers' work read aloud and learning about the history of the the bars, the neighborhoods and New York City as a whole. You'll gain insight into the urban planning of Robert Moses, and check out architectural and historical points of interest on this fun and fascinating tour.

New York City is filled with TV and movie filming locations from some of the most popular super-hero movies. Let a guide show you more than 40, and take the stress out of trying to find them on your own. From Spider-Man to The Avengers, and Batman and Superman, visit well-known spots where these superheroes saved the world during this super tour of NYC heroes and comics.

Join us for “Griffins, Goblets, and Gold,” an interactive ‘Magical Arts’ tour in the Metropolitan Museum inspired by a well-loved book series about magic and wizards. See spaces and places that might remind you of those in the books, from part of an actual castle to mythical creatures that resemble those in the story. You’ll participate in activities, explore the museum from a wizard’s perspective… and maybe even do a little magic. (Appropriate interactive wizards gear is encouraged.) Advance reservations required. Please allow two hours for your tour. Please note: There are no objects or replicas of objects from the movies in the Metropolitan Museum. These tours are in no way endorsed by or affiliated with J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Arthur Levine Books, Scholastic, Little, Brown, Pottermore or Warner Bros.