New York Full Day Private Tour: Hidden Gems & Local Highlights

This is the perfect experience because you can let your tour guide know what you'd like to see ahead of time and they plan the day accordingly to make the most out of the time you have together. Our guide Denise was fantastic and made sure we saw all the things we wanted and shared history and interesting facts about each of the areas we visited. She also gave us great tips for other areas to explore and things to do on our own, as well as areas to avoid! I highly recommend this activity and would ask for Denise as your guide. Enjoy New York, I know my husband and I sure did!

Our took deviated a bit from my initial desire to see some of Robert Moses impact on NYC, but Mei guided my son and I through Grand Central Station, the subway system, and Roosevelt Island with information on some of Moses’ influences on the city. Wish we had more time, but the lines were very long for the ferry, so we took the overhead tram ride to Roosevelt Island and had a pleasant walk with really nice views of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Ross was our tour guide and he was fantastic. He listened to what we wanted to see and made sure we packed it all in - even though it rained much of the time! We came prepared. Ross was an excellent and very helpful communicator prior to our meet up as well. Highly recommend!

We have booked many private tours for our family when we traveled in other US cities and though Europe. I expect the guide to be knowledgeable about the city and provide context to the sites we visit. We gave our guide a list of places we'd like to visit during our 6 hour private tour well in advance. I expected the guide would plan an itinerary and lead us through the day. This did not happen. Of the 8 spots we requested to see, we only made it to 4 locations. Our guide did not have much to share about these locations. It felt more like they viewed their job as transportation facilitator.

A full immersion into New York gems. Mei helped me understanding different aspects of NY by visiting Brooklyn, Dumbo, Chelsea and and by taking the ferry, bus and subway

We opted for the 8 hour tour and it was worth every penny. I sent our guide my desired itinerary with all of the things we’d like to see. Olga made it happen! She was so professional and very personable. She took us to local spots that were not packed with tourists, which we loved. We walked over 11 miles, so be prepared to walk a lot if you have several things you’d like to see. Olga was so well versed with directions in the city, history, art, and all of the buildings we came across. She also curated the tour to match our values and lifestyle. We appreciated her pointing out Catholic Churches along the way and she even took us into the Trump tower-which was totally cool! 11/10 recommend Olga if you want a flawless experience.

Olga was a dream of a tour guide. From the second we got linked with her via email she started emailing with ideas and itinerary items. We travelled with 2 small kids (8/10 yo) and she was patient with them needing breaks from walking. She easily accommodated their food requests. When crossing the street she always made sure they were safe. My kids instantly felt comfortable with her. She not only educated my husband and I on the city but even tailored what she said for the kids to understand. She was patient and kind. We would’ve never have done everything we did/saw in 1 day had we done it alone. She took us to great places that locals use. She was amazing and highly recommend her! If you’re on the fence about it- just do it!

Our guide Ross was great. We were able to see all main NY attractions by foot. 6 hour tour is optimal for this

Great experience to have a guide help us navigate the city and get in the sights. Our guide Mei was great, patient and we had a great time!

Had a wonderful time in New York City thanks to our guide Ed. Ed navigated with ease and showed us so much in our one day visit. We logged over 11 miles so we didn’t feel guilty about eating all that wonderful food and cheesecake!

Our guide, Olga, was fantastic! We started at Washington Square Park and Grenich Village where Olga showed us a quieter side of NYC. She connected old New York and new, and pointed out nature and architectural marvels. We then went downtown for some sites and shopping for the more typical NYC sites. We went to Bryant Park, the public library and famous lions, and Grand Central Station. She was friendly while being knowledgeable. Her passion for NYC was wonderful. Olga showed a lot of consideration for our group which had seniors and a kid too. We walked a lot, but it was a great way to get acquainted with NYC. Our group took a picture with Olga at the end. Even when our tour was over, she shared tons of links with us. The perfect NYC host!

Mei Yen was an excellent guide! She was able to organize a time and cost efficient route based on my itinerary that I gave. Set realistic goals and come open minded and enjoy!

For a Filipina like me, being able to visit United States is maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity. I realized that New York is just an hour away from North Carolina, where I am staying. I grabbed the opportunity for fly to the City that never sleeps, even for just a day. And I believe I took the best decision. City Unscripted was able to accommodate my request and assigned me an incredible tour guide who took care of me and made sure that I get to spend every bit of my money wisely in New York. I HAD A BLAST! Even for just 8 hours. I love how much you can do in the city even for just little time.

Olga was a great tour guide! She met us at our hotel & we began our walking tour. She was very knowledgeable about New York City and showed us many places & things we would not have seen on our own. Olga was an awesome guide & we had a fantastic day because of her!

Great walking tour with Maurita, she was very knowledgable and took me to some very interesting sights in New York. The tour was tailored based on what I wanted to see and do. A really enjoyable afternoon. I would recommend Maurita and definitely book her again for another tour.

Great tips and advice. Felt safe. Helpful to see a lot of NYC in a short time! Well worth it! We saw local spots and well known locations. It was tailored to my wishes and I loved the experience!

Jason was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and keen to share interesting facts about New York. I was able to tailor the tour based on what I wanted to see which was very important as I had limited time. I would definitely recommend Jason and book him again for my next Tour.

Nothing as awesome as getting the right suggestions to places you never knew existed. This was our experience. Olga was also very nice with our baby. We felt really calm and happy going around the city.

Our guide Mei was awesome. She was friendly and she showed us aI ot in a short period of time. We walked and took the subway. She even explained the subway system to us so we’re able to navigate on our own later in the day and the days to follow. It was 95 degrees and sunny so Mei planned a route that took us through air conditioned places for a reprieve.

Edward made the sequencing of events a smooth process and was able to navigate our specific requests in a timely manner that allowed us to keep our young children engaged and happy.

I greatly enjoyed this service- I gave a four instead of a five only because the host that I had been speaking with was changed on me at the last minute and I was a little uncomfortable with that and was not completely happy with it. However, our new hostess did an excellent job and before our day was over I felt like I had made a new friend. I just did not like the change being made at the last minute.

We loved the personalized nature of the tour. It was our first time to New York and our guide, Ed, made our tour intimate and tailored it to our day. He actually changed our itinerary in the fly because he wanted us to experience certain unique places that we would not have seen on any other tour.

Edward planned a fantastic day for us with so many excellent things to see! His knowledge of the history and ease of getting us from place to place was amazing. Such a great day!

Bill was a fabulous tour guide for our eight hour visit to New York. He took us all around and we felt very safe and comfortable in our surroundings. We would never have been able to have seen all of the landmarks and history without him and his knowledge.

Bill was very knowledgeable! We had an excellent walking tour through Time Square, Rockefeller Center and Central Park. We learned so much about the history of the city and its beautiful architecture. Would highly recommend this tour if you only have a short time in the city.

The guide that we had did not provide any insight into the history of the buildings that we saw and also she was not able to show us any hidden gems of NY as I was expecting. We would have been able to walk by ourselves without paying anything. It was the worst experience from all viator experiences up to now.

Plan your visit when the UN isn't having an event because accommodation go up 300%. We paid $1700.00 for 4 nights at a Springfield Suites hotel. Room was clean but very quiet and cramped. Breakfast and daily happy hour included. We had a special room rate others paid $6000.00 for 5 days. Traffic was horrible streets blocked off for diplomatic vehicles. Don't bother dinning at Tavern on the Green service and food very under whelping. A Mr. Matt heard our group complaints but didn't offer anything but hearing our voice. For over $400.00 go else where. Left and Uber drivers amazing. If you have a group of 3 cheaper to hire a driver who will take you to all the sites, stop for lunch and take you to photo vista's that are amazing. Starr Steakhouse worth $$. Staff was amazing as well as the fabulous prime steaks and sides. New York is a walkable city and not easy if your using a walker. So plan ahead.

It’s our first time here from California and had one Day to experience this enormous city. We definitely like personal tours and when we found out it could be completely personalized we were in! Riding subways, experiencing the World Trade Center memorial, walking through greenwich Village, eating local food. And he was completely working at our pace. It was perfect. All in three hours!!!! Thanks again

Great experience with Mei! She personalized our tour with places we wanted to visit and see. Ate in Chinatown at amazing 456. Food was delish and affordable. Rode the ferry and subway. Wouldn’t have know how to without a guide. Highly recommend getting a guide if you want to see New York and have a great experience get yourself a guide!

This was an absolutely amazing tour. Kamilia was our tour guide and she was very knowledgeable and made our trip very interesting. I would definitely recommend her as your tour guide.

We had an excellent day. Maurita helped us see a lot including multiple things we weren’t expecting but also enjoyed . She also helped with directions and timing, between other activities we planned for the afternoon and evening. Ensuring we understood directions and could make the engagements. We 100% would recommend a fun comfortable tour in NY with Maurita:-)

Benji did a great job, very knowledgeable. I was surprised the Brooklyn Bridge and the Met were not on the tour

I spent the fast with Maurita. I made a list of the places we went: Carrie Bradshaw's apartment 'Sex in the City'. 'Friend's' apartment. Cafe where Meg Ryan made a spectacle of herself - 'When Harry Met Sally'. Bob Dylan's apartment in the 60s. Stonewall - where the gay pride revolution began. Movie poster/location from 'Once Upon a Time in America' - Brooklyn. Statue of Liberty. Went to a Pickle festival... Saw the oldest cemetery in the US. Walked around Chinatown, The Bowrey, Greenwich Village and Williamsburg. Little Italy... grabbed a coffee at ther cafe that introduced the Cappuccino to the USA. This cafe just happened to have Caravaggios student paintings in it. Walked the Brooklyn Bridge.. My feet felt broken at the end of long full day... 😯 Maurita is not a native New Yorker but she's been here long enough to love and know it. She's a writer so is very interested in NYs history. I visited places I would never have found or thought of looking at. Happy to answer questions and just a nice person. You'll have a good with this kind of unofficial tour.