Budget vs luxury: Getting value for your money in NYC tours

As you would have heard many times before, New York City is an expensive place to tour. However, it doesn’t break your bank to tour this beautiful city. Careful planning helps to keep expenses to a minimum, even in a city like New York. This way, you get to enjoy the beauty of the city without overspending. Budget vs luxury: getting value for your money in NYC tours. Here’s how you can do it.

Budget vs luxury: Getting value for your money in NYC tours (Budget Tours)

Free tours

What if you get to know that there are many free things to do in NYC? Yes, it is true that there are free tours you can experience in the city. For example, you can view the Statue of Liberty while cruising, all for free. You can take the Staten Island Ferry for some amazing views of the Statue of Liberty, free of charge. Avoid paying for Statue of Liberty cruises when you can experience the same for free. Moreover, you can walk the High Line, the Brooklyn Bridge, and take a stroll in Central Park, for free.

Budget tours

Taking walking tours is one of the best ways to explore NYC on a budget. There are many free walking tours that you can do in the city. You can use self-guided walking tour apps. Moreover, there are also many free, tip-based walking tours that you can make use of to help avoid the high ticket prices of tours. “Free Tours by Foot” is one such walking tour that you can go on to explore NYC.  The standard amount for tip-based walking tours is about $20, and that is all you need to pay as a tip.

Hop-on hop-off & large group buses

Hop-on hop-off and large group buses are also excellent ways to go around NYC. Standard adult tickets for these buses start from around $60 – $75. These bus tours are perfect for first-time visitors to NYC. This way, they can see all major landmarks in the city without the hassle of navigating the subway. Visiting these attractions in the subway could prove to be challenging for first-time visitors.

Themed specialty tours

Themed specialty tours are also quite affordable in NYC. There’s so much knowledge and experience you can gain from these tours. These tours consist of guided walks through neighborhoods like Chinatown and Greenwich Village. Tour prices range between $35 and $99. Often, these tours also include small food tasting opportunities in these neighborhoods.

Public alternatives

There are also other alternative affordable tours that you could take to explore NYC. A NYC ferry ride will cost you only $4.00 in total. Moreover, you may even go on a subway trip for $3.00. All of these work well as self-guided tours of the Manhattan skyline and local neighborhoods. It is perfect for those who have already been to NYC before and are on a strict budget.

Dining and transport

You can go on the subway instead of spending money on taxis, which could add up to costs. Furthermore, you can eat at bodegas, food trucks, and Chinatown, where food is quite cheap. These places have budget-friendly meals that will cost you anywhere between $30 and $50 a day.

When to visit

The time you visit New York also makes a significant difference in how much you have to spend. Traveling in the off-season is the best as opposed to traveling in peak season. The off-season in NYC is from January to March and November. These are the times you can expect to spend less compared to peak season.

Budget vs luxury: Getting value for your money in NYC tours (Luxury Tours)

Exclusive private tours

You can book exclusive private tours tailored to your requirements and preferences. This will cost you more as it falls under the category of luxury tours. The advantage of these tours is that you can avoid crowds, especially at major attractions. These types of tours are especially common when visiting museums in bundles.

Private SUV tours

There are comprehensive 3 to 6-hour private SUV tours for small groups. It is ideal if you choose privacy with only your family members to enjoy together. Moreover, this option is also popular among families with limited mobility. It is because these tours include hotel pickup, drop-off, and tailored itineraries to suit their pace and requirements. These private SUV tours cost between $625 and $1395.

Exclusive attraction access

Most of the major attractions in NYC offer premium experiences at an added cost. Places like the Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, and the SUMMIT Vanderbilt offer luxury and VIP experiences at a premium price. Premium experience at the Empire State Building will start from around $175. A 90-minute guided tour of the same will cost around $500.

Bespoke concierge services

Bespoke concierge services provide a unique and luxurious experience for elite clients. It is perfect for those who want unique experiences that are specially curated for them. There are high-end tour agents that curate multi-day, “once-in-a-lifetime” itineraries for affluent travelers and elite clients. These luxury travel agents want to provide a unique experience to travelers who go in search of the same.

Luxury transportation

For a more luxurious experience, try a helicopter tour of NYC. Viewing the Manhattan skyline from the top of it all could be one of the most surreal experiences you will ever have. Helicopter tours of the Manhattan skyline typically start from around $322 per person for short flights. The duration of these flights is about 15 minutes per session. Longer flights of about 30 minutes will cost more, but will give you an enhanced experience.

Unique tours

Apart from helicopter tours, you can also go on boat tours and cruises to experience the New York skyline. Luxury cruises will give you some of the best experiences. You can view the Status of Liberty and watch the sun set over the Manhattan skyline.

Service and convenience

Luxury transportation involves the following, which provide excellent service and convenience to travelers.

• Private transportation (luxury private coach, helicopter, etc.)
• Skip-the-line entry
• Expert guides
• Personalized itineraries

All these provide a premium and comfortable experience to travelers.

Budget vs luxury: Getting value for your money in NYC tours

Making a decision: Budget

A budget tour focuses on maximising the number of experiences, focusing on using public transport and going on self-guided tours. This will help keep costs to a minimum. A budget tour will cost approximately $108 o $188 per person per day.

Making a decision: Luxury

Luxury tours focus on specified services uniquely customized to suit each client’s preferences. It is perfect for maximising comfort, saving time, and gaining exclusive access. Luxury tours typically cost approximately $400 or above.

How to maximize your budget

Here’s how you can maximize your budget to gain value for your money in NYC.

Off-peak discounts

The off-season is the best period to travel to NYC. Off-peak season includes the winter season. As it is extremely cold, many travelers avoid traveling to NYC during this period. Therefore, you get a chance to see attractions without the usual crowd. However, you should not travel during the holidays, such as the Christmas season. Traveling during the winter season can reduce tour and accommodation costs significantly.

Free museum entry

Museums in NYC provide free entry when visiting on specific days and times. Therefore, you need to know when and at what time these museums provide free entry. Checking the museum’s website will give you information on this. Popular museums like the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) provide free entry on the “first Friday” or first “First Saturday” of the month. Look out for these events at these major museums.

Group Travel

Traveling in large groups of six people or more helps to reduce travel costs significantly. You can hire a private van tour for about $995. This becomes more cost-effective per person than purchasing multiple individual tickets for high-end group tours.

Conclusion

This is how you get value for your money in NYC tours. You can visit major attractions in NYC without breaking the bank. All you have to do is plan appropriately and use the above strategies to help save on costs.