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Recreation Travel Tips :: New York City Bus Tours
New York City Bus Tours: Booking Bus Tours in New York City
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To introduce yourself to the city, New York City bus tours can be a great way to not only orient yourself, but also get a guided glimpse into the neighborhoods and attractions of New York.
Tourism in New York is a massive industry, with close to 35 million visitors every year. Most of those are overnight visitors and many are people who want to take in a bit of the city, whether they're here on vacation or for business.
There are close to 1200 licensed guides operating in New York City, with a large number of them working for various New York City bus tours. While tour buses are forbidden in certain neighborhoods and areas of New York, it's still a great way to get around and learn about the city.
Before you book a bus tour of New York City, keep reading to find out how to find a good guide and an even better tour company.
Make Sure Guides are Licensed
New York City requires that anyone leading a tour must be licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs. To get licensed, guides must pass a 100-question multiple-choice test. The buses themselves must also be licensed and the drivers licensed to drive them.
Several years ago, a number of tour bus companies were shut down after they were caught hiring drivers without the appropriate licenses.
The major bus tour companies in New York City are Double Decker bus tours, Gray Line Tours, and New York Apple Tours.
Stay Away From Weekends
Weekends aren't just incredibly busy and congested, they're also full of unlicensed guides. If you can, try to book a bus tour for earlier in the morning on a weekday. You'll find line-ups shorter and a greater number of seats will be available. Alternatively, night tours can be fun and also tend to be a bit emptier.
Drop Point or Continuous
Before you book a tour, decide if you want to embark on a continuous bus tour or one that offers drop-offs and pick-ups throughout the city that allow you to get on and off the bus at your leisure. While this may seem like a good idea, you'll often find yourself waiting for a long time until the next bus comes to pick you up.
Call Ahead
To get in touch with the bus companies listed above, you can call ahead and find out about the type of New York City bus tours they offer and their reservation policies. Their contact information is as follows – Gray Line (212) 397-2600, New York Apple Tours (212) 944-9700 and New York Double Decker Tours (800) 692-2870.
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RecreationTravelTips.com :: New York City Bus Tours