There are few places that feel more festive than New York during Christmastime. Soak up its holiday spirit on this New York sightseeing tour, including stops at the Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Snap photos in front of the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, admire the festive window displays of Fifth Avenue stores, and browse stalls in the magical Bryant Park holiday market.

See New York's Christmas sights with a guide to avoid the hassle of a map
Hear about holiday traditions at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Pose for photos in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree
Savor the festive spirit on Fifth Avenue and the Bryant Park market

What's Included

Local guide

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transportation to/from attractions
Audio Guide (translates the tour)
Tickets to Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Entrance to Rocekfeller Center skating rink

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, NY 10022, USA
The tour meets in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral at 5th Avenue between 50th and 51st. Our guide will be there to greet you 15 minutes before the tour, which begins promptly at 6:00pm. They will be holding a white and blue checked flag with our logo on it. If you are running late, please call our office at (718) 806-1706. Although we do not guarantee that you will catch up with the group, we will do our best to accommodate you.

Start time

06:00 pm

End point

Herald Square
Herald Square, New York, NY, USA
Macy's Herald Square

What To Expect

Your festive experience begins at St. Patrick's Cathedral, a Gothic-style gem that holds the record for one of the largest Catholic cathedrals in the United States. Here, you’ll greet your guide before heading inside to admire celebratory decorations and hear of American holiday traditions.

Then, stroll to the colossal Rockefeller Center and pose for photographs in front of its famous Christmas tree. Proceed to Radio City Music Hall, one of New York’s premier musical venues, before you head to the Bryant Park holiday market, located in Downtown.

Browse stalls selling festive foods and artisan Christmas gifts, then marvel at the dramatic window displays on Fifth Avenue, replete with sophisticated boutiques. Your tour concludes outside of one of the world’s most famous department stores, where you’ll hear of the franchise’s history before bidding your guide farewell.

Rockefeller Center

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Radio City Music Hall

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

St. Patrick's Cathedral

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bryant Park

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Macy's Herald Square

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Herald Square (Pass By)

5 th Avenue (Pass By)

New York Public Library (Pass By)

Saks Fifth Avenue (Pass By)

30 Rockefeller Center (Pass By)

Diamond District

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Empire State Building (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the tour's designated start time. The tour departs promptly and no refunds will be given for guests who miss the tour due to being late
Admission to St. Patrick's not available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Rockefeller Center Tree is not lit and decorated until early December (varies per year)
A moderate amount of walking is involved, please wear appropriate shoes
There is no need to confirm your reservation with our office
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
If canceled because of dangerous weather, you will be given the option of an alternative tour date or full refund
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough guests to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Company reserves the right to deviate from the route of the tour in the event of marches, parades, and circumstances beyond our control.

Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Once the tour begins, if you make the decision to not follow the guide or their instructions, we cannot guarantee we can reunite you with the group.
Most travellers can participate
Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

I should have asked so be aware that you have to figure out the parking situation.

This was a great way to see the area, take in the good sights, and not feel overwhelmed trying to see it all.

Reviews

4.5

46 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 46 reviews

This was one of many...

Avis_M, Dec 2022

This was one of many tours I’ve taken with your company. I’ve never written a bad review…. In fact I’d like to request a refund. This was the most unorganized tour I’ve ever experienced. We left after the third stop it was so unsafe it was scary. The guide was unable to continue due to crowds and it was dangerous with small children and babies.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

That area of Rockefeller Center is always busy during the holiday season, if you have an eversion to crowds, I would recommend not coming to New York City during peak travel periods.

Tour was great, but guide lacked personality.

Jason_U, Dec 2022

The tour itself is incredibly interesting and really a great way to see most of the highlights that tourists are interested in. Our guide was friendly enough at the start of the tour , but turned snippy and downright rude toward the end when I told him we would have to split from the tour when we got to the 9/11 site so we could make our 2PM 9/11 museum reservation. He wouldn't even look at me when I thanked him for guiding the tour.

Gabby conquered the crowds!

Michele_E, Dec 2022

I have never seen such massive crowds is NYC - even pre pandemic. It definitely made getting around tricky, but our tour guide Gabby was up to the challenge! She was friendly, informative and fun!

Great tour to see the highlights!

Cathy_M, Dec 2022

Great way to see some of the highlights of the city. Decorations were beautiful and our guide, Gabby was fantastic! Very knowledgeable, energetic, friendly and professional. Definitely worth your time at a very reasonable price.

Christine was our tour...

Rosa_M, Dec 2022

Christine was our tour guide and she was great! Very personable and knowledgeable. My daughter and I enjoyed our tour very much!

Highly recommend

Kaysha_Y, Dec 2022

Christine was super friendly, organized and a knowledgeable tour guide. This was my mom's first time in NYC and she had an excellent time on the tour. Her Christmas gift was to experience Christmas in NY and she got the full experience.

Guide was very nice and...

Amy_R, Dec 2022

Guide was very nice and informative. She had a great personality and great vibe. She showed us the major spots to see Christmas lights. And thank goodness for the flag otherwise we would have lost her!

Best holiday light tour of NYC

Sarah_S, Dec 2022

Tour guide Christine was so amazing on this tour. This is by far our most favorite tour we’ve taken in NY. Christine was so knowledgeable on all the Christmas displays and made sure we were given enough time at each stop to take in all the views. Highly recommend this tour and tour guide!

Great tour!

Ruth_S, Dec 2022

Gaby was a fantastic guide. Really enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The group was a great size, felt just intimate enough.

It was great to have a...

Heather_W, Dec 2022

It was great to have a guide and learn some history that I didn’t know. Christine was very knowledgeable.

Not worth it

Elizabeth_O, Dec 2022

Terrible customer service couldn’t make the tour because of traffic and was told to call, offered to meet up at a later sight like the ad says may be possible and was basically just dismissed with a “that’s not how it works”

Sin City to City of Lights

Erika_W, Dec 2022

My assistant and I install many holiday decorations in Las Vegas and were in the City for an event of ours. While we were here, we took in the holiday sights with Claire. She was truly great! The perfect mix of informational and personable!!

I love new york ❤

Milly_A, Dec 2021

Laura was amazing ,a lot of knowloge and love for what she does ,looking foward to do and recommend another tour with her.

Viator is the worst

Meghan_K, Dec 2021

The whole experience from booking the tickets to the tour itself. I was so unhappy with it! The tour guide was completely unaware of crowds and we could barely move she kept leaving everyone and no microphone we couldn’t hear her at all

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Hi Meghan, Unfortunately we have no control over the booking process. If Viator is such a terrible company than don’t use them in the future. That being said, you are not leaving a review for Viator but a separate entity. According to our records you took a Holiday tour in a Saturday. Unless you’re completely oblivious you should have known there would be crowds. Our guide did not leave anyone behind. All of our guides carry flags making themselves extremely visible to the group, but for those that choose to ignore instructions that’s one them. If you couldn’t hear..than you should have said something, we’re not mind readers. Some guides choose not to use mikes because they often do not work properly. If you’re hard if hearing we suggest you let future guides know so they can situate you closer to them or speak louder. It sounds like you’re not really the type of person who should be be taking tours as you cannot appreciate the experience with a highly rated guide and company and might be better off doing things solo.

Very nice tour. Loved the...

Carrisa_T, Dec 2021

Very nice tour. Loved the guide and loved that it kicked off at St. Patrick’s! We really enjoyed it!

Loved Laura our guide!...

Sherrie_B, Dec 2021

Loved Laura our guide! She was very informative and an awesome story teller! Was very patient trying to keep all our group together! She was great!

Delightful.

wanderingkale, Jan 2020

Our tour guide was wonderful and had plenty of isight into the history and goings-on of the area. She provided lots of information, tips, and photo suggestions. This was a great way to see the area, take in the good sights, and not feel overwhelmed trying to see it all. A wonderful tour and great guide.

Family Fun

Ctroskoph, Dec 2019

We had a large group -- 10 -- ranging in age from 6-81. We were prepared for a lot of walking and for the cold. The tour was good but not great. It did not exactly match the description and was more of a history tour of New York than a focus on the holiday stuff (I did not particularly care to go down diamond alley and hear about Adam Sandler's new movie.). The main thing I wanted to see with the kids was the Saks display and we did not stop there. Granted, the city was mobbed and that is not the tour's fault. I also thought that the tour ended where we started and it ended at Macy's. I should have asked so be aware that you have to figure out the parking situation.

Great tour leader for all.

Daryl_B, Dec 2019

Tour leader included everyone and was excited about her tour. She knew her subject and areas very well.

Walking Tour

Connie_S, Dec 2019

This excursion was boring and not at all like it was portrayed. Definitely not worth the money. We were very disappointed.