Sightseeing Cruises
2–3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$52
$42
per adult
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
4.5
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
New York's oldest and largest provider of scheduled and chartered sightseeing and special event cruises, Circle Line is recognized as one of the most famous boat rides in the world. All Circle Line vessels offer first-class service, delicious food and drinks from our snack bar, the best viewing opportunities and an entertaining, informative tour given by professional guides. "Best of NYC", the cruise that made us famous, takes you completely around Manhattan island with over 101 famous sights in 2 1/2 hours. "Landmarks", takes you to the Statue of Liberty and all of downtown NYC, plus the Brooklyn Bridge in 90 minutes. "Liberty Midtown" is the fastest and best way to see Lady Liberty from midtown. In only 60 minutes, sail down the Hudson River to the Statue and back, passing close by lower Manhattan. "Harbor Lights", 2 hours, is for romantics and sunset lovers . You haven't seen the NYC skyline until you've seen it magically aglow at dusk!
Tours and Tickets by Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Sightseeing Cruises
2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$54
per adult
Sightseeing Cruises
1–2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$44
$36
per adult
Sightseeing Cruises
1 hour
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$32
per adult
Extreme Sports
30 minutes
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$34
per adult
Travelers talk about
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
13,894 reviews
Excellent
8,310
Very good
3,792
Average
971
Poor
408
Terrible
415
Margot C
221 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We did the 2,5 hour ‘best of NY cruise’ for $44 per person. We had not booked in advance and when we arrived 30 mins before departure time there only was a small queue and we quickly got our tickets. The boat was busy, but not packed and we had enough space to move around and take pictures at our convenience. Glad we did not pay $25 (!) per person extra for ‘premium’ seats. The commentator was interesting, but the voice very monotonous and difficult to keep listening to for 2,5 hours. The food and drinks on board are too expensive, so I recommend to take your own snacks. Our teenage boys thought the tour was a bit too long. I agree that the last hour around uptown Manhattan and down over the Hudson back to the docks is less interesting. However, it is certainly worth seeing more of Manhattan than just the part close to the statue of Liberty!
Written February 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for choosing the Best of NYC cruise with Circle Line. We appreciate your candid feedback and are glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us. We also offer a 1 hour cruise on our Liberty Cruise or a 1.5 hour cruise on our Landmarks cruise for guests interested in a shorter sail time. We hope to welcome you back in the future! Best Regards, Jessica W.
Written February 27, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jacqui F
London, UK311 contributions
Aug 2019
Nothing beats viewing Manhattan from the water, and a Circle Line tour is the perfect way to take a trip around the island. We took a Harbor Lights Cruise, which runs throughout the Spring, Summer and Autumn. We paid using a CityPASS, which made it a lot cheaper (as long as you’re combining it with other attractions). Unfortunately, that meant we couldn’t book in advance, so we had to get down there and hour before, but that was no great hardship. The cruise itself is amazing. It goes from Pier 83, down the Hudson, right around the tip of Manhattan and up the East River all the way to about East 25th St, with a viewing stop at the Statue of Liberty along the way. The cruise was accompanied by a guided tour. I don’t know name of our guide but his tour was fantastic; sometimes funny and at other time moving, as he talked us through the history of the river. I would highly recommend the cruise and doing it via City PASS makes for a great cost saving.
Written January 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Jacqui. We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.
Cheers,
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Written January 10, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DeliciousDelilah
Ferryside, UK250 contributions
Feb 2020
A very worthwhile cruise. The Tour Guide was very knowledgable and funny. NYC has an iconic skyline, and the guide was able to point out and elaborate on the many points of interest. This was 2-3 hours very well spent. Choice of open upper deck or enclosed lower deck. Drinks and food on board are pricey, and the concessions take full advantage of their monopoly (not that we Brits would ever advise anyone to take their own snacks and drinks on board!) The only tedious part was having to run the gauntlet of photographers before boarding. Not for us - don't they know that we all have mobile phones taking better pictures for free. Here is a suggestion for the photographers - by all means take the photos, and transmit the pictures to the punters mobile phones or email address. Just saying!
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lorrainelowe2019
Hemel Hempstead, UK18 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
What a great way to see the landmarks of NYC. There are various trips and we chose the Landmarks cruise. Great value for money and very informative captain who knew all there was to know.
Thoroughly recommend this company.
Purchased the digital photo pack and they had put our photo in different locations as memories of our trip. Again great value for money
Halve also previously done the Harbour Lights cruise from which you see the city light up as it gets dark. Plus a great close up view of the Statue of Liberty
You board right next to another attraction’The Intrepid Aircraft carrier museum’ so why not go visit here too
Thoroughly recommend this company.
Purchased the digital photo pack and they had put our photo in different locations as memories of our trip. Again great value for money
Halve also previously done the Harbour Lights cruise from which you see the city light up as it gets dark. Plus a great close up view of the Statue of Liberty
You board right next to another attraction’The Intrepid Aircraft carrier museum’ so why not go visit here too
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Lorraine for your great review, we thank you for being a loyal guest and are happy you enjoyed our tour guides narrative. We hope you took some beautiful photos and that you come back for another cruise with us in the future.
Written February 13, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Scott B
Glasgow, UK14 contributions
Mar 2020
On our first trip to New York, a one hour trip with Circle Line Cruises was included. This was a fantastic experience and I would thoroughly recommend to all, young and old. The boat is a good size with loads of seats. We chose to sit upstairs on the open deck which was very comfortable. The cruise takes you down close to the Statue of Liberty for excellent pictures. The tour guide providing commentary is very knowledgeable.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bazinga__
Dublin, Ireland87 contributions
Nov 2019 • Friends
Harbour lights cruise - it was on our attraction pass but had to pay an extra $10 on the night at the desk, not a problem as we knew beforehand.
We didn’t arrive too early as it was freezing but we still got a great seat, choose to sit outside upstairs, just in front of “vip” padded seats which were completely empty on our night.
Could hear the speaker and what was been said throughout the tour really loud and clear which was great as we have been on some in Amsterdam and you could hear nothing. The views were amazing, plenty of opportunity to see everything and get great photo’s on the way over and back. We stayed around the statue of liberty for a few minutes too which was amazing to see her lit up at night as we had been up into the crown during the day time.
The bar up top wasn’t open on our night not sure if it usually is so if we wanted anything we had to head downstairs and the queue was crazy so we didn’t get anything, we were freezing so it would have been nice to have the option of a warm drink where we were sitting. Other than that we got great photo’s and enjoyed the tour, its something we’d do once, we’ll maybe look at other tours offered by circle line for the next time though.
We didn’t arrive too early as it was freezing but we still got a great seat, choose to sit outside upstairs, just in front of “vip” padded seats which were completely empty on our night.
Could hear the speaker and what was been said throughout the tour really loud and clear which was great as we have been on some in Amsterdam and you could hear nothing. The views were amazing, plenty of opportunity to see everything and get great photo’s on the way over and back. We stayed around the statue of liberty for a few minutes too which was amazing to see her lit up at night as we had been up into the crown during the day time.
The bar up top wasn’t open on our night not sure if it usually is so if we wanted anything we had to head downstairs and the queue was crazy so we didn’t get anything, we were freezing so it would have been nice to have the option of a warm drink where we were sitting. Other than that we got great photo’s and enjoyed the tour, its something we’d do once, we’ll maybe look at other tours offered by circle line for the next time though.
Written January 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your kind words, We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.
Cheers,
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Written January 16, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kdawg282
Doylestown, PA1,589 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
I visited NYC this weekend with some family from out of town and decided to try Circle Line for an nice view of the landmarks. We chose the landmark tour, which gave us a nice view of the Statue of Liberty, and also a great view of the sky line and bridges. We chose to book the VIP option, which allows you to board early with a nice inside view. I’m not sure the VIP is really needed, but it was nice to know we had a seat inside should we need it (it was cold) and there was a server who waited on us. I would highly recommend the cruise.
Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your great review. We are happy to hear you enjoyed your close up with Lady Liberty, we are glad to know you enjoyed your server and that you would recommend our cruise to others. We thank you for choosing Circle Line and hope to welcome you back in the future.
Written February 11, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jason k
2 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
The cruise itself was good and we managed to get some nice photos. Got a bit harder as the cruise went on as people came up from lower decks to stand the sides of the boat taking photos blocking our view when seated.
The food and drink is SO expensive and mediocre that I would avoid. The toilets are filthy.
The worst part is the staff. They are so rude, abusive and unhelpful. We picked up our tickets and the guy told us to queue up on the north side and pointed in the direction. I confirmed the direction with him. Myself and my family began walking towards the North side of the pier and the "security guard" slid his window open in a small hut and shouted at us to question where we were going. I told him that we were directed to this side. He shouted again and I asked him where we were supposed to go and he closed the window and ignored us. We decided to stay where we were told. He waited for a few minutes and went to the ticket desk and then back to his hut. A few minutes later a queue of people arrived to get on the boat so we were in the right place after all. The boarding staff here were no better. Screamed and hit my wife on the chest after she mistakenly moved forward without showing her ticket. We were never directed anywhere after this and just kept walking along the pier until anyone bothered to look interested. They were all totally disinterested and either chatting amongst themselves, playing music or eating. Shambles!!
Would never go back to circle line cruise again.
The food and drink is SO expensive and mediocre that I would avoid. The toilets are filthy.
The worst part is the staff. They are so rude, abusive and unhelpful. We picked up our tickets and the guy told us to queue up on the north side and pointed in the direction. I confirmed the direction with him. Myself and my family began walking towards the North side of the pier and the "security guard" slid his window open in a small hut and shouted at us to question where we were going. I told him that we were directed to this side. He shouted again and I asked him where we were supposed to go and he closed the window and ignored us. We decided to stay where we were told. He waited for a few minutes and went to the ticket desk and then back to his hut. A few minutes later a queue of people arrived to get on the boat so we were in the right place after all. The boarding staff here were no better. Screamed and hit my wife on the chest after she mistakenly moved forward without showing her ticket. We were never directed anywhere after this and just kept walking along the pier until anyone bothered to look interested. They were all totally disinterested and either chatting amongst themselves, playing music or eating. Shambles!!
Would never go back to circle line cruise again.
Written October 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
N M
Les Ormes, France121 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
This was my first daytime trip round Manhattan and it did not disappoint. Our guide Chris was brilliant- knowledgable with a good sense of humour. We got great shots of Manhattan, New Jersey, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Financial district etc. Loved it! Would really recommend the premium seats - far more comfortable but perhaps only for winter as even though it was January I still spent a lot of time outside for photos.
Written January 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your amazing review, we are happy to hear you enjoyed Chris and that you found his narration informative, Chris is part of an amazing team of tour guides and we will make sure he knows how much fun you had on your cruise.
We thank you for choosing Circle Line and hope you come back for another sail with us again!
Best,
Robert Strazza
Director, Guest Experience
rstrazza@nycl.com
Written January 16, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
amanda
24 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
This tour is a great way to see the skyline of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as well. I went on the night cruise which I highly recommend. We were on the boat during sunset which made for amazing photos and a nice reflection off the buildings. It does get a bit chilly as one would expect. There’s lots of room on the boat, whether you’d like to watch from a seat or stand at the front. I was lucky enough to get a spot at the front. Most people stayed standing in their spots the whole time so if you’re looking for a front row view, sit close to the front of the boat so you can get there first. The tour guide was good and informative, but it is hard to hear when you’re on the deck outside. Overall great tour and I highly recommend this boat tour!
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for joining us for a cruise! We are delighted that you enjoyed your experience with us. Sunset is always a special time to see Lady Liberty. We appreciate your feedback and we hope to welcome you back in the future!
Best Regards,
Jessica W.
Written January 27, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yes, there are approximately 16 steps when ascending to higher levels on board.
Written November 19, 2024
Carolina713
Brooklyn, New York
Does anyone know an estimate of the price of drinks and food?
Written November 5, 2022
We recently went on the cruise 10/27. Bag of chips single serve and bottle water = $9.
Written November 5, 2022
Hello,
I have tickets booked for 16/07 for the 2.5hr cruise. I have read its best to get in the line early for better seats / views. Can any shed some light as to how early please?
TIA.
Written May 31, 2022
Not sure but did not see anything that said you could not
Written August 23, 2020
Can you get off at the landmarks like Brooklyn bridge or do you have to stay on until you get back to pier 83?
Thanks
Written January 20, 2020
There’s no offloading from the boat until the trip is complete. It’s still good fun though and fairly relaxing
Written January 25, 2020
Throughout the internet, You can search everything
Written January 17, 2020
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