10 Self-Guided Tours in New York to Plan a Day Around

1.Skyline Night Bus Audio Narrated Tour Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 138 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $49Our pick

Take an approximately 90-minute open-top bus loop from Midtown, with prerecorded narration in 11 languages and views of Times Square, landmark skyscrapers, bridges, and the Financial District. You stay on board rather than hopping off or entering attractions. Seats are first-come, first-served, so arrive early if you want an upper-deck spot.

“They don't leave on time, bad customer service, no heat on the bus. Took three hours to get back in to town.”

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2.St. Patrick’s Cathedral Official Self-Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 45 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $20

Explore St. Patrick’s Cathedral at your own pace with an official audio-visual tour in English, Spanish, French, Italian or Portuguese. The hour-long program covers the cathedral’s stained glass, bronze doors, Rose Window, Pietà and notable altars. You can use a sanitized device or download the tour to your phone. No live guide is included.

“Although the audio recording did not go in a very fluid manner, it provided very interesting facts. And it was just the right length.”

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3.Statue Of Liberty & Ellis Island Skip The Queue Audio Guide Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $101Top rated

Take a self-guided ferry trip from Battery Park to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, with QR entry tickets and audio guides for both historic sites. Walk around the Statue of Liberty, visit its museum, and explore the immigration museum at your own pace. Plan on four to five hours, including airport-style security. Pedestal and crown access are not included.

“Amazing day! The audio guide was super easy to use and told great stories about the history. We loved being able to walk around at our own speed without a guide rushing us.”

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4.Cathedral of St. John the Divine: Self-Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews · 1 hour · from $15

This one-hour, self-guided visit gives you entry to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Explore its Gothic scale, stained glass, sculpture, tapestries and art spanning from 15th-century masters to a Keith Haring altarpiece. There is no guide, so you set the pace and choose what to study.

“visite instructive et la cathédrale est de toute beauté”

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5.Self-Guided Tour of the Museum at Eldridge Street

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 13 reviews · 1 hour · from $7

Explore the Museum at Eldridge Street at your own pace in about an hour. Your visit takes in an 1887 synagogue, Moorish Revival architecture, 60 historic stained glass windows, and a contemporary window by Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans. Self-guided materials are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Admission is $7 per person.

“Koniecznie zobaczyć w N.Y Synagoga przepiękna plus historia narodu.”

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6.A Gilded Age Audio Guide: New York’s Millionaire Row

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes (approx.) · from $14

Follow a self-guided English audio tour from East 60th Street to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. GPS cues guide you past Gilded Age mansions, exclusive clubs, Madison Avenue, and Central Park sights. At $14.99, it takes about 80 to 100 minutes, and you can pause, rewind, or explore at your own pace.

“Perfect pace for a solo tour. I was able to stop and start when I saw different things along the way. They even tell you where there are restroom stops. Extremely informative.”

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7.Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO Self-Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $14

Explore Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO on a self-guided audio walk of more than two miles and 25 stories. The Action Tour Guide app leads you from the Brooklyn Bridge through neighborhood landmarks to the Brooklyn War Memorial. Download the tour in advance, then listen offline and stop whenever you like. It costs $14.99 per person and remains valid for lifetime use.

“A++Great audio, easy to follow and good value for money. Very informative and easy to follow once started the trip.”

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8.Brooklyn, NY Street Art Puzzle Quest: Self-Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 5 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $5Best value

Follow the Questo app from 175 Broadway to 162 N 9th St, solving clues at seven Williamsburg stops. This self-guided game takes about 70 minutes, works offline, and costs $5.99 per person, with kids free. You set the pace, but expect a neighborhood walk as well as street art: some art may be obscured or no longer visible.

“Great idea but directions were not great and some of the art was covered over with scaffold or advertising but it was a good way to find our way around”

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9.Brooklyn Bridge Self-guided Bike Tour App – Audio + Written

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 3 reviews · 365 days · from $5

Use the Unlimited Biking app to explore Lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Brooklyn by bike or on foot. Location-based stops combine short audio and written histories with movie locations, photo spots, food tips, and public restroom locations. The tour costs $5, but it does not include a bicycle or helmet.

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10.Brooklyn’s Oasis: Audio Guide to Prospect Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes (approx.) · from $9

This self-guided English audio tour takes you from the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial at Grand Army Plaza through Prospect Park’s waterfalls, historic waterworks, lake, and Long Meadow. Follow GPS directions at your own pace, with offline maps and audio. Allow about 90 to 105 minutes for walking, plus time to pause at the sights.

“I used Apple Maps along side the tour to help keep me on track. It’s a wonderful, entertaining and educational tour and I highly recommend it to get the most out of a visit to Prospect Park. It’s quite a long walk and there are some stairs involved, so be aware if that presents a challenge for you. Wear comfy shoes and your Air Buds, and bring water and snacks. There are loads of photo ops! Also you will have to walk about 1/2 mi further to exit the park at the end of the tour.”

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