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Beyond New York City

Circle Line: 2hr - New York City Harbor Lights Cruise

Badge of Excellence
New York City, USA
Trending
Booked 5+ times in 12 hours.
  • 2 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.4
·
· Paige_M ·
May 2026
My family and I loved the 2 hour harbor cruise and 100% recommend it! The views, sunset and information shared were awesome!
· Greg_H ·
Jun 2026
This was absolutely amazing. I feel we got a special treatment because while just before we started it POURED rain, the end result was amazing sunset shots WITH RAINBOWS! Tip: Arrive early. We were able to board at 6:15 for a 7pm departure...got exactly the seats we wanted.

Overview

Experience the lights of New York City at sunset on this twilight cruise along Manhattan Skyline. Book your ticket in advance online to spare any fuss on the night and set sail to enjoy the illuminated landmarks while learning about the city from a guide’s informative commentary. This tour is a great way to end a day of sightseeing or kick off a night on the town.
  • Beverages, food, and souvenirs are available for purchase onboard
  • Admire Manhattan’s lights from a new perspective
  • Learn about the sights from a live guide
  • Prebook your ticket to confirm a place on your ideal evening

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

See NYC from the water—with live narration—when the sun sets and the city lights switch on.

What's Included

  • Live narration by Circle Line’s world-famous guides (in English)
  • Download the Circle Line App in 9 different languages (Headphones required) See below for more.
  • 2-hour Sightseeing Cruise
  • Indoor & Outdoor Seating
  • Bathrooms on board
  • Complimentary High-Speed Wi-Fi onboard
  • Food & Beverages (Available for Purchase Onboard)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises - Midtown
    83 North River Piers West 43rd Street and, 12th Ave, New York, NY 10036, USA

    Departure Point: Tour departs from Pier 83, New York Address: Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises Pier 83 West 42nd Street New York, NY 10019 Directions: • Exchange your voucher for a boarding pass at the Circle Line Ticket WindowDIRECTIONS By Subway (Metro): • 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, A, C, E, N, or R train to Times Square 42nd Street • B, D, F, or Q train to 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, • 4, 5, or 6 train to 42nd Street Grand Central Station • All options are approximately 15-25 minute walk to the pierBy Bus: • Take the west-bound M42 or M50 bus and get off at the last stop 42nd Street and 12th AvenueBy Car:: • From George Washington Bridge, Westchester or Connecticut: Take the Henry Hudson Parkway (Route 9A), go south to West 43rd Street. Make a right at 43rd Street to Pier 83 • From Lincoln Tunnel, New Jersey: Upon exiting the tunnel, follow uptown signs on Dyer Avenue to the 3rd light. Turn left onto 42nd Street. Turn right on 11th Avenue and turn left on 43rd Street. Go straight on 43rd Street to Pier 83 • From Midtown Tunnel, Queens and Long Island: Take 2nd Avenue downtown to 34th Street. Right on 34th Street to 10th Avenue. Turn right on 10th Avenue and left on 43rd Street. Go straight on 43rd Street to Pier 83 Dates: Daily Return point: Returns to original departure point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.7:00 pm

Itinerary

Travel independently to the departure point at New York City’s Pier 83. Aim to arrive in good time for your cruise to secure the best seats—they're available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Relax and soak up the panoramic views as your boat sets sail along the Hudson River and into New York Harbor. Admire Manhattan’s skyline and its landmarks such as One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and more.

Then, take in the views of the Brooklyn Bridge and cruise by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, all as an on-board guide shares snippets on their background and the Big Apple's history.

During your sightseeing, head for the on-board concession areas to buy drinks and snacks (both own expense), and snap up mementoes from the souvenir store.

Your cruise comes to an end when your boat arrives back at Pier 83.

Brooklyn Bridge (Pass By)

Statue of Liberty (Pass By)

Manhattan Skyline (Pass By)

Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises - Midtown (Pass By)

New York Harbor (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • For children/infants under the age of 3, please ask at the box office for an infant ticket; it is free of charge.
  • Guests need to arrive at least 30-minutes prior to departure for boarding.
  • Food and drinks are NOT allowed to be brought on board
  • Our cruise features a live tour guide in English. If you would like a guided tour in another language, please download the free Circle Line Sightseeing App from the Apple App store or Google Play store. Once on the boat you can use the free WiFi to listen or read a guided tour in one of nine languages including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean. Please bring your own headphones.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 600 travelers

Frequently Asked Questions (16)

Q:What is the departure point for the New York City Harbor Lights Cruise?

A:The cruise conveniently departs from Pier 83 @ West 42nd Street and the West Side Highway, in Midtown Manhattan.

Jun 2021

The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Thomas_D
Terrific views from the boat, whether you are inside or outside. Superb narration by the guide! He was personable, funny, and described locations very well. Stunning views from the water. Bring a light jacket since it can be a few degrees cooler on the water. I can highly recommend the boat tour!

Reviews

4.4
based on 2,962 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Sort by: Most insightful

Georgeos city views!

Therese_L, Jul 2026
It was a beautiful view and a different perspective to see the city from the water. Our guide was amazing! Was informative and entertaining! I highly recommend this tour.

Promise

NESTOR_D, Jul 2026
It was great,my partner was happy and she would like to experience it again I hope they work on the stuff at the restaurant inside the boat

It was lovely, a...

Kayla_H, Jul 2026
It was lovely, a beautiful night, nice views. Andrew was a great guide. It was an awesome way to end an evening.

Floating through NYC history

DeWitt_J, Jul 2026
Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, and his presentation of New York City's history was anything but boring or overly academic. He brought the city's past to life with an engaging, entertaining, and almost cinematic storytelling style that kept us interested from beginning to end. His passion and expertise made the experience both educational and enjoyable.

Exceptionally Beautiful

Preeti_S, Jun 2026
We did not expect such amazing 2 hours ride. It was breathtaking and worth every penny. Highly recommended

Relaxing views of NYC at sunset.

sarajuliahendricks, Jun 2026
It was easy to get to the pier. Super easy to get my ticket redeemed and the guide was fun and knowledgeable. I wish I had a bigger budget, because I thought the price for the spirit drinks were a bit high. All employees were nice and polite. I had questions before the trip and the chat service was outstanding.; polite, fast and knowledgeable. The tour was well timed and great pictures were taken. I loved that I had a choice to sit indoors or outdoors. You guys should offer over the counter medicine to help guest that suffer of motion sickness. I had extra meds, so I was able to help a person visiting from Spain. She was very grateful. Good Job Viator!

Such an amazing way to...

jessica_k, Jun 2026
Such an amazing way to see the city! My friend didn't appreciate all of commentary from out specific guide, but it was easy enough to tune out and the views we spectacular.

Loved the cruise. Our...

Anne_Q, Jun 2026
Loved the cruise. Our guide was very interesting and great fun. Saw a lot of the city I hadn’t seen before and heard lots of new information.

Enjoyed the boat ride

Carla_V, Jun 2026
We enjoyed it but most people around us did not care about listening to the information shared by the tour guide, so it was hard to hear what he was saying. He was entertaining and enjoyable to listen to, but he went really fast and it was easy to miss details. Overall, we enjoyed the two hour boat ride and would recommend it. Get there early to be able to choose where you sit on the boat.

Great experience, just...

Chris_H, Jun 2026
Great experience, just wish it was a few minutes later as sun was still setting and not lit up very well. Good crew and staff, all very helpful and courteous. Needed to get there earlier than 40 minutes ahead of time for good top deck seats.

Wrong timing.

Douglas_Z, Jun 2026
Our timing was off due the fact that we booked it for the longer daylight hours. only saw lights on the last 10 minutes.

Amazing experience!

Greg_H, Jun 2026
This was absolutely amazing. I feel we got a special treatment because while just before we started it POURED rain, the end result was amazing sunset shots WITH RAINBOWS! Tip: Arrive early. We were able to board at 6:15 for a 7pm departure...got exactly the seats we wanted.

Be there half hour before...

Trevor_W, Jun 2026
Be there half hour before the start of the experience.Food wasn’t good not a lot of choice.Lots of children if your looking for adult only no good for you .

Fun, really relaxing to...

Rachael_S, Jun 2026
Fun, really relaxing to sail along the Hudson at sunset. Couldn't hear everything the tour guide was saying because the wind is so loud, but I still had a great time. Got a lot of really beautiful New York skyline pictures.

Relaxing culmination to our 4 day trip to NYCo

Karen_B, Jun 2026
A beautiful two hour cruise. Weather perfect and great narration of everything we were passing. And gorgeous sunset views.

Wonderful experience

Benjamin_K, Jun 2026
We had a wonderful time. The views of the city were spectacular especially after sunset. The guide was terrific, very informative and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.

Good Fun

Ayanna_D, Jun 2026
That's a great Experience. Come early to get great seats on the top deck. They're good views all around though. Very limited snack choices in very expensive. The guide was wonderful and very informative. They knew a lot of the new york history. It was a beautiful day, and we got great pictures before during.And after the sunset.

Nice views and food was...

amber_l, Jun 2026
Nice views and food was good too.( nothing special about food though) Learned a lot on this experience and it was a nice and different way to spend the birthday.

Great NYC experience!

Conni_K, Jun 2026
It's worth the time to take the 2-hour cruise during the evening. The sights of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty at sunset were amazing. The tour guide was knowledgeable and entertaining.

Evening Manhattan Skyline Tour

Jacqueline_H, May 2026
This is a great way to see Manhattan and some of the New Jersey shore. Our tour guide, Dave, was very informative and provided comic relief at times. The tour departed and returned on time. Given that dusk doesn’t occur until after 8 pm, wish the departure was adjusted so we could see more of nighttime skyline. The Statue of Liberty didn’t light up until we were almost past it, which was part of why we booked the evening tour.

Excellent tour saw...

bronwyn_v, May 2026
Excellent tour saw everything that was advertised value for money and Andy was a great tour guide, who was very knowledgeable and witty

Great Tour - Do it!!!

Tracey_F, May 2026
This was an incredible experience that we are still talking about even after we've returned home. Greg was so knowledgeable about the area and we felt like we saw everything we could hope to see. I highly recommend this tour. Hoboken is a charming city and it's worth the trip to spend a few hours learning about its history and culture. We loved the area so much we're returning in October. Greg was conscious of the heat and our pace and geared the tour to our needs. I can't say enough good things. He even followed up with us the same day to give us travel directions as we headed into the city. Definitely take the time to see Hoboken, you won't be disappointed!!

Cancel when it rains!

Chad_W, May 2026
It rained. I waited for a cancel email but they decided to go forward with the lights tour. It rained so there were no lights to see & no visibility. Plus they kept both the front & back doors open so it became quite chilly. A very cold & not enjoyable experience!

We loved the Circle Line harbor cruise!

Paige_M, May 2026
My family and I loved the 2 hour harbor cruise and 100% recommend it! The views, sunset and information shared were awesome!

Worth it

Jane_B, May 2026
Fun, knowledgeable, great to be out on the water. Enjoyed the experience celebrating my birthday on the water

Great way to view the...

Ronald_C, May 2026
Great way to view the city during the night time! Dave the tour guide was Awesome! He was very knowledgeable and had a sense of humor! Would recommend going on this cruise to see the city at night!

Above and beyond

Kent_K, May 2026
Excellent experience. Our guide Sara was very knowledgeable about the food and local history. Sara was very pleasant and extremely helpful. She most definitely exceeded our expectations

Sunset Tour of the Manhatton Skyline and Statue of Liberty

Lisa_J, Apr 2026
First class tour with magnificent views of the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The tour guide, Alexis, was fantastic, informative and witty making the whole experience even better. Would highly recommend and try to get Alexis as your tour guide as she makes what would have been a good trip, truly excellent.

Harbor cruise

Lisa_P, Apr 2026
It was very nice to have gone toward evening for the sunset. The boat needs to clean the windows for better inside viewing.

A must when visiting New York!

Marie_L, Apr 2026
Amazing experience taking in all the sights, really close up to Statue of Liberty! Our trip was 19.00 advised to arrive 30 mins prior to trip time, we where around pier around 17.30 saw a large queue forming presuming it was for a 18.00 excursion but thought if that’s the case all those people won’t be boarded ready for 18.00 departure! I spoke to one of the staff who informed me that this was the queue for the 19.00 excursion and that they board at 18.00 1hr before excursion time!! We therefore had to join this already very long queue! So from our experience our advice would be for you to be at the pier at least an hour and a half before your excursion time!! Oh and depending on time of year make sure you wrap up warm as really cold end of April!

From $45.00

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 21 days in advance.

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