Viator VIP: Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial
New York City, United States of America
Experience New York City like an insider on this action-packed VIP tour that includes early access to the Empire State Building, skip-the-line entry to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, an open-top bus tour, and a hop-on-hop-off cruise. You can upgrade to also include afternoon admission to the 9/11 Museum. Seem like a lot to do in one day? Opt to take your cruise the following day. It's a great way to see NYC’s newest sites and its most iconic attractions, and a Viator exclusive package that can't be booked anywhere else!
Your VIP tour of New York starts bright and early, but it’ll be worth it when you gain first access to the Empire State Building for the day. Meet your guide in front of the this world-famous architectural stunner. From there, head in for a crowd-free elevator ride to the 86th floor for awe-inspiring views of Manhattan on the main deck.
When you’re done viewing the city from above, see it from ground level by joining your guide on an open-top bus tour of Midtown. Pass New York Public Library, Bryant Park, Times Square and many other well-known sites before arriving at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, home to the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
Following a journey to New York by 747 jumbo jet and river barge, the space shuttle went on display in July 2012 inside a special pavilion that celebrates its rich history and offers an innovative and interactive visitor experience. Your guide will lead you to the front of the line before the exhibition opens so you can go straight in with your skip-the-line ticket for maximum time to view this thrilling new exhibition that showcases science, technology and engineering. Bonus: You can also explore the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier housed at the museum.
Next, board a hop-on-hop-off cruise with your guide at Pier 79. Hop off at Battery Park, where you'll take a walking tour through the world-famous financial center of Wall Street on your way to the 9/11 Memorial. See the twin reflecting pools, inscribed with the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the terrorist attacks, that sit exactly where the Twin Towers once stood.
Inside the memorial, the guided portion of your tour ends at approximately 1pm. Upgrade for 2pm admission to the National September 11 Memorial Museum (aka the 9/11 Museum) when you book for a chance to browse the many multimedia displays, archives, narratives and authentic artifacts that commemorate the September 11 victims and their families. (See Important Info for pricing and other details.)
If you choose the tour-only option, you can then continue your sightseeing independently with a hop-on-hop-off cruise at your leisure; your ticket is valid for the rest of the day. If the museum option is selected, your cruise ticket is valid for the rest of the afternoon and the entire next day, giving you plenty of time to discover New York's waterfront sights.
The cruise makes two more stops at historic South Street Seaport and the Fulton Ferry landing in Brooklyn for a leisurely cruise to enjoy views of the Statue of Liberty and time to reflect on your VIP tour of New York City.
Viator VIPs feature travel experiences not typically available to the general public — from behind-the-scenes access to private viewings and VIP service — at many of the world’s top attractions, often with no lines and no crowds. Viator VIP tours are not available from other 3rd-party online sellers.
Loved this tour, it was a busy day with a very early start but well worth it to see the Empire State and Intrepid museum before the crowds. Heidi did a great job leading the tour. Highly recommend this!
Review by: Karen E, March 2018
Great tour, shame about the weather! Had tried to change this to the day before - when the weather was good!! However, the tour company had emailed to say it was okay before we left the UK but we were stood up as they did not meet this commitment and reverted to the original day- that was very disappointing as we could not make use of the 2nd day hop on hop off cruisetickets as it was our last day in NY. However, the tour is good and our guide -Heidi - made it a fun day despite the dreadful weather on that day!
Review by: John O, February 2018
The tour was spoilt by the guide, Mike._br/_ His knowledge of the tour was good, however he spoilt it by never shutting up._br/_ Weak jokes and continually making fun of people._br/_ Lots of walking and not recommended for the elderly unless they are very fit._br/_ We got so bored of the chatter that we left the tour early and did our own thing.
Review by: ghazwa, January 2018
was a good
Review by: Rick V, December 2017
This tour was one of the highlights of our trip! Jim was a terrific guide. he had a lot of knowledge about the city and buildings. He clearly was very proud of his New York heritage and had a contaigious joyful spirit. : our family of 5 3 kids ages 10, 15, 18 enjoyed him and all of the history, knowledge he shared! Our tour was only 11 people so he was able to share a lot more with us and show us things that we didn't know we would get to see! and the VIP aspect was a nice bonus...passing lines and not standing in the cold. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TRIP!
Review by: Susan S, December 2017
Joe, being a true New Yorker, shared how awesome his home town is. He didnt disappoint. He put everyone at ease, and soon all became new found friends. Every question asked of him, was answered. He is very comical, and had us put on our thinking caps. I would repeat this tour for sure._br/_ Joe, truly, let the wonders of the VIP Empire Tour come to life. _br/_ Already have recommended this trip and would repeat it.
Review by: Marge D, December 2017
Good overall tour of New York. Very. Informative. We added the 911 Museum so we also got tickets for the water taxi and bus for two days.
Review by: FRANK D, December 2017
excellent tour
Review by: barbara s, December 2017
We started off the morning with a stop at the Empire State Building. Definitely an amazing view and our tour guide Robin was phenomenal. She is full of information and very entertaining. We couldn't have asked for a better guide. I would highly recommend upgrading to the 9/11 museum tour and definitely plan for some time to thoroughly visit. Overall a great experience and I would highly recommend it. Just one thing though, the title of the tour is slightly misleading as it includes Statue of Liberty. By viewing only the title and not reading the details of the tour you might think a stop at the Statue of Liberty is included. But it's not. Part of the water taxi does travel by it and you can get some amazing photos of the Statue of Liberty as well as the NYC skyline!
Review by: Barbara C, December 2017
Our guide Debbie was amazing and she was considerate of everyone taking into account the cold temps and windy day. She passed along so much more information than a typical guide and it made the tour stops even better. I highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Daniel S, December 2017
Jim our tour guide was awesome! Not only was he funny but very knowledgeable! Thanks Jim for giving my family a tour they will share and talk about for life....from your upstate peeps :
Review by: Wendy S, November 2017
Heidi was brillinat with this tour. Unfortunately on the morning there was 0 visability from the Empire State Building so she gave us a tour of Grand Central Terminal. Heidi also arranged for us to go back to the Empire State in our own time free of charge when the visability would be better. So kind of her. The rest of the day was brilliant we went to the Intriped Museum where Heidi was very knowledgeable and took photos for us. Then we had a boat trip to Battery Park where we went past the Statue of Liberty, then on our way to the 9/11 memorial we went past some memorial places. The Bull at Wall Street, Trinity Church where National Treasure was filmed, then saw where Hamilton and the guy who invented the steam train was buried and then onto the 9/11 memorial which was extremely sad. Heidi gave us lots of things to think about and see and I would recommend this trip to anyone.
Review by: Mrs Andrea N, November 2017
Well worth the money. Our guide was knowledgeable and gave you a great insight into the Manhattan skyline and history of New York. It is a long day and the 911 museum is well worth a visit. After watching the dreadful events on that day, to now being there was a moving and reflective experience. A mascara warning required when watching the families tribute to those who those lost their lives.
Review by: SIMON M, November 2017
Jim was awesome. He knew so much about this city and made it really enjoyable. I would recommend this tour to anyone. Great value for money too!!!
Review by: Julie B, November 2017
Great
Review by: caoki808, November 2017
Coming from Hawaii with only a sort time in New York we wanted a our that could cover the highlights of New York. We found that with Viator. We are planning another trip and plan to use Viator again for that city. I recommend Viator for their professionalism and organized tours.
Review by: Sam S, November 2017
This upgrade was absolutely worth the extra dollars. Didnt have to waste time waiting in line. Highly recommend it.
Review by: Kathy S, November 2017
Patrick was our local guide and his tour was amazing.
Review by: an2ony, November 2017
Great tour, guide was knowledgeable and friendly.
Review by: David E, October 2017
Brilliant day. The tour guide was exceptional - made whole day very interesting.
Review by: Dhiraj K, October 2017
The guide and the tour were simply amazing to say the least. Fantastic.
Review by: LINDA F, October 2017
Fabulous tour! Our tour guide Jim was awesome!
Review by: Mary Ann N, October 2017
Getting to the Empire State building first thing in the morning was great - we were first in line and got some great views of Manhattan and its surroundings. We did not get an open top bus to see Times Square but had to take a city bus that was in a hurry to get the locals to work on time! Personally, I would skip the Intrepid to make more time for the other sites. The 911 Memorial was awe-inspiring and our tour guide did a wonderful job describing the legend of the surviving Pear tree and the reason there were white roses in some of the names that surrounded the waterfalls. No one in our group knew about them. Be prepared for a lot of fast walking on this tour. That was the only issue since some in our group had difficulty keeping up.
Review by: Lollymiddleton, October 2017
We met the guide, Heidi outside the Empire State Building and had really fast entrance - had the place to ourselves, no queues, no fuss. We were then taken by bus to see the Intrepid, Enterprise and Growler, once again given fast track entrance going in before everyone else, then onto the water taxi to 911 site and Wall Street. Heidi was brilliant, a true New Yorker with great knowledge of New York, was really interesting and a great sense of humour, clearly loves her job and is a complete natural. Heidi when asked gave us her account of what she went through on 911 and it was truly amazing, I won't relay it on this review as it is her story but she is a truly amazing character. The whole day was so well planned. Heidi left us at 911 museum but gave clear instructions that we could use the water taxis the next day if you had 911 museum access. The water taxis stop off at Wall Street, Brooklyn, Empire State then back to Mid town. Great views and you can jump on and off, they run all day as well as the buses to take you back to wherever you want to go. Highly recommend this tour, Heidi is great.
Review by: Danielle L, October 2017
Jim was a great tour guide, very funny and full of information. The early entrance to the Empire State Building is awesome and well worth it! The walking tour was enjoyable and Jim made stops and pointed out photo ops for the group. Do be aware that there is quite a lot of walking in the walking tour portion so ensure you can navigate the distance and be on your feet for a period of time. This tour did advertise Admire Midtowns top attractions such as Times Square and Bryant Park on an open-top bus. We did not get this on our tour. We got a regular bus that simply transported us from the ESB to the Intrepid. On the flip side, we had a small group and the tour stayed ahead of schedule. Jim used this time to extend the tour through the 9/11 Memorial and into the Transportation Hub. Overall this tour was a very good value...just not exactly as advertised.
Review by: Sarah N, October 2017
This tour was amazing and the guide was excellent
Review by: Angela K, October 2017
The tour was amazing, our guide was great. Being the first to go up at the Empire State Building was worth the early meeting time. The only complaint I have is the mixup with our tickets. They gave our group the wrong tickets. I paid for museum entry but they said we didn’t. Luckily I had my emails.
Review by: veronnical, October 2017
Our tour guide, Heidi was phenomenal! I could have hung out with her all day! Wonderful experience. I wish I had booked this the first time I came to NYC
Review by: Keith R, October 2017
A great package which takes in a lot of the sights. As well as the titled sites above, this tour includes a visit to the aircraft carrier Intrepid, which is not only the home to a cold war nuclear submarine and many fighter aircraft and helicopters, but also the space shuttle Endeavor. There was also a water taxi tour of the harbor, taking in all the sights such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc. There was also a walking section from the water taxi up through Wall St to the 9/11 Memorial. There is an optional extra to enter the 9/11 Museum which is very moving. This all makes for a very long day with no time to rest and take refreshments.
Review by: Michelle O, October 2017
Patrick was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable and informative.
Review by: VV, October 2017
Excellent. Worth the money and waking up for the 7AM start! Our guide was also excellent. Recommended.
Review by: Randall H, October 2017
Heidi is an incredible tour guide. Extremely knowledgable and friendly. She estimated walking only 1/2 mile on this trip so my wife and I continued the tour. my wife has bilateral hip replacements and severe arthritis What wasn't discussed was the speed that Heidi wanted to walk because of needing to be at the next site to catch a bus or water taxi etc. _br/_ please don't get me wrong, Heidi did allow for short rests but maybe you need to update the physical stress level or distance walked so physically challenged people can make better choices. Yes my wife survived but it totally wiped her out for the rest of the night. _br/_ Again, Heidi was a very good and knowledgable tour guide. Very personable. Not the New Yorker I expected to meet. She even offered her info should we get lost or need recommendations for food or theater. That was very nice.
Review by: nycmariam, October 2017
Quite an experience. No need to book other agencies to see these beautiful and historical places._br/_ We were extremely satisfied.
Review by: Ralphie, October 2017
Excellent tour! Our guide was excellent and I am so sorry I cannot think of her name. She went above and beyond what we expected!
Review by: Annette R, October 2017
We really enjoyed this tour and our guide, Jim, was great and full of information. There is a lot of walking but it is worth it. There was zero visibility at the top of the Empire State Building when we went and Jim gave us the choice to still go up or to go another time on our own as the tickets are open ended. We still went up and, although there wasn't any visibility, it was still a good experience. We enjoyed the Intrepid Museum and the visit to the 9/11 was a very moving experience. I would thoroughly recommend this tour.
Review by: Anwar Kamal S, October 2017
Grear
Review by: fairytalesparkle, September 2017
This tour far exceeded our expectations. The skipping of all the queues was fantastic and I can't begin to tell you how knowledgeable our guide Heidi was - she just blew us away - thank you for making this tour unbeatable!
Review by: cdmreid ., September 2017
We just spent a wonderful week in New York and my parents and I felt the Viator Tour of the Empire State Building, 9-11 Memorial and the Intrepid Museum was the best tour of the week because of our excellent tour guide - Joey. He was a fountain of information and a lot of fun. My parents compared every tour after that to Joeys tour. We would recommend your company to anyone and should we make it back here, we will definitely book with you again._br/_ Nelson, Bea and Cheryl
Review by: Jim B, September 2017
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! small group tour was just enough. the only thing i wish was a stop at statue of libertyinstead of a ride-by Overall, im extremely satisfied. make SURE you upgrade to the 9/11 entrance. its PERFECT.
Review by: Linda N, September 2017
Although it was very helpful to have someone to help navigate getting into the sights early and getting around to the locations, we were extremely disappointed with our tour guide Joey. He seemed distracted for the entire trip. He knew a TON of information and could and did respond if questioned, but we expected for instance, he would hold the tour group together, say at the Empire State Building, and give info as he took us around the observation tower. He didn't. I expected him to do the same at the Intrepid Museum. There, he made sure we got to the movie that didn't happen not his fault but didn't explain what we were even going to see. We heard a tour guide within the museum showing folks around who did a WAY better job then him. He did do a bit more of this at Wall St and the 9/11 Memorial, but by then, I'd lost interest in how checked out he'd been earlier. Joey also was mistaken about the ferry times--twice--accounting for more delays in our day, and this is his company. I don't get it. I appreciated the guide on the boat itself Dave who was way more interested in being engaged with people, even if mostly to try and help people understand where they were getting on and off the boat. I also thought the trip was a LOT of walking, with my arthritic feet it was a huge challenge to have the energy to walk that far.
Review by: Mr D M, September 2017
Took this day tour the eve of the 9/11 anniversary with Jim an outstanding and witty guide. The tour was simply excellent a mix of fact, comment and laced with humour throughout. It is very satisfying knowing your time is spent learning rather than waiting in queues. I would recommend this to anyone - very enjoyable
Review by: Julie B, September 2017
don't miss this one, fabulous!!
Review by: margolism, April 2017
Debbie, our guide, was excellent! She knew everything about the Empire State Building, 9-11 Memorials and the Statue of Liberty. Our Water Taxi was great and they took us as close as possible to the Statue of Liberty. They stated until we all had the photos we wanted of this wonderful site and even took photos for us so we could be standing with the great lady!
Review by: Marie G, March 2017
Debbie, was absolutely fantastic! She took her time and showed us so much. It was so information and so much fun to see the city. It was also the best tour especially if you only have a limited amount of time in New York. You literally see everything. I wish we were able to see the Statue of Liberty up close, however, that will be for the next trip. Also, Debbie knows everyone and every place to go for good food. My cousin and I tried one of her recommendations and it was by far one of the absolute best meals I had while I was in New York. I think anyone who plans to go to NY and has a short amount of time should definitely take this tour! My only recommendation would be to assume you are busy the whole day. There is so much to see and unfortunately, I had to get to work right after. Still I can't say enough good things about this!
Review by: Borneo_Bibz, March 2017
So, this VIP has a lot of walking so wear comfy shoes and in winter get thick and face cover if you're on the ferry trip. You'll start at Empire and ends in 9/11. In between you get to ride on a open top d-decker with views of the NY Street then a visit to the submarines, a navy ship, wall street and a brief stop/hover in front of the Lady L for a photo-op. Our guides both on land and on the water were fun and full of knowledge of the city. You could tell one of them was a NY native when he could tell you some dirts on a certain individual who had used media exploits in the past to gain some capitals. While you're at 9/11 - don't forget to visit the newly built train station. The guided tour ends at the Memorial but time permitting you can walk back to the water taxi station to catch the journey back and do the Liberty on the way.
Review by: John V, February 2017
Excellent tour , we had a great day with a very knowledgeable guide , very busy day , well worth the money ,the 2 day pass for the ferry is a great bonus,highly recommended I would definitely recommend and do this same tour again ,
Review by: Natalie S, February 2017
Chose this tour while in New York City with my 12 yr old daughter. It was well organised and allowed us to see many sites in one day we wouldn't have managed on our own in such a short space of time, yet never felt rushed. Informative guide, and we appreciated the tip re lunch near the 911 memorial. We also did the tour of the 911 memorial on our own, a touching tribute and very respectfully presented.
Review by: Lori H, February 2017
Joey, our tour guide, was very interested in making sure we all had a good time. He pointed out interesting things to see at the top of the Empire State Building. On the Intrepid, he made sure we all were able to see the little movie. The 9/11 Memorial was a beautiful thing to see. He also pointed us in the right direction to find great places to eat and shop.
Review by: Catherine B, February 2017
Places visited were all worth seeing if you have a limited amount of time in NYC. Guide was knowledgeable but couldn't hear him most of the time. Could be improved by having headsets and earbuds. _br/_ We were taken to the Carwash opposite the Intrepid for coffee and donuts prior to the attraction opening at 10._br/_ One of our party had coffee there and ended up very sick by the time we left the 911 memorial. Wiped out 24 hours for him
Review by: Elizabeth S, February 2017
This was an amazing experience we would highly recommend it, the knowledge of our tour guide Debbie was excellent and there was so much to see. Great day thank you
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