The 6 Best New York City Christmas Light Tours

New York’s beauty is undeniable, but if you get the chance to visit at Christmas, you’ll fall in love with it for life. Christmas in New York is internationally renowned for the spectacular illuminations in neighbourhoods such as Dyker Heights and Manhattan, and for its famous Christmas trees that fill the city with magic.

In such a vast city, a good option is to join a guided tour that shows you the best illuminations in its streets, squares, buildings, etc. Here are a few options. If you’re not sure what to see and do in New York at Christmas, start by taking note of the following tours:

Dyker Heights is a neighbourhood in Brooklyn full of detached houses with gardens. And, at this special time of year, the neighbourhood takes the opportunity to decorate its homes with a multitude of lights, Christmas decorations, giant Santa Clauses, reindeer, toy soldiers, sweets and much more. A real competition between neighbouring families!

To visit Dyker Heights, I recommend a guided tour so you can learn all about the history and interesting facts of this neighbourhood. In this article on how to visit the lights of Dyker Heights, you’ll find all the details about this neighbourhood that leaves no visitor indifferent.

Which famous houses in Dyker Heights will you see on your tour

The most famous houses are located on 83rd and 86th Streets between 10th and 12th Avenues, and although the itinerary may vary slightly from year to year, tours usually take you to see:

• Lucy Spata: The most famous house belongs to Lucy Spata, located at 1152 84th Street. This Dyker Heights resident was the one who started the tradition of decorating her house with numerous Christmas figures and lights. The rest of the neighbourhood soon followed suit.
• Polizzotto: Another of the homes best known for its Christmas decorations is that of the Polizzotto family, located at 1145 84th Street. This house is easily recognisable because it has a carousel and a large Santa Claus in the garden.
• Sam the Greek: Alongside Lucy Spata and the Polizzotto family, another of the neighbourhood’s most distinctive houses is that of Sam the Greek, located between 71st and 72nd Streets on 14th Avenue. This house is decorated with lights all over the façade and in the garden.

Points of interest

• The price of guided tours: There are different types of guided tours of Dyker Heights. This tour can be done either on foot or by bus, and the approximate price starts from €40 by bus or €20 on foot.
• Tour duration: The walking tour of Dyker Heights usually lasts an hour and a half, whilst the bus tour lasts between three and a half and four hours and can be combined with visits to other parts of the city.
• How to get to Dyker Heights on your own: the neighbourhood is located between Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, in south-west Brooklyn ( 45 minutes to an hour from Manhattan). To get there, you can take the D or R underground line, or you can also take a bus from Wall Street.
• Best time to visit Dyker Heights: from mid-December (in theory, the lights start coming on after Thanksgiving, but there are always a few stragglers) and just before dusk, so you can see all the lights coming on. It is also advisable not to go after 9 pm, as many houses start switching off their lights from that time onwards.

One of the best ways to enjoy New York’s Christmas lights is on a sightseeing bus tour. It’s more comfortable and you’ll escape, to some extent, the bitter cold of New York City at this time of year.

What you’ll see on your Christmas tour from the sightseeing bus

The bus will take you on a route through the Dyker Heights neighbourhood and will also include other iconic areas of the city such as Rockefeller Centre, where you can admire New York City’s most spectacular Christmas tree with over 50,000 lights, Fifth Avenue and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Points of interest

• A guided bus tourlasts between three and a half and four hours and includes a walking tour of the Dyker Heights neighbourhood.
• The price of the bus tour varies depending on the duration of the tour, but you can find it from around €40 per person.

If you’re looking for an original way to see the Christmas lights, I recommend taking a cruise on the Hudson. From a yacht or sailing boat, you’ll have the chance to enjoy the beauty of the illuminations in neighbourhoods such as Manhattan or Brooklyn in a different way. These cruises depart at various times of the day, but the best time to see the lights is at dusk.

In fact, there’s also the option of taking a dinner cruise on the Hudson whilst sheltering from the cold of New York City in December. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

What you’ll see on your Christmas cruise along the Hudson

On a cruise, you’ll be able to see the New York City skyline, as well as the spectacular Christmas decorations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. You’ll also have the chance to spot, amongst other landmarks, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge.

If you’re unsure about taking this cruise, here’s a post on How much does a Hudson River cruise in New York cost? where you’ll find various options.

Points of interest

• Price: the price of the Hudson River cruise starts at €35
• Duration: between one and a half and two hours.

If flying over New York is a spectacle in itself, imagine what it must be like to see the Christmas lights from the sky on a helicopter flight from New Jersey. On a 30-minute tour, you can admire the city’s main landmarks all lit up.

Don’t rule out treating yourself either – and since travelling to New York at Christmas is a unique experience, how about taking a limousine ride to see the Christmas lights? A luxury experience lasting around three and a half hours that you’re sure to never forget.

And if you want to feel like the star of a classic Christmas film, this is the option for you: a tour to see the Christmas lights by horse-drawn carriage.

Useful details

• Price: around €340
• Duration: between 40 and 45 minutes.

Most guided walking tours to see Manhattan’s Christmas lights start at Rockefeller Centre at Christmas, where you can see New York’s most famous tree, which stands a staggering 20 metres tall, features almost 50,000 LED lights and is crowned by a Swarovski star weighing nearly 400 kilos.

After seeing the most famous tree in the US, and the ice rink at its feet, the tour continues along Fifth Avenue, whose shop windows are carefully designed at this time of year. From there, the guide will head to the Meatpacking and Greenwich Village neighbourhoods and stop at the High Line to enjoy the wonderful views this spot offers.

Points of interest

• Duration: the duration of this walking tour to see Manhattan’s Christmas lights may vary, but is usually around four hours.
• Price: the price of the tour to see Manhattan’s Christmas lights starts from €38.

And if you decide to go on a self-guided tour, I recommend you get hold of a map and choose a time of day when it’s getting dark to start your walk.

Rockefeller Centre

Start at Rockefeller Centre, one of the most iconic spots, which will really make you feel the magic and meaning of Christmas. Since 1931, this square has been home to New York’s most famous Christmas tree, standing 20 metres tall, adorned with almost 50,000 LED lights and crowned by a Swarovski star weighing nearly 400 kilos.

Fifth Avenue

After Rockefeller Center, I recommend heading to Fifth Avenue, the heart of Manhattan, where the Christmas decorations are also straight out of a film. The city lights are joined by the shop windows, which are meticulously decorated at this time of year. In fact, some of them feature collaborations with renowned artists. And speaking of films, this is the best tour for lovers of cinema and Christmas: a Christmas lights tour of Manhattan

Bryant Park

Another place you simply mustn’t miss is Bryant Park, where there’s also a spectacular Christmas tree and the park is beautifully lit. What’s more, right here you can enjoy one of New York’s most popular ice rinks.

Madison Square Park

Also, don’t forget to pop into Madison Square Park, where the Tree of Light is held – an event where the trees in the area are decorated with gold and silver lights. And after that, don’t miss the Christmas tree situated beneath the Arc de Triomphe, where the popular carol concert takes place every year.

Dyker Heights

But without a doubt, the standout spot for seeing the Christmas lights is the neighbourhood of Dyker Heights, a residential area where residents decorate their homes and gardens with millions of lights and Christmas decorations.

Traveller’s tip

I recommend travelling to New York between mid-December and before the end of the year, so you can soak up all the city’s Christmas spirit

• Wrap up warm: It’s essential that when you go on a tour to see the Christmas lights, you dress very warmly and wear boots with thick, non-slip soles.
• Take water and a snack: The Christmas lights tour takes you through residential neighbourhoods such as Dyker Heights, where it’s hard to find a café or somewhere to grab a drink. So I recommend you take water and a snack with you.
• Hot drinks: As the tour takes place entirely outdoors, we recommend buying a takeaway tea, coffee or hot chocolate from time to time to warm up a bit.

The best time to discover New York City’s Christmas lights is just before nightfall, so you can watch the lights come on and avoid the colder temperatures of the night or early morning.

Given the time it gets dark in New York City during December and January, the ideal time to set off is around 4.30 pm.

If, after this tour, you’re keen to discover all the other things New York has to offer at Christmas, do check out our post on what to do and see in New York at Christmas.

By the way, if you’re feeling inspired and fancy getting out of Manhattan, you can always go and see the Christmas lights at the Bronx Zoo. It’s quite a spectacle!

Strolling through the Christmas markets is another of the city’s major attractions once the winter season arrives. Here are the ones you simply mustn’t miss:

• Grand Central Holiday Fair at Grand Central Terminal: This market is located in Vanderbilt Hall and features numerous craft stalls where you’ll find jewellery, homeware, art and more...
• Winter Village in Bryant Park: It’s fair to say this is New York City’s most famous market, as well as the largest. It boasts over 120 stalls selling all manner of goods, and you can find just about anything you can imagine. What’s more, if your visit coincides with lunchtime, there are plenty of dining options.
• Union Square Holiday Market. This open-air market is located in Union Square and has almost everything: handmade jewellery, all kinds of accessories, and plenty of food and drink stalls.
• Columbus Circle Holiday Market. It is situated on the south-west corner of Central Park. It is every bit as good as a European market. You can even find mulled wine there.
• The Market at Westfield. This market is quite unique because of its location. It’s situated in the central atrium inside The Oculus at the World Trade Center. It’s well worth a visit.

And of course, when Christmas comes round, one of the main things to do is meet up with your friends or partner and go ice skating. Some of the ice rinks are in New York’s best parks, and the most popular ones are:

• The Rockefeller skating rink, The Rink at Rockefeller Center: This is New York’s most popular skating rink. It is situated in the plaza at Rockefeller Center.
• The Bryant Park ice rink, The Rink at Bryant Park: This rink, situated in the centre of Bryant Park, is a favourite with many New Yorkers because it offers views of the Empire State Building.
• The Central Park ice rink, Wollman Rink: In the south-west of Central Park you’ll find this ice rink, which stands out for its charm.

Make the most of the opportunity to ask your guide about other iconic spots from which you can enjoy the Christmas lights and shop windows. The legendary Macy’s department store, for example, always sets up animated displays set to music in its huge windows (you’ll see hundreds of tourists and New Yorkers peering in with curiosity).

New York’s department stores also get into the Christmas spirit and decorate their shop windows with great care. You can see them all on a tour of New York’s Christmas shop windows. Here are my favourites:

• Bloomingdale’s: between 59th and 60th Streets, all the way to Lexington Avenue.
• Bergdorf Goodman: between 58th Street and Fifth Avenue.
• Tiffany & Co: on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.
• Cartier: on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street.
• Macy’s: between 34th and 35th Streets and Broadway.

As I mentioned, New York’s best Christmas trees are true works of art, and another attraction for New Yorkers and tourists alike. This Christmas lights tour by limousine will take you to see them all, but the trees you simply mustn’t miss on your Christmas tour of New York are:

• The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree: This Christmas tree is 20 metres tall, has over 50,000 LED lights and is topped by a Swarovski star weighing no less than 400 kilos.
• The Christmas tree in Madison Square Park: This is the oldest Christmas tree in New York City. It has been put up every year since 1912.
• The American Museum of Natural History Christmas tree: This museum’s Christmas tree is characterised by its decorations featuring origami creations.
• The Christmas tree in Bryant Park: This tree, alongside the one at Rockefeller Centre, stands out for its lighting, featuring over 30,000 lights.
• The Wall Street Christmas tree: This Christmas tree has a history. Specifically, it was the first in New York City to be lit by electric lights.
• The MET Museum’s Christmas tree: This museum’s Christmas tree is the most traditional. At its base stands a nativity scene with over 200 figures, and it is decorated with angels and cherubs dating back to the 18th century.