While researching things to do during my trip to New York City in October, all I seemed to find were pages and pages of bus and helicopter tours. I’d already done a bus tour during my first visit to NYC in 2008 and the helicopter tours, while I’m sure they’re amazing, didn’t seem like great value for money for a 12 minute ride. I wanted something different – and then I found NYC Motorcycle Tours. Established in 2013, NYC Motorcycle Tours are the first and only company in New York City to offer motorcycle tours of the city after spotting a gap in the market.

I’m not a motorcycle enthusiast – I’d never even been on a motorcycle before, but I loved the image of riding around Manhattan on the back of a bike, weaving between yellow taxis below towering skyscrapers and seeing things I would otherwise miss on a regular tour. The hardest part was definitely choosing which of the six tours I wanted to do… New York is a big place! NYC Motorcycle Tours offer tours of the streets of Uptown, Downtown, Midtown, Seven Lakes, a night tour and a bridge and tunnel tour, or you can design your own custom tour. After a lot of deliberating and watching the videos (each tour is recorded with a GoPro strapped to your helmet so you can show friends and family!), I chose the Midtown tour as that’s the area I was staying in for the week.

My original tour was scheduled for a Saturday evening but the heavens opened that morning and didn’t stop much all weekend. Del, the CEO of NYC Motorcycle Tours recommended we reschedule for when the weather was dry which wasn’t a problem as I was in NYC for a week, and I’m so glad we did – grey skies don’t make for great photos!

Del picked me up outside my hotel in Midtown on Tuesday morning at 11am, which was a gorgeous, crisp autumn morning with bright blue skies – result. After signing the obligatory disclaimer and putting the helmet on, I hopped on the back and we started to ride through Midtown. I felt 100% safe and comfortable, even with the insane NYC traffic (and I’m a pretty nervous passenger so that’s saying something).

Ah, crazy Times Square! It was great fun riding through Times Square with the bright lights of Broadway and the slow moving traffic here meant I had plenty of time to take photos without even having to get off the bike. The tour took in the sights of Central Park South, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Fifth Avenue, Flatiron (my personal favourite), Madison Square Gardens, Grand Central Station and many more, with Del telling interesting facts about the city and its landmarks along the way.

The whole tour lasted just under two hours and it was a truly unforgettable experience. Whether you’re into bikes or not, it’s an incredible way to see the city and I’m already wondering when I can justify another visit so I can ride over the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset…

Which tour would you choose?

Book Your NYC Motorcycle Tour Now

Tours cost $225 and for further information and booking check out NYC Motorcycle Tours.

Find NYC Motorcycle Tours on TripAdvisor, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

*I was a guest of NYC Motorcycle Tours in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

Pin this!