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The Bottom Line: Are you looking for an easy way to see New York City's holiday window decorations, as well as get a glimpse at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, but you're afraid of the cold, the crowds or the walk? Do you love holiday movies set in New York City and want to see where they're filmed? This is the tour for you!
Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour Website
Pros
- Highlights over 30 spots around midtown Manhattan, as well as lower Central Park
- Tour guide is friendly, engaging and knowledgeable
- Great way to take in the holiday sites without having to be in the cold or battle crowds
- Late afternoon/early evening tour is a great way to relax after a busy day
- Tour participants can disembark bus to see holiday windows at four stores up-close
Cons
- The tour doesn't stop at Rockefeller Center, Saks Fifth Avenue or Bergdorf Goodman.
- The tour is focused on holiday sites and movie locations, so little history or architecture is covered.
Expert Review of the Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour
I was really excited to check out On Location's holiday tour -- I love how their other tours are hosted by great tour guides and there's no "downtime" during their tours: they show clips featuring NYC movie locations during moments that would otherwise be lulls in the tour and often play games with tour participants when the bus runs into traffic. On top of that, I was looking forward to seeing some of the New York City holiday window displays at night -- normally I go see them during the day.
Thankfully, this tour did not disappoint. I met the bus at Columbus Circle and the tour began by heading up Central Park West passing a few filming locations and stopping at Lincoln Center before traveling east through Central Park.
Throughout the tour, short video clips were played from the movies that were being discussed, something that really helps you tie together the locations and the movies and makes these tours fun.
Our next stop was at Bloomingdale's where we had about 15 minutes to see this year's holiday window displays -- just the right amount of time to see them and be ready to get back on the bus and go on. Pacing and timing throughout the tour was great.
We drove by Serendipity 3, an important location in movie Serendipity, as well as a favorite choice of Jackie O and Marilyn Monroe and a popular spot with families visiting New York City today.
The tour continued with a stop at Barneys New York to visit the holiday windows, before heading down Fifth Avenue. As we traveled down Fifth Avenue we passed many iconic NYC spots, including The Plaza hotel, Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany & Co., St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center. The next stop was at Lord & Taylor to see their holiday windows, before a quick drive past the Empire State Building and onto our final stop at Macy's.
Some of the locations that the tour covers include:
- Trump International Hotel & Towers from Tower Heist
- 55 Central Park West which was the dad's apartment from Elf (& Spook Central in Ghostbusters)
- Tavern on the Green from Mr. Poppers Penguins
- Alice Tully Hall from New Year's Eve
- Bethesda Fountain as seen in Elf and Home Alone 2
- Wollman Ice Skating Rink from Serendipity
- Seagrams Building from The Family Man
- Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree from Elf and Home Alone 2
Aside from Lincoln Center and the holiday window stops at Bloomingdales, Barneys New York, Lord & Taylor and Macy's, locations are seen from the bus, so it's not the best situation for taking photos. That said, it's an easy, low-stress way to take in New York City's holiday sights without having to battle crowds or worry about being cold. After the tour, it's easy to return to Rockefeller Center if you want to get a better view of the tree or see the holiday windows at Saks or Bergdorf Goodman.
Book Tickets with Viator
Tour Tips:
- The tour starts at Columbus Circle but ends up near Macy's.
- The tour doesn't stop at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue or Rockefeller Center, so if you'd like to see those up-close, plan to visit before or after the tour
More About the Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour:
- The tour offered on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from November 29 - January 4, 2014.
- Tickets: $35 (+$3 ticket fee) $25 for children
Book Tickets Online with Viator - Meeting Point: near Columbus Circle
- Tour Length: approximately 2.5 hours
- Accessibility: Tour allows visitors to get off the bus at three different places to see holiday windows up close, but it's optional