New York City Layover Tours

Tailoring each tour to your wishes by locals who love their city

Top 10 layover tours & experiences around the world

From exploring cool neighborhoods to eating with the locals to seeing iconic sites, these are some of our favorite experiences

When in Osaka
make sure to try
“kushikatsu”!

See the city like
you would with a friend who lives there

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When in Osaka
make sure to try
“kushikatsu”!

See the city like
you would with a friend who lives there

The best private layover tours & experiences with locals

If you’ve got a long layover at JFK airport, there’s only one thing to do: escape the airport and see the city on the ultimate New York City layover tours with a native New Yorker leading the way! When the Big Apple is at your doorstep, you have to take the opportunity to see it, no matter how little time you have. And who says you can’t see the best of the city in just a few hours? NYC layover tours with City Unscripted are 100 percent tailored to your schedule, and we plan incredible experiences that squeeze in everything you want to see and do, whether you love art, culture, architecture, food, or all the above. The city is waiting – are you ready to explore it?

Meet some of our local hosts around New York City

Like the people who travel with us, they have different backgrounds and interests – but they’re all so passionate about the place they call home, they choose to spend their free time sharing it with the like-minded travelers matched to them.

We’ve handpicked them and we’ll match you to your perfect one!

See NYC on your layover

JFK Airport is nice and all, but do you really want to spend hours hanging around in the airport with a pretzel and a magazine when there’s a world-famous city surrounding you? Of course not! On New York City layover tours with City Unscripted, you’ll get a whirlwind experience of the city that perfectly fits your flight schedule. A local guide will take you to the heart of the city and show you some of the most famous attractions, from the Met and the MoMA to sprawling Central Park on the ultimate NYC layover tours. Now doesn’t that sound better than spending hours in an airport?

A local to lead the way

When you have a flight in a few hours, the idea of exploring an unfamiliar city can be daunting. The last thing you want to do is miss your flight. But luckily for you, we couldn’t make New York City layover tours more effortless if we tried! A local host will come pick you up at the airport and be by your side every step of the way. On NYC layover tours, you don’t have to worry about a thing – we’ll make this travel experience 100% stress-free and one to remember. Plus, you won’t have to grapple with a GPS or guidebook, because your guide will play the role of both!

Get a tour tailored to you

It’s not an exaggeration to call New York one of the most iconic cities on earth. A cultural behemoth of North America, the Big Apple is overflowing with entertainment that caters to every traveler. That’s why we tailor our New York City layover tours to your interests and personality. We understand that no two travelers touching down in NYC are the same, so we plan NYC layover tours according to what you want to see and do. All you have to do is tell us what excites you most, and a local insider will show you all the highlights and hidden gems you’ll absolutely adore.

New York City travel tips and inspiration from our Travel Magazine

Find the best things to do, places to eat, must eat foods and lots of travel tips in New York City recommended by our local hosts

Latest reviews from our guests

Dean was a WONDERFUL guide for our family of 3 visiting the City. Was very attentive from the beginning of our day together to get a sense of our interests, outlining a possible itinerary based on our needs and was outstanding in giving a fabulous blend of history, personal experiences and even obscure information about famous sites. He was a perfect blend of easy going nature, offering interesting information and had a wide range of knowledge. Would HIGHLY recommend!

May 2022

Noreen S
We did a 4 hour walking tour with Ross. He did a great job of providing insight and history of the city. Very flexible in making modifications to the tour. Highly recommend Ross and this tour.

August 2021

Jeff B
My husband and I did a private tour with Michael Pellagatti as our guide. This was the first time my husband had been to NYC and he wanted to see the sights but from a local perspective. This was Michael’s first tour back after the pandemic and he said he was a but rusty but we didn’t find that at all. Michael did a great tour hitting the highlights and showing us a lot of areas and things we would never have seen in a larger tour or group. The company did a great job prior to the tour providing a questionnaire on what we wanted to see and how to Tailor the tour to us. Michael reached out days before the tour so we could adjust and set things up just how we wanted. Michaels knowledge of the city and history was great and we learned so much. Highly recommend Michael and the experience.

August 2021

Jodi M
Maurita was our guide and I have to say she was amazing. My son(17) and I were blown away by all the history we learned and we thought we knew a good bit…she was so kind and helped me plan out the rest of my stay so we could see as much as possible in our time. I highly recommend doing this private tour as soon as you get to the city because it helps you get acclimated and know what you want to see and how best to see it. Maurita was really good at showing us great was to save money too-which is always nice in a city as expensive as NYC. I’m 100% sure the tour paid for itself just from her helpful advice and ideas. I truly can’t say enough great things about her and the format of the tour itself. K&J

July 2021

Kristie M