8 Best Bronx Tours in NY

The Bronx is one of New York's most popular neighbourhoods. From lights at the zoo to walking tours, you'll always find interesting things to see in this area.
8 Best Bronx Tours in NY

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The Bronx is much more than danger and crime, the truth is that what is considered one of the most popular and well-known neighbourhoods in North America has much more to show tourists.

This is a place that you absolutely have to include in your list of things to see and do in New York because it gives you a clearer impression of the different faces of the city, in fact one of the most realistic faces of New York. So I'll show you some of the best things to see on your tour of the Bronx.

1. Bronx Zoo Tour

Zoo Entrance| ©Shinya Suzuki
Zoo Entrance| ©Shinya Suzuki

One of the most interesting and fun places for the whole family is definitely the Bronx Zoo. During this tour you can discover what animals are in the Bronx Zoo and also see and appreciate how they perform in an environment that emulates their natural habitat.

While this is not an urban tour of the entire Bronx, it is a great place to get an inside look at America's most popular neighbourhood. On this type of tour you will not only pay for the entrance fee, but also for an escort who will tell you everything you need to know about the place and the species found inside.

You can also do this tour on your own, buying only the entrance ticket to the zoo. This way you will be able to get to know the place at your own pace and each of the places of interest inside the enclosure.

Details of interest

  • Price: Zoo tickets are available from 41 euros and upwards.
  • Duration: These zoo tours can last from 3 to 4 hours.
  • Means of transport: This tour takes place on foot at the zoo, but you must make your own way to the zoo gates.
  • Advantages of this option: You will be able to see all the animals on display at the zoo. You will also have the commentary of an expert zoo guide. Entrance to the park and the tour guide are included.
  • Disadvantages of this option: You will not have transport from your accommodation to the zoo and back. Snacks and drinks during the tour are not included.

Book your tickets for the Bronx Zoo

2. Bus tour of the boroughs of New York: Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens

New York City Sightseeing Bus Tour| ©CarDun78
New York City Sightseeing Bus Tour| ©CarDun78

On this complete tour of New York City you will get to know the most popular neighbourhoods of the city, such as Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. It's an experience of contrasts, because you'll also get the chance to see Harlem, Little Italy and find great places to eat in Chinatown at your own expense.

Not only will you have the chance to take lots of photos of each of the places you stop at, but you will also get to know the history behind each of these places. Your English-speaking guide will show you the contrasts of the city and show you that New York is much more than just 20 things to see and do in Manhattan.

It's a good tour for people who are new to New York and want to see more than what tourists always ask to see. But it is also a great tour for people who have been to New York before and have the impression that the Bronx is all about gangs and danger.

Interesting details

  • Price: From 40 euros per person.
  • Duration: This is a tour can last approximately 5 hours.
  • Means of transport: This tour is done by bus with all amenities.
  • Advantages of this option: It is offered in both Spanish and English. The tour guide is included as well as transportation from the hotel. The bus or minivan is air-conditioned throughout the tour.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Return to the hotel is not included as the tour ends in Chinatown or Little Italy. Drinks and meals are not included and tips to the tour guide are not included.

Book your contrast tour

3. South Bronx Graffiti Tour on foot

Walking in New York City| ©Hellotickets
Walking in New York City| ©Hellotickets

This is a tour especially for young people who appreciate street art and want to get to know those places where you can see a lot of street art in New York. Most of the walking tour takes place in the South Bronx, where you can take as many photos of street art as you want.

You'll also have commentary from tour guides who will tell you everything you need to know about street art and how it has taken over the entire city. It's a tour you can enjoy with your friends and family, but this is an experience you'll only enjoy if you appreciate art in all its expression. If you want to continue with the graffiti tour, you can take a graffiti workshop in Brooklyn, very close to the Bronx.

Interesting details

  • Price: This tour can be found from 51 euros per person.
  • Duration: The tour can last approximately 3 hours.
  • Means of transport: The whole tour is done on foot, and in case you want to be picked up at the hotel where you are staying, you will get into a vehicle with all the comforts.
  • Advantages of this option: The tour is led by an expert guide. The use of a professional camera is included if necessary. Bottled water is provided during the tour.
  • Disadvantages of this option: If you want a transfer to and from the hotel where you are staying then you have to order the service separately. Admission to Yankee Stadium is not included.

Book your graffiti workshop in Brooklyn

4. Private tour of the Bronx and other NYC neighbourhoods

Entrance to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem| ©Ken Yuel
Entrance to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem| ©Ken Yuel

This private tour of New York's neighbourhoods will give you a great insight into the urban culture of these popular areas. You will learn about the lifestyle of the families on this side of the city and above all you will have access to the most interesting sights in the Bronx or Queens, even those that you would see on some of the best tours in Harlem or Brooklyn.

In just one day you'll get to see four of the five boroughs that comprise New York City and your tour guide will tell you everything you need to know about each of them. You'll also have the opportunity to stop at a restaurant for a taste of New York cuisine.

You'll visit the Coney Island boardwalk while taking lots of pictures of the beautiful views of this part of the Big Apple. It's a bus tour that you can enjoy with your family or friends, for a much broader experience than a tour of upper and lower Manhattan.

Interesting details

  • Price: From 66 euros per person, price may vary according to the size of the group.
  • Duration: This full day tour can last between 6 and 7 hours approximately.
  • Means of transport: The tour takes place entirely on board a fully equipped bus.
  • Advantages of this option: The transfer from the hotel where you are staying is included. You will have expert commentary from an expert guide on each of the interesting sights in these New York City neighbourhoods. You won't have to worry about the route because the tour guide will do it for you.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Admission to Yankee Stadium is not included, nor is admission to any other place that requires an entrance fee. Food and beverage service is not included.

5. Hip Hop Culture Tour in the Bronx

Inside the Hip Hop Museum| ©Randy Patrigon
Inside the Hip Hop Museum| ©Randy Patrigon

During this tour throughout the Bronx your guide will focus on showing you all the places that pioneered the birth of the Hip Hop genre in the United States. During the tour you will be able to visit everything from the Hip Hop museum to the most popular and common places where the movement started.

If there is one interesting thing you can learn about during this tour, it is the stories that the people who started the Hip Hop legacy have to tell. So the tour is more than just places, it also includes stories and characters that tell of their own development in this type of urban and popular music.

This is a tour exclusively recommended for people who are lovers of the genre and the best thing is that you can form your own group and go on this experience in the company of your own friends and family, without sharing the experience with other people.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 500 euros per group.
  • Duration: This is a full day tour that can last up to 8 hours.
  • Means of transport: The tour takes place aboard a private bus with all comforts.
  • Advantages of this option: Entrance to most of the places that will be visited during the tour is included. It is a private tour, meaning that only your group can participate.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Transport to and from your hotel is not included. Not recommended for people with back problems or heart conditions.

6. Bronx Bike Tour for Small Groups

Bicycle Tour| ©Gwenael Piaser
Bicycle Tour| ©Gwenael Piaser

On this Bronx bike tour you will see some of the most iconic sights of the Bronx such as the stairs where the popular Joker scene was filmed, the Yankee Stadium and other sites of interest to tourists.

This tour, which is one of the best bike tours in New York, will be accompanied by a tour guide who will always be attentive to all your questions and concerns. Plus, you' ll be riding on the safest bike paths you'll find in the Bronx.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 114 euros per person.
  • Duration: This tour can last approximately seven hours.
  • Means of transport: The whole tour is done by bike.
  • Advantages of this option: You will be accompanied by a tour guide who is an expert in the Bronx area. You will also have the advantage of going with a small group to make the tour as specialised as possible. Helmet and all other safety equipment is included.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Tips for the tour guide are not included. Not suitable for people with back problems or those who do not know how to ride a bike.

7. Walking tour of the most interesting places in the Bronx

Bronx Criminal Court| ©Gendery G
Bronx Criminal Court| ©Gendery G

You'll love this walking tour because not only will you get to see interesting places, but you'll also get to see the Bronx as if you were a local, walking through its streets and getting to know its culture. You will be accompanied by a tour guide and you will be guaranteed safety during your sightseeing tour.

But on this tour you will not only see the most iconic places, but also those with a darker history such as the criminal court, where the crimes committed in the Bronx district are followed up. During this tour you will also have the opportunity to grab a bite to eat and drink at your own expense before continuing your tour.

Details of interest

  • Price: From 28 euros per person.
  • Duration: The tour can last from 3 to 4 hours.
  • Means of transport: This tour is entirely on foot. You must arrive on your own at the terminal where the tour begins.
  • Advantages of this option: The tour is completely in English, along with an expert guide who will tell you everything you need to know about this district. You can make a reservation online before you go on the tour.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Transport to and from your accommodation is not included. Drinks and meals during the tour are not included.

8. Pizza tour through Manhattan

Pizza, fast food in New York| ©Jeremy Keith
Pizza, fast food in New York| ©Jeremy Keith

This is one of my favourite tours because it has to do with food. It really is a tour worth doing because although it starts in Manhattan, you're sure to get to other boroughs of New York such as the Bronx.

During the tour you'll get to see the best pizza places in the city, which are sure to be among the best places to eat in New York and of course you'll have the opportunity to taste the pizza prepared in each of them.

After seeing the area and taking a food tour of the borough of Manhattan, you'll most likely end up somewhere in Little Italy in the Bronx sampling some of the best American pizza.

Interesting details

  • Price: From 59 euros per person.
  • Duration: Around 2.5 hours.
  • Means of transport: The tour is on foot, but to get to the starting point you have to get around on your own.
  • Advantages of this option: You will have access to a tour guide who will take you to all the places to learn about American pizza. Pizza to taste during the tour is included. The tour is wheelchair friendly.
  • Disadvantages of this option: Drinks and additional pizzas you want to try are not included. Some pizza toppings are not included. Transportation from your accommodation to and from the tour location is not included.

Book your food tour of Manhattan

Duration of the Brox tours

Botanical Garden in the Bronx| ©Melody Ann Crespo
Botanical Garden in the Bronx| ©Melody Ann Crespo

The duration of these types of tours is usually a short two to three hours, although in most cases it depends largely on what you want to see as a tourist. It also has a lot to do with the agreement you make with whoever you book the experience with.

Another determinant of how long these types of tours take is how you are going to get around the Bronx. Whether you are driving, walking or cycling, you will spend a little more or a little less time.

Depending on where you start your tour from, the length of the tour may be longer or shorter. But if it's a tour that starts and ends in the Bronx, then certainly as a rule of thumb this type of tour should last between two and three hours, as I've told you before.

What will I see on this type of tour?

Aerial view of Yankee Stadium in New York City| ©Nick Fewings
Aerial view of Yankee Stadium in New York City| ©Nick Fewings

Basically on this type of tour you'll see all the activity that the Bronx has to show you, from shopping to cultural attractions that are located in this popular New York City neighbourhood.

Some of the most interesting attractions in the Bronx include Yankee Stadium and museums dedicated to street art and hip hop, one of the most representative rhythms of this area of the city.

You can also visit the Bronx Zoo, where you can see animal species from all over the world in one place. This is one of the best experiences you can have in the Bronx, especially if you're walking with children.

Tips for a trip to the Bronx

New York City| ©Jeffrey Czum
New York City| ©Jeffrey Czum
  • Always go with someone who is knowledgeable about the entire Bronx area, its busy streets and the safest places to walk.
  • Don't carry too many valuables, and if you do walk carefully, it's not a dangerous area in its entirety but there are places that are.
  • Don't walk in streets that are too lonely and don't walk in the common areas of communal buildings.

Reviews from other travellers

4.6
· 64 Reviews
  • J
    J. S.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    Easy to arrange. Enjoyable day out.
  • M
    M. N.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    We loved the tour and Sebastian was great!
  • D
    D. V.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    The experience of exploring the neighbourhoods was unique and enriching, but I think they could include more photo stops at iconic locations.
  • Z
    Z. C.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    Exploring the city's most iconic neighbourhoods with an expert guide was an unforgettable experience, highly recommended!
  • G
    G. M.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    I loved seeing the city's most iconic neighbourhoods in one day. I always wanted to see the cultural differences in New York and this tour allowed me to do just that.