5 Best NYC Film Tours

Group of girls taking a picture on Gossip Girl tour
On Location Tours

With a city as cinematic as New York, it's little wonder that its wow-factor cityscapes have been used as the backdrop for countless films. In fact, many first-time visitors to NYC feel like they already know the city, simply based on all of the movies they've seen it depicted in. But there's nothing like seeing the real thing, and cinephiles will appreciate these 5 NYC film tours that make it a breeze to merge the film fantasy with the on-the-ground reality. 

On Location Tours, pretty much corners the market in NYC film tours, with its diverse and high-quality movie- and film-themed bus and walking tours; each come helmed by licensed tour guides who double as local actors and actresses. Tours include stops for photo ops and feature clips from the films/TV shows being showcased. Here are 5 of their best NYC film tours to help effortlessly guide you through the most filmed city in the world:

1. NYC TV & Movie Bus Tour

This is On Location Tours classic and most popular outing. Guests hop aboard a coach bus for a guided 2.5- to 3-hour tour covering more than 40 TV and film locations throughout Manhattan. Highlighted locations come plucked from beloved TV shows like Friends and Seinfeld, and movies like Spider-Man, Birdman, When Harry Met Sally, and more.

2. When Harry Met Seinfeld Bus Tour

The newest offering from On Location Tours (launched in fall 2015), this 2-hour bus tour hits up 40-plus film and TV locations set in Uptown Manhattan, including on the Upper West Side, Central Park, Upper East Side, and more. You'll hit up spots like Monk's Diner from Seinfeld, the café where Meg Ryan awaited her date in You’ve Got Mail, the museum featured in Men in Black, and more.

3. Central Park TV & Movie Site Walking Tour

Perhaps NYC's most famous film backdrop, Manhattan's expansive Central Park has been featured in hundreds of films. This walking tour covers more than 30 film and TV locations in just two hours, including the band shell from Breakfast at Tiffany's, the boathouse from When Harry Met Sally, Bethesda Terrace from Elf, and more.

4. TCM Classic Film Bus Tour

Presented in partnership with Turner Classic Movies (TCM), this 3-hour bus tour hones in on iconic film locations from the TCM brand. En route, guests will see movie locations from classics like King Kong, Woody Allen’s Manhattan, The Seven Year Itch, Superman, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and more.

5. Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Bus Tour

This seasonal 2.5-hour tour (running between the Thanksgiving and New Year's holidays) showcases a selection of locations from filmed-in-NYC Christmas-season movies, bringing guests to sites featured in classic holiday movies like Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone 2, Elf, Scrooged, and more.