Family in New York

Private New York tours run by a local company

Family in New York runs private, customized tours in New York City with its own guides. Every tour is exclusive to the party that books it: the site says "We charge by the tour. We do NOT charge on a per person basis," and that each tour includes "just you and those who come to New York with you." The header claims "More Than 5,000 tours since 2006," and the homepage says the company offers "more than 35 private New York City tours." Tours cover Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, and the minivan section adds private driver-guided day trips to the Hamptons, Philadelphia, Amish Country and Washington, DC. Layover tours start at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports or at the cruise terminals in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey. Prices are shown in US dollars, per tour.

The tours and what they cost

The food tours are the smallest menu on the site: a 6-Hour Brooklyn Food Tour by MiniVan and a 6-Hour Custom New York Food Tour by MiniVan, both at $999.00. The food page makes its case with a figure, "over 45,000 eating and drinking establishments in the 5 boroughs," and lists the kinds of stops a tour can include: restaurants, delis, pubs, food carts, food trucks, food halls, bakeries, pickle makers and chocolate factories. It argues that a vehicle gives "far more flexibility to get around the city than just a walking food tour confined to a particular and specific neighborhood," and invites guests to build a tour around a single quest, such as the best cannoli, pastrami, bagel or hot dog.

Sightseeing tours make up the longest list. By subway and bus there is a 6-Hour Private Guided Tour at $499.00 and a 9-Hour version at $749.00. The 4-Hour Private World Trade Center Tour is $399.00. By minivan, the 7-Hour Private New York City Driving Tour, the 7-Hour Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn Sampler and the 7-Hour In-Depth Brooklyn Tour are each $1099.00, and the 9-Hour Manhattan & Brooklyn Tour is $1199.00. The 7-Hour Private New York Sports Tour by MiniVan is $1349.00. Seasonal options include a 9-Hour Christmas Tour by Subway / Bus at $749.00, a 6-Hour Holiday Tour at $499.00 and a 7-Hour Christmas Tour by Mini-Van at $1099.00. Groups arriving on their own charter bus can book a step-on guide for 9 hours at $749.00 or 6 hours at $499.00. Custom tours are listed with "prices vary by tour."

Night tours run from $399.00 for the 3-Hour New York City Night Tour, the 3-Hour Dyker Heights Christmas Tour and the 3-Hour Christmas Lights Tour, to $499.00 for the 4-Hour Nighttime Skyline Tour from Rooftop Lounges across the Rivers. The night page says these show the skyline "from across the rivers in Brooklyn and New Jersey," with "little or no walking."

Layover tours are each 6 hours and $1099.00, from any of the three airports, and the same price applies to cruise terminal to airport transfers with a tour from Manhattan, Brooklyn or Cape Liberty.

How a tour works

For sightseeing tours, the guide meets you at your Manhattan hotel "at whatever time is best for you," and at the end the homepage says the company will return you "to the Manhattan location of your choice, such as back to your hotel, a restaurant, theater, museum." The first step is to build the day's itinerary together, and on subway and bus tours the guide stays with the group throughout. For layover tours the guide meets arriving passengers "at the luggage carousel assigned to your flight," holding a sign with your name, and loads luggage into the vehicle if needed. The layover page adds that tours can run at night or overnight for a late arrival and early departure.

Group size is stated clearly for the vehicle tours. The homepage says private driver-guided tours are "for up to 6 guests," and the food and layover pages both say they include "only you and up to 5 others who come to New York with you." The night page prices its tours "for up to six people." The site does not give a cap for the subway and bus tours.

The company is specific about licensing. The layover page says that each staff member conducting driving tours "is a licensed New York City sightseeing guide and livery driver," and that each vehicle is registered with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. The minivans are described as heated and air-conditioned with leather seats. The sightseeing page says minivan tours are "particularly useful for guests with mobility concerns; weather concerns," and the menu lists a 9-Hour Private New York City Wheelchair Tour at $749.00 and a 6-Hour Private New York City Accessible Tour at $499.00, though the sightseeing page gives only their names, lengths and prices. The homepage also notes that the website itself "is accessible to persons using assistive technologies."

Booking and terms

There is no online checkout on the tour pages. Each page ends with a contact link, inviting guests to write for more information, to check availability or to ask for a proposed itinerary, and the email address is Info@FamilyInNewYork.com. The site does not describe a separate online booking step. The menu includes an FAQs page, but none of the tour pages states a deposit, when payment is due, or a cancellation and refund window. The homepage links to guest reviews and the layover page links out to the company's TripAdvisor reviews, without quoting a rating or review count.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The gaps are the usual ones for a contact-first company. The tour pages do not give cancellation terms, do not say which languages guides speak, and do not say whether food tours can work around allergies or dietary needs. The wheelchair and accessible tours are listed with prices but without a description of the route or vehicle, so anyone booking those should ask for details in the itinerary.

On the other side, the pricing is published tour by tour, the per-tour model makes the cost for a family or small group easy to work out, and the licensing statements for driving tours are unusually detailed. It suits families and small groups of up to 6 who want a guide to themselves, layover and cruise passengers with a few hours to fill, and food-minded visitors who want to cover more than one neighborhood in a day. Solo travelers on a budget will find the per-tour price steep compared with a shared walking tour.