When my family and I moved to the United States over 35 years ago, one of the first tours we did was take the Circle Line in NYC cruise around the Island. Since the boats stopped arriving at Ellis Island, this was as monumental of a tour for us.
Related Read: Circle Line Sightseeing Tour
I barely remember it, since I was only six years old.
35 years later, I was able to treat my parents to the tour, along with my Guatemalan husband and kids. Three generations on a timeless tour of one of the greatest cities in the world.
How do you get to show your kids what NYC is really like? It’s impossible to explain to kids who have never fully understood a city like New York, what a skyline is all about. Now it was time.
Circle Line with my KidsNYC Circleline Tour
The Circle Line has been around for ages, and there is a good reason for it. Our guide was living proof. He’s been working with Circle Line for over 20 years and truly loved his job. He made the tour fun and extremely informative.
Our GuideOur Route
The pick-up is at Pier 42 off of 12 Avenue on the West Side – Henry Hudson River.
From there we headed down south past midtown
Mid Town NYCPast Downtown with an amazing view of the new Freedom Tower
Freedom Tower – Downtown NYCStatute of Liberty
Statue of Liberty at SunsetEllis Island
Ellis IslandNew York’s Skyline at Sunset
Good Night NYCRecommended Post: How to Get Around New York
Information for the Circle Line
Circle Line has lots of different tours you can do. It’s best to check out what you’re in the mood for on their website for schedules.
How to Buy tickets
Once you decide on the tour you want, you can simply buy it right from their website.
NY CityPASS is another way to get tickets, which also gives you access to six of the top destinations in NYC.
You can also arrive to the ticket station at Pier 42.
STRONG RECOMMENDATION – Arrive to the pier at least one hour before your tour begins, with tickets or not. If you don’t have tickets, maybe even 1.5 hours before, especially during high season.
Circle Line in NYC – Timeless Tour of 1 of the Greatest Cities
We love New York and have visited several times but haven’t yet visited with our now 6-year-old son. It is a trip we do plan to make in the next year. This tour looks like a lot of fun, especially for a kid.
Hey Lance,
NYC is surprisingly very kid friendly on a whole. The circle line is fun, but honestly, there are tons more fun things to do, it really depends on the time you have.
We were able to fit this into our schedule cause our first choice was closed off which was Statue of Liberty, they were still repairing it from Sandy storm.
This looks great! And I’m sure it would be especially exciting for kids. I really like the sunset picture with the lights of the Freedom Tower twinkling away.
Oh cool! I’ve always wanted to do one of these but never got a chance. Such an amazing skyline!
I can’t wait to take my kids to New York. This tour will be perfect for them.
We just love NY, with family there we have been fortunate to visit often. The skyline is the best!
Hey Heidi,
Same here, with family in NY we get to enjoy this city and not break the bank for places to stay.
I want to go! What a view!
Looks so fun! We have not done the Circle Line–one of these days we need to!
Aww I love Circle Line! How cool to take all three generations. 🙂