Grand Central Terminal Tour with Optional Empire State Access
Description
Step inside world-famous Grand Central Terminal and uncover the secrets hidden beneath its Beaux-Arts beauty. On this 2-hour guided tour, explore the grand Main Concourse, the celestial ceiling (painted backwards!), and the four-faced opal clock worth millions — plus secret stairways and hidden passageways most visitors walk right past. Experience the Whispering Gallery, where a quiet word travels across the arched walkway, and hear how preservationists — including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — saved the terminal from demolition. The tour ends at the Dining Concourse and Grand Central Market, perfect for a classic New York lunch. Make it a full NYC day with the Empire State Building option. After lunch, enjoy an easy 15-minute walk down Fifth Avenue, past Bryant Park, to the 86th-floor Observatory — where sweeping views of the city you just explored await, including Grand Central itself, 1,000 feet below.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour begins in front of the famous Pershing Square Café, located across from the main entrance to Grand Central Terminal. Your guide will kick off the tour with an introduction to this architectural marvel, sharing its fascinating history and significance.
Next, you’ll go on a tour inside Grand Central Terminal, discovering its hidden gems and iconic features. Your guide will dive into the terminal’s stunning architecture, explaining how it was built, and lead you through the main concourse, showcasing the famous ceiling mural, intricate lighting fixtures, movie scenes filmed here, whispering arches, and much more.
The next stop will be at the Dining Concourse, where you'll have the opportunity to choose from a variety of food options, including snacks, desserts, and light bites. This is also a great time to use the bathroom before continuing the tour.
The next stop is the iconic Campbell Apartment, a stunning former office turned speakeasy bar. Your guide will share the fascinating history of this hidden gem, once the private domain of a railroad tycoon.
Enjoy seamless access to 86th Floor of Empire State Building after your tour at Grand Central Terminal.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(23)
Excellent tour including the history of Grand Central Station. We had no idea of how huge the station is! And of its place in the growth of New York City. Great experience.
Had so much fun with our guide, Fred. You could tell he had a real passion for the terminal and the history behind it.
Thank you for the great review! We’re so glad you had fun exploring Grand Central with Fred and enjoyed learning about the terminal’s rich history. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with him!
Fred was an amazing tour guide! You could tell he has a passion for the terminal and the history behind it. We were able to maneuver around super easily since it was just the 3 of us and learned way more than if we tried to do it ourselves. Fred's books were also a great way to learn about the history of the building.
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed exploring Grand Central with Fred and hearing all the fascinating stories and history behind the terminal. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
He is VERY Knowledgeable and fun. If you love Trump you will like him more…his hat has 47 embroidered on it 😡
Thank you for your feedback—we’re glad you found the tour knowledgeable and fun. We’d like to clarify that the “47” on the tour guide's hat refers to the '47 brand of his New York Mets hat, it's not a political statement. Our goal is always to provide an engaging, welcoming experience for all guests, and we appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Percy was a wealth of knowledge!! They knew their way around and gave us suggestions about NYC in general. We lucked out, there were 4 of us in our group and no one else joined the tour so it was small and intimate which allowed us opportunities that a larger group might not have had. Thank you Percy!!
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely review. We’re really glad you enjoyed the Grand Central Terminal tour and that the small group made the experience feel more personal and relaxed. Percy will be very happy to hear your kind words—he always enjoys sharing both the station’s history and tips for exploring New York. We hope to welcome you on another tour in the future!
Liz was a wonderful tour guide full of information and fun facts. She continues to research to give an interesting tour. I learned so much about Grand Central Terminal, our time together flew by. Then she made sure to direct us to the correct subway line to get back to our hotel. Both my friend and I highly recommend!
Thank you for the kind review! We’re so glad you and your friend enjoyed exploring Grand Central Terminal with Liz. It’s wonderful to hear her knowledge, fun facts, and dedication to sharing new insights made the tour so engaging—and that she was able to help you navigate your way back easily as well. We truly appreciate your recommendation!
Jarod is an amazing guide. He is so knowledgeable not just about Grand Central terminal but also about New York City as a whole. We enjoyed all of the history of the Terminal as well as inside to recent additions. We highly recommend Jarad.
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed discovering Grand Central Terminal with Jared and hearing both its history and more recent updates. It’s great to know his knowledge made the experience even more special. We truly appreciate the recommendation!
Liz is a fantastic guide. We’ve been to NY many times and walked through GCT but never saw all of nooks or knew the history about this gem. It was really a great way to learn and explore in under 2 hours. We highly recommend.
We’re thrilled you enjoyed the tour! It’s great to hear Liz helped you uncover all the hidden gems and history of Grand Central in such a short time. Thank you for recommending us!
Elizabeth C was a great tour guide, gave such good information, very friendly, would definitely recommend her again.
We’re so glad you enjoyed your time exploring Grand Central with Liz! It’s great to hear her friendliness and knowledge made the tour memorable. Thank you for recommending us!
Our tour guide Jared was so great! He was informative and friendly and I learned so much about Grand Central. I have taken this tour many years ago and Jared told us about so much more. I would highly recommend this tour
Thank you for your wonderful review. We are thrilled to hear that Jared made the tour both informative and enjoyable, and that you discovered even more about Grand Central this time. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you again on another tour.
