3-Day Arts and Culture Group Bus Tour of NYC | New York Charter Bus Company

New York City is well-known for its artistic and cultural influence. From world-class museums and galleries to live theater and Broadway shows. From being the premiere setting for hundreds of Hollywood movies and television shows to inspiring the work of famous writers and musicians. If you want to foray into the best of the art world, NYC is where to go.

In truth, it will take much longer than three days to see all of the art and culture highlights of New York City. Even folks who live in Manhattan all their lives have a tough time seeing every monumental museum, gallery, art installation, film festival, or performance that comes through town. This tour, however, will take you through the hotspots of the inspired life in NYC.

Spend time strutting up and down Museum Mile, a stretch along 5th Avenue home to elite houses of world-renowned fine arts and design. Explore historical and ground-breaking galleries in Chelsea and on 57th Street, then set an evening aside for a Broadway show. In between, explore outdoor art installations, art markets, and experiential dining all around Midtown Manhattan. Get ready for a busy and enlightening 3-day journey around the heart and soul of New York City.

Getting Around:

First things first: reserve your charter bus with New York Charter Bus Company. Depending on your group size, you’ll choose from transportation options as small as an 18-passenger minibus to as large as a 56-person motorcoach, or two, or three, or as many as your group needs.

18-to-25 Passenger Minibus

For small-to-medium-sized groups who need efficient, short-distance transportation through crowded, busy streets: reclining seats, overhead luggage racks, TV monitors, WiFi.

56 Passenger Charter Bus

For a long-distance (2+ hours) trip for the whole family, company, class or team: power outlets, WiFi, TV monitors & DVD players, luggage bays.

Places to Stay:

Most of the destinations on your itinerary will be around Midtown Manhattan, Chelsea, and the Upper East Side, so you’ll want to pick overnight accommodations close to any of these three locales. Your charter bus will be waiting for you outside your hotel door every morning, according to your itinerary—so don’t worry about nearby parking or public transportation. You’ll just wake and roll downstairs, load up the bus and be off!

To help you choose, here’s a handful of our favorite hotels in Midtown Manhattan (star ratings from Trivago.com):

The Hotel Wolcott

Beaux arts-style hotel steps away from the Empire State Building: NYC historic landmark, laundry service, business center, fitness center. ★★★☆☆ 4 West 31st Street, between 5th Ave. and Broadway, New York, NY 10001. (212) 268-2900. wolcott.com

The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel

Value hotel a short walk from Times Square, Broadway, and 5th Avenue: fitness center, $1 grab-n-go breakfast package, free WiFi. ★★★★☆ 790 7th Ave., New York, NY 10019. (212) 581-3300. manhattanattimessquare.com

Wyndham New Yorker

Popular, historic hotel across the street from Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan: 24-hour diner & cafe, hotel bar, ballrooms/conference rooms, fitness center. ★★★★☆ 481 8th Ave., New York, NY 10001. (212) 971-0101.

Hotel Warwick New York

Historic hotel in Midtown Manhattan around the corner from the MoMA and Broadway: hotel bar & restaurant, fitness center, business center, meeting spaces. ★★★★☆ 65 West 54th St, New York, NY 10019. (212) 247-2700. warwickhotels.com/new-york

Wellington

Sophisticated, old-fashioned hotel 5 minutes from Broadway: 24-hour business center, restaurant & hotel bar. ★★★☆☆ 871 Seventh Ave at 55th St., New York, NY 10019. (212) 247-3900. wellingtonhotel.com

Carvi Hotel New York

Family-owned boutique hotel within blocks of Central Park and Times Square: free WiFi, roof terrace with skyline views. ★★★☆☆ 152 E 55th St, New York, NY 10022. (212) 752-0600. carvihotel.com

If you’re traveling from farther than 2 hours away, we recommend reserving your charter bus and hotel stay to arrive the night before your itinerary starts. If you’re traveling from close by New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania, then you can probably get away with scheduling your bus pick-up early on Day 1. Whenever you choose to travel, ensure you get into the city no later than 10 a.m. on Day 1, when the doors open on your first tour stop.

Day 1: The Met and Museum Mile

Morning

Rise and shine! Today’s the first day of your NYC adventure and we’re starting off strong with a major hub of the city’s art scene. We also recommend making your Day 1 a Friday because you’ll be exploring some of the most popular art museums in the city: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and either The Frick Collection or The Guggenheim Museum. Visiting on weekdays will help alleviate crowds, foot traffic, and weekend restrictions for large group visits.

10 a.m. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most visited museums in NYC (it sees more than 6 million visitors per year), and for good reason: it’s home to nearly 2 million works of art spanning five millennia of human history.

Art lovers and history buffs will want to see classics like Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, an iconic portrayal of George Washington leading a surprise attack on enemy troops, Christmas night in 1776.

Claude Monet’s Bridge over a Pond of Water Lillies and Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat are rare and beautiful staples of The Met’s collection that can’t be missed. You’ll also want to see Jackson Pollock’s experimental Autumn Rhythm: Number 30 and Georgia O’Keeffe’s Cow’s Skull: Red, White, and Blue before you leave.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The largest art museum in the United States and the third most visited in the world: group rates, guided tours, audio guide in 10 languages. Advanced reservations required for adult and student groups of 10 or more. Includes dedicated arrival time, dedicated check-in, and group movement. $22-25 per adult. 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028. Group and Advance Sales: (212) 570-3711. metmuseum.org/visit/group-visits

Afternoon

12 p.m. After a few hours exploring The Met, you’ll be hungry. The museum itself has delightful dining options such as The Dining Room on the 4th Floor, serving classic American prix-fixe lunches and sweeping Central Park views. If you’re looking to explore a little more of what the city has to offer, try any of these three dining destinations in the Upper East Side, steps away from The Met.

Grazie

Homey Italian meals served in a cozy townhouse with dining space for up to 45 people: goat cheese omelette, caprese sandwich, NY-style individual pizzas, house-made gnocchi, chicken parmigiana. $$. 26 East 84th Street (b/w Madison & 5th) New York, NY 10028. (212) 717-4407. grazienyc.com/private-events

The Penrose

Brunch, lunch, and old-fashioned cocktails served in a vintage-style space large enough for up to 300 guests: smoked beet reuben, farro & burrata grain bowl, Beer Battered McClure’s Brooklyn Pickles, Murray’s Cheese Board. $$. 1590 Second Ave, New York, NY 10028. (212) 203-2751. penrosebar.com/private-events

The Bar Room

Stylish bistro serving American fare and cocktails in Insta-worthy, swanky spaces for up to 60 guests: lamb meatballs, chicken taco salad, Korean BBQ salmon, roasted half chicken. $$. 117 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022. (212) 561-5523. thebarroomnyc.com

2 p.m. Once you’re sufficiently stuffed, your next stop is one of two New York City art scene staples. North of The Met is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, a modern-art museum designed by Frank Lloyd-Wright that’s impossible to miss. One of the most comprehensive, ongoing exhibits you’ll see is the Thannhauser Collection. It includes works by Edgar Degas, Paul Gaugin, and Pablo Picasso, among others.

If you head South, you’ll bump into The Frick Collection, a vast Western Art collection displayed in a Gilded Age mansion. Expect a variety of paintings and sculpture in an opulent home filled with 18th-century French furniture and Oriental rugs. You’ll see works by Giovani Bellini, Rembrandt, and Francisco Goya, to name a few.

The Guggenheim Museum

Expertly curated exhibits of modern and contemporary art across cultures with outposts in New York, Venice, Bilbao and Abu Dhabi: iconic architecture built in 1959, Gallery Guides who talk art with you, The Wright restaurant. $15. 1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128. (212) 423-3500.

The Frick Collection

Premier museum and research center known for Old Master paintings and European sculpture, and decorative arts: 18th-century mansion, private guided tours, Acoustiguide audio guide. Arrangements for unguided group visits should be made 2 weeks in advance. May be scheduled Tues-Fri. 1 E 70th St, New York, NY 10021. (212) 288-0700. groupvisits@frick.org

Evening

5 p.m. Enjoy an early dinner to celebrate the end of your first day in NYC, then pile into your charter bus and head back to the hotel to kick up your feet. You’ll need your rest for tomorrow! We recommend unwinding at any of these three tasty, group-friendly spots around town:

PRINT.

New American, farm-to-table restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen with casual but elegant style and private dining for 12+: charcuterie, squid ink tagliatelle, grass-fed lamb chops, Fingerling Farms duck breast. $$$. 653 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036. (212) 757-2224. printrestaurant.com/private-events

ZAVŌ Restaurant & Lounge

Upscale Italian & Mediterreanean fine dining with 3 private rooms for large events (up to 120 folks) and a prix fixe menu option: quinoa and lobster salad, vegan cauliflower steak, braised short ribs, black sea bass filet. $$$. 1011 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10065. (212) 753-5500. Zavonyc.com/private-dining-lounge/rooms.

P.J. Clarke’s

Serving burgers & beers since 1884 to legends like Frank Sinatra & Jackie Kennedy: raw oyster bar, jumbo Maine lobster roll, prime skirt steak frites, BBQ bleu burger. Private dining room with private entrance. $$. 915 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022. (212) 317-1616. Pjclarkes.com/private-affairs.

Day 2: From Chelsea to Broadway

After your charter bus shuttles you to Chelsea, get ready to do a lot of walking. Chelsea is the Manhattan neighborhood home to more than 200 art galleries, all of which are worth exploring. We’ve picked a promising handful for you to fit into your day, as well as a stroll through the High Line park and garden and Chelsea Market. You’ll end your day with a Broadway show of your choice.