Congress tours

NEW YORK CITY TOUR

You will truly enjoy this specially-designed tour of The Big Apple, including visits to many areas of Manhattan from the tip of Battery Park in the south to the bridges of the north connecting the island to the other boroughs and upstate areas. On the Upper West Side, you’ll see gothic buildings like St. John the Divine, Grant’s Tomb, and historic areas of Harlem including Hamilton Grange. Moving towards Midtown, the tour will take you past Lincoln Center and through Museum Mile.

In Midtown, where views of Saks Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral are all within a turn of your head, you’ll see such famous sights as the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, the United Nations, Radio City Music Hall, and Central Park. Moving into the oldest part of New York, you’ll capture the rich heritage of this great city. From the world’s financial headquarters on Wall Street to a view of the majestic Statue of Liberty out in New York Harbor, you’ll gain a better understanding of the role the city has played in our history.

Before moving back uptown through Chinatown and Little Italy, the tour will stop at South Street Seaport, Manhattan’s still active fish market. With its cobblestone plaza, designer shops, and many diversified restaurants and marketplace offerings, it remains one of the most popular attractions in New York. All in all, this comprehensive tour will give you and exciting and thorough overview of the best New York has to offer.

Price per person: EURO 65 

UNITED NATIONS AND THE MUSEUM OF RADIO AND TELEVISION

“We the people of the United Nations…” With these opening words of the United Nations Charter, fifty nations, meeting in San Francisco in 1945, founded the New World Organization. In 1950, the organization found a permanent home on the west bank of the east River, where it has grown into a powerful instrument of peace with more than 100 member countries.

You’ll be given a detailed tour of this mighty building, from the General Assembly and Council Chambers to the smaller control rooms and the attached gardens.

After the UN, the tour moves on to the Museum of Radio and Television. Established in 1965 by the late Williams S. Paley, founder of CBS Inc., the museum stands as a testament to the power of the media and to how they have shaped and reflected our lives for the past 70 years. You’ll tour the museum’s exhibits, including a retrospective on the career of Alfred Hitchcock and a tribute to the lifetime accomplishments of Henry Fonda. You can select TV and radio programs from the museum’s vast archives – containing everything from Edward R. Murrow to Mr. Ed. Museum personnel will give you a special behind-the-scenes presentation, explaining all the museum’s little-known historical facts. Finally, you’ll view “Great Moments in Television –What We Watched”, a nostalgic retrospective of television shows and commercials.

Price per person: EURO 60 

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: THE HOMES AND GARDENS OF NEW YORK

With a visit to Greenwich Village, New York’s best-known neighborhood, you’ll experience the feeling of living in the city more than 100 years ago. Once the home for such literary giants at Eugene O’Neill and Edna St. Vincent Millay, the Village is currently a haven for contemporary artists and writers. Its winding streets offer a wealth of charming architectural treasures, and this tour will give you an intimate view of some of the landmark townhouses and private gardens in this, New York’s largest historic district.

You will stop to tour two townhouses. One is an 1845 Greek Revival home renovated to reflect the original and daring spirit of its owners. The other is a famous historic landmark in the Village. Time permitting, you will also tour a downtown artist’s loft.

Price per person: EURO 60 

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

One of the world’s largest museums offers unmatched exhibits of American art, European painting and sculpture, and Ancient Egyptian art.

Price per person: EURO 50 

ALL RATES ARE BASED ON 2011 PRICES AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE