Sunset Cruise New York

A sunset cruise New York offers is the best-value way to see the harbor, because the light on the skyline does half the work. I compared four sunset cruises in New York on GetYourGuide. They cost $27 to $113, last 1.5 to 3 hours and all sail past the Statue of Liberty. For the full list of 12 trips, including meal cruises and party boats, see my guide to boat tours in New York.

My pick among New York sunset cruises, in one line: I’d book the NY Waterway Golden Hour cruise at $38. It has the best rating on the page, 4.9 from 565 reviews, runs 2 hours and is timed for the sunset period. I’d spend the extra for the Classic Harbor Line yacht at $113 only for a proposal or an anniversary. Prices are in US dollars from the listings, checked on 17 October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links.

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Port Imperial Ferry Corp. dba NY WATERWAY

NYC Golden Hour Cruise (2hr)

• ★ 4.9 (565 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: My sunset pick: $38, 2 hours timed for golden hour, 4.9 from 565 reviews, free bus to the pier.

from

$38

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New York City Sunset Cruise

The table below sets the four New York sunset cruises next to each other. All four list free cancellation or a full refund up to 24 hours before departure.

Cruise	Operator	Price	Duration	Rating	Meeting point	On board
Golden Hour cruise	NY Waterway	$38	2 hours	4.9 (565 reviews)	Pier 79, Slip 2	Live guide, food and drinks for sale
Statue of Liberty sunset cruise	Circle Line	$27	1.5 hours	4.6 (2,888 reviews)	Pier 16 box office	Audio guide, pop music, restrooms
Sunset and harbor lights cruise	Circle Line Sightseeing	$45	2 hours	4.6 (9,008 reviews)	Circle Line building	Live guide, Wi-Fi, restrooms
Sunset yacht cruise	Classic Harbor Line	$113	1.5 to 3 hours	4.9 (502 reviews)	See booking page	One drink, 1920s style yacht

The cheapest and the most expensive sunset cruises differ by $86, and the difference buys you a smaller classic yacht, one drink and an observatory deck, not a longer trip. The two Circle Line cruises are the largest operations among the sunset cruises in New York by review count, 2,888 and 9,008 reviews.

Sunset Times by Month

I computed sunset for the 15th of each month from the city’s coordinates with the sunrise-sunset.org service, using the America/New_York time zone, so the clock change is included.

Month	Sunset	Month	Sunset
January	4:54 PM	July	8:27 PM
February	5:32 PM	August	7:55 PM
March	7:04 PM	September	7:06 PM
April	7:36 PM	October	6:17 PM
May	8:07 PM	November	4:39 PM
June	8:30 PM	December	4:31 PM

The practical point for any sunset cruise in New York is that a 6:30 PM departure is a daylight trip in May and a night trip in November. None of the four listings gives a fixed departure time, so pick the slot on the booking page that starts about 45 minutes before the sunset time for your date. The Circle Line harbor lights listing asks you to arrive 45 minutes before departure, and the NY Waterway listing starts boarding 20 minutes before departure.

New York Evening Cruise

For a New York evening cruise that runs into the dark, a New York sunset cruise that ends under the city lights, the Circle Line sunset and harbor lights cruise is the one I’d choose. It costs $45, runs 2 hours and has the largest review base of any boat on the page, 9,008 reviews at 4.6. The listing describes golden hour turning into city lights, with a live English guide, an audio guide in 9 languages, a spacious outdoor deck, climate-controlled cabins, free Wi-Fi and restrooms. Food and drinks are for purchase.

The route is the longest of the four: the High Line, One World Trade Center, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge, Dumbo, the Manhattan Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Chrysler Building. The meeting point is a dark green building with a Statue of Liberty on the roof, and the listing asks you to have your bag open for a security check. Because it lists a live guide, I’d choose it over the cheaper Circle Line audio-guide cruise when it’s your first visit, and it’s the sunset cruise New York first-timers book most, judging by its 9,008 reviews.

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Circle Line Sightseeing

NYC Sunset & Harbor Lights Cruise with Statue of Liberty

• ★ 4.6 (9,008 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The longest route and the biggest review base: $45, 2 hours, live guide, 4.6 from 9,008 reviews.

from

$45

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Sunset Sail New York

Many people search for a sunset sail in New York, meaning a New York sunset cruise under sail, and I want to be honest: none of the four tickets I compared is a sailboat. The Circle Line Statue of Liberty sunset cruise is the budget way to get the same view on a motorized boat. It costs $27, runs 1.5 hours and scores 4.6 from 2,888 reviews. The listing says you sail from Pier 16 past South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge and One World Trade Center to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then back to Pier 16.

The audio guide comes in 9 languages and needs headphones, and the boat has a large outdoor deck and temperature-controlled cabins with panoramic windows, plus restrooms. The listing mentions pop music, which suggests a lighter, less formal trip than the guided cruises. If a real sailing boat matters to you, the Maps list for New York includes sailing operators such as Manhattan By Sail and Tribeca Sailing, but I have no listings, prices or reviews for them, so check their own sites.

Circle Line

NYC: Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise Ticket

• ★ 4.6 (2,888 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The budget way to the same view: $27, 1.5 hours, audio guide, 4.6 from 2,888 reviews.

from

$27

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New York City Sunset Cruise on a Yacht

If you want the nearest thing to a sailing evening in my data, the Classic Harbor Line sunset yacht cruise is it, and it is also the best-rated boat on the page at 4.9 from 502 reviews. As a sunset cruise in New York it costs $113 and lists 1.5 to 3 hours, so check which sailing you choose. The listing describes 360-degree views from the open decks or the glassed-in back-deck observatory, 1920s style decor and a sail past Lower Manhattan, Battery Park, South Street Seaport, Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

It includes a sunset cruise, one drink and optional gratuities, and food is for sale on board. That is a smaller boat with a bar and an assigned seat, not a party, and the sunset cruise in New York I’d give as a gift. For the yacht options in general, including the daytime Statue and Skyline cruise at $60, see my yacht cruise page for New York.

Classic Harbor Line - New York City

Sunset Yacht Cruise

• ★ 4.9 (502 reviews)
• 1.5 - 3 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The special-occasion boat: $113, one drink included, 4.9 from 502 reviews.

from

$113

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Twilight Cruise New York

A twilight cruise in New York, the quietest kind of New York sunset cruise, is what the NY Waterway Golden Hour cruise is built for. The listing says it is optimized to sail during the sunset period and calls it a golden hour, twilight or happy hour trip, with live English commentary, relaxing music and a stop in front of the Statue of Liberty for photos. It runs 2 hours and costs $38. It is also the best-rated option on the page at 4.9 from 565 reviews.

The route covers One World Trade Center, Hudson Yards, the Vessel, Little Island, Chelsea Piers, Ellis Island, Governors Island, South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge, the United Nations Headquarters and the Empire State Building. You board at Pier 79, where there is a heated terminal, and the listing includes free bus transport to and from the pier. It says plainly that the boat does not land on Liberty Island. If you want a seated meal at sunset instead, my dinner cruise page compares the three meal cruises, and for a late-night party the party boat page has the Halloween and New Year’s Eve cruises.

Night tour

Port Imperial Ferry Corp. dba NY WATERWAY

NYC Golden Hour Cruise (2hr)

• ★ 4.9 (565 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Built for golden hour: $38, 2 hours, live guide, 4.9 from 565 reviews.

from

$38

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How I’d Choose a Sunset Cruise in New York

Here’s the list I’d use for a sunset cruise in New York. For the best value, book the NY Waterway Golden Hour cruise at $38. For the lowest price, the Circle Line sunset cruise at $27. For the longest route and a live guide, the Circle Line harbor lights cruise at $45. For a special evening, the Classic Harbor Line yacht at $113. Check the sunset time for your month in the table above, book a slot that starts before it, and bring a layer, because the Hudson is cooler than the street. Every New York sunset cruise here allows cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, so you can wait for a clear forecast. When you want to compare every New York boat trip, go back to my list of boat tours in New York, or start from the Harbour Advisor home page for other cities.