Two things decide what a New York night tour feels like: when it gets dark, and how cold it is on the water or the top deck. Sunset moves four hours through the year, and the evening low from about 28°F to 70°F. Before you book a night tour of new york city, check your month.
Most night products leave at a fixed time. TopView's open-top bus leaves at 6pm and 8pm all year, and the Greenwich Village ghost walk at 8pm. In late June the sun sets about 8:31pm, so the 6pm bus is back before sunset. In early December it has been dark since about 5pm, and every departure starts at night.
You spend a night tour outside, or next to an open deck, so the temperature that counts is the evening low, not the high. A July evening is warm; a January one is below freezing on average, and colder on the water.
Rain rarely stops a tour. Most cruises, buses and walks run rain or shine; flights and some vans may be cancelled for bad weather, with a new date or a full refund. What rain changes is the ride: a closed-top bus or a heated cabin beats an open top deck.
Each month gives the average high and low in Central Park, NOAA's 1991-2020 normals, and the sunset and dark times on the 15th from the U.S. Naval Observatory. Use the low for your evening.
The coldest month, with evenings near the average low of 28°F. It is dark by 5:23pm, so a 6pm bus leaves an hour after dark. Wrap up for the top deck and the waterfront stops. No Christmas coaches run after the first days of January.
Still cold, with an average low of 30°F and the least rain and snow of the year, 3.19 inches. The sun sets at 5:31pm by mid-month, and it is dark by 5:59pm. A 6pm start comes right at the end of dusk.
The clocks go forward on 8 March, and sunset jumps an hour, from 5:54pm to 6:55pm. By mid-month it is 7:03pm. Before the change a 6pm bus starts in the dark; after it, in daylight. Lows average 36°F.
Evenings warm to a low of 46°F. Sunset is 7:35pm by mid-month, and fully dark by 8:04pm. A 6pm departure is all daylight now. The 8pm bus starts at dusk and ends in the dark.
Mild evenings, with lows around 55°F and 3.96 inches of rain. The sun sets at 8:06pm by mid-month, so an 8pm start begins in daylight. Book the sunset cruises or the later slots.
The longest evenings. Sunset reaches 8:29pm by mid-month and 8:31pm on 27 June, the latest of the year. A 6pm bus is back before sunset. Lows average 64°F, and the top decks are at their best.
The hottest month, with an average high of 85°F and the most rain, 4.60 inches. Evenings fall to about 70°F. The sun sets at 8:26pm by mid-month. Carry water on the walks.
Hot and humid, with lows around 69°F. The evenings shorten: sunset is 7:54pm by mid-month and fully dark by 8:23pm. An 8pm start begins just after sunset and turns dark early in the tour.
Evenings cool to about 62°F. Sunset moves from 7:05pm at mid-month to 6:38pm by 1 October. The 8pm departures are in full dark again, and the cruises sail earlier each week.
Lows average 51°F, and it is dark by 6:43pm at mid-month. A 6pm bus leaves just before sunset at mid-month, and by the end of the month sunset is 5:53pm. Bring a warm layer for the water.
The clocks go back on 1 November, and sunset drops to 4:52pm. By mid-month it is dark by 5:07pm, so every evening departure starts in the dark. Lows fall to 42°F. The Christmas lights walk starts on 22 November.
The earliest dark of the year: sunset about 4:28pm in the first week. The Dyker Heights coaches and the holiday bus run through December. Lows average 34°F, with 4.38 inches of rain or snow, so dress for an hour outside.
Here are the twelve months side by side. The dark column is the end of civil twilight, when the sky is black enough for the lights to carry the view. Times are for 2026; other years fall within a minute or two.
| Month | Sunset (15th) | Fully dark | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Rain, inches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4:53pm | 5:23pm | 39.5 | 27.9 | 3.64 |
| February | 5:31pm | 5:59pm | 42.2 | 29.5 | 3.19 |
| March | 7:03pm | 7:30pm | 49.9 | 35.8 | 4.29 |
| April | 7:35pm | 8:04pm | 61.8 | 45.5 | 4.09 |
| May | 8:06pm | 8:38pm | 71.4 | 55.0 | 3.96 |
| June | 8:29pm | 9:02pm | 79.7 | 64.4 | 4.54 |
| July | 8:26pm | 8:58pm | 84.9 | 70.1 | 4.60 |
| August | 7:54pm | 8:23pm | 83.3 | 68.9 | 4.56 |
| September | 7:05pm | 7:32pm | 76.2 | 62.3 | 4.31 |
| October | 6:15pm | 6:43pm | 64.5 | 51.4 | 4.38 |
| November | 4:38pm | 5:07pm | 54.0 | 42.0 | 3.58 |
| December | 4:29pm | 5:00pm | 44.3 | 33.8 | 4.38 |
Compare every New York night tour, with the start time and the ride, so you can pick a heated cabin in January or a top deck in June.
For the lit city from the first minute, come between November and February. Every departure starts in the dark, and December adds the Christmas lights: the Dyker Heights coaches, the holiday bus and the Midtown lights walk. You need a warm coat: the average low runs from 42°F in November down to 28°F in January.
For warm evenings on a top deck, come from May to September. The catch is the light. The sun sets after 8pm from May to mid-August, so choose a sunset cruise, an 8pm departure or a late flight slot if you want it dark.
March, April and October sit between the two. Evenings are cool, sunset comes in the early evening, and a start just before it catches both the dusk and the lights.
If you can choose, start about half an hour before the dark time for your month. You see the last light on the towers, then the city switches on around you. In June that means about 8:30pm; in December, about 4:30pm.
The cruises sold as sunset or harbor lights do this for you: their sailing time follows the sunset. The helicopter flights let you pick your slot, so choose one after the dark time. The fixed buses cannot move, so in summer take the 8pm departure.
Temperatures and rain are NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Central Park. Sunset and dark times are the U.S. Naval Observatory's for Manhattan in 2026, checked 27 September 2026. Departure times and Christmas dates come from each tour's own listing.
Three hours on a closed-top bus from 8th Avenue opposite Worldwide Plaza, with a live guide and one photo stop by the river in Dumbo; the rest is seen through the windows.
From $42 per person an offer fare with no end date shown
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December 1 to January 3, in all weather: a climate-controlled vehicle from Broadway at 51st Street, an hour on foot among the lit houses, then a skyline stop.
From $45 per person
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Two hours from West 42nd Street and 12th Avenue, sailing year-round, with climate-controlled cabins as well as an outdoor deck, and a live guide as the harbor lights come on.
From $45 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: read what to expect on the night, choose a ride on the night tour options, or compare every tour on New York Night Tours.