In the middle of our wonderful eight-day New York honeymoon, we decided to take some time to explore some other East coast destinations. We googled our options and found a great offer. We chose to take a Take Tours’ four-day Niagara Falls, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Thousand Islands tour from New York. The tour was easy to book, it was relatively cheap and the itinerary sounded awesome.
Our four-day US East coast bus tour itinerary
DAY 1
At 8:15 in the morning, a comfortable air-conditioned bus picked us up at the bus stop at 48 Bowery street in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York. Our first destination was Philadelphia, the birthplace of the USA, the city where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed, the only World Heritage City in the US and a paradise for history lovers. There we visited the Independence National Historical Park and its main attractions, like the Independence Hall, the City Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Philosophical Hall. After a few hours, we went to explore the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. and its major landmarks, including the United States Capitol (home of the US Congress), the White House (the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States), Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the National Mall park, the Washington Monument, the National Air and Space Museum, Potomac River Cruise (which was optional) and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (also optional). Afterward, we had dinner and checked into a nice hotel.
DAY 2
The next day we proceeded our journey to Niagara Falls. Since it was almost an eight-hour drive, we stopped in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a.k.a. ‘the Chocolatetown’ or ‘The Sweetest Place on Earth’, where we visited Hershey’s Chocolate World, the huge candy store, and attraction center. It was obviously a very sweet experience. 😉 In the evening we finally reached our destination. There we saw an educational show about the falls and the Native American people at Smokin’ Joes Native Center and later on, we enjoyed the night time rainbow illumination of the Falls. It was magical and insanely romantic.
DAY 3
The tour reached its peak on the third day – at least for us, nature lovers. We spent the whole day touring the majestic Niagara Falls – one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, located on the border between Canada and the US. We took the Maid of the Mist boat ride, which took us to both American and Canadian side of the river and enjoyed the view of the falls from many different angles, including from so close up that we were actually able to touch the falls. It was the perfect honeymoon adventure!
DAY 4
On the last day, we took a boat tour of Thousand Islands, the archipelago of more than 1800 islands on the Saint Lawrence River, that runs along the border between the United States and Canada. The cruise was another wonderful experience, even more so because of an adorable little boy from India, whom we had the pleasure to sit next to. 🙂 In the evening, we returned to New York City with big smiles on our faces.
It was overall a great experience and we would definitely recommend it to everyone!
Budget
We paid 384 USD (360 EUR) for both of us. The price included three nights hotel accommodation, all transportation, a bilingual tour guide (English and Chinese) and all taxes. The price didn’t include the admission fees to Hershey’s chocolate factory, the Niagara Falls boat ride, the Thousand islands cruise, and some other attractions (which were all optional), all meals and drinks during the trip (although the tour guide, who made all the eating arrangements always made sure to take us to cheap diners with tasty, diverse food) or any other private expenses.
Where to stay
The three-night hotel accommodation arrangements were made by the tour agency and the lodging was very nice.
Best time to go
The tour is only available from April to October. The exact date depends on your personal preferences. Weather-wise the best time to visit the mentioned destinations is from June to August. Since it’s the peak season, you will spend more money and face more crowds, but you will (at least probably) avoid cold and moody weather.
♥ Top romantic experience and adventure
In our opinion, Niagara Falls are the clear winner in both categories. The sight is romantic and the experience adventurous. Niagara Falls will surely take your breath away.
Have you already been to Niagara Falls, Washington DC, Philadelphia or Thousand Islands? We invite you to share your top romantic experience and top adventure in the comment section below. 😉
Wow, that really does sound like an awesome tour! I would love to see Niagra falls someday. Especially in the dark with all the colours like you should in the picture. I’d also enjoy touring the Thousand islands. I’ve been to a few of the archipelago islands that surround Jamaica, and they were awesome, so I can hardly imagine seeing over a thousand of them!
Very good read. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Joeka, you’re more than welcome. We hope you’ll get to see them someday. Stay around. 🙂