1. Bryant Park
FitsThe rink and the holiday shops
Opens October 28, 2026 and runs through February 28, 2027. Shops close earlier than the rink. Confirm hours at bryantpark.org.
Holiday lights by car
Christmas Lights Tour NYC
Updated September 22, 2026
A Christmas lights tour in New York is an hourly chauffeur evening, not a ticketed bus. Do Midtown first: Bryant Park, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Rockefeller Center. Add Dyker Heights in Brooklyn only if you still want the house lights. The minimum is three hours, from $120 an hour for a sedan.
Midtown cluster
Bryant Park, Saks, Rockefeller
These three sit close together around Fifth and Sixth Avenues in the 40s and 50s. Do them before you send the car to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn add-on
Dyker Heights on the avenues
House lights from about Thanksgiving into early January. Drop on 11th, 12th, or 13th Avenue and walk. The Dyker Heights page has the block detail.
The rate
Three-hour minimum, no flat tour price
Sedan $360, SUV $450, S-Class $525, Sprinter $600 to start. Dyker Heights usually needs more than three hours.
What to put on the evening, in order
Swipe sideways to read every column. The same choices are repeated as cards below.
| Choice | When it fits | What changes the booking |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bryant Park | The rink and the holiday shops | Opens October 28, 2026 and runs through February 28, 2027. Shops close earlier than the rink. Confirm hours at bryantpark.org. |
| 2. Saks Fifth Avenue | The light show on Fifth Avenue | 2026 dates are not announced. Last year: late November through early January, about every 10 minutes from about 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. |
| 3. Rockefeller Center | The tree, on lighting night or later | Lighting is Wednesday, December 2, 2026 (confirm at rockefellercenter.com). The tree stays up into January. |
| 4. Dyker Heights | House displays after Midtown | Southwest Brooklyn. Avenue drop-off only. This leg is why many nights run past three hours. |
2. Saks Fifth Avenue
FitsThe light show on Fifth Avenue
2026 dates are not announced. Last year: late November through early January, about every 10 minutes from about 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
3. Rockefeller Center
FitsThe tree, on lighting night or later
Lighting is Wednesday, December 2, 2026 (confirm at rockefellercenter.com). The tree stays up into January.
4. Dyker Heights
FitsHouse displays after Midtown
Southwest Brooklyn. Avenue drop-off only. This leg is why many nights run past three hours.
Price the hours, then choose the stops that fit them
There is no flat rate for a lights tour. You reserve a vehicle and a chauffeur for a block of time. Three hours is the minimum. Midtown alone can fit that if the pauses are short. Dyker Heights adds the ride to southwest Brooklyn and time on foot, so ask for more hours.
- 1.List stops in order, with how long you will be out of the car
- 2.On tree-lighting night, use a side street near Rockefeller, not the plaza curb
- 3.For Dyker Heights, name an avenue, not the middle of 84th Street
- 4.Confirm seats before you promise one car to the whole group
What this evening is, and what it costs to start
You are booking a car and a chauffeur, then using that time for the lights you care about. Hourly starting rates are $120 for a sedan, $150 for an SUV, $175 for an S-Class, and $200 for a Sprinter. Three hours comes to $360, $450, $525, and $600 before tolls, parking, and any hour you add. A one-way floor of $130 for a sedan or $160 for an SUV applies only to a single pickup and drop-off. A lights evening is hourly. If you only need a ride to Rockefeller and will walk back, say so and price a transfer. If the car should be there when you come out of the cold, keep it on the clock.
Midtown first: Bryant Park, Saks, and Rockefeller
The Bryant Park Winter Village opens October 28, 2026 and runs through February 28, 2027, with the rink and holiday shops. Hours run longer around November 19 through January 3. Shops close earlier than the rink. Confirm the night at bryantpark.org. Saks does not have 2026 light-show dates yet. Last year it ran from late November through early January, about every 10 minutes from about 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Rockefeller Center lights the tree on Wednesday, December 2, 2026. Confirm that at rockefellercenter.com. The broadcast is around 8 p.m., and the tree is lit just before 10 p.m. It stays up into January, which is the easier night for a car. On December 2, ask for a side street that is still open, not the plaza curb.
Then southwest Brooklyn, if you still want Dyker Heights
Dyker Heights is house lights, not a second Midtown plaza. Displays go up around Thanksgiving and stay into early January. People walk 11th to 13th Avenues between 83rd and 86th Streets. 84th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues is the most photographed block. It is free, and it is residential. Drop the group on an avenue. Do not send the car down the middle of that block. Weekend evenings in mid-December, about 5 to 9 p.m., are the crowded ones. The ride from Rockefeller is the long leg, which is why three hours often is not enough once Brooklyn is included. The Dyker Heights page covers the walk on its own if Midtown is not part of the night.
How many hours to reserve
Count the time the car is yours, not only the minutes you spend looking up. A tight Midtown loop with short stops and a nearby hotel can live inside three hours. A real pause at the rink, or a wait for the Saks cycle, uses that minimum. Add Dyker Heights and you should ask for a longer block: the ride out, the walk, and the ride back to Manhattan or to a Brooklyn hotel. The quote should list the hours, the stops, and tolls. There is no separate tour price. If the night ends early, you still pay the three-hour minimum. If it might run long, book the longer window when you reserve.
Who rides in which car
A couple can take the S-Class at $175 an hour, or a sedan at $120. A family with a stroller usually fits an SUV at $150. A group that must use one curb belongs in a Sprinter at $200, after you confirm the seats. If some people leave after Midtown and others want Brooklyn, book two vehicles through the contact form. Keep a same-day JFK, LaGuardia, or Newark transfer separate unless the lights start as soon as the bags are in the car.
FAQ
Is there a flat price for a Christmas lights tour?
No. It is hourly, with a three-hour minimum. Starting totals are $360 for a sedan, $450 for an SUV, $525 for an S-Class, and $600 for a Sprinter. Extra hours, tolls, and parking are on the quote.
When is the Rockefeller Center tree lighting in 2026?
Wednesday, December 2, 2026. Confirm at rockefellercenter.com. The broadcast is around 8 p.m., and the tree is lit just before 10 p.m. The tree stays on view into January.
Do we know the Saks light show dates yet?
Not for 2026. Last year the show ran from late November through early January, about every 10 minutes from about 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Check Saks before you promise that stop.
When is the Bryant Park winter village open?
October 28, 2026 through February 28, 2027, with the rink and holiday shops. Hours run longer around November 19 to January 3. Shops close earlier than the rink. Confirm the night at bryantpark.org.
Can Dyker Heights be on the same booking?
Yes, if you reserve enough hours for the ride to southwest Brooklyn and the walk. Drop off on 11th, 12th, or 13th Avenue, not mid-block on 84th Street. The Dyker Heights page covers that stop on its own.
Related NYC black car resources
Hourly car service and the three-hour minimumLuxury car service NYC for the vehicle classDyker Heights Christmas lights, avenue drop-offCar service Brooklyn for the second half of the nightSprinter van rental NYC when the group stays together
Need a car for this plan? Reserve a car or send the itinerary.