With over 30 million visitors a year, Central Park is one of the most iconic landmarks in New York City, and the second largest urban park in the country. 843 acres of landscaped gardens, ponds, trees and plant life situated in the center of a thriving city is quite a sight, but there are also baseball fields, a boating lake, and even a zoo to discover. I’ve walked through Central Park many times, but it’s so vast that you can’t expect to see much on foot, which is why I was excited to join a Central Park Bike Tour, with the aptly named; Central Park Bike Tours.

There were around 13 of us in the group, so our guide, Philip, had to give us a safety briefing and some ground rules before we could set off. The rumours about New Yorkers are true; they like things to be fast-paced and don’t take too kindly to tourists who get in their way. So with this in mind we mounted our bicycles and headed towards the first stop of the tour, the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain. Here, Philip told us about how the park was commissioned as a result of residents wanting to reconnect with nature and have a rural oasis within their concrete jungle. In 1858, the park officially opened.

We were given 15 minutes to wander round and take photos (and witness at least three wedding photoshoots), before cycling towards the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. On the way we got shouted at by a fellow cyclist who apparently wasn’t expecting us to stop at a red light (maybe that’s normal in New York?), but undeterred, we found our way to the top of the hill for one of the best skyline views possible on ground level. Philip told us about the more recent history of Central Park; how in the 70s it fell into disrepair until a group of volunteers got together to clean it up, and ultimately form The Central Park Conservancy who take care of the park to this day.

We also learnt about the buildings on either side of the park, who lives there (old money on the Upper East, new money on the Upper West), and how one of the penthouses holds the record for the most expensive ever sold at $110m. Unfortunately no one was willing to tip Philip enough to buy one of these apartments, so we cycled on to our final stop of the tour; Strawberry Fields. There were two Liverpudlians in the group so this section was particularly poignant, and we discussed the possible motive for John Lennon’s murder, as well as Yoko Ono’s questionable yet memorable solo career.

That brought our experience to a close, after two hours of leisurely biking and interesting conversation. Cycling around Central Park is definitely my favourite way to sightsee (so much so that I rented a bike the next day to do it again), and I’d highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to learn more about the area. As far as New York sightseeing tours go, a Central Park Bike Tour should be a must-do!