Central Park Carriage Rides: Fares, Routes and the 2028 Phase-Out
A horse carriage ride in Central Park costs at most $72.22 for the first 20 minutes and $28.89 for each extra 10 minutes (October 2026). Booked ahead on Viator, rides run from 20 to 65 minutes, and all but one are priced per carriage, which takes up to four adults. On 22 October 2026 the City Council passed a measure that phases out the carriages by June 1, 2028; they still run legally today.
Twenty minutes to an hour: what each length covers
All but one carriage ride here is priced per carriage, not per person; the exception, Full loop Private Horse Carriage Ride (45 minutes), is from $98 per person on Viator in October 2026. Length decides how far the horse gets from Central Park South and how many times the driver stops for photos.
20 to 25 minutes: the southern corner
The lowest price on the page is the Small Loop Horse Carriage Tour, 20 minutes from $73 per carriage (4.2 from 5 reviews). The Classic Mini Horse Carriage Ride (20 minutes) passes the Carousel, the Dairy, Wollman Rink and the Zoo, from $115 per carriage on Viator in October 2026 (4.54 from 76 reviews). Official NYC Horse Carriage Rides also sells a 25-minute short tour with one photo stop at the Dairy.
40 to 45 minutes: Bethesda and Bow Bridge
This is the length most rides sell. The 45 min Long VIP ride (4.85 from 170 reviews, from $179) stops at Cherry Hill for photos. The Central Park Signature Horse Carriage Tour (4.60 from 308 reviews, from $225) passes Bethesda Fountain and Bow Bridge and offers a roof for rain or sun. The Empire State Horses Carriage Ride (4.83 from 145 reviews, from $140) runs 45 minutes past Bethesda Fountain and Strawberry Fields.
55 to 65 minutes: Strawberry Fields and more stops
Official NYC Horse Carriage Rides is the most reviewed carriage ride on Viator, with 2,461 reviews at 4.86 and prices from $99 per carriage in October 2026. Its 55-minute Grand Tour stops at Bethesda Terrace and Cherry Hill, and its 65-minute VIP Tour adds Strawberry Fields. The Central Park Grand Horse Carriage Tour (60 minutes, from $265, 4.69) makes two photo stops.
After dark
Two rides on the list are sold as evening rides in October 2026. The Central Park Moonlight Tour with Photo (45 minutes, from $230 per carriage, 4.51 from 37 reviews) stays in the park, and the Central Park and Rockefeller Horse Carriage Tour (from $285, 4.55 from 29 reviews) takes a short loop in the park, then the lit streets toward Rockefeller Center and Times Square.
Diamonds: the stops a one-hour tour covers. Stars: what two-hour tours add. Carriages start on Central Park South.
The fare
The city fare, and what a booking adds
The city sets the most a driver may charge: $72.22 for the first 20 minutes, then $28.89 for each further 10 minutes, rates in force since May 3, 2025 (October 2026). At that cap, 40 minutes comes to $130.00 and an hour to $187.78. The city's consumer advice is to agree the rate and route with the driver before setting off and to pay the driver, not a promoter.
A booked ride costs more at most lengths. What it adds is a fixed time slot, a set route with named photo stops, a meeting point, blankets in winter and treats to feed the horse on most rides, and a review record for the company. Tips are not included on most of them.
2028 phase-out
The phase-out passed in October 2026
On 22 October 2026 the City Council passed Romanch's Law (Intro. 943-A) by 40 votes. It phases out horse carriages in Central Park by June 1, 2028. No new licences will be issued, and owners must certify by June 1, 2027 that their horses will not be sold for slaughter. The measure does not replace the horses with electric carriages.
As of 25 October 2026 the mayor's signature had not been confirmed. Carriages still run legally, and rides on Viator can be booked as before. Anyone planning a ride for 2028 should check the status nearer the date.
Weather and capacity
Weather, hours and who fits
Horses may not work when it is 90°F or hotter, when it is 80°F or hotter with an equine heat index of 150 or more, or when it is 18°F or colder. No carriage may run on any city street between 3:00 am and 7:00 am (October 2026). On a hot summer afternoon or a freezing night a ride can be called off for the weather.
A carriage takes up to four adults, and two children under 12 count as one adult. Most of the most reviewed rides start on Central Park South at 59th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, and climbing into the carriage takes a step up.
Every one on Viator
All 41 Central Park carriage rides on Viator
Every Central Park carriage ride on Viator, most reviewed first, with prices read on 25 October 2026. Prices are per carriage, except one ride priced per person; the filter picks out skip-the-line rides.
Official NYC Horse Carriage Rides in Central Park since 1979 ™
At the city rate, at most $72.22 for the first 20 minutes and $28.89 for each extra 10 minutes (October 2026). Booked on Viator in October 2026, rides start from $73 per carriage for a 20-minute loop; Official NYC Horse Carriage Rides, the most reviewed, starts from $99 per carriage, and the most reviewed 40- to 45-minute rides cost $140 to $225 per carriage.
They are being phased out: on 22 October 2026 the City Council passed Romanch's Law (Intro. 943-A), which ends them by June 1, 2028. Until then carriages run legally. The mayor's signature had not been confirmed as of 25 October 2026.
No, not under the measure passed in October 2026. An earlier bill sought electric carriages; the version the Council passed dropped them.
Many of the most reviewed rides last 40 to 45 minutes: five of the ten most reviewed list 40 or 45 minutes in October 2026. Short rides of 20 to 25 minutes cover the southern corner by the Carousel and Wollman Rink, and rides of 55 to 65 minutes reach Bethesda Terrace, Cherry Hill and Strawberry Fields with photo stops.
Four adults, with two children under 12 counting as one adult. Where the price is per carriage, as on all but one ride here, a group of four pays the same as a couple.
Not in extreme weather: horses may not work at 90°F or above, at 80°F or above with an equine heat index of 150 or more, or at 18°F or below (October 2026). In cold weather most rides provide blankets.
No, on most rides sold on Viator gratuities are listed as not included in October 2026. Taxes are included on several of them.
