Tourists travel from all parts of the globe to enjoy New York City’s world-class cuisine, live music and theater scene, unique skyline, and fascinating history. You should go about the city on your own two feet if you want to experience the Big Apple like a native New Yorker.
You will surely learn more with a local guide than you would on your own. We review expert and tourist opinions to explore the best walking tours in the city.
Free Tours by Foot
This three-hour Free Tours By Foot tour gives you a quick overview of Brooklyn. You will begin the experience by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, including photo stops and educational interludes. Brooklyn Heights is the next destination. This residential neighborhood was once home to many famous authors. The tour continues to Dumbo, as in Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass. This former industrial area has been transformed into an artist’s haven. The Fulton Ferry Landing is the end of the tour. Guides are frequently praised for their expertise and authenticity.
Central Park Conservancy
This 1.3-mile, a 90-minute walk takes you to Central Park’s most famous sights. The tour highlights not only the park’s most iconic landmarks but also the park’s past and insider secrets. The guides are friendly and knowledgeable.
Rock Junket
Rock Junket’s East Village walk will allow you to revel in New York’s rock music scene. This two-hour tour visits places where music legends such as Blondie, the Ramones and the New York Dolls performed. CBGB is one of the tour’s highlights, which closed in 2006.
The guides tell the story of the neighborhood, paying particular attention to the lives and works of renowned artists. This is an excellent way for audiophiles to discover the area’s colorful history. People also find the guides very informative.
Broadway Up Close Walking Tours
The Broadway’s Beginnings tour gives you the inside scoop on New York City’s famous theater district. This half-mile (approximately two-hour) walk takes you to several locations in the district’s southern end, beginning with the Nederlander Theater. The guides are all professional actors or stage managers and share their personal experiences, as well as Broadway history and legends.
Urban Adventures
Tourists may be interested in Alexander Hamilton’s old haunts due to renewed interest, in part, in the musical that is based on him. The Hamilton Tour begins at Trinity Church Cemetery, where Hamilton is buried. You will also see the Federal Hall and the New York Stock Exchange as part of the trip through the financial district.
The trip ends at Fraunces Tavern, where Alexander Hamilton and nemesis Aaron Burr once dined and where visitors can choose to have a drink or a snack after the walk. Guides are skilled and talented storytellers.
ExperienceFirst
The perfect route for a two-hour walk is made up of three distinct neighborhoods in Manhattan. ExperienceFirst’s tour starts at the corner of Spring Street and 6th Avenue. It takes you through SoHo’s blocks, where high-end shops have taken over buildings that used to house factories and slaughterhouses.
The tour then continues to Little Italy and Chinatown, where the area’s immigrant history has shaped it. Guides tell the stories of these three neighborhoods, which can be colorful and sometimes turbulent. Participants consistently rate the guides as both entertaining and well-informed.