New York City Walking Tours

New York City loves pedestrians and pedestrians love New York City, which is why one of the best ways to see it is on foot. Whether you want to visit sites of its early history as a Dutch colony, explore its rise to financial power, understand the immigrant experience or visit its landmarks in literary history, there is a New York City walking tour for you.

There are many options for finding the right New York City walking tour. Aside from companies that provide standard tours for a fee, there are also individual guides with unique presentations (such as the edible plants tour of Central Park) that advertise their tours on event mailing lists mostly known only to native New Yorkers such as the weekly Nonsense list. Additionally, many museums and similar non-profit organizations (such as the Botanical Gardens) offer walking tours on specific aspects of New York City. There are even free walking tours of particular neighborhoods sponsored by individual business associations in an effort to promote tourism and commerce. One of the best is that of the historic Union Square area, Finally, there are self-guided walking tours of New York City, which allow you to explore a section of the city with a map, information and sometimes even a podcast found online.

If you're looking for walking tours on a specific theme from a big company (which gives you the advantage of being able to book ithout much trouble or fuss), you should check out the offerings of New York Talks and Walks. This company offers both day and evening walks on everything from New York ghost stories to a patriotic view of the city's history. Its guides include historians and academics, which means you get high-quality information on your walking tour. Another great tour company is Foods of New York which offers a range of tours that include food tastings of both uniquely New York treats and the wide variety of gourmet and international fare available here.