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FREE New York Walking Tours

Great FREE NYC Walking Tours

Free New York walking tours are offered by almost every neighborhood organization in Manhattan. You don’t hear of them from far away or find them easily on the internet because, like all good things in NYC, they are not advertised and no one profits from them. They are usually run by volunteers, donations and non-profit organizations, that don’t spend their money on advertising. Every neighborhood in Manhattan wants you to visit them (and spend your money in their shops and restaurants), so they offer free guides to show you around and help you explore the neighborhoods.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see NYC with a volunteer New York Walking Tour Guide, who is so passionate about NYC, they offer to host FREE New York City Walking Tours?


NYC by Foot – FREE Walking Tours NYC

Free Tours by Foot New York City

Free Tours by Foot offers tours through Central Park, Lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Midtown and most every other area and neighborhood in NYC. Their guides are all licensed in NYC, are passionate about NYC and work just for tips! With about 2-4 tours around the City daily, what’s not to love about Free Tours by Foot?


NYC Discount Passes and Walking Tours

NYC Attractions Passes can include dozens of walking tours. Some examples include the following tours, so make sure to check the most up to date info on your pass:

  • All Around Town Tour
  • Gossip Girl Tour
  • Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
  • Liberty Helicopters Tour
  • Multilingual City Tour
  • NBC Studio Tour
  • Night Bus Tour by City Sights
  • NY TV Movie and Sites Tour
  • Radio City Music Hall Tour
  • Rockefeller Center Tour
  • Sex and and the City Tour
  • United Nations Tour

Best NYC Attractions Pass for Tours

Sightseeing Pass

New York Pass

Go New York

CityPASS

  NYC Sightseeing Pass New York City Pass Discounts New York City Explorer Pass New York CityPASS
HOHO Bus ✔ Unlimited ✔ 1 Day
✔ The RIDE
✔ 1 Day
✔ Night Tour
✔ The RIDE
 
Cruises ✔ Circle Line
✔ 5+ Cruises
✔ Circle Line
✔ Clipper City
✔ Circle Line
✔ 5+ Cruises
✔ Circle Line or Statue of Liberty
Food Tours ✔ 10+ Food on Foot ✔ 10+ Food on Foot ✔ 10+ Food on Foot  
Movie & TV ✔ 3+ On Location ✔ East Village, Central Park
✔ Marvel & DC Superheroes
✔ Seinfeld
✔ Marvel & DC Superheroes
✔ When Harry Met Seinfeld
 
Walking Tours ✔ 20+ Choices ✔ 10+ Choices ✔ 10+ Choices  
Shopping Tours ✔ Fashion Windows
✔ Macy's Historical
✔ Woodbury Common Outlets Bus
✔ Fashion Windows
✔ Holiday Markets & Lights
✔ Woodbury Common Outlets Bus
✔ Fashion Windows
✔ Woodbury Common Outlets Bus
 


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Big Apple Free Greeter – New York Walking Tours

Big Apple Greeter Free New York Walking Tours

Big Apple Greeter is a non-profit organization matching visitors with friendly and enthusiastic New Yorkers who are happy to share the city they love. A wonderful experience for families, friends and individuals traveling solo, Greeters help travelers feel welcome and get more from their stay in the Big Apple.

Big Apple Greeter’s services are FREE, and there is a NO TIPPING POLICY. Choose your New York Tours and have a local show you around NYC for Free!

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New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour

New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour

This best-selling 6 hour New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour departs daily from Times Square. You'll pass by most major attractions, landmarks and neighborhoods on bus, but the stops include: Strawberry Fields (Central Park), Madison Square Park, 9/11 Memorial and the Fulton Market for lunch. After lunch, you'll hop on the Staten Island Ferry with your tour guide to see Lady Liberty & Ellis Island from the water, before bussing back to Times Square.


More NYC One Day Tours



Central Park – Free New York Walking Tours

You can print multiple self-guided tours or download audio tours and/or download their free Central Park app. Another option is to choose from over 10 different inexpensive tours all year round, such as Art of the Park, Belvedere’s Kingdom and Iconic Views of Central Park. More Info: www.centralparknyc.org/tours

For FREE guided walking tours of Central Park, you’ll want to check these FREE Central Park Tours.


Wall Street Free New York Walking Tours

Sponsored by the Downtown Alliance, the free self-guided (download audio and print map) walking tour weaves together history, events, architecture and people of Downtown – the birthplace of New York, the financial capital of the world, and the hottest new neighborhood in the city. Stops include City Hall, the Brooklyn Bridge, WTC Site, Woolworth Building, U.S. Custom House, Trinity Church, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and other architectural and cultural sites. See the Downtown Alliance for more information.

Also check out Wall Street Walks Walking Tour (paid tour)

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Walking Tours of Film and Television Locations

While not guided, these New York walking tours are printable and Podcast downloadable walking tours of Downtown NYC (the Financial District), created by the The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting to highlight the history of film and television locations in New York City. The tours are narrated by some of the City’s most notable figures in entertainment and famous Hollywood Celebrities. Each tour is about an hour and they are designed to link together, so they can be enjoyed separately or in sequence.

Highlights include famous film spots for Ghostbusters, The Godfather, Saturday Night Live, Law & Order, Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Annie Hall, Mo Better Blues, City Hall, Spin City, Wall Street, Desperately Seeking Susan, Working Girl, Men in Black and Twelve Angry Men. So wind your way around lower Manhattan and visit the Ghostbusters firehouse or stop for a Cosmopolitan at Odeon, inventors of the the cocktail made famous by the women of Sex and the City.

Even if you don’t download the Podcast, you can print their walking tours with detailed descriptions and numbered sights off their web site.

You can easily add this New York City Tour to your free New York walking tour of Wall Street and cover Ground Zero, Century 21 shopping, see Lady Liberty (take the free Staten Island Ferry for up close view).

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Lower East Side Free New York Walking Tour

The “LES” is one of the coolest neighborhoods in Manhattan – with a million little restaurants, shops with upcoming designers and a ton of interesting NYC history, going back to all of our grandparents and great-grandparents when they first settled here. Plus, it is bargain central!

Because the LES is downtown, the streets zig zag and it might be hard to navigate. But it is totally worth it! Take a free guided tour and If you can’t make one of the live New York Tours, download their FREE PodTour and guided walking map for and do it yourself!


Greenwich Village Free New York Walking Tour

Discover Greenwich Village history and gossip that even New York’s cognoscenti don’t know with our FREE WALKING TOURS. All year round, you can choose from a number of self guided tours, like Foodie, Kids, As-Seen-on-TV, architectural and more. From June through September, they run free guided Greenwich Village walking tours on Saturdays at 11:30am (90 minutes).

Check out the Village Alliance Information Booth located at the Ruth Wittenberg Triangle on 6th Avenue, between West 9th St. & Greenwich Avenue or at villagealliance.org

Seasonal Guided Walking Tour: Meets at the NW corner of Second Avenue and St. Marks Place in front of Chase Bank. Coming by subway, take the N or the R to the 8th Street station or the #6 Train to Astor Place & walk one block east to Second Avenue.


Union Square: Crossroads of New York Tours

Union Square Partnership and Big Onion Walking Tours team together to bring you a free 90-minute walking tour. You’ll hear how Union Square got its name, see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock (yes, it’s a clock!) on “The Metronome” sculpture and so much more! The tour explores the social and political history of the Union Square neighborhood through discussions of the people, history, architecture, and forces that have shaped this community.

Every Saturday at 2pm. Meet in front of the Lincoln Statue in Union Square Park’s South Plaza. Reservations are not required for individuals, but are required for groups. For more information about Union Square: Crossroads of New York walking tour, please call (212) 517-1826. If their tour is not running, you can Free Tours by Foot or Big Onion Tour (paid).

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New York Public Library Free Tour

Docent-led tours are an excellent way to see highlights of The New York Public Library main building on Fifth Avenue at 42nd St .  The Library offers tours of the building as well as exhibitions. Remember, when I told you on my fun facts page the Lions guarding the Library are named Patience and Fortitude? Find out why, along with tons of other interesting facts about New York…for free.


Grand Central Terminal and surrounding buildings

Join The Grand Tour and learn the secrets of the Whispering Gallery in Grand Central Terminal; gaze upon the hubcaps and the roadsters on the side of the Chrysler Building; discover the favorite Midtown Manhattan hangout of Mercury, Hercules, and Minerva; learn why Pershing Square isn’t really square; circle the globe in a matter of seconds, like Superman; or visit the original Lincoln Memorial by Daniel Chester French. Experience familiar landmarks like Grand Central Terminal (which I listed as a top attraction), the Chrysler Building, and the News Building.

The Grand Tour meets each and every Friday at 12:30 pm in the sculpture court at 120 Park Avenue, located at the southwest corner of East 42nd Street and Park Avenue directly across from Grand Central Terminal. No reservations are necessary.

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Times Square Walking Tours

Also check out tours of Times Square: https://www.timessquarenyc.org/visitor-tips/broadway-up-close-walking-tours

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NYC Insider Print Map and Guide to Manhattan

NYC Insider Printable Guides

"The guides are exactly what we were looking for to help us navigate NYC and the highlights of each area.
THANK YOU for taking the time to put this together."

NYC Insider Printable Guides

 

"Amazing, Melissa. This is my second copy! Congratulations for this always excellent guide. I have been living in this area for 18 years, but I still leave the guide as a treat when people come to visit me by their bed. So comprehensive!"

 


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How are You going to Tour New York City?

New York City Tours


Best NYC Attractions Pass for Tours

Sightseeing Pass

New York Pass

Go New York

CityPASS

  NYC Sightseeing Pass New York City Pass Discounts New York City Explorer Pass New York CityPASS
HOHO Bus ✔ Unlimited ✔ 1 Day
✔ The RIDE
✔ 1 Day
✔ Night Tour
✔ The RIDE
 
Cruises ✔ Circle Line
✔ 5+ Cruises
✔ Circle Line
✔ Clipper City
✔ Circle Line
✔ 5+ Cruises
✔ Circle Line or Statue of Liberty
Food Tours ✔ 10+ Food on Foot ✔ 10+ Food on Foot ✔ 10+ Food on Foot  
Movie & TV ✔ 3+ On Location ✔ East Village, Central Park
✔ Marvel & DC Superheroes
✔ Seinfeld
✔ Marvel & DC Superheroes
✔ When Harry Met Seinfeld
 
Walking Tours ✔ 20+ Choices ✔ 10+ Choices ✔ 10+ Choices  
Shopping Tours ✔ Fashion Windows
✔ Macy's Historical
✔ Woodbury Common Outlets Bus
✔ Fashion Windows
✔ Holiday Markets & Lights
✔ Woodbury Common Outlets Bus
✔ Fashion Windows
✔ Woodbury Common Outlets Bus
 


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FREE New York City Walking Tours

FREE New York City Walking Tours

Lance, a New Yorker and stand up comedian, spent several years going on tours and learning the ins and outs of New York City. He realized he could combine his two passions--New York stories and history, and making people laugh--so he launched a walking tour company, and hasn't looked back since.

Choose from several 2 hour walking tours: Diner Tour, From Pushcarts to Gourmet Pickles: The Jewish Lower East Side Tour and Historic Greenwich Village Tour, all of which will leave your head full of new knowledge, trivia, and cool stories, and your belly full of laughs!

Learn More: Pretty Good Tours - FREE NYC Walking Tours

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NYC Insider Guide
NYC Insider Guidehttps://www.nycinsiderguide.com
Welcome! I'm Melissa, a fourth generation New Yorker, who has been lucky enough to live in New York for over 30 years. I love just about everything in New York City, the very reason I started this web site, and I look forward to sharing it all with you. Please explore the New York City Insider Guide at your own pace. I hope it helps you plan your New York City Vacation, so you not only go home as a NYC Insider, but plan to visit us again soon.

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