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Free Walking Tour New York

Take a free walking tour in the Big Apple. Learn about local history and get tips for your stay!

Free New York Walking Tour

Currently there are no local free tour companies in New York City fully meeting our high quality standards, but we still want to provide you with an overview of the options available. It’s probably better to take one of these tours than walk alone. Especially in a city like New York, which can simply be too overwhelming to visit on your own.

Most of the tours in New York City cover the Manhattan area but not only. You can book them with the following providers:

1) Free Tours by Foot New York  - check their website here.

This company offers several different New York City tours.

There daily or almost daily free tours include walks around:

-SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown

-Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights + DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass)

-3 Hour Downtown Manhattan (Financial District, Soho, Little Italy & Chinatown)

-Harlem

-Chelsea and the High Line

-6 Hour Downtown Combined

Some of their free tours are operated weekly, including the tours around:

-Greenwich Village

-Central Park

-Lower Manhattan

-Midtown Manhattan

-Grand Central Terminal

-World Trade Center

2) Sandemans New Europe - check their website here.

This Berlin-based company also offers their free walking tours in New York City. They offer one pay-what you wish tour - “Free Tour of New York”, which covers the must-see sights, including the Charging Bull of Wall Street & the New York Stock Exchange, 9/11 memorial or St Paul’s Chapel.

3) Other companies we found in the Google search results are directories (companies have to pay them for being listed):

Civitatis - Directory based in Spain

Guruwalk - Directory based in Spain

Freetour.com - Directory based in Ireland

We do not recommend using these sites, as due to high charges imposed on guides they have a negative impact on local free walking tour companies around the world.

Note: We are currently accepting new Members for this city - if you run a local free walking tour company and can prove top-notch quality (supported with the average of 5 stars on TripAdvisor/Google based on at least 100 reviews) - please get in touch with us. Unlike online directories, the Free Tour Community does not charge its members per reservation. We are a non-profit project and our mission is to support small local companies like yours. We believe that this way we can make the world a better place.

Pictures from our walks

Grand Central Station in NYC
Grand Central Station in NYC

Grand Central Station in NYC

Grand Central Station in NYC

One World Trade Center in NYC
One World Trade Center in NYC

One World Trade Center in NYC

One World Trade Center in NYC

Dumbo in NYC
Dumbo in NYC

Dumbo in NYC

Dumbo in NYC

Streets of New York
Streets of New York

Streets of New York

Streets of New York

Free Tour Schedule

Contact Guide

What visitors think about Free New York Walking Tour?

Nice Walk to South Manhattan (by Sandemans)
Rating: 5 out of 5
We had this walking tour this week, I couldn't say that it was at the downtown, but it was including all the significant spots at south side. Despite the fact that we aren't familiar with the american accent we cought most of the things that the guide was saying, he had a very good knowledges about the history and the attractions. Keep in mind the tour is FREE and if you don't like it, either you go or you don't pay anything! Jason K
Chelsea and the High Line tour (by Free Tours by Foot)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Free Tours by Foot are a great way to see the city. We did Chelsea and the High Line with Debbie on a Sunday morning. You learn so much more about a city than you would if you just walked around on your own. Debbie was friendly and informative. I would definitely recommend signing up to this or an alternative tour in New York so that you get a locals view of the city you're visiting, Carolyn R
Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights & Dumbo Walking Tour (by Free Tours by Foot)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Our guide was Onel Alfaro. He was passionate and knowledgable about Brooklyn and the bridge. I'm amazed this is a free tour (just tip at the end what you feel it was worth). It was as good or better than tours we have paid for up front. Onel puts his heart and soul into explaining all about his city of Brooklyn. He was real and engaging. He even snapped group photos and emailed them to us afterwards. DoxyandTravelLover
CHECK MORE ON TRIPADVISOR

Frequently asked questions about the tour

Which free walking tour in New York City is the best?

Both Free Tours by Foot and Sandemans have a 5-star average on TripAdvisor. In Google, the former is rated 4.9 and the latter 4.5. We recommend going with the one which has better opinions or checking out both. None of the two companies are official members of the Free Tour Community, so we don’t endorse one more than the other.

How do the free walking tours work in New York City?

Similarly to other cities in the world, the free walking tours in New York are mostly run by enthusiastic local guides working according to the pay-what-you-wish principle. The tours have no fixed price and you can decide yourself how much you enjoyed the experience and what price you want to fix for it at the end of the tour.

How much should I pay for a free tour in New York City?

The decision is totally yours depending on your budget and satisfaction. Just please remember New York City is a very expensive city to live in. While around 10 euros per person is great in most other cities, in NYC it might be below expected average, unless the group is very big. If you enjoy the tour, we recommend setting the price at 15-20 euros, but again, it’s up to you.

Do free tour guides in New York City have an official license?

Yes, it is impossible to be a tour guide in New York without passing an exam of the history and architecture of the city. You can expect to walk with an expert.

Are the free walking tours in New York available in Spanish?

Both Sandemans and Free Tours by Foot offer their tours in English. Free Tours by Foot additionally offers some of their tours in Spanish.

Get inspired by the Free Tour Community Blog

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