Walks & Tours in NYC

A walk through New York City is absolutely free and good exercise! Some links include free organized tours or self-guided tour tips. View comments.

34th Street Partnership
Various times and places
(212) 719-3434
These free 90-minute walking tours of the Midtown district give visitors a look at one of the city's most dynamic neighborhoods. See the website for self-guided tour booklets of the area as well.

Big Apple Greeter is a non-profit organization that provides voluteers to visitors to show you their favorite neighborhoods and answer any questions you may have about the city. For reservations call (212) 669-8159.

Take the 3 Bridge Walk!
• The Brooklyn Bridge has spectacular views of Brooklyn, lower Manhattan, and the other bridges. The architecture and proximity to the fast traffic is also amusing.
• The Manhattan Bridge is between the other two bridges.
• The Williamsburg Bridge is next to the Manhattan Bridge.

Check out the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation website for Biking and Greenways. There you can find general bike information and car-free hours.

See here for bike tour maps.

Visit the 3 mile boardwalk at Coney Island in Brooklyn and see the fireworks at 9:30 every Friday night during the season (the last weekend in June until the Friday before Labor Day).

Downtown Alliance
Thursdays and Saturdays at noon, rain or shine
Meeting Location: At the front steps of the US Custom House, One Bowling Green
(212) 606-4064
Free 90 minute tours of downtown Manhattan with stops at the U.S. Custom House, Trinity Church, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and other architectural and cultural sites. Reservation are not required.

Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership
Sundays at 11am
Meeting Location: Southwest corner of Madison Square Park, at 23rd Street and Broadway
90-minute journey through this vibrant neighborhood, viewing some of the City’s most notable landmarks, including the New York Life Insurance building, the MetLife tower, the Appellate Courthouse and the famous Flatiron Building

Check out the NYC sights featured in famous films using the Fodors Guide and Worldwide Guide. Or see the Interactive Map of Film Locations created by the Mayor's office.

Grand Central Partnership
Fridays at 12:30
Meeting Location: Sculpture Court of the Whitney Museum at Altria, located at the southwest corner of 42nd Street and Park Avenue
(212) 883-2420
Justin Ferate offers free 90 minute tours of the Grand Central Station area. No reservations are required. Or check out Grand Central yourself and read About.com's little known information concerning the terminal.

Walk on the Heritage New York Trail and experience history.

TheInsider.com provides directions for fantastic walking tours of Lower Manhattan: Part I, Part II, Part III.

Jamaica Center
Various dates and times
Check out the (mostly) free tours of Jamaica, Queens. Check out their website for exact details.

John J. Harvey
Pier 66 Maritime, between W26th & W27th Streets
Sail through the waters of the NY Harbor for free! See the website for "irregular but frequent" tour offerings. Reservations required e-mail trips@fireboat.org.

Lincoln Square
2:00pm on the first and third Sundays, May through October
Meeting Location: South-west corner of Broadway & 60th Street (under the Jazz at Lincoln Center marquee at Time Warner Center).
(212) 581-3774
See Lincoln Square’s rich architecture and social history. Stops could include Columbus Circle, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Fordham University, Time Warner Center, and sites associated with Florence Mills, Mae West, Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Moses.

Lower East Side Business Improvement District
Sundays at 11am, April through December
Meeting Location: In front of Katz's Delicatessen (East Houston & Ludlow St)
Free 2 hour walking tour explaining the history and development of the Lower East Side. No reservations required.

Lower Manhattan Public Art Walking Tours offers a free series of three theme-based self-guided audio walking tours exploring the meaning, reception, and context of public art in Lower Manhattan for downloading on your IPOD.

Monster Walks is a great website that lists self-guided tours of NY for people with a special interests in architecture and gargoyles. Website includes pictures and architectural information.

The NYC Audubon offers numerous free bird watching tours and volunteer clean-up and planting programs throughout the city.

NYS Unified Court System Tour
Free but need at least 6 weeks notice
25 Beaver Street New York NY 10004
(646) 386-4711 or pparker@courts.state.ny.us
Guided tours of local court facilities are available to schools, civic, business, religious and other community groups. In addition, the New York State Court System can provide judges and court personnel as speakers, at no cost, to schools, civic, business, religious and other community groups.

Riverside Park stretches four miles from 72nd to 158th Streets along the Hudson River and offers some of the most spectactular views and relaxing settings. Check out the free events and facilities.

Times Square Alliance
Fridays at noon, rain or shine
Meeting Location: Times Square Information Center, on 7th Avenue btwn 46th and 47th Streets
Behind-the-scenes walking tour of Times Square called "Times Square Exposé".

Union Square Partnership and Big Onion Walking Tours
Saturday at 2pm
Meeting Location: Abraham Lincoln statue by the 16th Street transverse in Union Square Park
(212) 517-1826
Free 90-minute walking tour called Union Square: Crossroads of New York. You’ll find out how Union Square got its name, see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock on “The Metronome” sculpture. Rervations not required.

Friends of Upper East Side
Free walking guide
Download a Walking Tour Guide of the Expansion Area. written by Anthony Robins with Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts.

Village Alliance
Selected Saturdays at 11:30am
Arthur Marks offers free walking tours of St. Marks Place & 8th Street.

Check out the self-guided Bob Dylan - Village Tour. This site maps all the places he frequented and wrote about.

WalkNY.org
Various times and dates
(212) 228-3126
This group organizes frequent walks to motivate and help improve the health of the public. Check out their website for specific dates and details.