Explore three of New York City's most fascinating neighborhoods on this 2-hour walking tour of SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown. Walk beneath SoHo's ornate cast-iron facades, hear the stories of the artists who transformed the neighborhood, discover how Italian immigrants helped build New York City, and explore the history and resilience of generations of Chinese New Yorkers in Chinatown.
Along the way, your local guide will introduce you to historic buildings, immigrant communities, colorful characters, movie locations, and the surprising connections between these three Lower Manhattan neighborhoods.
Explore SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown
SoHo: Cast-Iron Architecture & Artists
Begin in SoHo, one of New York City's most distinctive historic neighborhoods. Look up at its spectacular cast-iron buildings and learn how a former industrial district of factories and warehouses became a center for artists and creative culture.
See the Haughwout Building and hear how its groundbreaking elevator technology helped change the way New York—and other cities—could build upward. Your guide will also share stories of the artists, celebrities, and colorful characters connected to SoHo.
You may even recognize some of the streets and buildings from movies and television shows including Ghost, Sex and the City, and Men in Black.
Little Italy: Immigration & the People Who Built New York
Continue into Little Italy and discover a neighborhood whose history extends far beyond restaurants and red-white-and-green flags.
Italian immigrants arrived in New York with skills that helped build the city itself. As stonecutters, bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters, laborers, street pavers, and builders, generations of Italian New Yorkers helped create streets, buildings, and neighborhoods across Manhattan.
Walk along historic Mulberry Street as your guide shares stories of Italian immigration, neighborhood life, family businesses, traditions, and the changes that transformed Little Italy over the generations.
You'll also pass landmarks such as the Mulberry Street Bar, with its claimed connections to Frank Sinatra and appearances in The Sopranos, Donnie Brasco, and Goodfellas.
Chinatown: Immigration, Exclusion & Resilience
The tour continues into Chinatown, where generations of Chinese New Yorkers built a thriving community despite decades of discrimination and exclusion.
Learn about the Chinese immigrants who played a vital role in building the transcontinental railroad, then discover how the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted Chinese immigration and separated families for generations.
Walk through Mott Street, Canal Street, and Columbus Park while hearing how Chinese New Yorkers built businesses, families, associations, and a community that endured through changing times.
Your guide will introduce you to the people and places that shaped Chinatown and help you understand the neighborhood you see today through the history that came before it.
Tour Highlights
- Explore SoHo's spectacular cast-iron architecture and artistic history
- See the historic Haughwout Building and learn about its groundbreaking elevator
- Discover how Italian immigrants helped build New York City
- Walk historic Mulberry Street through the heart of Little Italy
- Hear stories of Italian-American families, businesses, traditions, and neighborhood life
- Learn how Chinese immigrants helped build the transcontinental railroad
- Explore Chinatown's history of immigration, exclusion, resilience, and community
- Walk along Canal Street, Mott Street, and Columbus Park
- See locations associated with famous movies and television shows
Choose How You Pay
Pay what you wish or prepay your tour—the choice is yours.
With our Name-Your-Own-Price option, you can reserve your place with a $5 booking fee and decide after the tour what the experience was worth to you. You can also choose to prepay the full tour price when booking.
The Name-Your-Own-Price option is available for individuals and small groups. Group rates apply to larger parties.
Tour Information
- Meeting Point: Your tour begins at Spring Street Park in SoHo, at the southwest corner of Spring Street and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue).
- Ending Point: The tour concludes at Columbus Park in Chinatown, near Mulberry Street and Bayard Street.
- Duration: Approximately 2 hours
- Distance: Approximately 1.5 miles
- Tour Type: Guided walking tour
- Neighborhoods: SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown
- Payment: Choose Pay-What-You-Wish or prepay when booking; group rates apply
- Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible and stroller friendly
- Weather: The tour runs rain or shine. Please dress appropriately for the weather.
Whether you're fascinated by New York architecture, immigration, history, movies, or the people who shaped the city, this SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown walking tour offers a fascinating look at three historic Lower Manhattan neighborhoods.
Walk their streets with a knowledgeable local guide and discover the stories behind the buildings, businesses, landmarks, and communities that continue to shape New York.
