Explore three of New York City's most fascinating neighborhoods on this 2-hour walking tour of SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown. Step beneath SoHo's ornate cast-iron facades and uncover the stories of the artists who transformed its streets. Wander through Little Italy and discover the immigrant families, traditions, and characters that shaped the neighborhood. Then enter Chinatown to explore bustling streets, colorful markets, and the history of generations of Chinese New Yorkers. Along the way, your local guide will reveal the surprising connections, colorful characters, and hidden stories that bring these iconic Lower Manhattan neighborhoods to life.
SoHo
Step into SoHo, where some of New York City's most beautiful cast-iron buildings line streets that have been transformed again and again. Once an industrial district filled with factories and warehouses, SoHo became a haven for artists who turned its enormous loft spaces into studios and helped create the neighborhood's legendary creative spirit.
Look up at the ornate Haughwout Building and discover the story of the groundbreaking elevator technology that helped change the way New York—and cities around the world—could build upward. As you walk, your guide will introduce you to the artists, celebrities, and colorful characters who helped shape SoHo's identity.
And keep your eyes open—you may recognize the streets and buildings from the big screen. SoHo has provided the backdrop for movies and television shows including Ghost, Sex and the City, and Men in Black. Along the way, you'll discover the stories behind the places that make SoHo instantly recognizable.
Little Italy
Step onto Mulberry Street and discover a side of Little Italy that goes far beyond restaurants and red-white-green flags. The story of Italian immigration is also the story of building New York City itself.
Generations of Italian immigrants arrived with little more than the skills they carried with them—and those skills helped transform Manhattan. They worked as stonecutters, bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters, laborers, street pavers, and builders, laying streets, raising buildings, shaping neighborhoods, and helping create the city that millions of people walk through today.
As you explore Little Italy, your guide will bring those stories to life and show you how Italian immigrants helped build not only their own community, but the physical city around them. Discover the families, businesses, traditions, and struggles that shaped Italian-American New York and learn how this once much larger neighborhood changed over the generations.
You'll also encounter the colorful characters and places that made Little Italy famous. Pass the historic Mulberry Street Bar, a longtime neighborhood landmark with claimed connections to Frank Sinatra and appearances in The Sopranos, Donnie Brasco, and Goodfellas. Here, the history of real New Yorkers and the New York of Hollywood often come together on the same streets.
Chinatown
Enter Chinatown and discover a neighborhood shaped by determination, resilience, and generations of Chinese New Yorkers. The story here begins long before today's restaurants, markets, and bustling streets—it reaches back to the Chinese immigrants who helped build America while facing some of the country's harshest discrimination.
Learn how Chinese workers played a vital role in building the transcontinental railroad, connecting the country from coast to coast under extraordinarily difficult conditions. Then discover what happened when the nation turned against Chinese immigration. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 effectively barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States, and restrictions remained in place for decades, separating families and limiting the growth of Chinese-American communities.
Yet the community endured. Explore Mott Street, Canal Street, and Columbus Park and hear how Chinese New Yorkers built businesses, families, associations, and a community that survived generations of exclusion. Your guide will share the stories of the people who made Chinatown their home and helped transform it into one of New York City's most vibrant neighborhoods.
As you walk through the streets, you'll see the Chinatown of today while uncovering the remarkable history that lies beneath it—a story of hard work, discrimination, resilience, and the determination to build a future in a country that once tried to keep them out.
Tour Highlights
- Discover SoHo's spectacular cast-iron architecture and artistic history
- Learn how the Haughwout Building and new technology helped transform New York's skyline
- Discover how Italian immigrants helped build New York City as stonecutters, bricklayers, street pavers, laborers, and builders
- Walk historic Mulberry Street through the heart of Little Italy
Learn how Chinese immigrants helped build the transcontinental railroad - Explore Chinatown's history of immigration, exclusion, resilience, and community
- Visit Canal Street, Mott Street, and Columbus Park
See locations associated with famous movies and television shows
Sites Covered on the SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown Walking Tour
SoHo
Explore the historic SoHo Cast-Iron District and discover how factories, artists, architecture, and popular culture transformed this iconic neighborhood.
Haughwout Building
See one of SoHo's most impressive cast-iron landmarks and learn about its groundbreaking elevator and its place in New York architectural history.
Little Italy
Walk through the heart of historic Little Italy and discover the Italian immigrants, families, businesses, and traditions that shaped the neighborhood.
Mulberry Street
Explore one of Lower Manhattan's most historic streets and hear stories of immigration, Italian-American life, restaurants, businesses, and neighborhood change.
Mulberry Street Bar
Pass this longtime Little Italy landmark and hear about its claimed connection to Frank Sinatra and its appearances in The Sopranos, Donnie Brasco, and Goodfellas.
Chinatown
Explore one of New York City's most historic immigrant communities and learn how generations of Chinese New Yorkers built businesses, families, and a lasting community.
Canal Street
Discover the history of one of Lower Manhattan's best-known streets and its role in the development of Chinatown and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Mott Street
Walk along historic Mott Street and discover the businesses, traditions, and immigrant history that helped establish Chinatown.
Columbus Park
Visit Columbus Park, an important gathering place in Chinatown, and learn about the neighborhood's changing community and culture.
...and much more!
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 if you prefer.
The Name-Your-Own-Price option is available for individuals and small groups. Group rates apply to larger parties.
Whether you're fascinated by architecture, immigration, New York history, movies, or the stories of the people who built this city, this SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown walking tour offers a deeper look at three neighborhoods that helped shape New York. Walk their streets with a knowledgeable local guide and discover the remarkable stories hiding behind the buildings, businesses, and landmarks.
Tour Information
- Meeting Point: Your tour begins at Spring Street Park in SoHo, located on the southwest corner of Spring Street and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue) (map).
- Ending Point: The tour concludes at Columbus Park, located at the corner of Mulberry Street and Bayard Street in Chinatown (map).
- 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.