Join Free Tours by Foot as we gawk at the Fashionistas and cast-iron buildings of Soho, visit New York's and America's first "pizzeria", famous mafia locations, or take a stab at bargaining with a street vendor in Chinatown.
Schedule:@9:45am Sundays, Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays and @2pm Thursdays
Film and TV locations, including Ghost, Sex in the City and Men in Black
and much more!
ExcellentFree Tours by Foot4.9★★★★★ Based on 2398 reviews fromSee all reviews review us onElliott ★★★★★ We loved our tour of Grand Central Terminal with our guide John Gallagher! He was so informative and funny, I highly recommend taking a walking tour of NYC you won't regret it!Melissa R. ★★★★★ John was an excellent guide, so good I took 2 tours with him! Grand Central was full of hidden surprises I never would have known about. And the SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy was filled with food and facts. Loved itGregory L. ★★★★★ My girlfriend and I did 3 walking tours this weekend with John Gallagher as our tour guide. We kept booking tour based on our wonderful experience with him as our guide. John is incredibly knowledgeable regarding all things New York!!! His humour and charm made the history of NYC come alive and he was incredibly passionate about making the tour enjoyable for everyone. He spend a lot of time chatting with you, getting to know you, and making the tour truly memorable. These tours with John were definitely the highlight of the trip. I will definitely book with Free Tours by Foot again and recommend the tour and John to all those I know travelling to New York. Again John, thank you so much for making our trip so memorable!!!!Sascha M ★★★★★ Tour à pieds le soir de Dumbo et pont de Brooklyn avec John.Très bonne expérience, très intéressant, je recommande.Ganesh ★★★★★ Had a great time. Lovely walk with lots of info about the history of each placehenya S. ★★★★★ christine S. ★★★★★ We did the Soho, Little Italy China Town tour with John Gallagher back in March (it’s taken a while to get round to reviewing!) What a fantastic way to get under the skin of the city. John is a brilliant guide - really knowledgeable with great stories and a fantastic way of telling them. It was like being shown around by a very well informed friend. The walk was perfectly paced for a mixed group with delicious snack stops and a bathroom break. I can’t recommend highly enough and will be looking out for FTBF wherever I go.Alexis F. ★★★★★ Took a bunch of tours. Garrett was funny ;). John and Kathleen (cassie) were very nice ^^. I had a great time and learned cool stories about NY from engaging speakers! Please go to ftbf tours. You don't have to pay a lot of money.Piotr R. ★★★★★ Harlem walking tour with Ryan was an unforgettable experience. The sites at Harlem exemplified the complex, fascinating and mostly tragic history of Harlem immigrants. Ryan's narrative was interesting and enjoyable. It was definitely one of the most interesting walking tours we have ever joined.Mireya A. ★★★★★ These tours are amazing!! Jon & Garrett are super informative but also are great and keep you intrigued with the history of the city! My first time in the city was scary but being on these tours, it allowed me to become familiar with the areas and I enjoyed it!Jana K. ★★★★★ I took the New York One Day tour on Tuesday at 10 am with guide Garrett, and it was fantastic! He was incredibly funny, engaging, and knowledgeable, sharing numerous stories about 9/11 and US history. I would definitely recommend the tour!Matt and Kim S. ★★★★★ Jon was awesome! What a fun afternoon being guided through the lower east side history and tastes. Can’t recommend it enough!Gert-Jan van N. ★★★★★ We did a Brooklyn Bridge walking tour and it was very nice. The tourguide was very informative and could tell stories in a nice way. I would definitely recommend taking at least one tour with this organisation when in NYC!Jolynnae R. ★★★★★ Update April 2024: My daughter and I went on the Lower East Side food tour with Jon N last week. This is the best tour company, especially the food tours, because you get so much history and info about the neighborhood. Jon is polite, professional, and FUN! Pay attention, some of his dry subtle humor may slip by you. 😉 Take cash in small bills, wear comfortable shoes and clothes appropriate for the weather. AND tip your tour guide!This is the 3rd tour I have taken with the company and the first with Jon N as the tour guide. This was the Sunday night 9/11 Memorial and Brooklyn Bridge tour. Jon was outstanding in his knowledge of the events and construction of the new World Trade Center. I remember the day clearly and have been to the memorial site 3 times, but there were younger people on this tour that could have been hearing this information for the first time. Jon explained at the beginning of the tour that he would be very open and honest about what happened and he did an excellent job in dealing with a difficult series of events. At the end of the tour, Jon stayed to take pictures. I should have taken him up of his offer to help us get back to the proper subway station because I did get lost and wandered around before finding a station with an A or C train. My error, not Jon's!Chalece A. ★★★★★ Ciara M. ★★★★★ Great tour with John! We really enjoyed his stories!Pasquale S. ★★★★★ My guide was John Gallagher, who toured us in Little Italy, Soho, Chinatown. We had a beautiful experience, John was interesting and entertaining, and also managed to deal with politeness and savoir faire with an annoying lady who disturbed us while we were visiting Soho. The only thing I would change is that I would have liked to walk longer (the tour has many short stops so you don't walk that much), but I guess it's very subjective.Very Recommended!Gucci G. ★★★★★ Great tour with a lovely guide. We had so much fun exploring Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo!Robert S. ★★★★★ John was an amazing guide in our Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown tour.Remington B. ★★★★★ Cannot state enough good things about Ryan and the Harlem walking tour. Signed up for this one hoping to see a bit of Harlem, and learn a bit about the area, but we were blown away by how much history Ryan shared. His passion for the Harlem area is evident and infectious. Tour was very educational and very enjoyable!Rita P. ★★★★★ Wir hatten in drei Tagen drei Touren gebucht: die erste ging mit Garett durch SoHo, China Town und Little Italy. Gerettet war unglaublich unterhaltsam, hatte Spaß an dem was er tut und uns sehr viel Geschichte aber auch Kurioses berichten können.Die beiden anderen Touren gingen mit Renee nach Brooklyn, DUMBO und Brooklyn Heights und am nächsten Tag furchtbar Greenwich Village.Renee hat ein unfassbares Wissen über historische Ereignisse und weiß diese mit Humor zu kombinieren. Man kann ihr sehr gut zuhören und es bleibt eine Menge (nicht alles) an Informationen hängen.Beide Tourguides haben neben ihren geschichtlichen Kenntnissen viele Geschichten über die besuchten Orte parat, ob es sich um Filmkulissen handelt oder auch, wo man die besten Dumplings in China Town oder die beste Pizza, Schokolade und/oder Eis, Cupcakes in Greenwich bekommt.Wir haben uns nicht eine einzige Sekunde der jeweiligen Tour gelangweilt sondern alles Wissen und die Geschichten aufgesogen.Klar ist: bei unserem nächsten NY Besuch werden wir auf jeden Fall wieder free tours by foot machen😁Victor ★★★★★ We had a fantastic time on John Gallagher's free tour, and it was a pleasant experience. He knows the area well and made exploring SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown a blast. From excellent shops in SoHo to tasty treats in Little Italy and the bustling vibe of Chinatown, John showed us all the best spots. Super friendly and full of fun facts, he made the tour feel like a walk with a friend who knows all the most incredible places. I recommend tagging along if you want to see NYC from a local's perspectiveGisele T. ★★★★★ John was our guide, April 13, 2024. I lived in New York and came with out of town friends. I learned so much during this visit on the town I thought I knew well! John is highly knowledgeable, a wealth of historical, architectural facts delivered with a plethora of anecdotes and good humor. Being on a budget this was an amazing option and John made that day one for my memories trunk!Holly N. ★★★★★ I had an amazing Brooklyn Bridge tour with Lori! She was friendly and knowledgeable, the tour was a good pace and had a lot of information without being overwhelming. I will definitely be booking a different tour the next time I am in town and would throughly recommend to anyone. Hopefully I'll get Lori again!Cassie C. ★★★★★ Lori was an awesome guide!! The SOHO, Little Italy and Chinatown walking tour was fun and full of great information!!! I highly recommend this tour with Lori!!Susan O. ★★★★★ This tour was great and Jon was a terrific guide. I highly recommended itAriela A. ★★★★★ The tour was informative educational clear and funny. Thanks to John Gallagher who made everything possible and giving us wonderful recommendations 👏👏👏Cathy S. ★★★★★ Went on the Lower East Side Food Tour with Jon. Very knowledgeable history buff. Enjoyed the tour, the food and the people on the tour were friendly!Anushree S. ★★★★★ The Brooklyn Bridge walking tour was so incredible! Learning the history behind how it was built, and New York’s architecture was so interesting to me. John was an incredible tour guide and he really made the whole experience engrossing. I would recommend the morning walking tour 🙂Julie W. ★★★★★ We were on the Harlem and Grand Central Station tours. Both were excellent. Would highly recommend Free Tours by Foot.Nuno Tiago Pires dos Santos P. ★★★★★ Renée was a wonderful tour guide. Recommend the tour very muchU R. ★★★★★ We had an absolutely fantastic morning with Lori walking from City Hall Park over Brooklyn Bridge into DUMBO and then Brooklyn Heights. Lori has so much historical knowledge and great storytelling ability so it was an absolutely lovely way to spend a few hours in New York. Highly recommend!Fergus D. ★★★★★ A very high quality tour with excellent levels of insight and an appropriate but entertaining delivery from the guide, who seemed to know every other person in the neighbourhood. One of the highlights of the ten busy tourist days I’ve spent in NYC.Jen B. ★★★★★ We had a great walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn Hts, DUMBO and the area. John Gallagher was funny and engaging, and his anecdotes enhanced the experience. My teenagers even had fun. His recommendations for dinner were also great.Melissa W. ★★★★★ Had a Brooklyn Bridge tour today with Katie. She was brilliant. Utterly miserable weather, raining and cold, but Katie was energetic, interesting and super informative.We went with a 9 and 13 year old and they didn’t complain at all (except about the rain, which Katie had no control over!)Highly recommend! Thanks so much Katie.Domenic S. ★★★★★ John was a fantastic tour guide - we had a great tour, learned so much and had a lot of fun. Thanks John, especially for making it so enjoyable for our kids too!Christian A. ★★★★★ HiMy tour with Jon was exceptional.Jon is knowledgeable and picked fabulous eating establishments with a rich history and delicious tasting tidbits. The split pea soup at Cozis was to die for. I went back for dinner that night for a full bowl. The Ukrainian kitchen was quirky and fun and the Cabbage rolls were super delicious.The Brooklyn dumplings were delicious and the finale, a dessert cafe had the richest yummist Cannoli.Jons knowledge ie the history, culture and choice of venues in East Village was top notch.Jon was kind enough to share his mobile if we had and further queries (which I did) about places to see or eat and he answered my texts immediately.Jon was a sensational tour guide. 10/10.When I’m back in NY again from Australia I’ll be doing another of his tours!Marzena ★★★★★ I had a tour (Chinatown, Little Italy etc.) with Jon - absolutely perfect! Jon's enthusiasm, fascinating stories and his sense of humour just made to me the NYC really "alive"! Hope to repeat a tour guided by Jon!Pa Q ★★★★★ We’re native NY’ers who love being tourists in our own city; there’s so much to see and learn. We took the Meatpacking District tour and had the pleasure of having Ron as our tour guide. We walked through the Highline, visited Little Island, and learned fun historical facts about the neighborhood, including Ron’s own stories about celebrities that grew up in the area. So glad we took the tour. Be sure to tip generously for your tour guide. They work hard to make your tour fun and personalized.Thanks again, Ron. We will see you on the Harlem tour.Anna M. ★★★★★ Had a great tour with Lori as a guide. She introduced us to some of Greenwhich village best food and dessert spots. Definitely would recommend!Ayla G. ★★★★★ I really enjoyed the tour. Garret told really interesting storys and kept us engaged for six hours which is pretty incredibleKathy F. ★★★★★ Tour of Brooklyn with John Gallagher was amazing! Very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Followed up with a group photo and tips on where to eat in NYC.Jessa F. ★★★★★ Jon, our tour guide for the walking food tour of Chinatown and Little Italy, did amazing! He was very descriptive and did great about explaining the food we were going to eat at the beginning of the tour. He also made sure everyone was present after we ate at each place. I would definitely go to him again!Victorious Word M. ★★★★★ We took New York Little Italy walking tour with Jon and Jon exceeded our expectations of an excellent tour guide. Jon is very knowledgeable about history, New York in general and this particular route. Jon delivered this tour featuring interesting facts, appropriate jokes and humor, and perfect verbal delivery (100% no repetitive words such as "like” or ”you know”, which is very important to fully enjoy the tour). At any given moment he knew where is each member of his group, he watched the speed of walking and was mindful of everyone's safety. Jon is very nice, polite, relatable and thoughtful. We are greatly impressed and enjoyed it so much! Thank you!Evghenia B. ★★★★★ We had such an amazing experience with Meredith on the Brooklyn bridge tour. Thank you, Meredith, for sharing your knowledge about NY with us!Patricia Anne C. ★★★★★ Entertaining and very informative tour. John was a fantastic guide. Highly recommend.Miriam L. ★★★★★ John was awesome during our Grand Central tour! His knowledge of the building and the area was exceptional.We will definitely take another tour with John in the future!Lyudmila A. ★★★★★ Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights & DUMBO. We had a wonderful time touring Brooklyn Bridge, Heights and Dumbo.. John, our guide, was excellent and knowledgeable. We learned so much from John the history of this area, architecture and had a lot of suggestions for great food and site seeing. If you want to discover more about Brooklyn i very recommended have this tour with John. Much thanks to John!Miguel de la O ★★★★★ Took a tour of Grand Central Station with John and of lower Manhattan with Renee. Learned all about Grand Central, the surrounding area, and the history of NYC. Highly recommend these tours!Celeste F. ★★★★★ John has been a delightful tour guide of New York City.My husband and myself got an amazing time being taught about NYC history, architecture, urbane design, and curious facts. Mister Gallagher was both, a fantastic and engaging storyteller as well as a city savvy.Thanks for all the tips, and for showing around the city you’ve resided for some many years.Big pleasure!Celeste and Gustavo
You've seen the iconic skyscrapers, attended a Broadway show, visited Lady Liberty, and relaxed in Central Park.
Looking for a little more of the Big Apple?
Maybe it's time to visit some of Manhattan's oldest and most enchanting historic districts.
Free Tours by Foot is proud to take you on a relaxing stroll through SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown.
Join Free Tours by Foot as we gawk at the Fashionistas and cast-iron buildings of Soho, visit New York's and America's first "pizzeria", and famous mafia locations, or take a stab at bargaining with a street vendor in Chinatown.
This approximately 2-hour historical tour will cover a range of topics and give you the opportunity to better understand these neighborhoods and to better orient yourself in case you choose to return on your own.
See some of the highlighted stops listed below! **NOTE: This is NOT a food tour.
Duration: Approximately 2 hours. Tour distance is approximately 1.5 miles (2k) in distance.
Start point: Tour departs from Spring Street Park in SoHo, on the southwest corner of Spring Street and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue) (map).
Endpoint: Tour ends in Chinatown, near the intersection of Canal & Baxter Streets. Tour guide's exact end location provided in the FAQ section of your confirmation email upon booking. Check your spam folder for your confirmation email.
When: @9:45am Sundays, Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays and @2pm Thursdays. View Our Full Calendar.
Cost: This tour is free to take, and you get to decide what, if anything, the tour was worth when it's done. A name-your-own-price tour is a tour for every budget.
Language: Public tour is in English only. Private tours for individual groups available in English and Spanish upon request.
