This tour is on hiatus due to Covid-19.
Discover the Secrets of Downtown
This Lower Manhattan tour explores early NYC history and the architecture of Downtown New York. This neighborhood has had many names, New Amsterdam, Wall Street, and the Financial District. BOOK NOWAbout Our Secrets of Downtown Tour
Explore the evolving financial district (hint: not a lot of finance) and learn the secrets lurking around every corner.
Our 90 minute walking tour, explore the old streets that the first colonists walked. See sights important to early American history, from where the patriots planned early battles, to where General Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States.
We go point-to-point and show you the good stuff! See tour stops below.
Who would enjoy this tour?
Anyone interested in a NYC history tour, or an American history tour
There is more than 400 years of history in Lower Manhattan and too much to cover on a tour. Thus we theme our tours to focus on a specific topic and interest area.
On our Secrets of Downtown tour you will learn:
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Lower Manhattan has sights, secrets and pleasures beyond the well-know landmarks that can be overlooked.
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Walk the old 16th century streets and discover here are no square city blocks.
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See the oldest building in Manhattan.
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Visit the site of an architectural dig during the 1970s.
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Walk the Wall Street canyons created by early skyscrapers.
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Learn how the neighborhood is transforming to the fastest growing residential area in New York.
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End the tour to see New York’s best new architecture at the World Trade Center.
Where We Stop:
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Bowling Green
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US Customs House
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Wall Street Bull
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Stone Street
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Fraunces Tavern
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Wall Street
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Trump Building
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The New York Stock Exchange
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Federal Hall
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Trinity Church
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The tour ends at the 911 Memorial, making it easy for you to visit the 911 Museum, One World Observatory or catch the subway.
Secrets of Downtown Tour Details
- $35 for Adults
- $15 for Seniors and Students
- Free for under 10
- Tourist pass holders – New York Pass, Explorer Pass and Sightseeing Pass – $0
- Group rates $300 and more depending on the size of your group. Check out our Groups Tour Pages
Public tours – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday at 10am and 2pm
Group and private tours – any day and time of the week
Tours are approximately 90 minutes long
Approximately 90 minutes
Make sure to use the bathroom before the tour as there are no bathrooms stops during the tour.
There are also bathrooms available at the end of the tour.
Check our handy maps of Food and Bathrooms
Tour Start: Bowling Green, next to the Downtown Alliance Information Kiosk
Tour End: 911 Memorial
Private tours start at the above or the tour bus stop. We work it out with every group.
Tour takes place rain or shine.
Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. We walk on uneven roads, cobble stones and go up and down stairs.
Subway Directions to Bowling Green
From Time Square and Penn Station (the Macy’s, 34th street or Empire State area):
red subway line (1) downtown to Rector Street of South Ferry. It takes about 15-20 minutes.
Yellow subway line (R & W) downtown to the Whitehall. It takes about 20-25 minutes.
From Grand Central area:
Take the green subway line (4, 5) downtown to Bowling Green stop. It takes about 20 minutes. During the NYC rush hour, it can take up to 45 minutes.
TAXI
1 Broadway and walk into Bowling Green Park to the tour start
Check out our special section just for Groups
Gallery
Tour Testimonials
“It was a very fast paced and informative tour that was lead by Steve, our tour guide. He is a NYC native who did a nice job of mixing the downtown historical facts in with his wide range of experiences living and working in the city. It was too bad it ended after 90 minutes.”
“We enjoyed our tour of the wall street district with Annaline. Her passion for the area and the history of the area made the tour fun and enjoyable. It was very interesting to hear her stories of George Washington during and after the Revolutionary War and see and hear the history of the Wall Street district. We recommend this tour and Annaline as a tour guide.”
“A very informative tour. Our guide Steve was entertaining, funny and knowledgeable. He shared anecdotes from his personal experience (as an actor and former Trader on the NY Stock Exchange), along with historical details of the Downtown District. A thoroughly enjoyable experience.”
“We had Steve as our guide for this tour last weekend and it was so fun and informative! The tour covered the main downtown area, including the financial district and the area near the 9/11 memorial. Steve’s insights and sense of humour made this a great morning!”
“We took a tour when we visited the Financial District. I thought this was a very informative tour for the overall area. Don’t worry…not that much time spent on “financial” matters (unless this is your thing). They kind of get you with the “secret” in the name – no real big secrets revealed, but a solid tour none the less”
“We did this tour as part of the NYPASS and we enjoyed the walking and learning. We had Marlene and she was great – we did have her when we did the Walks of Wall St last April. We found Marlene to be friendly, informative and just wanted to let us know about interesting facts and the history of the city that she loves. The tour started and ended on time and although some information we had heard before it’s all good to know that it is the same and not completely different. We enjoyed the walk and the history and would recommend to anyone who is new to New York.”
FAQ Video
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