The Six Greenwich Village Walks, Side by Side

What is actually for sale

The Village has no gate, no admission desk and no single monument. Washington Square Park, the Brown Building, MacDougal and Bleecker Streets and Christopher Street are open to anyone, and the park itself is open from 6 am to midnight. What the six listings sell is a route through those streets and a guide who explains them. A route counts for more here than elsewhere in Manhattan. The Village was already built up when the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811 laid numbered streets over the island, so it kept its 18th-century street pattern, and West 4th Street runs north-south here and crosses West 10th, 11th and 12th Streets. A visitor without a guide needs at least a map; the self-guided route gives one stop by stop, and the free walking tour page explains the tip-based walks that GetYourGuide does not sell.

What all six have in common

Each walk is led by a live guide and covers its whole route on foot. Each can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start. None of the six publishes fixed start times: departures appear in the calendar of the booking widget, which also shows the current price for the date picked. Four of the routes cross Washington Square Park, a potter’s field from 1797 to 1825. The history walk and the ghost walk both stop at the Brown Building, where 146 people died in the Triangle Waist Company fire of 25 March 1911, and at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street. The two food walks both stop for a bagel, a falafel, a pizza slice and a cupcake. No listing states a minimum age.

How they differ, in pairs

The two general walks. The Greenwich Village Tour lasts 2 hours, starts in front of the Waverly Diner at Sixth Avenue and Waverly Place, takes groups of up to 10 and passes the Poe house, the park, the Brown Building, the MacDougal Street venues and the Stonewall Inn. The four-neighbourhood walk lasts 3 hours, starts near Union Square and carries on south through SoHo, NoLiTa and Little Italy to Chinatown, guided in English, Spanish, Italian, French or German. The history walks page sets the two against each other.

The two food walks. Both are built around six tastings. The 2.5-hour walk from Bagel Bob’s on University Place is stroller and wheelchair accessible. The 3-hour walk from the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue adds a “secret dish” revealed on the day and is not suitable for wheelchair users. The food tours page lists what each one tastes.

The two themed walks. The ghost walk runs for 2 hours after dark from 385 6th Avenue, in groups of up to 10, and tells the legends attached to the Hangman’s Elm, 14 West 10th Street and 12 Gay Street. The rock and roll walk covers about 3 miles in 3 hours from Astor Place, in groups of up to 6, through the East Village and on to Cafe Wha? and the White Horse Tavern. The themed walks page compares them.

All six walks

Durations and a practical note are printed on each card. Every walk allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

History walk

Greenwich Village Tour

◷ 2 hours, groups of up to 10

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

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Five languages

NYC: Greenwich, SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown Tour

◷ 3 hours, five neighbourhoods

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

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Six tastings

NYC: Greenwich Village Food Tour

◷ 2.5 hours, six tastings

Stroller and wheelchair accessible

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Secret dish

NYC: Greenwich Village Food Tour with 6 Authentic Tastings

◷ 3 hours, six-plus tastings

Not suitable for wheelchair users

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After dark

Greenwich Village Ghost Tour

◷ 2 hours, groups of up to 10

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

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Max 6 people

New York: Rock and Roll History Tour with Dylan & Ramones

◷ 3 hours, about 3 miles on foot

Not suitable for people with mobility impairments

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The six in one table

The table sets out the six listings on the points where they differ. Where a listing does not give a figure, the cell says so.

Sorting them by need

Five points separate the listings more than the route does: the time available (2, 2.5 or 3 hours), the language, wheelchair access, the time of day and the size of the group. Only the four-neighbourhood walk runs in a language other than English. Only the ghost walk is sold as an after-dark walk. The rock and roll walk has the smallest cap, at 6 people, and the longest stated distance. The which-tour page sorts the six by each of these questions in turn.

Check dates for the history walk

The 2-hour Greenwich Village Tour runs in most weather and allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Pick a date below to see which departures are open.

Other dates and options

More Greenwich Village walking tours with live availability, for dates when the walks above are full.

Frequently asked questions