Free tours and walks in New York City and beyond
Get the scoop on a New York City landmark by joining one of these free walks and tours. Plus, discover gratis out-of-town day trips.
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Free things to do in NYC: Your guide to gratis entertainment
Free tours and walks in NYC: Brooklyn Bridge Photograph: Michael Kirby Smith
Are you trying to host visitors on a budget? Yeah? Then consult this roundup often. We detail free tours of the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central, Union Square and other NYC attractions—as well as freebie day trips just outside New York City.
RECOMMENDED: Full list of free things to do in NYC
Brooklyn Bridge history walk
- Free
Take a stroll across this romantic, iconic suspension bridge. Start: Stairway at Cadman Plaza East near Prospect Street, Brooklyn HeightsEnd: Broadway at Chambers StTime: 30 minutes Distance: 1.3 miles 1 Every day, 6,600 people walk or bike across the mile-long Brooklyn Bridge, and it's easy to see why: The structure itself is gorgeous, and so
Washington Square Park
- Rated as: 4/5
- Critics choice
- Free
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions The hippies who famously turned up and tuned out in Washington Square Park are still there in spirit, and indeed often in person. In warmer months the park—which was once a potter’s field—is one of the best people-watching spots in the city, hummings with musicians and street artists, while skateboarders
- W 4th St to Waverly Pl, between MacDougal St and University Pl
City of Water Day
- Critics choice
- Free
Locations vary; visit cityofwaterday.org for details. Anyone who’s spent time in landlocked parts of the country will tell you that a city without water is like…erm, a city without water. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance celebrates NYC’s best accessory at Governors Island and Jersey City’s Liberty State Park, offering activities that remind us
- Location TBA
- Sat Jul 20
Day trips: Farm and food destinations
- Price band: 1/4
- Free
Get a close-up look at the earth's bounty. Hawthorne Valley Farm; Ghent, NYTravel time: Two and a half hours by carOn the first and third Wednesday of each month, this 400-acre biodynamic operation welcomes cityslickers for a gratis public tour. You'll peep its various departments, including the animal pens and sauerkraut cellar, but if you
Public-art walk
- Free
Explore four interactive artworks in Battery Park. Start: South end of Battery Park, opposite 17 State StEnd: Rector ParkTime: 1.5 hours Distance: 2 miles 1 There's loads of interactive art in Battery Park; cut through the southwest end, where you'll find Battery Gardens restaurant. On the ground, a few feet from the eatery's entrance, peep
The Grand Tour
- Critics choice
- Free
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers pass through Grand Central daily, but they probably don’t pay much attention to anything other than navigating the crowds. The Grand Central Partnership seeks to educate natives and tourists alike on the idiosyncrasies of the terminal and its surrounding ’hood with this free walk. Meet in the sculpture court at
- Grand Central Terminal, Main Concourse 42nd St to 44th St
- Fri May 24
Fourth of July fireworks in NYC
- Free
Where to watch the display on July 4. Macy's 4th of July Fireworks (212-494-4495, macys.com/fireworks; free) spends its second year lighting up the West Side of New York, much to the chagrin of many a Brooklynite. But hey, the East Side had 33 straight years, right? The pyrotechnics are launched from six barges spaced between 20th and 55th Sts on
The Grand Tour
- Critics choice
- Free
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers pass through Grand Central daily, but they probably don’t pay much attention to anything other than navigating the crowds. The Grand Central Partnership seeks to educate natives and tourists alike on the idiosyncrasies of the terminal and its surrounding ’hood with this free walk. Meet in the sculpture court at
- Grand Central Terminal, Main Concourse 42nd St to 44th St
- Fri May 31
Union Square: Crossroads of New York
- Critics choice
- Free
Union Square Partnership and Big Onion Walking Tours present this free, 90-minute walking tour around one of New York's most well-worn junctions. You'll get the history of the bustling neighborhood, as well as of the square itself, named sensibly for its location at the union of Broadway and Fourth Ave. Meet in front of the Lincoln statue, Union
- Union Square 14th St to 17th St, between Broadway and Park Ave South
- Sat May 25
Free walking tours: See New York City gratis
- Free
See the city (plus some parks, breweries and a landfill) at no charge. Brooklyn Bridge Park On April 22 (9–10:30am), Brooklyn Bird Club will present an Earth Day birding tour on Pier 1 showcasing the feathered friends that have returned to the area since this once-industrial shoreline started being refashioned into a bucolic waterfront park in
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