New York Architecture TourArt Deco Walking Tour NYC: Midtown Landmarks
This Art Deco walking tour of NYC is the Art Deco and Architecture Midtown Landmarks Tour by Custom NYC Tours, sold on Viator for $40 per person. It is a 2 hour 30 minute walk that starts at 10:00am in front of Whole Foods at 1095 6th Avenue and covers the Deco skyscrapers of midtown, from the American Radiator Building to the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center. Groups are capped at 10, the listing holds a 5.0 rating from 163 reviews, and several stops go indoors. This page lays out the route, the price and who should book something else. Compare it with every other New York architecture tour.
About This Tour
Custom NYC Tours runs a small-group walk through the landmarks of midtown Manhattan, built around the Art Deco towers of the 1920s and 1930s. The guide uses historic photos for reference and takes the group inside several Art Deco skyscrapers, although the listing does not say which lobbies you enter.
The walk starts at 10:00am and lasts 2 hours 30 minutes. It passes Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, the American Radiator Building, 500 5th Avenue, the Bowery Savings Bank Building, the Chanin Building, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center. It is rated 5.0 from 163 reviews across Viator and Tripadvisor.
$40 per person. Children are priced 0-17, adults 18-99. Gratuities are not included.
2 hours 30 minutes, starting at 10:00am. All tours begin on time and the guide cannot answer the phone once the tour starts.
In front of Whole Foods, 1095 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036. The guide holds a sign with the tour name.
Up to 10 guests. This is a shared group tour, not private.
A professional guide leads the walk with historic photos. The listing says you see the insides of Art Deco skyscrapers, and no admission tickets are listed.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund. Cancellation for bad weather is allowed.
Check Dates and Availability
The listing currently shows one option, the 10:00am Departure: Landmarks of Midtown Tour. Check live dates and the $40 price on the booking platform.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short answer
This $40 Art Deco walking tour listing runs 2 hours 30 minutes, starts at 10:00am at 1095 6th Avenue and caps the group at 10. It carries a 5.0 rating from 163 reviews. The route covers nine named midtown landmarks and enters several Art Deco interiors.
Key takeaways
- See the stop-by-stop route in what the day is really like.
- Only want Grand Central? Compare the Grand Central secrets small group tour at $39.
- Prefer mansions to skyscrapers? Look at the Gilded Age mansions guided tour.
- Browse every listing in the comparison of New York architecture tours.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $40 covers the guide and the walk itself. Here is what the listing states as included and excluded, so you know what to bring.
What Is Included
The inclusions list is short: a professional guide, and historic photos for reference that the guide uses along the route. The listing says you see the insides of Art Deco skyscrapers, and no admission tickets are listed, and the indoor stops are not named. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller.
- Professional guide
- Historic photos for reference
- Indoor stops in Art Deco skyscrapers, lobbies not named in advance
What Is Not Included
Gratuities are the only stated exclusion. There is no hotel pickup, no food or drinks listed, and no transport, since the whole tour is on foot. Bring cash or card for a tip if you want to leave one.
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Any paid attraction entry
What You Might Pay on the Day
No paid entry is part of this tour, so there is no ticket to budget for beyond the $40 per person booking. If you want to extend the day, the New York Public Library next to Bryant Park lets visitors browse and use a free public rooftop terrace, and Grand Central is open to the public daily from 5:15am to 2:00am. For comparison, the Grand Central tours cost $39 for 90 minutes and this walk costs $40 for 2 hours 30 minutes.
Figures in this section come from the operators' listings.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Guide | Yes | Professional guide, groups up to 10 |
| Historic photos | Yes | Used for reference at each stop |
| Indoor stops | Yes | Art Deco lobbies, which ones not stated |
| Admission tickets | No | None are listed for this tour |
| Gratuities | No | The only stated exclusion |
| Hotel pickup | No | Not offered at all |
The Chanin Building on East 42nd Street in Midtown, photographed from street level. Photo: Acediscovery, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing names nine landmarks in order, starting at Bryant Park and ending at Rockefeller Center. Here is the walk with one solid fact per stop.
Bryant Park and the New York Public Library
The first stops are the park and the library beside it. The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is the Beaux-Arts landmark on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, designed by Carrere & Hastings after the founding director sketched a huge reading room atop seven floors of stacks. It cost $9 million and opened with 75 miles of shelves.
It holds some 15 million items today.
The American Radiator Building and 500 5th Avenue
Next come the American Radiator Building and 500 5th Avenue, two Deco towers. The 1916 Zoning Resolution, the first citywide zoning code in the United States, forced tall buildings to step back as they rose, which is why Deco towers have wedding-cake silhouettes.
Bowery Savings Bank, Chanin and Chrysler Buildings
The listing then names three Deco landmarks, the Bowery Savings Bank Building, the Chanin Building and the Chrysler Building. The Chrysler Building was designed by William Van Alen and stands at 405 Lexington Avenue. It is 1,046 feet to the tip of its spire with 77 floors, and its Nirosta stainless steel spire was built secretly inside the frame and raised into place in 90 minutes on October 23, 1929.
Grand Central Terminal
The walk reaches Grand Central Terminal at 89 East 42nd Street. Reed and Stem and Warren and Wetmore designed it in the Beaux-Arts style, and it opened on February 2, 1913. It has 44 platforms and 67 tracks, with a four-sided brass clock over the information booth in the Main Concourse.
Rockefeller Center and the End Point
The final stop is Rockefeller Center, its 14 original buildings spread between Fifth and Sixth Avenues from 48th to 51st Streets. Columbia University leased the site to John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1928 for 87 years at $3 million a year, and three firms worked together as Associated Architects so no building could be credited to one office. Construction started in 1931 according to Wikipedia, though 1930 is also commonly stated, and the core was finished by 1939.
The listing does not state a return point, so plan your onward travel before you go.
Architects Explore New York City's Secrets
Architects point out details on Midtown buildings that most people walk past. Third-party video by Architectural Digest. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This walk fits a lot of travellers, but a few things should make you book a different listing. Here is each limit and the fix.
You Need a Stated Wheelchair Policy or an Architect Guide
The listing states no wheelchair access rule and the guide is a professional guide, not named as an architect or historian. If an architect-narrated tour matters to you, the Manhattan architecture cruise is hosted by architects from the AIA New York Chapter for $86. The full comparison of New York architecture tour shows every option side by side.
Small Children in Strollers Are Fine
One limit that does not apply: infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and the walk suits all fitness levels. The listing states no minimum age.
The American Radiator Building above Bryant Park in the summer of 2011. Photo: Elmschrat Coaching38, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There and What to Add
The listing gives clear directions to the meeting point, and a few free stops are worth adding before or after.
Reaching the Meeting Point
Take the B, D, F or M train to 42nd Street station, as the listing directs. Grand Central Terminal itself sits on the 4, 5, 6 and 7 trains plus the 42nd Street Shuttle, which helps if you are coming from the east side. Arrive early, because all tours begin on time and the guide cannot answer the phone once the tour starts.
Free Things to Add Before or After
The New York Public Library beside Bryant Park lets visitors browse freely, use seating and computers, and visit a free public rooftop terrace. Grand Central is open to the public daily from 5:15am to 2:00am, so you can return after the tour to see the Whispering Gallery, where a whisper in one corner can be heard in the diagonally opposite corner. If you fall for Deco lobbies, the guide to free Chrysler Building access covers the triangular red granite lobby on 405 Lexington Avenue.
One More Building Nearby
It is a longer walk, but the Woolworth Building downtown at 233 Broadway is worth a separate trip. Cass Gilbert designed it in the Neo-Gothic style, it stands 792 feet tall with 55 floors, and it was the world's tallest building from 1913 to 1929. Private lobby tours run in 30, 60 and 90 minute versions.
See the other New York architecture tours if you would rather have a guide downtown.
The Route, Step by Step
The listing gives one departure time, 10:00am, and no per-stop timings, so the steps below follow the order of the named landmarks.
-
Start, 10:00am
Meet at Whole Foods, 1095 6th Avenue
The guide holds a sign with the tour name. The group leaves on time and the guide cannot answer the phone once the walk starts.
-
First landmarks
Bryant Park and the New York Public Library
The Beaux-Arts Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street opened with 75 miles of shelves and holds around 15 million items.
-
Next
American Radiator Building and 500 5th Avenue
Two Deco towers, and the 1916 Zoning Resolution that created the setback skyline.
-
Then
Bowery Savings Bank, Chanin and Chrysler Buildings
The Chrysler Building, designed by William Van Alen, rises 1,046 feet with 77 floors and a Nirosta steel spire raised in 90 minutes.
-
After that
Grand Central Terminal
The Beaux-Arts terminal of Reed and Stem and Warren and Wetmore, open since 1913, with 44 platforms and 67 tracks.
-
Last named landmark
Rockefeller Center
Fourteen original buildings between Fifth and Sixth Avenues from 48th to 51st Streets, with the core finished by 1939, are the last landmark the listing names. No return point is stated.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing, from its numbers and its stated terms.
What we genuinely like
- Groups are capped at 10, so you can hear the guide on a busy sidewalk
- At $40 for 2 hours 30 minutes it is one of the longer walks in the price band
- Indoor stops make it workable in any season, as the listing points out
- 5.0 rating from 163 reviews across Viator and Tripadvisor
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, and bad-weather cancellation is allowed
The honest downsides
- The listing does not say which Art Deco lobbies you enter, so interior access is a promise without a detail
- The guide is a professional guide, not named as an architect or historian
- Grand Central and Rockefeller Center each get a share of one walk, not a deep dive
- No return point is stated, so the end of the walk is open ended
- Strollers are allowed, which can slow a group on crowded midtown sidewalks
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want only Grand Central, or only Gilded Age mansions, should book a focused tour instead of this nine-landmark sampler.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does this Art Deco walking tour listing cost?
It is $40 per person, with child pricing for ages 0-17 and adult pricing for 18-99, and gratuities are not included. Compare it with the other New York architecture tours in the catalog.
Where does the tour start and how do I get there?
It meets in front of Whole Foods at 1095 6th Avenue, and the directions say to take the B, D, F or M train to 42nd Street station. The guide holds a sign with the tour name, as the listing card describes.
Which buildings do you go inside?
The listing says you see the insides of Art Deco skyscrapers and makes many indoor stops, but it does not name which lobbies. The Chrysler Building guide covers what is publicly accessible there on your own.
How big is the group and how long does it last?
Up to 10 guests for 2 hours 30 minutes, starting at 10:00am. If you prefer an even smaller group, the High Line walking tour caps at 8 for 75 minutes at $50.
Can I cancel if the weather is bad?
Yes, the listing allows cancellation for bad weather, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund. Weather terms for every walk are on the New York architecture tour.
Is this tour suitable for children or someone with a stroller?
Yes, infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, the listing states no minimum age, and the walk suits all fitness levels. For a contrast in pace, see the Grand Central secrets tour, which spends its full 1 hour 30 minutes at the terminal.
What if I want a tour led by an architect?
This listing's guide is described only as a professional guide. The Manhattan architecture cruise is narrated by architects and members of the AIA New York Chapter.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure