Greenwich Village Walking Tour: 2 Hours, 10 Guests

Included

The includes list is short. You get a local guide, in English, for the full 2 hours, and a mobile ticket that appears in the GetYourGuide app right after booking. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start gives a full refund, and reserve now and pay later lets you hold a spot without paying today.

What You May Pay on the Day

Plan for the guide's tip, since gratuities are recommended. There are no mandatory extras listed, and no upgrades or options are offered on this listing. The guide points out where the best pizza in NYC is sold, but food is not part of the price.

Comfortable shoes are the stated requirement, because there is a reasonable amount of walking.

Start at Waverly Diner

You meet in front of Waverly Diner at 6th Avenue and Waverly Place. The guide opens with the history of Greenwich Village. The neighborhood around you is protected by the Greenwich Village Historic District, designated in 1969 and extended twice, in 2006 and 2010, so much of what you see is legally protected fabric.

Edgar Allan Poe House and Washington Square Hotel

The first stops are the Edgar Allan Poe house and the Washington Square Hotel, both passed on foot. The listing gives no interior access and no dates for either building.

Washington Square Park

The group explores the park, a former potter's field, and hears how it became a destination for musicians and protesters. The park holds a marble arch. It was designed by Stanford White, with a temporary arch in 1889 and the Tuckahoe marble arch completed in 1892.

It is about 57 feet wide and stands 77 feet tall by one count and 73.5 feet by another, and its Washington sculptures are by Hermon A. MacNeil and Alexander Stirling Calder. Note that the arch is not a named stop on the listing.

The Brown Building

Next comes the Brown Building, site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911, an event the listing credits with launching the American labor movement.

McDougal Street

The walk heads up McDougal Street past Cafe Wha, Cafe Reggio and the Comedy Cellar. The guide points out where the best pizza in NYC is sold, per the listing.

Christopher Street and the Stonewall Inn

The last stretch strolls down Christopher Street to the Stonewall Inn, where a riot in 1969 began America's Gay Rights Movement. The listing does not name a return point, so expect to finish near the Stonewall Inn.

No Architect, No Interiors

The listing describes the guide only as a local guide, with no architect or historian claim, and names no building entry. If you want design analysis from a professional, the Manhattan architecture cruise is narrated by architects from the AIA New York Chapter, at $86 per person.

Mostly Exteriors, and It Ends Away from the Start

The listing names no building entry and no return point, so you finish near the Stonewall Inn rather than back at Waverly Diner. If you want a fixed meeting spot inside one landmark, the Grand Central Secrets tour meets in front of Track 29 inside the terminal.

Small Group Is a Hard Cap, Weather Can Cancel It

Ten participants is the limit. The tour operates in most weather but may be canceled in unfavorable conditions, with an alternative date or a full refund offered. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

No Hotel Pickup, No Large Bags, No Pets

There is no hotel pickup, and pets, weapons or sharp objects, oversize luggage and large bags are not allowed. If you stray from the guide, the listing does not guarantee you will be reunited with the group.

Finding the Meeting Point

The group meets in front of Waverly Diner on the corner of 6th Avenue and Waverly Place. The listing does not name subway lines or stations for this corner, so check a transit map for the best train. One useful orientation point nearby is the Jefferson Market Library at 425 Sixth Avenue, built from 1874 to 1877 by Frederick Clarke Withers and Calvert Vaux in a High Victorian Gothic style, and a public library branch since 1967.

Add Before or After

The Village's protected rowhouse fabric rewards an extra hour. The Washington Square North rowhouses date to about 1832, and 75 1/2 Bedford Street is described as the city's narrowest house. The Washington Square Arch, completed in 1892, stands in the park.

For a full afternoon, read the Woolworth Building guide and the route past the famous buildings in NYC, or browse the free tours and self-guided routes on New York City architecture tour for more no-cost options.

A District Designated in 1969

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Greenwich Village Historic District on April 29, 1969. It was extended twice, in 2006 with 46 buildings and in 2010 with 225 buildings. That protection is why the streets on this 2-hour walk keep their rowhouses. The district holds Federal and Greek Revival rowhouses, and the Washington Square North rowhouses date to about 1832.

To keep going south after the Village, the SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown Guided Tour costs $28 and covers the downtown blocks where cast-iron facades went up between 1840 and 1880.

One address to ask the guide about: 75 1/2 Bedford Street is described as the city's narrowest house, and it sits inside the district.

What the Styles Look Like

Federal rows are plain brick facades with flat lintels, while the Greek Revival houses on Washington Square North have taller doorways and stone trim. The Jefferson Market Library at 425 Sixth Avenue, built 1874-1877 by Frederick Clarke Withers and Calvert Vaux, adds High Victorian Gothic detail to the neighborhood. It became a public library branch in 1967.

Stanford White's Marble Arch

Stanford White designed the arch. A temporary wooden version stood in 1889 for the centennial of George Washington's inauguration, and the permanent Tuckahoe marble arch was completed in 1892. Sources disagree on its height: one figure is 77 feet, another 73.5 feet. It is 57 feet wide.

The two Washington figures came later. Hermon A. MacNeil carved the east pier in 1914-1916, showing Washington at war, and Alexander Stirling Calder carved the west pier in 1917-18, showing him at peace. The arch has no interior, so seeing it from the park is the whole visit. For another tower of the same era downtown, see the Woolworth Building.