harlem walking tour free

Harlem Heritage Tours offers the most authentic Harlem walking / bus tours, all our guides were born raised and still live in Harlem. We love Harlem and take great pride in showcasing the rich history of our home, and it’s many contributions to global culture. If you want an in depth, culturally rich, insiders view of Harlem from true Harlem locals  book one of the Harlem tours listed below or call us at 212 280-7888  –  Here is link to calendar page. ,

Must tours depart from the Harlem Heritage Tourism and Cultural Center, come experience our daily cultural presentation/shows, get visitor information, and buy unique Harlem souvenirs made by Harlem locals.

Most Loved Tours and Harlem Cultural Day Trips

Harlem Heritage Tours is the most innovative in developing cultural day trips for student, civic, family and corporate groups. We have the most experience and all the contacts necessary to customize a day in Harlem that will meet the direct interest of your organization/group.  Below exists some of our more popular day trips and walking tours.

Harlem Renaissance Multimedia Walking Tour

Harlem Gospel Walking Tour

Harlem Civil Rights Multimedia Walking Tour

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 Harlem Heritage Tours

Harlem Heritage Tours begin conducting authentic walking, gospel, jazz/music, art, food, and bus tours in 1998 with the idea of utilizing the industry of tourism as a way preserving the heritage of Harlem as well as contributing to the development of the local economy.

What makes Harlem Heritage Tours different is that all our  tours are conducted by those who were actually born and raised and still live in the community. As of late many companies offer Harlem tours, but few really know and have lived the true culture of the community – NONE will state anywhere on their sites that they were born raised and still live in Harlem.

The idea has always been to provide the most authentic Harlem tours that work to bring the old heritage of Harlem to life, we are the first company in the USA to develop multimedia walking tours with portable sound and video as you make your way through Harlem – the people love it.

Most of our Harlem tours start at the Harlem Heritage Tourism and Cultural Center, just 15 minutes from midtown Manhattan by way of uptown number 2 or number 3 trains on the red IRT line. Come and view our cultural exhibitions, currently on display “ALI IN NEW YORK” or one of our weekly musical performances, or daily cultural documentary showings.

Come participate with us in the cultural and economic renaissance taking hold presently in Harlem and meet our friends and family along the way. Because we are constantly on the Harlem streets we know who’s who and what’s really happening, therefore it’s easy for us to create interactive experiences between our visiting guests and the local community – come with us and experience REAL HARLEM via the lenses of true locals.

Most authentic tours of Harlem/NYC.

Customers Speak

Thanks to all who support Neal Shoemaker and Harlem Heritage Tours.

What Our Customers Say

“Walking Tour of Harlem Critique” The walking tour was definitively pleasurable as well as informative. We received an up close and personal view of Harlem not seen on previous visits. The guide was awesome and so was his knowledge of Harlem’s history, even back to the days of Bumpy Johnson. Visited July 2015

—Sandra J. from Dallas, Texas

“THE BEST TOUR EVER !” The tour was simply incredible. Neal is a great guide, he knows a lot about the history of Harlem and U.S. in general. I am a student of the American Studies, so i’m quite familiar with the American culture and i can say that the information he provided was correct. We ate lunch in a nice restaurant, everything was delicious,… Visited July 2015

—Anna P. from Warsaw, Poland

“Harlem, Its History: Hot! Hot! Hot!!” Neil Shoemaker has done his research — he knows Harlem’s rich history, geography, politics, and he shares that knowledge with you on his walking tours of the neighborhood. Along the way, he employs his backpack tricked out with speakers and an iPad to allow you hear the sounds and songs of Harlem’s past and present; he shares images of each… Visited July 2015

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Wednesday Noonday Concert - Classical Music

HSA's Adult Classes: music, dance, theatre and art & design

Jazz Concert- Sounds at St. Nick: Featuring Michael Shekwoaga Ode, Drummer and Composer and Ekep Nkwelle, Jazz Vocalist

Uptown Jazz: New York, the Destination

Concert Series Part II: Art and Artsong

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HARLEM WALKING TOUR - Free Tours by Foot

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• Free Tours by Foot

My girlfriend and I recently enjoyed a walking tour of Brooklyn led by Onell. His extensive... read more

Did the Soho, Little Italy, and Chinatown tour with Lori Pickhardt. Very i formative tour and... read more

HARLEM WALKING TOUR

Whenever we visit NYC we always do walking tours with Free-Tours- By-Foot (FTBF). Our first was the comprehensive 6-hour NYC odyssey going from Wall Street to Central park by the indefatigable Renee. We've also done her Greenwich Village excursion too. This trip we wanted to see Harlem and were delighted to see FTBF moving into this neighborhood also….we booked immediately without a doubt. And did they deliver !!! Our guide this time was Derrick (see photo) and as we've come to expect by this company's guides was he ever prepared. He's done an amazing amount of research into Harlem. The Shomburg center meeting point gets you a quick overview of this academic library; and from there Derrick began extrapolating his excellent historical preparation that brings back to life the early Dutch settlers "Haarlem" townhomes and lifestyle. From there it's a fast forward to the gospel influence (specifically the Abyssian Baptist Church…another great tip of Derrick's is to hear this world famous choir on Wenesday nights…NOT the packed Sunday service !!). The early jazz years are detailed with music & photos from his Ipad to how the Harlem clubs formulated a world-wide musical phenomenon. Interspersed with this are the civil rights struggles, the rise of Malcolm-X and the incredible cuisine arising from many ethnicities living here; and second musical wave of Hip-Hop. One awesome touch was a stop by the world-famous Sylvia's restaurant for complimentary sweet yams & collard greens. (As we wanted the full soul food experience Derrick hooked-us up for a table after the tour ended…..a very enjoyable meal of ribs, chicken, greens and garlic mashed potatoes in the great vibe the place offers). From here we saw the renowned "Lennox Lounge" & Red Rooster bars. Unexpectantly, a rival tour operator ("The Entertainer") came off a wall and started calling Derrick out for "errors" in his presentation. He really began DIS-respecting him in front of our 20-person group & numerous by-standers in the middle of Lennox Ave!! This guy is obviously feeling the loss of business to Derrick / FTBF and began claiming that only groups from the neighborhood have rights to offer tours, yadda-yadda-yadda. As Derrick gets this guy's harassment pretty regularly it was handled (ignored) quickly and we moved on to 125th St. It was entertaining, however J 125th St. is the real heart of Harlem and warrants another 1-2 hours exploration on its own at your pace. For the holiday season it was really rocking & lit up. All-in-all we HIGHLY recommend this new FTBF tour and especially Derrick. To do this right we'd recommend you begin with this 2.5 hour tour, then break for a meal at Sylvia's. After that take another 1-2 hours to see 125th street (where President Clinton's offices are located) on your own.

During the 22 years that I lived in NYC, I never visited Harlem. Read about the "free" tour...where you pay what you believe the tour is worth. Nothing to lose.....and found that there was everything to gain. We had a well informed guide, Derrick. For two plus hours, our group walked through historic neighborhoods learning as we walked. The architecture as well as the history of Harlem is most interesting. I am so glad that I came upon this tour. I will definitely take other tours when next in NYC...and also in Washington DC.

The tour was well organised and fantastic. Our guide Dereck was exceptional. My only regret is that I didn't discover this company earlier on in my stay as I would have liked to do all of their New York tours!!

I went on five different tours, and I found them to be better than the paid tours I did in NYC, so I stopped doing other tours. The food tours were a lot of fun and I used them to know where to go back and eat with friends later on. I have already recommended to friends that they should be doing these tours. You learn more, have more fun, meet more people, and yet they are cheaper than other tours.

Great tour. Brian was part actor and historian . This tour was as good as a tour we took of Gettysburg . His native Boston accent added to the experience . After two tours, we were a bit tired and Brian even guided us thru the subway system (MTA) back to our Hotel. As a native New Englander , we have a good sense of our history. But his knowledge about the area was so complete , I learned a few things that were very interesting.

After visiting NY several times, this time we went on a 6 hour tour of Lower Manhattan with the Free Tours by Foot: www.freetoursbyfoot.com . The tour was very interesting, we got to see and understand many aspects of the city. The guide, Derrick Edwards, was excellent, both knowledgeable and charming .

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Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO Tour

Tour Information

Brooklyn bridge, heights & dumbo, brooklyn bridge, heights & dumbo highlights.

This is a 3-hour tour that begins with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, an icon of New York City for over 125 years, with spectacular views of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

For our full tour calendar, click here .

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TOUR DESCRIPTION

The tour then moves on to a stroll of Brooklyn Heights, America’s and New York City’s first suburb.  

The tour then explores the neighborhood DUMBO before ending at the Fulton Ferry landing.

Brooklyn Bridge

The tour begins at the fountain inside City Hall Park in Manhattan. It’s a full mile (1.6 km) across the bridge.

But, we will be making plenty of stops to talk about the history and design of the bridge and to have the opportunity to capture scenic photographs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New York Harbor.

Check out our self-guided Brooklyn Bridge walk (also available as a  GPS-led audio tour ) to get a better idea of what you will experience.

Before you read our top ten, consider listening to an episode of our NYC Travel Tips podcast that covers the Brooklyn Bridge.

This podcast offers bite-sized audio clips with tips on how to plan your trip to NYC. You can get our podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

• Brooklyn Heights

The bridge lets out in Brooklyn’s finest residential neighborhoods, filled with interesting people and architecture.

Nicknamed America’s first suburb, Brooklyn Heights will certainly amaze.

Learn about George Washington’s doomed stand against British marines and walk past the homes of Truman Capote, Arthur Miller, and Norman Mailer.

Last but not least, we will visit the promenade for arguably the best views of Manhattan and New York Harbor.

From the promenade, we will walk down to the ferry landing area and explore a small part of DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).

Once a manufacturing and industrial district, economic change sapped the area of its economic strength, leaving large and vacant factory lofts as attractive destinations for artists starving for large and affordable living space.

The neighborhood's unique urban landscape is partially the result of being below two bridges, an interesting sight to see.

Learn more about this neighborhood with our self-guided tour of DUMBO (also available as a  GPS-led audio tour ).

This tour finishes near the Fulton Ferry Landing in DUMBO, where you could take the  East River Ferry to Lower Manhattan.

TOUR INFORMATION

Reservations: REQUIRED. Click here to reserve . Groups of 5 or more traveling together should visit our groups' page .

Duration: Approximately 3 hours. Tour distance is approximately 2.5 miles (4 km).

BOOKING NOTES:

• You will not have time to do this 3 hour morning tour and an afternoon tour at 1pm.
• You will have very limited time to do this 3 hour morning tour and an afternoon tour at 2 pm - it will require no sit-down lunch and immediate travel from one tour to the other.
• This tour route uses stairs. Please notify your guide if you cannot use stairs so the guide can plan a reroute to accommodate your needs.
• This tour covers Brooklyn Heights so you do not need to book that tour as well!

Start point: Tour begins from  the fountain  in the center of City Hall Park ( map ).

Endpoint:  Tour ends near the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn.

When: @9:30am Tuesdays through Sundays and our twilight version runs Sunday evenings (time dependent on the sunset) mid-March through Thanksgiving weekend.   View Our Full Calendar .

Cost: This tour is free to take, and you get to decide what, if anything, the tour was worth when it's done. A name-your-own-price tour is a tour for anyone's budget.

Languages:  Public tour is in English or Spanish only (see our Spanish tour page for calendar) . Private tours for individual groups are also available in both languages upon request.

Save even more money with a  tourist discount pass  as well as with our tips on  bus ,  boat  and  food  tours. We also have a free app where you could download several  GPS audio versions  of our tours.

Additional planning information:  You will NOT have time to do this 3 hour morning tour and an afternoon tour at 1 pm. You will have very limited time to take this 3 hour morning tour and an afternoon tour at 2 pm.

It will require no sit-down lunch and immediate travel from one tour to the other.

Tours go out rain, snow or shine. Dress appropriately for the weather. 

GPS-LED AUDIO TOUR

Take this tour in our GPS-led audio tour app. It's actually 3 separate tours. Listen to the samples.

Sample of our Brooklyn Bridge Tour

Sample of our Brooklyn Heights Tour

Sample of our DUMBO Tour.

You'll need to download our free audio tour app. Downloads are only $1.99. Some tours are free.

Here is how it works:

• Book a tour on our booking page above.
• Receive a confirmation email with all the details.
• Enjoy the tour(s).

Available Tours:

• Central Park
• Lower Manhattan
• 9/11 Memorial and World Trade Center
• The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• Greenwich Village
• Food Tour of Greenwich Village
• The Brooklyn Bridge (in English, Spanish, and German)
• The High Line
• Midtown Manhattan
• Grand Central Terminal

Available Without Audio (full text):

• Times Square

RELATED POSTS:

• Other NYC Tours
• Things to Do in NYC
• Things to Do in Brooklyn

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Free Walking Tour Haarlem

Explore the city with free walking tour haarlem, free  haarlem walking tour.

The charming town of Haarlem, or ‘Little Amsterdam’ as it is endearingly called. Join the Free Walking Tour Haarlem, to explore this historically significant city with a local!

During this free tour we explore this beautiful city, which historic center is virtually free of cars. Learn about the history of Holland’s most characteristic flower and the major artistic influence of painter Frans Hals. Find the hidden gems of Haarlem and what places we like to go ourselves.

Haarlem is a perfect for a walking tour as the centre is almost free from cars. And you can really feel the history of 17th century Haarlem.

Pictures from our walks

Free Haarlem walking tour meeting point

picture from a free tour of Haarlem

What visitors think about Free  Haarlem Walking Tour?

Frequently asked questions about the tour

How far is haarlem from amsterdam, what are the best museums in haarlem, can you go to the tulip fields or the beach from haarlem, why join free walking tours haarlem, get inspired by the free tour community blog.

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