NYC Underground Subway Walking Tour

Overview

Explore the world’s largest subway system, the beating heart of the city that never sleeps. On this guided NYC subway tour you will discover the fascinating beginnings of the NYC subway, and explore spaces even the most seasoned commuter might not know about.

- Explore City Hall Park as the birthplace of the NYC subway system
- Learn about the comically short route of the mythical “Subway before the Subway,” Alfred Ely Beach’s Pneumatic Transit System
- See the architectural ghosts of the now nearly forgotten, and partially abandoned, Chambers Street station then nicknamed the “Grand Central of Downtown”
- Use the 6 train as your own time machine as you ride through abandoned subway stations
- Discover the remnants of Union Station as you learn about a hidden art installation thousands of riders walk by everyday

Guests will need one MetroCard swipe or OMNY tap to enter the subway.

All the stops on this tour are in stations which are publicly accessible.

City: New York City

Tue 19 Nov

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $35.00

Make a reservation

Tue 19 Nov

Starting at $35.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Ear pieces provided to each guests ensuring everyone hears the guide perfectly

Guided walking tour with a native New Yorker!

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
We provide ear pieces to each participants so guests can hear the guides perfectly, even from a distance while maintaining social distancing.

What To Expect

City Hall Park

You will learn about the creation of the very first NYC subway station while looking at visible remnants from City Hall park!

Brooklyn Bridge

We will see the Brooklyn at the beginning of the tour

The Municipal Building

Learn about the importance of this building in the creation of the NYC subway system!

Union Square

Explore the Union Square subway station and its surprising Art installation

Show 1 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (158)

Amy H

Jun 2022

Great tour. AJ our tour guide was full of info about the history of the building of the subway system. It’s long, predominantly underground (and very hot if in the summer) so prepare with water and a bathroom break before you get going.

Response from Host

Jun 2022

Amy thank you for this review. I will be sure to share it with AJ as well. Your advice to other guests is also well-pointed and we thank you for leaving it. Be well!

Passenger640792

Jun 2022

Our tour guide AJ was wonderful. Great tour. Really makes you think about your surroundings more ....things you casually walk by on a daily basis and don't pay attention to. If you like history or trains/subway -DEFINITEL Y take the tour.

Response from Host

Jun 2022

Thank you so much for this amazing review of our Underground Subway tour and of our guide AJ. I will be sure to send this to him. Be well!

Alexandra C

Jun 2022

The guide is extremely boring and it won’t STOP talking. The tour is unorganized!!! My family and I had suffer from the first minute to the very last! Nothing unique about the tour! The tour guide guy gave a Monologue the 2 hrs non STOP and there is not way you can even focus in everything he is saying specially when he was speaking extremely fast. If you go online you can find the history and right the subways yourself. Definitely not what we expected! We came with a 9 yr old and a 13 yr old. Plus the cherry of this experience… I am pregnant and my husband has an injury that doesn’t allow him to go as fast as the tour guy wanted us to go. .. so he had us running and then complaint because we needed extra time do go up and down! Only that he forgot that Really I have no idea how this experience has the starts that it has! It was by far THE WORST TOUR EVER!!!!!

Response from Host

Jun 2022

I thank you for taking the time to leave this review as I do with all reviews both amazing and challenging. We find valuable feedback in them all. To say that I am disappointed in your experience with our tour is an understatement. As you may witness in other reviews of the Underground Subway Tour and all of our other experiences, this is not what are used to. We pride ourselves on the quality of our tours and our guides. In fact, someone from the same tour you attended left a five-star review of the same experience with a different reseller. I would like to begin by stating that any tour, especially something as complex as the New York City Subway system relies on our guides giving you the best quality information needed to understand not only how the system works but also the complex history behind it. We apologize if you felt the guide was talking too much but he is trained to be thorough which is also a point he has been praised on in other reviews. Also of all of our tours, this tour is the most physically involved which is mentioned many times in the booking information both before you book and when you receive email reminders from us. It states clearly that there will be multiple staircases and will involve taking the train to multiple stations in the system. It may not have been ideal for someone who is pregnant or dealing with injuries that effect mobility, BUT that being said we train our guides to accommodate all those who show up to the tour. If you did not feel like those limitations were respected, we will be sure handle that with our guide immediately. Although we are extremely disappointed not only in the way you perceived the experience but also in the way you publicly critiqued the experience, we would appreciate if you would email us at [email protected] so we can make the situation right. My thanks to you!