ExperienceFirst Tours organizes fun and informative guided walking tours that explore various popular New York City attractions, landmarks, and neighborhoods. Each one of these outings is led by an experienced tour guide with specialized knowledge of the local scene. No matter what you’re most interested in seeing during your visit to New York City, there’s an ExperienceFirst tour that’s right for you. Some of their most acclaimed guided walking tours include the Broadway and Times Square Insider tour, the SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown tour, and a High Line, Chelsea, and Meatpacking District neighborhood tour.
ExperienceFirst Walking Tours History
ExperienceFirst Tours was founded in New York City in 2009. Since then, they have expanded their operations to Barcelona, Dallas, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, and San Francisco. Across these seven destinations they run some 48 distinctive tours, each one led by a trained professional with extensive knowledge of the neighborhood or subject at hand. They’ve consistently received awards for industry excellence, and been given tens of thousands of five-star reviews online.
What’s do you see on an ExperienceFirst Walking Tour
The Broadway and Times Square Insider tour runs each day at 4:00pm for just under two hours. It’s led by a trained theater professional, and takes you to iconic Broadway destinations like Sardi’s, the Edison Hotel, Barrymore Theater, and Shubert Alley. Along the tour’s one-mile route you’ll hear about the history of New York City’s theater business, the lives of some of Broadway’s greatest stars, and the rough-and-tumble past of the nearby Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
The SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown tour is a fabulous way to learn more about three of Manhattan’s most memorable neighborhoods. These areas were once home to large immigrant populations and organized crime elements. Nowadays, they’re where you’ll find some of New York City’s trendiest boutiques, galleries, and restaurants.
ExperienceFirst operates several other outstanding neighborhood-centric walking tours. These include the High Line, Chelsea, and Meatpacking District tour, during which you can explore New York’s hottest new park and enjoy fabulous views of the Hudson River; the Greenwich Village tour, which takes you to Washington Square Park, Cafe Wha?, and the Stonewall Inn; and the Hudson Yards tour, which takes you through one of the city’s newest real estate developments, as well as the High Line and the Vessel.
Tips for Visiting with ExperienceFirst Walking Tours
- ExperienceFirst Walking Tours is included on several money saving tourist passes including the New York Pass, Go NY All-Inclusive Pass, NY Explorer Pass and NY Sightseeing Pass.
- All ExperienceFirst tours run rain or shine, so it’s best to come prepared for all types of weather conditions.
- When you arrive at your tour’s meeting point, be sure to look out for an individual holding an orange flag. This is your expert tour guide!
- The Hudson Yards tour comes with an optional upgrade for Edge, the popular observation deck located on the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards. If that attraction is on your radar, it’s worth taking advantage of this opportunity.
- You may cancel your ExperienceFirst tour reservations up to 24 hours before your scheduled departure time and receive a 100% refund. After that, you’ll be out of luck if you need to change your plans.
- ExperienceFirst recommends that all participants arrive for their tour 15 minutes ahead of its scheduled departure time.