The 14 East Village Tours That Earn Their Price

1.East Village Rock and Roll Tour *Rock Junket Tours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 170 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $46Our pick

Walk through New York’s East Village with guides such as Bobby Pinn or Larry, tracing the Ramones, New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, Led Zeppelin, jazz, glam, and punk. Expect album-cover locations, old venues, music stories, photo stops, and tips for eating, drinking, and shopping nearby.

“Great tour! Highly recommend very informative and entertaining! have taken this to her several times learn something new every time.”

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2.East Village Haunted Manhattan tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 81 reviews · 1 hour 40 minutes (approx.) · from $30Best value

Join Haunted Manhattan at 7:30 pm for a 13-stop East Village walk covering a historic bar, The Public theater, and Manhattan’s Most Haunted House. Guides such as Charlie and Frankie mix spooky stories with local history for believers and skeptics alike.

“Our tour guide Frankie was absolutely Phenomenal. The tour was filled with scary stories and some great historical facts. My daughter (14 yrs) and cousin (13 yrs old) really enjoyed the tour too. I definitely will recommend to my NYC friends ☺”

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3.NYC East Village Polish Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · from $89

Join Greg Marro for a two-hour East Village food walk through Little Poland. Visit up to five local eateries for pierogi, kielbasa, rugelach, and egg cream, while learning about Polish, German, Dutch, and other immigrant influences on the neighborhood.

“Great guide, great food, great time! A variety of delicious perogies! Very knowledgeable guide! Lots of fun!”

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4.Sweet Treats of the East Village: Donut & Pastry Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $75

Join Jeff or David for a two-hour East Village walk capped at 10 people. You’ll sample breakfast donuts, La Cabra pastries, and choux treats at Petit Chou while hearing about Astor Place, Bowery music venues, McSorley’s, and Russo’s Italian food traditions.

“The tour is made for fans of music, theater, art, and the history of the East Village. Jeff is a wealth of information and goes out of his way to make the experience memorable. The donut stops are part of the enjoyment of the tour. Each stop is different and the doughnuts are delicious.”

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5.2-Hour Sandwich Tour of the East Village

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · 2 hours · from $75

Join Ben, Tim, or Matt for a two-hour East Village walk built around three generous sandwich tastings, local food stories, and the great hotdog debate. Meet inside La Colombe Coffee Roasters, come hungry, and budget extra for the final drink at an all-ages craft beer bar.

“The tour was awesome! Here are 3 reasons why I had a blast: - Our tour guide did a great job at creating an experience that ticked all the boxes, including (importantly), great food, cool part of NYC, fun and inclusive atmosphere, informative, and a nice balance between eating/walking/laughing/and drinking (if you wanted to have an alcoholic beverage it was available). - The sandwiches were delicious and varied! whilst I was expecting them to be delicious, I was pleasantly surprised on the variety.. each sandwich was very different from the last and fit quite well into the narrative and history that we were exploring, which was a nice touch. -…”

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6.Food Tour in East Village in French

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $78

Walk New York’s East Village with a French-speaking guide, stopping at six restaurants for four savory American dishes and two sweets. The three-hour tour ends at Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffe, with a maximum of 12 people and Pauline among the named guides.

“Pauline a été une super guide, elle nous a apporté pleins de connaissances sur la ville en plus de nous faire découvrir de bonnes adresses. Nous recommandons cette expérience et nous avons hâte de découvrir le food tour de Brooklyn”

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7.East Village Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · 2 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $70

Meet guide Krikor at the Astor Place Cube for a two-hour-plus walk around St. Mark’s Place. You’ll visit five food establishments, taste varied dishes, hear East Village stories, and finish near Avenue A and East 7th Street.

“Yes book with this tour guide! Our host knew the area intrinsically. We ate at 5 distinctly different restaurants and he had dozens more recommendations. We also received the history of the buildings, the culture, and the people of East village.”

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8.Walking Tour of 1970’s Music Venues of the East Village

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $50

Join Ann McDermott for a two-hour, English-language walk through the East Village’s 1970s music scene. With no more than 12 people, you’ll visit the former Fillmore East, CBGB’s, Club 82, Mercer Arts Center, and The Bottom Line while hearing stories about Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, and more.

“I was excited. We booked it on 11/18 for 11/20. Tour guide no-showed and no one responded to message.”

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9.East Village NYC Pizza Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 9 reviews · from $65

Join a licensed pizza guide in the East Village for a 2.5-hour walk through Alphabet City and the Lower East Side. Taste three different pizzas at three pizzerias, compare ovens and techniques, and meet pizza makers when available. Guides have included David, Amy, and Laura.

“It was all very enjoyable. All 3 Pizza places were very different. Our guide, David, was very knowledgeable and friendly.”

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10.East Village Speakeasy (secret bars) Experience

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 6 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $35

Meet at 4:45 pm near East 9th Street and Avenue A for a three-hour East Village walk led by guides such as Alex or Lyonel. Enter hard-to-find bars through phone booths, a barbershop, and alleys, then finish near Essex Street and Delancey Street. Drinks cost extra.

“Alex and his girlfriend were great company. Super friendly and knowledgeable. Alex’s ability to switch seamlessly between Spanish, German and English was impressive (his French and Italian weren’t needed on this occasion). The venues visited were great (including the bonus rooftop bar at the end). It was interesting to hear the history and to learn the derivation of the expression to “86” something. The whole experience went on a lot longer than I expected but that was a positive for me. I felt guilty not having more cash for a tip at the end.”

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11.Private New York City Food Tour of East Village and Greenwich Village

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 5 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $167

Meet your private guide in Lower Manhattan for coffee, sweets, Japanese flavors, and an Italian meal. Walk through Tompkins Square Park, Little Tokyo, NYU, Bleecker Street, and Washington Square Park. Guides such as Chris Barron and Monia can adjust the route to your interests.

“The rating would be lower but our tour guide, Chris, was a nice person. However, out of all the food tours I’ve been in (including the one we took later in the day after this one) this one was the least informative. I take food tours not just to eat (which I can google and do on my own) but to have some history or story about the places we go to. Also considering it was a private tour and the price was higher, to say I was very disappointed is an understatement.”

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12.2-Hour Private East Village TV and Movie Sites Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 4 reviews · from $87

Join a private two-hour walk from Broadway-Lafayette to the East Village, led by a guide such as Katherine. See more than 30 TV and movie locations, including the Friends apartment building, Tompkins Square Park, St. Mark’s Place, and sites from Law & Order and Broad City.

“Katherine was there waiting for us with Umbrella in hand. She was so sweet to show us the East Village including tons of movie and tv show locations. Not touristy at all. Very Fun. We asked tons of questions about shopping vintage. She knew quite a few places that I never would have found on my own. Lots of girl talk and Acting.”

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13.East Village & Midtown Irish History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 2 hours · from $59

Spend two hours with guides such as Vince or Earl tracing Irish-American New York from St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral through the East Village, Union Square, Fifth Avenue, Hell’s Kitchen, and Times Square. Expect brisk city walking, colorful stories, and no included food, drinks, or admission fees.

“We had so much fun in our tour with Vince today! He is an absolute gem and his breadth of knowledge about NYC is astounding! The tour was a Christmas gift for my mom and she just adored it. Highly recommend.”

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14.East Village Pizza Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $0

Taste three simple pizza slices at at least three East Village pizzerias with a Pizza Pro guide. The route changes with each group, beginning at Gnocco on East 10th Street and usually lasting about two and a half hours. Amy is one guide praised for her warm, personal approach.

“Everything! Amy was so knowledgeable and personable! Great group! My grandson loved every minute of it!”

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