New York · AUDIO TOURS
14 reviewed
Good audio tours book up fast in New York; the great ones go first. Ranked below are the 14 best, with current prices and what makes each one different, so you can lock it in before the calendar fills.
See NYC’s top landmarks after dark on a 1.5-hour open-top bus ride with included headphones and multilingual audio narration.
“They don't leave on time, bad customer service, no heat on the bus. Took three hours to get back in to town.”
Official self-guided audio tour inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral with multilingual audio, entry included, and an at-your-pace way to see the sights.
“very Disappointed. My family and i paid for a tour for 5 people, we get there at 10:30 Sunday morning and the tour desk was closed bc mass was going on so that’s as far as we got. We couldn’t hang around bc we had reservations for another tour. It was a waste of good money for us!!! If mass is going on you should not sell tickets for that time bc you can’t do it!!”
Skip-the-line ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands with an audio guide and self-paced museum visits, plus big NYC skyline views.
“Amazing day! The audio guide was super easy to use and told great stories about the history. We loved being able to walk around at our own speed without a guide rushing us.”
GPS audio walk on Fifth Avenue’s Millionaire Row, from the Metropolitan Club to the Met. Gilded Age stories for $14.99.
“Better than with a live tour guide. The quality of the script is outstanding. The information is thorough, the presentation is brilliant, both enlightening and entertaining. The technical aspect is what really surprised: the GPS tracks your location and tells you to cross the street, to look to the left or to the right – it's very well done. There's no "dead time" as with a live guide when you walk from one location to the next; you are being talked to the entire time. You have the flexibility to rewind, pause and resume, answer a phone call, take a break. Game changer!”
A $44 Hamilton audio walking tour through Lower Manhattan, linking songs to real sites—Bowling Green, Fraunces Tavern, Federal Hall, and Trinity.
“Dana was a pleasure to have as a tour guide we loved the tour we learned so many things about the play as well as the history of Alexander Hamilton Dana was so much fun to only give this tour 5 stars is an injustice to her will be looking to more tours that she gives Dana thank you for a great afternoon Steven . Laurie and Emily Murphy”
A self-guided Audio tour through NYC’s Financial District, featuring Charging Bull, the Federal Reserve, and the Museum of American Finance.
“Simple to use, a nice use of technology, combining smart phone, gps tracker and tour guide to make it easy and informative.”
Self-guided West Village audio tour from St. Luke in the Fields to the Jane Hotel, mixing punks, prohibition bars, and Off-Broadway stops.
“Worth spending the time to learn some interesting history and enjoy a lovely walk in the w. Village.”
Walk the High Line from the Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards with an offline audio guide, storytelling stops, and big NYC contrasts.
“Very informative and entertaining commentary. Easy to download and start the App. Did have some issues with synchronizing walking speed with app commentary.”
Self-guided VoiceMap audio tour of Central Park, from Grand Army Plaza to The Dakota, with offline maps and stories on your pace.
“Very hard to use especially with paths in Central Park kept going in circles and telling us we were lost. No kidding! Would like a refund”
Self-guided VoiceMap audio walk through NYC Theatre District from the George M. Cohan Statue to New Amsterdam Theatre, offline for $5.39.
“Regan was great. The experience was easy to book. I highly recommend Regan and the experience for all theatre lovers!”
A budget-friendly self-guided Brooklyn Bridge bike or walk tour with audio, written stops, movie spots, food picks, and restroom tips.
Walk Greenwich Village by audio from Washington Square Arch to Jefferson Market Garden, with offline maps and lifetime access for $14.99.
“Very interesting historical perspective of the area. We learned a lot about the area throughout the years. Directions were clear as to how to get around.”
A self-guided Prospect Park audio walk through iconic arches, fountains, waterfalls, and lake views, with offline maps and lifetime access.
“I used Apple Maps along side the tour to help keep me on track. It’s a wonderful, entertaining and educational tour and I highly recommend it to get the most out of a visit to Prospect Park. It’s quite a long walk and there are some stairs involved, so be aware if that presents a challenge for you. Wear comfy shoes and your Air Buds, and bring water and snacks. There are loads of photo ops! Also you will have to walk about 1/2 mi further to exit the park at the end of the tour.”
Self-guided audio walk from Bowling Green to Stone Street, exploring NYC’s Battery, memorials, forts, and immigrant stories with offline maps.
“Definitely worth it. When construction at the battery is completed it will be even better. But this was a fantastic tour and I learned and discovered new stuff and sites!”
