The 5 Best Free Walking Tours in NYC for a New Perspective on the Big Apple

New York City has so much to offer — and some of it is even affordable! If you ever want to play tourist in your own backyard, free walking tours are a great way to skip the long lines and overhyped skyscrapers. Instead, your tour will focus on more off-the-radar spots and routes that make the city a true home for its people.

Below are some of our favorite free walking tours in NYC for experiencing the city’s culture without the city’s price tags. We’ve also curated a cannabis menu for your adventures. So put on your best walking shoes, pack your supplies, and get to know NYC on the go.

1. Traverse Greenwich Village’s expansive food and nightlife

Greenwich Village is more than a conclave of NYU students and hard-working artists. It’s also the perfect neighborhood to get a taste of some New York culinary icons. On a free walking tour through Greenwich Village’s street food, you’ll enjoy a classic hot dog, grab a real New York slice, satisfy your sweet tooth, and more.

You’ll also need something to wash down all these culinary delights with. Ayrloom’s canned infused beverages offer a discreet pairing, with bright flavors including Root Beer, Vanilla Cola, and Black Cherry.

Keep your infused drink with you for the rest of the tour, which takes you through stories of the city’s jazz age and the early history of LGBTQ+ rights in New York. You’ll also see some famous backdrops of New York TV shows, such as the Friends building.

2. Get to know Midtown in and out

NYC FREE TOUR covers some of Midtown’s most-visited spots in just two hours. This Spanish-English bilingual tour includes the storied Grand Central Terminal, the tremendous New York Public Library, and the activity-packed Bryant Park. You’ll also head off the beaten path and visit the library’s Rose Reading Room, typically open only to researchers. Bring a two-pack of Ruby pre-rolls (one for each hour of the tour) to elevate your experience.

3. Experience Lower Manhattan up close and personal

This free NYC walking tour covers the basics — Charging Bull, the New York Stock Exchange — but you’ll also see the emotional side of the city. Along this free Lower Manhattan tour, you’ll visit the 9/11 Memorial, One World Trade Center, and the iconic St. Paul’s Chapel. The tour is wheelchair-accessible and lasts about two and a half hours.

You’ll be walking in narrow, almost ancient streets among busy traders, so we recommend discreet edibles or tinctures for your travels. As you’re looking up at these momentous buildings, Eaton Botanicals gummies may help you truly treasure the experience.

4. Enjoy a leisurely Brooklyn Bridge stroll

You simply can’t miss the Brooklyn Bridge. That’s true literally in that it visibly shapes the city, but it’s also a can’t-miss walking destination packed with sights and secrets that are easy to miss. A free self-guided Brooklyn Bridge walking tour is your best way to see them all.

Since this tour is self-guided, you get to choose whether you want to start on the Manhattan or the Brooklyn side. You can also buy an inexpensive audio guide that lasts 45 minutes to an hour, but take your time and get lost in the sights.

To make your excursion a tad more special, enjoy a piece of incredibles’ Empire State Bar an hour or two before your tour. This aptly named chocolate bar is made with 100% cannabis oil, buttery toffee, and plenty of milk chocolate.

5. Guide yourself through SoHo and Chinatown’s top tea spots

High tea, even when not cannabis-related, is an ancient tradition. Sharing a cup of richly flavored tea with a loved one can be an intimate experience, with endless types and flavors to explore. In particular, lower Manhattan is full of extraordinary tea shops and tea houses that, with our help, you can guide yourself through on a walking tour.

Start with Nom Wah Tea Parlor, a Chinatown gathering spot since 1920 — the almond cookie and tea pairing is a must. Next, expand your taste buds to Taiwan, China, and Korea at T Shop, a hub for tea lovers with exceptionally fragrant loose leaf tea and elegant teaware.

For more high-end tea, head to Prince Tea House on Bowery for soothing beverages and hand-made desserts. After that, visit The Chai Spot two blocks over on Mott Street for international treasures such as cardamom chai and sulaimani chai.

Next, swing by Grand Tea & Imports for authentic Asian teas. Pivot to more familiar but still unforgettable teas at Harney & Sons, then finish your tour with green tea ice cream or Thai iced tea ice cream at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

None of these teas need improvement, but you can make high tea time more stirring. Ayrloom’s beverage enhancer drops are water-soluble, and they come in a compact dropper you can stash in your pocket.

How to make the most of your free walking tour

For the best experience as you explore New York on foot with some cannabis supplies in tow:

Start low and go slow. It’s better to consume a small cannabis dose to start than experience overly strong effects immediately. If you want to elevate your day further after your cannabis product’s onset time passes, consume just a bit more and see what happens.

Don’t make a scene. New York’s cannabis laws make it so that your consumption should be discreet. Vapes and edibles are great travel companions.

Tip your tour guide. “Free” tours really means “tip-based” tours. Plus, local guides know their stuff and are passionate about this city — they deserve to get paid for ushering you through this wondrous experience. If you truly want to tour for free, walk a self-guided route.

Start your free walking tour at The Travel Agency

Visit The Travel Agency to get some cannabis supplies for an especially ascendant tour. Our Union Square dispensary is right near most of the above adventures, though our Fifth Avenue dispensary is in the heart of the free Midtown walking tour. Although New York City never stops bustling, sometimes, moving at your own pace provides exactly the change you need.