This post lists and compares the best Central Park walking tours including general tours and themed tours.
Our local walking tour guides have led tens of thousands of Central Park tours and know the park inside and out.
When we wrote this post, we looked for tours (in addition to our own), that include the park's history, stops at significant landmarks, and interesting anecdotes about all the beauty you'll see on the tour.
You'll get all of this and more on our guided tours and also from our GPS-led audio tour.
Take a look at our full calendar to see which tours are running when you plan to be in NYC.
Watch our 32-minute abridged version of our live guided tour.
NOTE: If you can't make our scheduled tours, please note that the New York Pass and the Explorer Pass tourist passes include several Central Park tours for free.
Read our post on which tourist pass to buy.
FREE TOURS BY FOOT
As the premiere walking tour company in NYC, it's no surprise that we offer several pay-what-you-like walking tours of Central Park.
Since 2010, we have led tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people through NYC's most famous greenspace.
Besides leading tours, our tour guides have spent lots of their free time in Central Park. They know all the nooks and crannies of Central Park and so you really won't find more experienced guides than ours.
Our tours have no costs to book and are listed with (pay-what-you-wish) inside of the calendar and are also detailed below the calendar.
And our reviews are as good as they get. Read them for yourself on Google, TripAdvisor, or any review platform that you trust.
At the bottom of this post, you'll find reviews of our Central Park tours from a handful of members of our NYC Travel Tips Facebook group.
The group has more than 225, 000 members and consists of locals, like our guides, repeat visitors to NYC and newbies.
There's no need to join the group to read the posts and comments so check us out on Facebook!
We offer a seasonal and limited schedule of our Central Park walking tours, so we have also listed other for-fee walking tours available to you in the park.
If you are interested in booking a private tour of Central Park, we have several affordable options.
FREE TOURS BY FOOT (Lower Section)
Once described as the lungs of the city, Central Park brings a breath of fresh air to New York's crowded urban terrain.
What started as the rocky and desolate northern fringes of a rapidly expanding city is today among the world's most famous and beloved public parks.
With over 843 acres (400 hectares) of meadows, hills, ball fields, and bodies of water, it's impossible not to find something to enjoy in Central Park.
Here's a sample from our GPS-led audio tour.
Join Free Tours by Foot as we stroll through the park and tell the epic story of New York's green oasis.
This Central Park tour explores the southern half of the park, wandering the winding pedestrian paths, passing a pond, rocky outcrops, bridges, open fields, and skyline views -- all great photo opportunities.
The tour also includes a stop in Strawberry Fields, a living tribute to John Lennon, and will end in front of the Dakota Hotel, where the great Beatles' life tragically ended.
Sites we cover on the Central Park Walking Tours:
- Grand Army Plaza
- The Plaza Hotel
- Central Park Zoo
- The Pond
- The Dairy
- The Mall and Literary Walk
- Bethesda Terrace and Fountain
- Sheep Meadow
- Strawberry Fields
- The Dakota Apartment Building
Tour information for Central Park Lower Section
Reservations: REQUIRED. Click here to reserve. Groups of 6 or more should visit our groups' page.
Where: The tour begins from the southwest corner of 59th St. and 5th Ave by the Pulitzer Fountain (Pomona - Roman goddess of purity) (map). The statue is located directly in front of the Plaza Hotel's main entrance. The tour ends at 72nd St. and Central Park West.
Duration: Approximately 2 hours. Approximately 1 mile in length.
When: @9:45am Wednesdays and @9:45am Fridays (Fridays-early spring & late fall). Central Park Lower Section is also covered in the All in One Central Park tour @10am on Mondays and Fridays (late spring through early fall). More tours are available in the high season. Take this any day as an audio tour. Tours go out rain or shine. Dress appropriately for the weather.
If you can't make one of our tours, you might consider one of the New York tourist passes, which include free guided tours of Central Park or through Viator.
Cost: This tour is free to take, and you get to decide what, if anything, the tour was worth when it's done. A name-your-own-price tour is a tour for anyone's budget.
Central Park Middle Section
This tour focuses on the middle of Central Park, starting in front of the beautiful American Museum of Natural History.
From there we enter the park and explore, seeing everything from a castle to the wild-looking Ramble.
See an Ancient Egyptian obelisk and the place where Stuart Little raced his sailboat in the E.B. White children’s classic.
Don’t forget to bring along your camera! There will be many wonderful photo opportunities throughout.
Listen to a sample of this tour from our GPS-led audio tour.
Sites We Cover on Our Middle Central Park Tours:
- The Swedish Cottage
- Shakespeare Garden
- Belvedere Castle
- Turtle Pond
- The Delacorte Theatre (Shakespeare in the Park)
- The Great Lawn
- Cleopatra’s Needle
- The Ramble
- The Lake
- The Conservatory Waters
- Bethesda Terrace
- And more!!
Tour information for Central Park (Middle Section)
Reservations: REQUIRED. Click here to reserve. Groups of 6 or more should visit our group's page.
Where: The tour departs from the park entrance directly across the street from the American Museum of Natural History at the intersection of Central Park West, between 80th and 81st Streets (map).
The tour ends at Bethesda Terrace, on the 72nd Street Traverse through Central Park.
Duration: Approximately 2 hours. Approximately 1 mile in length.
When: @2pm Sundays. Central Park Middle Section is also covered in the All in One Central Park tour @10am on Mondays and Fridays (late spring through early fall). Take this any time, any day as a GPS-led audio tour - sample.
Cost: This tour is free to take, and you get to decide what, if anything, the tour was worth when it's done.
A name-your-own-price tour is a tour for anyone's budget.
OTHER WALKING TOUR OPTIONS
Many companies offer walking tours of Central Park but not all offer tours regularly or offer only private tours.
Below are highly-rated companies that offer regularly scheduled public tours.
Some of these tours are included at no additional cost in one or more of the money-saving NYC tourist attraction passes.
We have listed which pass(es) each tour is included in the tour descriptions below.
Click here to read our comparison post on these passes.
Manhattan and Beyond
This company offers a pretty good Central Park walking tour and is led by a former park employee, so you know you are getting the inside scoop about the park.
While learning about Central Park, you'll see several essential attractions such as the Dairy, the Literary Walk, the Conservatory Water, the Alice in Wonderland Statue, Bethesda Terrace, and Strawberry Fields.
You'll also learn about a few of the more noteworthy films that were shot here and see some of the filming locations.
- Cost: $25/Adults | $20/Seniors, Students, Military | $15/Youth
- Availability: Sunday and Monday at 9 am and 12 pm
- Duration: 2 hours
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
- Included with the New York Sightseeing Pass.
Reviews:
Manhattan and Beyond currently has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars (read reviews here).
Most guests were happy they took the tour, some reporting they weren't confident they could have found every stop on this outing by themselves.
That's the thing about Central Park. It's over 800 acres in size (400 hectares), so it can be easy not only to get lost but also to find specific locations within the park.
Since this tour is led by a former employee of Central Park, you can rely on them to help you find your way around.
Experience NYC
On this company’s two-hour tour you’ll be led by a friendly and knowledgeable guide with at least 5 years’ experience.
Sights you’ll visit including Wollman Rink, the Mall, Bethesda Fountain, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, Strawberry Fields John Lennon Memorial and more.
Groups are small, with a maximum of 12 guests. This nice aspect of the tour allows guests to converse with guides and ask questions.
Your guide will point out the best photo opportunities, including locales from TV and movies like Home Alone 2 and Sex and the City.
- Cost: $36 per person
- Daily @ 10 am
- Duration: 2 hours
- Learn more and purchase tickets here.
Reviews:
Experience NYC currently has an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars (read reviews here).
Guests found the guides to be very knowledgeable about the park, so much so that a local who has been to the park more than 15 times learned some new things.
Reviews stated that the guides were welcoming, enthusiastic, humorous and engaging. Guests also liked the fact that the group was small.
One reviewer enjoyed the tour so much she said it was the highlight of her trip to NYC.
Central Park TV and Movie Sites
Nearly a thousand television shows and movies have been filmed in Central Park, so with a 2-hour-themed tour, you will get your money’s worth.
On Location Tours has a focused itinerary. Although you will get some Central Park history, this tour is for those with an interest in film.
The tours are led by actors and actresses, which adds to their authenticity.
Some of the many filming locations covered are Home Alone 2, When Harry Met Sally, Taxi, Elf, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Serendipity, Crocodile Dundee, The Producers, just to name a few.
On Location Tours offers a full range of movie and television tours of NYC.
- Cost: Adult $36, Child $26
- Daily @ 12 pm | Check for availability and additional tours.
- Duration: Approximately 2 hours
- Learn more and purchase tickets here.
- Included with the New York Sightseeing Pass.
TIP: Both our Ghostbusters and our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles self-guided tours include stops at and around Central Park.
Reviews:
On Location Tours has a strong 4 out of 5 stars rating on TripAdvisor with over 2,000 reviews.
Reviewers find their tour guides very informative and enthusiastic, and the fact that they are actors themselves is seen as an advantage.
Reviewers feel that even if you are not a movie buff but you are traveling with one, there is enough trivia that everyone in your group will recognize some pop culture, along with enough history about the park itself to make it enjoyable for all.
TIPS FROM LOCALS AND TRAVERLERS
We’re proud of our excellent ratings on Google and TripAdvisor, which is where most of our guests post reviews.
We do also get compliments from members of our NYC Travel Tips Facebook group. Some comment to thank us and others post comments to recommend our tours to others.
Below are just a handful of the nice things people had to say.
Not only did Janet below like our tour, she plans to do more with us when she comes bacK!
And as you can see, she received a lot of helpful information from the members of our Facebook group.
So why not have a look at our NYC Travel Tips Facebook group for advice and recommendations about NYC.
You can even ask a question yourself!
