The World Trade Center once stood tall and prominent, one of the world’s largest financial complexes and a symbol of New York City. This New York City walking tour takes you around Ground Zero to explore both the past and future of the World Trade Center.
There are two options - a comprehensive 2-hour guided tour of the Ground Zero site and a 3-hour tour that includes entry with your guide to the 9/11 Memorial, which opened on September 12, 2011. The memorial is a tranquil site dedicated to the remembrance and honor of the victims of the World Trade Center atrocities. Whichever option you choose, this tour offers an unforgettable experience as you hear stories of the heroes of 9/11 and how New York City rose from the ashes of tragedy to flourish once more.
Two-hour Tour (does NOT include admission to the 9/11 Memorial)
You'll meet your guide within walking distance of the Ground Zero site, where you'll embark on a 2-hour journey into the bravery, passion, and tragedy of 9/11. Your guide will share key facts, illuminating events and heartbreaking stories of the tragic day while weaving through the various attractions within the World Trade Center area.
You'll explore surrounding New York sites including St Paul’s Chapel, the American Express Eleven Tears Memorial, Winter Garden and, of course, the Ground Zero site. Your guide will take you through the various attractions, giving you ample opportunity for reflection and contemplation. You are welcome to bring flowers or tributes to place by the site.
3-hour World Tour (limited availability)
On the enhanced 3-hour tour, you will see all the sights of the 2-hour tour, plus you'll be allowed entry to the 9/11 Memorial, built on the exact site where the twin towers once stood. Escorted by your guide, you will see the twin reflecting pools on which the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993, atrocities are inscribed. You will learn about the historic rebuilding taking place on the former World Trade Center site and uncover the Survivor Tree, which was nursed back to health after surviving the 9/11 attack. Admission to the memorial is timed, and you can spend up to one hour at this special place for remembrance and reflection
Come and witness the site of a world-changing event and feel the presence of bravery and tragedy all at once. The World Trade Center Walking Tour offers New York visitors an up-close-and-personal tour of the World Trade Center site and a look at how it has risen from the tragedy of 9/11.
World Trade Center Walking Tour is located in the Financial District neighborhood of Manhattan. The financial hub of the United States, the seat of New York City government, and home to some of New York's oldest buildings, the Financial District has an illustrious history. 17th century settlers began building here, and given the many seafarers of the time, boats could be conveniently docked at one of the slips right near the settlements of wooden homes. Right nearby, in the heart of the district is Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States in 1789, also the meeting site for the First Congress. New York City was both the capital of the United States and New York State at the time. The street names reflect the district's fascinating history: Fulton Street, named after Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat; Maiden Lane, originally called Magde Platje in Dutch; Beaver Street, recalling the once-significant beaver pelt trade, etc. The area today houses some great economic powerhouses, including the headquarters of major banks, the New York Stock Exchange, in addition to the World Financial Center. Contrasts are extraordinary, from old two- and three-story old brick buildings near South Street Seaport to the nearby modern mega-skyscrapers. Some of the numerous other attractions include Fraunces Tavern, where George Washington bid farewell to his troops (also, they have a museum!); the newly-landscaped City Hall Park; the Museum of the American Indian and the US Custom House at Bowling Green; Trinity Church, the first parish church in New York City and the resting place of Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton, among others; War Of 1812 strong hold Castle Clinton; the Staten Island-bound South Ferry; Battery Park; and the Federal Reserve Bank. Sadly, the biggest attraction since 9/11 has been the former World Trade Center site, although, thankfully, construction has finally filled the long-standing gouge in Lower Manhattan's face, and the stunning 9/11 Memorial and its attendant museum are welcome signs of a healing city. And, of course, soaring a symbolic 1,776 feet over the memorial is the new 1 World Trade Center!