Immigrant New York Walking Tour

Walk the streets of Chinatown, Little Italy & the former Five Points.

The Original Big Onion Walking Tour!

The City of New York has welcomed immigrants from all over the world for centuries. Our walk, Immigrant New York, explores the experiences of the different immigrant and ethnic populations residing in the Lower East Side from the early 19th century through today.

We’ll walk through Chinatown, Little Italy, the Jewish East Side, and former Irish/Free Black Five Points. We will “peel away the layers of history” while discuss tenement, pushcarts, sweatshops, as well as places of worship and street life to see how everyone got along (or didn’t) at different times. Some stops include: the Tweed Courthouse, the African Burial Ground, infamous Mulberry Bend, the Bowery, sites associated with Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Jacob Riis, Abraham Cahan, “Master” Juba, Emma Goldman and many others.

Immigrant New York is also available for private groups as a Virtual Adventure.

Tour Info

Cost: $30
$20 Seniors and Full-Time Students

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Public Tour
Private Tour
Tour Schedule
Sunday, October 201:00 pm
Friday, November 221:00 pm
Sunday, December 221:00 pm
Tour Reservations

Big Onion requires all walkers to reserve and pay in advance. Prepayment helps us determine group size and appropriate guide numbers.

NOTE: You will select your date in the next step.

Reserve Your Spot
Refund Policy

For bigger groups, consider a private walking or virtual tour!

Whether you are looking to integrate a tour into your academic curriculm or entertaining out-of-towners, a Big Onion walking tour is a great way to experience the city.

For more information, or to arrange, please call (718) 499-3001 or email info@bigonion.com.

Meeting Location

Location:
The southeast corner of Broadway & Chambers Street, at City Hall Park. 


Subway Trains
4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge, 1/2/3/A/C/E to Chambers Street, R to City Hall.

FAQs for In-Person Street Walks

Guides
The finest group of tour guides anywhere. Most of us are full-time graduate students researching and writing doctoral dissertations in history passionate about the history, architecture and people of New York.
More about our guides.

Finding Your Guides
All guides carry an 8×11 sign that says “Big Onion Walking Tours”.

Time & Distance
All tours last approximately two hours. We start on time and walk between one and two miles at a moderate walking pace, stopping at various sites along the tour.

Rain/Inclement Weather
Big Onion generally presents tours rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather please check our home page for notifications or call our hotline [(888) 606-WALK (9255) ext. 1], to confirm our schedule.

Tips
Gratuities are always appreciated, but never expected.

Reschedule Policy
With 24+ hours prior to a walking tour, Big Onion offers a full credit for the value of the booking. Credits will be given as Gift Cards in dollar amounts. Gift Cards are good for two years and can be used on any Big Onion outing. Cancellations with less than 24 hours prior to the tour or no shows cannot be credited.

Walks are held rain or shine, but may be cancelled for severe weather or if museum is closed. In the event of a Big Onion cancellation or museum closure, full refunds or rescheduled tickets will be offered.

More Questions? Check out How it Works for more details.

Helpful Links
Local weather forecast
NYC Subway Map
Weekly Service Advisories
Subway Fares

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