Lower Manhattan & Wall Street: where New York began

Lower Manhattan is where the whole story starts. The Dutch built their first settlement here in the 1600s, the streets still follow those crooked colonial lines, and today the same few blocks hold the New York Stock Exchange, the 9/11 Memorial and some of the best free harbour views in the city. On this walk your guide connects four centuries of history in a couple of easy hours.

What you'll see on this walk

• Charging Bull & Fearless Girl — the most photographed bronze in the city
• Wall Street & the Stock Exchange — plus Federal Hall, where Washington was sworn in
• Trinity Church and the graveyard where Alexander Hamilton is buried
• The 9/11 Memorial — the twin reflecting pools set in the original tower footprints
• The Oculus — Calatrava's soaring white transit hall
• Stone Street & Fraunces Tavern — cobblestones and Revolutionary-era history
• Battery Park — free views out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

The Financial District, up close

The Financial District rewards walking more than almost anywhere in New York. Skyscrapers rise straight out of 17th-century street plans, so you turn a corner and go from a glass tower to a colonial churchyard in ten steps. Your guide points out Federal Hall — where George Washington took the first presidential oath in 1789 — and explains why the Stock Exchange building looks like a Roman temple.

Remembering September 11

The 9/11 Memorial is the emotional centre of this tour. The two square pools sit exactly where the Twin Towers stood, their edges inscribed with the names of everyone lost. It's a quiet, powerful place, and a good guide gives it the space and respect it deserves rather than rushing through. The 9/11 Memorial plaza is free and open to the public; the museum below has a ticket.

Harbour views that cost nothing

We finish near Battery Park, where the city meets the water. From here you can see the Statue of Liberty across the harbour — and if you want a closer look afterwards, the Staten Island Ferry runs right past Lady Liberty for free, all day, every day. Your guide will point you to the terminal.

Meeting point & times