One price for every traveller: €53 per adult.
Child prices by age band are shown at checkout. Option texts and prices come from the operator's listing; prices checked on Viator on 21 October 2026.
100% of ratings with a star breakdown are 4★ or 5★: 39 of 39
Star breakdown of all 39 ratings
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Ratings collected from Guidekin, Viator & Tripadvisor.
We begin at the boundary of Hells Kitchen and Times Square with an overview of the city's historic move uptown. We cover the basics of historical (academic) architecture up to the Modern period, and from overblown Beaux Arts to ornament-free skyscrapers. We learn the fundamentals of zoning in this POPS (Privately Owned Public Space). Works by Sidney Simon and Matt Mullican.
15 minWe stop at the Allianz Building and Warner Music Group to take in the view of Times Square from the north. Zoning laws achieved a look inspired by Tokyo!
Pass by, no stopWe transition into private corporate space in the lobby of 787 7th Avenue and we go from commercial culture to corporate commercial. Expensive art and monumental feats of architecture are the mainstays of the remainder of the tour. Roy Lichtenstein opens us to the world of corporate art appropriately with Mural with Blue Brushstroke, a work he painted in place before the building opened. Out back in the POPS are works by Sol Le Witt and Barry Flannagan.
5 minWe look as far uptown as we can along this 6-block long quirk in zoning, so-called "6 1/2 Avenue," a mid-block arcade that doesn't quite connect Times Square with Central Park.
3 minThey have a world renown collection and their lobby is divided between temporary and permanent exhibits that include Frank Stella and Sarah Morris.
5 minLarge wall art by Fritz Glarner, a student of Mondrian.
3 minMonumental is the common theme to works by Hiroshu Senju and Kan Yasuda. Outside on the plaza is La Gran Manzana.
Pass by, no stopWe stop in 1221 (the McGraw Hill building) the see a work by visual artist Mark Bradford. Out onto Sixth Avenue stand below "Skyscraper Alley," some of the worst products wrought by man and zoning law. Across the street begins the art and architecture, and story Rockefeller Center, one of the greatest civic-minded entrepreneurial (seriously) projects in modern history. The Art Deco of Rockefeller Center would come to define the style. Most interesting to point out are the subtle shifts from the "Modernistic" (Art Deco) to the Modern as the project progressed after the passing of Raymond Hood.
5 minWe learn the origin story of the name for every venue today named Roxy.
3 minThe politics of the day, and the Rockefeller family dynamic, are the most interesting backstories to the art history of likely the most important corporate lobby in Modern history. The story of radio and David Sarnoff is also integral to the story.
Pass by, no stopArt and architecture reach their apex outside where the Christmas tree goes every year. There is a mix-bag of interesting history: holdouts, Diego Rivera and the Rockefellers, the story of the ice-skating rink and perhaps the greatest reversal-of-fortune in Rockefeller Center history.
5 minThe lobby of the International Building is a work of art itself. Light and Movement by Michio Lhaza are the wall "center pieces." Atlas by Lee Lawrie stands outside facing St. Pat's
5 minThe history of Fifth Avenue is told through its buildings.
3 minthe Villard Houses are now the Palace Hotel.
Pass by, no stopArchitecture. We learn the evolution of Park Avenue from open train tracks, to high end residential, to today's corporate buildings. Buildings discussed are: The Health and Racquet Club (1918), St. Bart's (1919), The New York Central Building (1929), The Waldorf Astoria (1931), The GE Building (1931), Lever House (1952), The Seagram Building (1958), and the Met Life Building (1963).
5 minA great option for lunch or dinner after the tour.
2 minIf there's time we can go inside to see Solid Sky by Alicia Kwade.
Pass by, no stopApplefest pieces.
Pass by, no stopThis Midtown Manhattan walking tour is a comprehensive look at the city's historical development as told through the buildings themselves. Fascinating strands of social, cultural, technological, real estate and zoning law histories are woven together in this wide and deep look New York's Midtown art and architecture.
The operator's own notes, grouped by topic. Nothing here is added by Guidekin.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
| Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This tour · #18 of 71 | €53 | 2h–3h | 5.0 (39) | shared |
| Manhattan Adventure Sightseeing Boat Tour - from Chelsea Piers | €90 | 1h | 4.99 (727) | shared |
| Hamilton and Washington Revolutionary Walking Tour | €48 | 3h | 5.0 (217) | shared |
| NYC Private Walking Tour | €1541 per group | 4h | 5.0 (185) | private |
Ranked #18 of 71 in Walking Tours by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €23 to €180, median €44; typical length 2h. 15 of 71 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Compare all 71 Walking Tours