Situated at the heart of New York City, Midtown and its surrounding neighborhoods are the dynamic epicenter of the metropolis. This locality’s frenetic energy finds physical translation in the dazzling lights of Time Square and the ascendant skyscrapers of the business district. During this Midtown Manhattan Architecture Tour, we will chart the history of Midtown through its architecture, starting with examples from the early twentieth century and culminating with the latest additions to this area’s urban landscape. Among the buildings we will visit and discuss are Grand Central, the Chrysler and Empire State buildings, the Sony Building, Austrian Culture Center, MoMA, Rockefeller Center and many others.
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 13.
Grand Central
Visit and discuss the Seagram Building.
Visit the new office tower of JP Morgan Chase between Vanderbilt and Park Avenue.
Visit the Harvard Club of New York.
See the Chrysler Building by William van Alen from 1930.
Visit the New York Catholic Cathedral.
Visit the Lever House by SOM from 1953.
Visit the MetLife Building by the Architects Collaborative from 1962.
See and discuss the MoMA from the outside.
Visit the Rockefeller Center.
Pass by the Steinway Hall and Tower by ShoP Architects from 2022.
Visit the Central Park Tower by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture from 2023.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 2,446 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Midtown North NYC Architecture Walking Tour lasts about 2 hours. The itinerary has 12 stops.
Prices start at $59 per person for this New York City experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 9:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM, and 6:00 PM.
Children aged 0–10 pay nothing, adults from $59.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Meet your guide outside of the Harvard Club of NYC at 27W 44St. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN, EN, IT, FR, ES.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 15 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Wheelchair accessible Transportation options are wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Our tour with Ivan was easily one of the highlights of our time in NYC. From the beginning, Ivan took the time to ask what we were most interested in seeing and learning and he seamlessly customized the entire tour around our interests.
On our fifth longer visit to NYC the BLD tour made us see familiar sights from a different perspective. This is a great tour for anyone interested in architecture and urban planning, irrespective whether this is your background. Our guide (William Singer) took all the time to answer our questions. 5 out of 5!
This thoughtfully designed tour is an enjoyable and enlightening journey through the history of New York and of architecture as told in notable buildings of Midtown Manhattan. Highly recommended! TIP: Tours can be cancelled if there aren’t enough participants, so try to schedule your tour as early as you can in your visit to NYC. That way if your tour is cancelled you have more chances of taking another tour. This happened to us, and Ivan was very helpful in communicating with us and making arrangements so we could take the tour on a later date. Thanks Ivan!
Thanks, dear Homer! I'm happy you enjoyed our tour and will bring some of the ideas back with you to Chicago. Looking forward to seeing you again next time you visit us in New York. All the best!
William was a fantastic tour guide and shared his wealth of knowledge with us. He opened our eyes to so many things we did not know or notice before. We will definitely do another of these tours next time we are in New York and would recommend it to anyone who wants to know the city better.
Thanks you, dear Alison! We are so happy you enjoyed the tour and look forward to welcoming you again next time you visit NYC.
I really loved how thoughtfully this tour was designed — moving from neo-classical to Modern and contemporary architecture in a clear and engaging way. Even after living in nyc for years, this tour gave me a fresh perspective on buildings and streets I usually take for granted. Dr. Shumkov is incredibly knowledgeable and made the experience even more insightful. Highly recommend for both tourists and locals.
Our guide -- a retired architect and current City employee -- is very personable and knowledgeable. I am a 55-year NYC resident and recovering lawyer with a life-long interest in architecture. Yet or guide made me see and understand Midtown in a whole new way.
Thanks a lot for joining us on our Midtown tour. We are so happy you enjoyed William's tour and learned how to see and understand our city in a new way. We look forward to seeing you at some of our next tours for another memorable experience.
I booked a private Midtown North Architecture tour while my parents were visiting us over Thanksgiving. Ivan was a wealth of information about every site we visited and showed us places we would not have found on our own. I particularly appreciated that he customized the tour to my Dad’s interests and the cold weather. If you’re considering this tour, don’t hesitate, highly recommended!
Thanks, dear Elizabeth! It was a pleasure sharing the experience of some of NY's most impressive architecture with you and your family. I hope you'll join us again soon to continue enjoying and connecting with our wonderful city. Ivan
Fantastic tour! We visited iconic buildings for the most renown periods in the history of NYC architecture. Ivan was very knowledgeable and dynamic. I recommend this tour 100%
Thanks a lot for your kind words! I hope you'll join us again for our next tours. Happy Holidays!
William, our tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative. He was very passionate and congenial and asked us if it was okay to go beyond the two hours because there was so much more he wanted to show us. We learned a lot but some of the information was more technical than we anticipated. The other people on the tour seemed to have an architectural background so seemed to have a better understanding of the content. Overall though it was a great tour. Definitely recommend it.
The tour from start to finish was fabulous. William was our guide and he knew absolutely everything there is to know about New York architecture. We saw all the big architecture names and some stunning art deco gems. Communication was great before we arrived as well. Can't recommend enough!
Thanks a lot for joining us on this tour and your review! We are so happy you enjoyed it and look forward to welcoming you to some of our next experiences soon.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midtown North NYC Architecture Walking Tour | 2 hours | 5.0 (34) | $59 | |
 Art Deco and Architecture Midtown Landmarks Tour | 2h 30min | 5.0 (164) | $40 | View |
 Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour | 2–3 hours | 5.0 (38) | $59 | View |
 Midtown Architecture Scavenger Hunt Hidden Treasures of NYC | 1h 30min–3h | — | $25 | View |
 Thoroughly Modern Midtown - NYC Architecture Private Tour | 2h 30min | — | $275 | View |
 Financial District NYC Architecture Walking Tour | 2 hours | 5.0 (36) | $59 | View |
 NYC Private Midtown Tour Plus Empire State Building Observatory | 1h 30min | 5.0 (26) | $270 | View |