New York Catacombs by Candlelight
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
New York City, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Go behind-the-scenes and deep underground at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, with the only Catholic catacombs in New York City. See parts of the church that are otherwise off-limits to visitors. As you explore with the help of a guide, learn all about the landmark’s place in New York history and discover the final resting place of some famous New Yorkers.
- Explore the catacombs and other areas that most visitors miss
- Learn all about the history of the church from your guide
- Choose from a number of convenient departure times
- The convenient tour starts and ends at the church in Lower Manhattan
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
This tour grants you access to the restricted catacombs under this historic church.
What's Included
- Professional guides
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 266 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012, USA
Check-In Address: 266 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10012 (corner of Mulberry St. and Jersey St.) between Houston and Prince Street. Directions: By Subway B/D/F/M/6 trains to Broadway-Lafayette St/Bleecker St; R/W train to Prince St.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Meet your guide and group at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, centrally located in Lower Manhattan. After an introduction to the church and the history of the area, as well as insights into the story of Catholicism in New York, follow your guide into the church and the only Catholic catacombs in New York City.
Discover the rich history and spirituality hidden beneath the church as your guide leads you to hidden areas that most visitors never see. Spend some time exploring the church and its cemetery and feel free to ask follow-up questions of your guide before saying goodbye.
Discover the rich history and spirituality hidden beneath the church as your guide leads you to hidden areas that most visitors never see. Spend some time exploring the church and its cemetery and feel free to ask follow-up questions of your guide before saying goodbye.
1
The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- PLEASE CHECK IN AT 266 MULBERRY STREET (CORNER OF MULBERRY ST. AND JERSEY ST.), WHERE THE TOUR BEGINS. CHECK IN 15 MINUTES BEFORE TOUR PLEASE.
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- PLEASE DO NOT GO TO ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL ON FIFTH AVENUE! THIS IS A DIFFERENT ST. PATRICK'S IN MANHATTAN
- Guests requiring wheelchair should contact Tommy's New York in advance to allow us to make proper preparations for your tour
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 2,908 reviews
Nicole_S, Jun 2026
Jimmy was so knowledgeable! He gave me a side of Manhattan's history that you don't usually hear about. I could spend hours listening to his stories!
Julia_B, Jun 2026
Great history provided about the original St Patrick’s Cathedral, and surrounding community. Catacombs were very interesting and had an added bonus of an Italian film production occurring in front entrance.
Rachelle_J, Jun 2026
Great experience and very interesting. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions. Definitely would recommend!
Stephen_B, Jun 2026
Andy was extremely knowledgeable and fun to have as our guide. His appreciation for history and the catacombs is remarkable.
Paul_H, Jun 2026
It is a spiritually humbling experience with the possibility of grieving loved ones coming to pay their respects to family members within the catacomb. A grieving widow came to visit her recently departed husband after spending 43 years married during our tour. The experience gives mortality motivation and perspective we all need in our busy lives. The history presented and the connection to those laid to rest is a great experience. As a Catholic, we were given time to pray and spend time in reflection.
David_W, Jun 2026
Awesome experience! Unique and insightful. The guide was knowledgeable, personable, and welcoming. Everyone should experience this!
ALLEN_G, Jun 2026
Great tour of the NYC catacombs, very interesting, and truly painted a picture of what New York looked like in the 1800s.
Frank_P, Jun 2026
Very knowledgeable about the history or the catacombs. Jimmy was both an entertaining and informative tour guide
Jennifer_C, Jun 2026
This was such an interesting tour! We enjoyed learning about the history of the church and seeing the catacombs below. I would highly recommend taking this tour for everyone. It’s an interesting piece of New York history!
Robert_C, Jun 2026
Great tour director very knowledgeable about the tour and history of Old Saint Patrick Cathedral !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christina_M, May 2026
It was like an interactive history lesson. Definitely a great experience. The cathedral was beautiful.
Grace_M, May 2026
Was a really cool tour and very educational. See the Catacombs that survived the fires and thinking about how many people were there was kind of nuts. As a non-catholic it was very interesting to learn about the history and how much respect is shown. Very cool if your looks for something a little different that only takes a little over an hour.
Brent_K, May 2026
Tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative. Made it a very enjoyable tour. told us lots of history at the church in early New York
Christopher_K, May 2026
Our tour guide Jeremy Boyle was great! Very knowledgeable and a true New Yorker. Love how fluid he was!
Petra_S, May 2026
Nice tour, interesting, enthusiastic guide. Lots of new information. Note: it is in Soho and therefore not in the church on Fifth Avenue!!!!
Keerthi_B, May 2026
The tour guide did a great job, would strongly recommend! It was very interesting to learn about the history and se the catacombs!
Ceci_S, May 2026
Diferent and never seen in NYC, tour guide was great, a lot of history, and Ben Stiller was filmeng at the church that day
Joyce_H, May 2026
Could have seen it all in 15 minutes as just not that much to see . The interior of the church is nice and the guide knew his history…just not that much in the catacombs to see
Sandra_S, Apr 2026
This is an incredible view of the history and an up close and personal look at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Sofia was amazing, her joy, energy and knowledge made the tour alive and so real! As a Catholic and New Yorker I was extremely impressed and learned so much!
lik2run67, Apr 2026
Wonderful tour. Our guide Tom knows his history and clearly loves this church. Bonus for us, they were tuning the organ. Sounded amazing!
Melissa_C, Apr 2026
A must see for Catholics but an amazing historical tour for everyone. This was the highlight of my trip.
Heather_F, Apr 2026
This candlelight experience was l lovely! We started off in the graveyard - only available with a tour and I never knew was there in years of living in NYC - then traveled into the church and down to the catacombs. I learned quite a bit about the history of NYC and its relation to the church/Catholicism.
Amy_O, Apr 2026
We were totally surprised by the history lesson we received along with the tour. Our tour guide was funny and engaging and very knowledgeable. We weren't sure that the 14-year-old girls on the trip would be that interested but they loved it.
Doug_C, Mar 2026
Great story of the transition of Catholic Church in America. The guide did a fantastic job, the space was beautiful.
Michelle_D, Mar 2026
Tour guide was great!!! Loved learning about the history. Old St. Patrick's cathedral is beautiful as the new one.
Daniel_J, Mar 2026
Jimmy was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide and it was overall a fantastic experience, would recommend it to anyone
MaureenE_C, Mar 2026
The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the topic and how it related to NYC and the Catholic Church.
Sadie_m, Mar 2026
The guide is worth his weight in gold 💛 smart, funny, and kind. A great experience!!such a historical experience
Stephanie_D, Mar 2026
We were looking forward to this tour. Being Catholic we wanted to hear about the history. Our tour person was not appropriate to the tour. He made jokes that shouldn’t have been part of the tour. For example, as we are entering into the Catacombs, he says “ go towards the light” in an eery sounding voice. Then when down there, he came around and says “I’m the evil twin”. He made references to Frankenstein. We left the tour and attended Mass. Totally disrespectful in the space we were at.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for your feedback, Stephanie.
I’m truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet the standard of respect and reverence we expect, especially in a sacred space like the Basilica and its catacombs. What you described is not aligned with how our tours are intended to be presented.
We take this very seriously. Our goal is always to share the history of the Basilica and the lives connected to it with the dignity and respect they deserve. I am addressing this directly with our team to ensure this standard is consistently upheld.
If you’re open to it, I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you personally and make this right.
Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
Tommy
Peter_M, Mar 2026
This is a great tour. Our guide, Tommy was so knowledgeable and considerate. We learned so much about the New York Catacombs, and the surrounding area. Highly recommend this tour!
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per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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