Fifth Avenue Gilded Age Mansions Walking Tour
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
New York City, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Step back in time to the Gilded Age—and spot some of the grandest mansions and historic landmarks of Manhattan’s Upper East Side—on this immersive walking tour. Strolling along the storied Fifth Avenue, you’ll discover sights and stories that you wouldn’t spot on your own, from the oldest building on Millionaire’s Row and historic bookstores and art museums to the last single-family mansion in the area, and more.
- This immersive tour is perfect for history buffs and architecture lovers
- Earpieces are included so you can hear your guide’s every word
- Exploring on foot makes it easy to soak up the city’s ambiance
- Discover a side of the city that many other visitors overlook
What's Included
- Ear pieces allowing you to hear the guide perfectly, even from a distance!
- Guided walking tour led by a local New Yorker
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 764 Doris C Freedman Pl, New York, NY 10019, USA
The tour starts at the gold statue of General William T. Sherman on a horse, located on 5th Ave between 59th and 60th St, Manhattan. The exact address is: 764 Doris C Freedman Pl. Your guide will hold an "Untapped New York" sign.
End point
- 975 5th Ave, New York, NY 10075, USA
Itinerary
1
Fifth Avenue
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Central Park
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
The Arsenal
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Central Park Zoo
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
5
Temple Emanu-El
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Frick Collection
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
7
Albertine
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
9
Central Park
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10
Bergdorf Goodman
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
11
Ukrainian Institute of America
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 17 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
4.9
based on 397 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
I’m a part-time NY resident so I thought it would be good to learn some history. This was a great tour and Richard was so knowledgeable. It was great to get out, get some exercise and learn about the buildings and neighborhoods in Manhattan. I highly recommend if you’re a resident or just visiting.
Pete was an informative guide but we were under the mistaken impression that we would actually go into some of the historical buildings that still existed. The pictures he showed us were helpful to know about the old buildings. However we could find them on our own. The tour was over two hours long. We thought it could be shortened but the rest of the group seemed to enjoy the tour.
I was so excited to go on this tour and learn more about the history of the mansions in NYC during the Gilded Age.This tour did not disappoint! Walking down the streets and listening to the stories were fascinating to me. Our tour guide had incredible knowledge about the history and buildings. He welcomed questions and answered them all. It is a nice way to get exercise and learn some history! I highly recommend the tour!
Very fun and informative. Richard was great and extremely knowledgeable. Such a friendly and personable guy. If you can do the tour with him, I would recommend it. Admittedly, we had great weather for the tour, which makes it an even better experience. Bring your camera and wear comfortable shoes. Just to add, you don’t actually tour the insides of the mansions as they are either converted to private residences or occupied by governmental or private businesses.
Loved learning about the historical overview of the gilded age. Tour guide was great ! I would highly recommend!
This was a wonderful experience. We have been to NYC so many times, and I learned so much I never knew before while on this tour. We ended up so interested in the Gilded Age that we watched the show and read books about it after the trip.
AJ was great. He was warm and personable and very well versed in the subject of our tour. Great value for the fee.
This is a nice and informative walking tour. Pete knows his stuff when it comes to New York history and architecture. Too bad a few big showers happened during the tour, but Pete made the best of the situation.
An important thing to know about this tour is you won’t be able to enter the buildings, you’re watching most of them from the outside.
Make sure you’re wearing decent hiking shoes. And a raincoat and umbrella in case the weather changes.
Enjoyable and informative tour! Went with friends and it was so fun learning about the societal history of the UES together!
this is not the same in the photos or description of tour guide was extremely knowledgeable but it is more architectural
than anything else… your inside mansion is inside ralph lauren clothing store on madison avenue
Pete was great, very knowledgeable & passionate about the topic. We have already recommended to friends.
Our guide was very enthusiastic and informative. Be aware that you’ll be walking for two hours so we’re comfortable shoes.
We had a great tour with AJ, who was a local and very knowledgeable in Guilded Age history. I think if you are visiting NYC for the first time there are other famous sights to be seen but for someone who is a local (in Jersey) it was interesting to walk around and learn the history of buildings that had such significance back in the day. Tour length was just long enough at 2 hours.
The mansions are very beautiful and the area is very historic overall. One thing to note is the tour is 2 hours walking, so you have to be prepared for that no matter what weather. Overall, it was a wonderful experience!
Nice day, great tour guide! My wife is a watcher of the Guilded Age streaming series and I'm a history buff and New Yorker. I learned something new today about my city.
Lots of history and stories about the era and the people who built the mansions. The guide was very knowledgeable and interesting. He was also very kind to my husband who was having problems walking and keeping up with the group.
Wear comfortable shoes
Wear a hat if hot and sunny
Bring water
Ends on 79th Street so plan getting back to your hotel if far
This was an excellent experience led by a knowledgeable guide. Fun to learn so many facts about the mansions of NYC.
Our guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. So interesting to learn about the architecture. We loved walking up 5th Avenue and seeing and learning about all of the beautiful buildings along the way.
Lots of great stories as we walked to each destination. We have a new appreciation for the different style buildings in NYC! Highly recommend!
We arrived 8 minutes late due to road closures - even to pedestrians - and no one was there to greet us or provide directions to catch us up to the group AND there was no itinerary provided for us to try to meet with group on our own - just VERY disappointing, We watched the TV Series and loved the historical perspective, which this would have brought to life.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for sharing this, and we're genuinely sorry your experience started the way it did. Next time please reach out to us at the number provided on your booking email. We pride ourselves on getting every customer to their tour and have live customer service available for exactly these situations. The tour did proceed on schedule as the other attendees arrived on time, but if you contact us at tours@untappedcities.com we would be happy to rebook you and provide a non-expiring credit. Again, our apologies and we hope to see you soon so you can bring those Gilded Age stories to life!
If you watch The Gilded Age on HBO you will love it. Very fun and informative. Very nice tour guide.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Hi Sharon, thank you so much for taking the time to leave your review!We're thrilled you had a great time and loved your tour guide. If you haven't already, we'd also recommend checking out The Gilded Age on HBO for even more of that incredible history. We'd love the opportunity to make this a five-star experience for you — please reach out to us at tours@untappedcities.com and let us know how we can make that happen. We hope to hear from you soon!
It was such fun! Our tour guide was amazing. I grew up outside of the city and it was so fun to be a tourist for two hours! I would recommend this tour to anyone that is interested in learning more about the history of New York.
Very informative. Couples well with the TV show the Gilded Age!Little over a mile of walking. Wear comfortable shoes.
AJ, our tour guide, provided a wonderful learning experience as we strolled though the history of New York city’s gilded age.
Makes you understand what the show Gilded Age is referring to and even if you don’t watch it you learn so much about that era, and you see the buildings and learn about the architecture and the stories behind them and the people who lived there. Just what I was hoping for. Not too much walking bc you stop a lot to learn about the mansions. Also very helpful earpieces to hear the guide.
You do not enter any of the gilded mansions on the tour. The website says “free admission no tickets required. Very confusing messaging.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your feedback and three-star rating! We're sorry for any confusion — however, we want to clarify that our listing page describes very clearly that this is a walking tour of the exteriors of these iconic landmarks. We do not include any language promising "free admission" into the mansions, so there may have been a mix-up during booking. We hope you'll give us another chance to show you what Untapped New York is all about!
This tour isn’t great. You don’t actually get so see that many of the buildings. You just hear about which buildings used to be there, and look at pictures. It’s a lot of walking for not much seeing.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience. We're truly sorry it didn't meet your expectations. We want to be transparent that our listing page clearly states this is a walking tour focused on the history and stories of Fifth Avenue's Gilded Age, including sites where historic mansions once stood. We do not promise entry into or visits inside multiple mansions. We hope you'll consider giving us another chance!
AJ was a great tour guide and was so knowledgeable about the mansions and the families. He was very entertaining and made the tour wonderful!
Our guide Ben was knowledgeable and interesting. The ear buds he gave out helped us all hear him which was great. This tour was great even if you did not watch the show and just enjoy history and architecture.
Member Pricing
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$37.05
per personWas $39.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Fifth Avenue Gilded Age Mansions Walking Tour
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