Overview
Lower Manhattan Christmas Lights & History Walking Tour
See the side of Christmas in New York most visitors never discover.
While Midtown crowds gather around Rockefeller Center, Lower Manhattan glows with its own holiday magic: the Wall Street Christmas Tree beneath the New York Stock Exchange, historic Stone Street dressed for the season, the lights of the Seaport and the 9/11 Memorial illuminated against the winter sky.
While Midtown crowds gather around Rockefeller Center, Lower Manhattan glows with its own holiday magic: the Wall Street Christmas Tree beneath the New York Stock Exchange, historic Stone Street dressed for the season, the lights of the Seaport and the 9/11 Memorial illuminated against the winter sky.
This small-group walking tour combines Christmas atmosphere with the extraordinary history of New York’s oldest neighborhood. You’ll take memorable holiday photos—but you’ll also discover the stories behind the places you’re seeing, from Alexander Hamilton and the birth of Wall Street to the traditions that transformed downtown Manhattan.
With no more than 15 guests, this feels like exploring Christmas in New York with a knowledgeable local—not following a giant tour group through the city.
Tour highlights
Tour details
- Wall Street Christmas Tree and New York Stock Exchange
- Charging Bull and Fearless Girl
- Historic Stone Street and Fraunces Tavern
- Trinity Church and Alexander Hamilton’s grave
- Federal Hall and the birthplace of the American government
- Zuccotti Park’s holiday lights
- The Oculus and World Trade Center
- 9/11 Memorial illuminated after dark
- Christmas stories, New York history and plenty of time for photographs
Tour details
- Duration: 2 hours
- Group size: Maximum 15 guests
- Price: $39 per adult; $30 per child age 12 and under
- Meeting point: One Wall Street, directly across from Trinity Church
- Ending point: The 9/11 Memorial
- Walking level: Comfortable city walking at a relaxed pace
- Weather: Tours operate rain, snow or shine
This is more than a Christmas-lights walk. It is Christmas in the neighborhood where New York—and much of America—began.