Wall Street

The hub of US financial services that has come to represent capitalism in its purest form.

TravelCurious Tip

Keep an eye out for the bronze sycamore root sculpture at the top of the street on Broadway - a moving 9/11 memorial that is often overlooked in favour of that other famous Wall Street bronze, the Charging Bull.

Money never sleeps

Wall Street is more than just a street: it's become shorthand for the world of US finance at large, and an iconic location for dramatic market booms and busts since it rose to importance in the 19th century. It's a symbol for American success and excess, glory and greed, where millions are traded daily and repercussions are felt around the world.

Immortalised in the 1987 film Wall Street with villainous antihero Gordon Gekko - who famously declared 'Greed is good' - the economic hub has seen no drop in cultural prominence. From the 2008 crash to Scorsese's recent Wolf of Wall Street, it's a place that fascinates the public imagination.


Economic engine

The action all takes place in architecture of New York's 'Gilded Age,' neoclassical and grand, with a sprinkling of art nouveau; the Federal Reserve bank is housed in a building that imitates the Renaissance palaces of Florence.

Today, the street is swarming with as many tourists as stockbrokers: there is even a historic Scoundrels of Wall Street Tour, shedding light on the eminent tradition of swindlers and frauds such as Bernie Madoff. The Federal Reserve building added a dedicated visitor centre in the late nineties. One visitor to the New York Stock Exchange wrote in 1997 that 'staring down at the trading floor was as exciting as going to the Statue of Liberty.' You might not agree with this assessment, but it's worth stopping by the street to experience the atmosphere.

Nearby Attractions

See all attractions in New York
New York Stock Exchange
The world's most valuable stock exchange, trading billions of dollars daily.
Federal Hall National Memorial
A monument on the site of the old Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
A major financial decision-maker, this bank played a key role in the authorities' reaction to the recent economic crisis.
Fraunces Tavern
The place where George Washington gave his farewell address after the Revolutionary War.
Fearless Girl
A bronze sculpture by Kristen Visbal promoting female empowerment.
Stone Street
A cobblestone street located in the Financial district, full of restaurants, pubs, and bars.

Related Tours

Lower Manhattan, Ground Zero & 9/11 Museum: Private Walking Tour
New York is one of America’s oldest cities and most of its rich history over the past four centuries centres around the southern tip of Manhattan. From the legacy of Dutch settlers to the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks in 2001, it remains a place at the forefront of the human story. Go with your own guide on a journey around the city’s historic heart. 

On your private tour, you will:

  • Learn about New Amsterdam in the Historic District of New York, settled in 1624;
  • Take a stroll down Battery Park, one of the best areas to live in New York;
  • See the Charging Bull statue and the Fearless Girl statue in Wall Street, New York's Financial District; 
  • Walk past Saint Paul’s Chapel in Trinity Church, the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan;
  • Hear about the modern financial system, as designed by Alexander Hamilton, and walk past several of the area’s main sites, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank;
  • Visit the National 9/11 Memorial in "Ground Zero" and see how the tragic events of 2001 are remembered;
  • Finish your tour at Ground Zero with entrance tickets to the 9/11 Museum, where you will be able to explore the museum at your own pace. 
Your tour starts with the unpretentious tale of the early settlers to the city, from a sleepy Dutch trading post to the dazzling rise of the world's busiest financial capital. You will have the pleasure of visiting Stone Street in the Historic District before moving north, just as the settlers did.

As you make your way through Wall Street, you will discover how an 18th-century street bazaar would eventually become a centre for global commerce. Your expert local guide will give you valuable behind-the-scenes insight into some of the world’s most powerful financial institutions, as you walk by New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall. Here you will see the spot where George Washington was inaugurated and enjoy the handsome Federal Reserve. There will also be a chance to pop into Trinity Church, which has roots dating back to 1697.

 At the National 9/11 Memorial, your guide will share with you the history of the World Trade Center, discuss the tragic events of 9/11, and walk you through the Memorial’s design. 

The area formerly known as 'Ground Zero' is now the site of a moving memorial and has indeed become an important historic landmark. Next to it is the rebuilt One World Trade Center, often referred to as Freedom Tower, it stretches 1776 feet above the ground. 

Here your knowledgeable guide will tell you of the events leading up to the untimely destruction of the towers, as well as share some of the heart-wrenching stories of the families, survivors and 9/11 heroes. You will also visit St. Paul's Chapel, which miraculously survived the 9/11 attack. 

Your tour finishes with entrance tickets to the 9/11 Museum. Your guide will take you to the queue, and give you your timed tickets before departing with you. Once inside the museum, you are free to explore the museum at your own pace.  
Wall Street & the Financial District: Private 2.5 hr Walking Tour
A very modern trading hub, it is steeped in American History dating back to the 17th century - both triumphal and shameful. Its iconic skyscrapers are built alongside historic buildings like the Federal Hall. From the American Revolution to the Slave Trade, the founding of the New York Stock Exchange to the Great Depression, becoming the global financial superpower to the tragic events of 9/11, Wall Street is full of the stories that have made, broken, and remade modern America, and the wider world. 

On your fascinating private tour of Wall Street you will:  

  • See the magnificent New York City Hall, the seat of New York’s political and civic power, it is the oldest city hall in the US, completed in 1812; 
  • Explore the historic area of Wall Street and New York’s buzzing financial district in lower Manhattan - learning its many stories that shaped modern America; 
  • Walk through City Hall Park and hear about the Liberty Pole, the celebration of the repeal of the Stamp Act, the brutal punishment of slaves, the reading of the Declaration of Independence to George Washington and the Continental Army, and many other landmark historic events that have taken place here; 
  • Admire Saint Paul’s Chapel, the oldest surviving church in New York City built in 1766, where George Washington worshipped, a refuge from the atrocity of 9/11, and an ongoing sanctuary in the heart of the city;
  • Stop outside the Federal Reserve Bank, built in the impressive Italian Renaissance style, it sits on the largest vault of gold reserves in the world;
  • Walk through nearby Zuccotti Park - where the first coffee house was established in 1696 and where the first mass protests against British taxation, the Tea Act, and the East India Trading Company took place;
  • Pass by the beautiful Trinity Church, the Anglican church at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street built in the Gothic Revival style - and where Alexander Hamilton (of musical fame!) is buried;
  • Admire the impressive Federal Hall, a Greco-Roman-style building where George Washington was sworn in as the nation’s first president; 
  • Stop outside the New York Stock Exchange and learn the Buttonwood Agreement of 1792 that set out the trading rules that underpin this international trading hub to this very day;
  • Take a photo with the Fearless Girl statue and the Charging Bull and hear about its indomitable symbolism after the 2008 financial crash;
  • Walk down Stone Street - the quaint, oldest cobblestone street of New Amsterdam, that became New York;
  • Pass by the Fraunces Tavern Museum, the historic building where George Washington gave his farewell speech to his soldiers in 1783;
  • Learn about the fascinating and inspirational life of Alexander Hamilton - the man who established the US credit system (made more famous in recent times thanks to the smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton) outside the historic Custom House; 
  • End your tour at Bowling Green, the oldest park in NYC filled with Native American, Dutch, British and Revolutionary histories - and where Revolutionaries tore down a statue of King George III and turned it into ammunition to fight the British!

Enjoy an immersive and fascinating private walking tour of New York City’s famous financial district known around the world simply as “Wall Street”. A busy and vibrant area filled with historic buildings and skyscrapers, it borders the bright lights of theatrical Broadway and is steeped in America’s history, both tragic and triumphant. 

The name Wall Street is taken from a wall built by Dutch settlers in the 17th Century to keep out the British from New Amsterdam as the city was first called. In 1664 the Dutch surrendered the city to the British who renamed it New York. Wall Street is now bigger than just one street - and around the world refers to the whole of New York’s financial centre. 

Beginning at New York City Hall area, your expert guide will show you around this buzzing district and relate the history of this place that has played such a pivotal role in America’s story from the slave trade to the American Revolution, the Great Depression to 9/11, and of course, the establishment of the USA as a global financial superpower. 
NYC in a day: Private Walking Tour with the Statue of Liberty
Explore the most popular landmarks of historic New York City in a day, including the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, and embark on a full-day tour perfect for first-time visitors that want to make the most of their time in the city that never sleeps.

On your private tour you will: 

  • See the Statue of Liberty up close and learn of her remarkable story, as well as her significance to modern America;
  • Explore Ellis Island and the story of US immigration;
  • Enjoy a breathtaking view over the Manhattan skyline from the water;
  •  Learn about New Amsterdam in the Historic District of New York, settled in 1624;
  • See several of the area’s highlights, including Trinity Church, Battery Park, the Charging Bull statue and the Fearless Girl statue;
  • Hear about the modern financial system, as designed by Alexander Hamilton, and see several of the area’s main sites, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank from the outside;
  • Visit the National 9/11 Memorial and see how the tragic events of 2001 are remembered;
  • Finish your tour at Ground Zero with entrance tickets to the 9/11Musem, where you will be able to explore the museum at your own pace. 
Please note that tour guides are not allowed to guide inside the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Your guide will give you full information on each island and then silently accompany you through the museums. He/she will be able to answer questions you may have but not actually “guide” you through the museums. 
You will begin your tour at Castle Clinton, a former Fort in Battery Park, where you will board the ferry to the famous Liberty Island. Along the way, you will learn about the remarkable history of the Statue of Liberty, as well as its significance to modern America. From here you will also be able to enjoy a breathtaking view over the Manhattan skylines and harbour. 

It is estimated that forty per cent of the entire US population can trace at least one relative's arrival to the US, through the port of New York and Ellis Island. 
 
Boarding at Liberty Island, you will hear all about the fascinating history of the Liberty figure, and how this 100th birthday gift to America from France was shipped from Paris to New York, and finally unveiled after 10 years of construction in 1886.

After lunch, your tour continues in the heart of Wall Street, where the history of New York City began as New Amsterdam in the early 1600s. As you make your way through Wall Street you will discover how an 18th-century street bazaar would eventually become a centre for global commerce. 

At the National 9/11 Memorial, your guide will share with you the history of the World Trade Center, discuss the tragic events of 9/11, and walk you through the Memorial’s design. The area formerly known as 'Ground Zero' is now the site of a moving memorial and has indeed become an important historic landmark. 

Here your knowledgeable guide will tell you of the events leading up to the untimely destruction of the towers, as well as share some of the heart-wrenching stories of the families, survivors and 9/11 heroes. You will also visit St. Paul's Chapel, which miraculously survived the 9/11 attack. 

Your tour finishes with entrance tickets to the 9/11 Museum. Your guide will take you to the queue, and give you your timed tickets before departing with you. Once inside the museum, you are free to explore the museum at your own pace.  
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