Private Central Park Walking Tour: Bethesda, Bow Bridge and Strawberry Fields

This is a private two-hour walk through Central Park with Custom NYC Tours: your booking gets the guide to itself, with no strangers added to the group. It leaves at 10am from the gilded statue of General Sherman on Grand Army Plaza, at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, and works north through the park at an unhurried pace. The route takes in the tree-lined Mall, Bethesda Terrace above the lake, Bow Bridge and Strawberry Fields, with other stops in between. The guide carries historic photographs to hold up against the views in front of you, and tells the story of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the two designers who laid the park out. The tour runs all year, and the same paths look different from one season to the next, which is a good reason to walk them more than once. It ends by the Dakota on West 72nd Street, on the park's west side. A booking needs at least two adults and takes up to 12 people; children from 6 are welcome, but the tour is not open to children under 6. Commentary is in English. Expect a moderate amount of walking and wear comfortable shoes. Gratuities and hotel transfers are not included.