Private or Semi-Private Central Park Walking Tour, 2.5 Hours

Central Park S, New York

Meet at the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue and 59th Street, in front of the Simon Bolivar statue.

Central Park

The park was a 19th-century project to give city dwellers a way out of the streets. Along the walk you see statues of Bolivar and Marti, and of Balto the sled dog and the Alice in Wonderland characters. Gapstow Bridge leads to the Central Park Zoo, then the tree-lined Mall with its literary statues runs down to Bethesda Terrace and Fountain. Bow Bridge takes you across to Strawberry Fields and the Dakota, where the guide tells the story of John Lennon's last day. You also pass Tavern on the Green, if you want to book dinner there later, and Sheep Meadow, where New Yorkers of every kind come to lie on the grass.

432 Park Avenue

You meet the guide by the Latin American equestrian statues at Sixth Avenue and 59th Street and enter the park. One of the first things you see is a surviving ASPCA horse drinking fountain installed in 1912, left over from the days when horses still worked the city streets. Then the walk turns west for a view of the supertall towers that have gone up south of the park. 432 Park Avenue, one of the tallest residential buildings in the city, looks straight over Central Park.

Time Warner Center

Next comes the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle: two linked towers joined by a multi-story atrium, with shops, offices and apartments inside. Another tower for your camera roll.

Bow Bridge

Bow Bridge is a cast-iron footbridge from the 19th century, designed with a classical touch. Most of the park's bridges are meant to blend into the scenery; this one is meant to be noticed, with its railing of interlocking circles and the ornament under the arch.

Gapstow Bridge

Gapstow Bridge is a stone bridge over the Pond, and there has been a bridge here since 1874. It frames a classic view of the skyline, so have your camera ready.

Turtle Pond

The route reaches the Great Lawn, 55 acres of open grass, good for a picnic in spring or an hour in the sun in summer. Next to it is Turtle Pond, named for the turtles that live in it.

The Dakota

Then the Dakota, one of the city's best-known co-op buildings, completed in 1884 and still close to its original look. John Lennon lived here from 1973 until he was shot in its archway in 1980.

Strawberry Fields

Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre area of the park dedicated to John Lennon. It is a designated quiet zone, planted with elms, shrubs and flowers among the rocks.

Central Park South at Seventh Avenue

The walk starts along Central Park South. Later, at the center of Bethesda Terrace, you see the Angel of the Waters on top of the fountain, the first major public artwork in New York City commissioned from a woman.

Central Park Zoo

The tour ends at the Central Park Zoo, in the southeast corner of the park. You can stay on and explore the park, or the guide will walk you to the nearest subway.

Costo extra