This walking tour through Brooklyn's trendy Williamsburg neighborhood offers a brief look at Brooklyn history and its influence on contemporary culture, with an insider guide leading the way. Meet-up just steps from the subway, and begin your adventure uncovering trends and traditions—from the urban street art scene to hip local businesses. Venture past historical buildings, chic boutiques, and neighborhood cafés reflecting the area's laid-back vibe. Then be sure to capture the iconic Manhattan skyline from the scenic Brooklyn waterfront.

Explore the best of trendy Williamsburg on this Brooklyn walking tour
Uncover the neighborhood's culture, from artsy influences to hip eateries
Visit the waterfront to admire the views of the NYC skyline across the river
Meet in the heart of Williamsburg, with easy access to L train subway stop

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

Most Brooklyn tours focus on Downtown, DUMBO, and Brooklyn Heights, but this one is all about Williamsburg.

What's Included

Local guide

Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

548 Driggs Ave
548 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, USA
Meet in front of Black Star Bakery

Start time

03:00 pm

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Join your guide on the streets of Williamsburg and get ready to explore one of Brooklyn’s most popular neighborhoods. Check out innovative boutiques, colorful street art as you dive into the local scene.

Learn how the borough started as a hub for immigration and later became known for its highly-skilled factory workers. Gain a deeper understanding of Brooklyn’s transformation in recent years and get the scoop on the Mysterious Staring Artist and the Billion Dollar Sugar Scheme.

Get an inside look at the iconic architecture, restored artists lofts, massive murals, and one-of-a-kind boutiques, while getting tips on the neighborhood’s best restaurants and bars. Finish with spectacular city views of the Manhattan Skyline from across the East River before heading back to the starting point of the tour.

Williamsburg

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Manhattan Skyline

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Williamsburg Bridge (Pass By)

East River State Park

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Brooklyn Brewery (Pass By)

Brooklyn

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Artists & Fleas (Pass By)

Williamsburg Smorgasburg (Pass By)

Brooklyn Bowl (Pass By)

National Sawdust (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not recommended for children aged 11 and under, as mature information is covered; this is at your discretion as a parent or guardian
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Reviews

4.0

69 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 69 reviews

Don't Miss This Walking Tour!

Judith_A, Sept 2023

Nick is knowledgeable and friendly. He encourages questions and observations. Our group was a mix of ages and nationalities.

The whole tour was great....

Jennifer_A, May 2023

The whole tour was great. I learned a lot about how Williamsburg once looked and how and why it is the way it is today. Great tour guide.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you so much for coming!

Brooklyn

Barbara_M, Nov 2022

Information about Domino sugar factory Had hoped for information on Williamsburg historical architecture Sorry nothing else to say

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Here is the disclaimer we provide: “Please note: this is not a detailed historical tour. It is a basic overview. A large number of attendees are visiting NYC for the first time, or do not understand English well. However If you have any specific historical or socioeconomic questions, please ask the tour guide. We are eager to provide more info! The tour consists of: neighborhood overview, basic history, seeing cool shops and art.“

Nick was our tour guide...

Ellen_G, July 2022

Nick was our tour guide in Williamsburg and we were lucky enough to have him to ourselves! He was just great. Personable, informed and fun. We had to leave a bit early because I wasn't feeling well and we were sorry to leave him early. He was the best.

Brooklyn

Karen_U, June 2022

Tour of seeing how diverse Brooklyn is and great views along the way! Stopped at a real cute coffee shop and got some fresh Cumbrian coffee! Great tour!

Adequate

Marlene_O, May 2022

Art work and history on sidewalk very specific to Brooklyn’s history. Tour guide had difficulty identifying the group and when to move on.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you very much for your feedback

I enjoyed seeing new...

Sharon_S, Mar 2022

I enjoyed seeing new neighborhoods. There is a nice playground in area and you get wonderful views by the river

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank you very much for coming!

Cool engaging Brooklyn tour

Kevin_E, Oct 2021

Great tour of this one of many cool parts of Brooklyn by an easy-going and experienced tour guide. Highly recommend for newcomers and Brooklyn regulars.

Williamsburg on foot

Karen_B, Oct 2021

Wall art/graffiti with stories; history of companies that closed-bad times, crime-then repurposed buildings to renew Williamsburg. Meeting local bar and store owners, tastings

Thank you Derrick for being a great tour guide. Next to time, I'll book the correct tour (EATING). HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR

Luz_D, June 2021

Thank you Derrick for being a great tour guide. Next to time, I'll book the correct tour (EATING). HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR YOU, I WOULD'VE CUT IT SHORT.

Response from Host, July 2021

You were seeking a food tour, but you reserved this tour instead. This tour does not provide food. We are glad that you enjoyed the tour anyway.

Great tour and guide

Gloria_L, June 2021

Derrick is a knowledgeable and great tour guide. I loved seeing the new Williamsburg that is so different from the area I knew growing up in the nineties in Brooklyn. Highly recommend the tour to anyone who wants to see the new Brooklyn!

Horrible

JoseHernandez, May 2021

Very disappointed , the tour guy leave us behind . We text him and call him and never answer . We follow the instructions to catch up with him ata the place he told us in case running late and wait for an 1 hour and never pass up.

Response from Host, May 2021

This customer arrived more than 10 minutes late. Our policy is that we do not guarantee that latecomers can catch up. Although we usually try to help them catch up.

Williamsburg walking tour

Anne_J, Feb 2020

It was great. Our guide, Jeff, gave a well balanced, engaging tour. The historical, commercial, artistic and cultural aspects of the neighbourhood were all explained. Recommended.

A walk about W’burg

Carole_C, Oct 2019

Very enjoyable and informative for newbies to Brooklyn. Guide well versed and fun. Would certainly recommend.

Didn't cover the old Brooklyn and short...

David B, Oct 2017

Didn't cover the old Brooklyn and short on anecdotes

This is a good overview of...

Fiona M, Sept 2017

This is a good overview of Williamsburg and the changes it's undergone in the past few years. I would say it's a light tour not a great deal of depth but certainly worth doing if, like me, you have little to no knowledge of the area. For 25 it's worth it.

My wife and I were pleasantly...

Phil, Aug 2017

My wife and I were pleasantly surprised by this tour for several reasons. We were both born in Brooklyn but have been away for many years. The tour guide did a good job of showing how the Williamsburg area has changed again and again over the years. Amazed to see a church that has become an upscale apartment building while maintaining the exterior church appearance. Delighted by the fantastic artwork on some of the buildings. And the Manhattan view from the Brooklyn side of the river never fails to amaze.

Don't do it! Worst tour I have ever...

Patricia B, May 2017

Don't do it! Worst tour I have ever taken. Don't typically write reviews, but felt it was necessary. Tour guide Jeff? delivered information as if he was reading it out of a badly written script. First stop was a 'junk store'. Did he have an interesting fact to tell us about it? No, apparently thought we'd be thrilled to see a storefront of a junk store! Stopped at what looked like a church. His interesting fact? They are now condos! Next stop was a mural painted by an art student. His interesting fact about it was that the store owner didn't allow the artist to include any words because of city ordinances. One of the women in our group asked if she could go take a picture, he told her yes then got impatient as we were standing there awkwardly and we left without her her husband stayed behind as he could see where we were headed. After a stop at a shopping center and hearing him explain that the owner who bought the property in the 80's wouldn't sell it regardless of the profit he could make humanity vs 'greedy' capitalism, my two adult daughters and I decided to cut our losses and told the guide we were leaving. That was after just 20 minutes, we honestly could not bear the thought of spending two hours doing this. We are normally polite people and if it had been in the least bit interesting we would have stuck it out. We were told by several people about the rigorous testing a person must go thru in order to be a registered guide in NYC, but there should be a personality test to determine if the person is in the right field slightly tongue-in-cheek comment.

Tour guide was very informative and...

John K, Aug 2016

Tour guide was very informative and engaging. Learned a lot.

Very informative tour. Jeff was...

Else M, June 2016

Very informative tour. Jeff was extremely knowledgeable on everything from history, architecture, arts, and local politics. As I was the only person on this tour, I really enjoyed being able to interact with my guide and ask a lot questions which I would refrain from doing in a bigger group.