(212) 439-1090
476 13th St
(8th Avenue)
Brooklyn,
NY
11215
40.6631
-73.9807
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Hours:
Daily 24 hours
Big Onion Walking Tours
Last updated 8.24.09
What People Are Saying About Big Onion Walking Tours
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
Overview – Organized by theme (immigrant New York) or by locale (Lower East Side), Big Onion tours are ideal for adventuresome tourists and locals eager to learn more about the city's culture and history. Personable tour leaders cultivate an engaging style that blends the earnest tutorial with the stand-up comic. Rest assured, they also have a solid grounding in the details of the city's long and complicated life. – – The Experience – Tours average two hours. Following odd streets and underpasses from one neighborhood to another or traversing the Brooklyn Bridge at…
11/27/09
See the city block by block
by Scoop NYC at Citysearch
I've taken a lot of walking tours in Europe, but I've never taken any near my home until recently, when I began with Big Onion. As any walking tour lover knows, it's hard to write a blanket review of an entire company because some routes are more interesting than others and -- far more importantly -- some guides are better than others.
I've been on three tours with Big Onion now and enjoyed all three, though I must say that one of the three tour guides was not nearly as good as the other two. Not only was she a bit hard to hear, but she had none of the natural showmanship that a natural guide has.
My only other hesitation in fully recommending this company is the tone of its walks. Big Onion was apparently founded by some graduate history students and all of its tour guides are graduate history students. This can lead the tone of some walks to be a bit academic. Being a history lover, this suits me fine, but some might find parts of the walks a bit dry.
That's just quibbling though. The walks are very fun. Tourists and residents alike should come.
- Pros: Knowledgeable guides, lots of information
- Cons: can be hard to hear, can be academic
02/09/09
Love Big Onion Walking Tours!
by hubriis at Citysearch
In general, I love the Big Onion walking tours. The guides are all beyond knowledgeable and are able to give you lovely tidbits of information that your average guide might not have. We have taken several tours with Big Onion while in New York, and I'd say most of them were just wonderful.
One thing though, beware of the Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour. The history part of the tour was as expected (wonderful) but the eating part was a bit of a joke. Truly, if you are looking for a food tour check out the Foods of NY tours....they can't be beat for New York food tours. For history, most definitely seek out the Big Onion tours.
11/24/07
Wonderful!
by calliopenyc at Citysearch
A friend and I decided to take the eating tour the day after Thanksgiving, and it was so much fun! Even though something like 200 people showed up, there were several guides and our group was not too large. We could hear the guide perfectly, and he was funny, informative, and really knowledgeable. Plus the food was great! I'd definitely recommend this and any other Big Onion tour!
FYI - a lot of people tipped the guide at the end of the tour, so bring a little extra cash in case you enjoy it. Our guide didn't solicit but I guess it's not uncommon.
The Details on Big Onion Walking Tours
Know Before You Go:
Big Onion tours go out rain or shine, with no minimum-participant requirement.
The Extras:
Try the Gangs of New York Tour, which contrasts Scorcese's and Herbert Asbury's sensational, fictionalized versions of 19th-century New York with historic fact.
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