New York Chinatown & Little Italy 3-hour self-guided walking tour

Looking for things to do in New York City’s Chinatown and Little Italy? Our 3-hour self-guided walking tour takes you through these two neighborhoods. Learn about their history and discover all of their attractions. Solve challenges at each step along your way, to discover your next destination and have fun.

You will walk from the heart of Chinatown to Little Italy, and back through Chinatown before crossing the legal district. Along the way, you’ll see parks, museums, and monuments.

3.5km
2.2mi

Sites

Challenges

Buy $50

What You'll See

Mulberry St
Sara D Roosevelt Park
Mahayana Temple Buddhist Association
Manhattan Bridge
Confucius Statue
Kimlau Square
Doyers Street
New York Chinese Community Center
Columbus Park
Foley Square
New York County Supreme Court
Collect Pond Park
Most Precious Blood Church
and much more!

We’ve visited New York and these neighborhoods several times since 2005. This scavenger hunt is to be tested at the end of summer 2022.

Specifications & Requirements

Starting Location:
- in front of the Chinatown Information Kiosk, Baxter St & Canal St, New York, NY 10013, United States
Distance: 3.9 km / 2.4 mi
Time: 3 hours
Method: Walking
Required: Fully charged Smartphone with internet access (data plan, Wifi is not sufficient).
Suggested:
- Bottled water
- A local street map

History

History of Chinatown

Manhattan’s Chinatown is one of the oldest Chinese ethnic enclaves, with the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere. It is one of 9 Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City.

It was initially settled by Chinese persons in the 1850s and 1860s. Initially, they were mostly cigar makers. They rapidly expanded to hand laundries and restaurants in the 1880s.

Columbus Park, the only park in Chinatown, was built in 1897.

History of Little Italy

Little Italy sits north of Chinatown and is focused around Mulberry Street. It was mostly populated by Italian immigrants in the 1880s. It was initially the poorest Italian neighborhood.

East Harlem (Italian Harlem) in the city’s northeast had a larger population but was less concentrated. After World War II (1945 onwards), many Italians began moving to Brooklyn, Staten Island, Long Island, and New Jersey as more and more Chinese arrived.