Lower Manhattan: from the Battery to the Brooklyn Bridge: a walk in New York City

Colonial and early-republic New York packed into a small area: the fort where immigrants first landed, the tavern where Washington said farewell, the site of his inauguration, Hamilton's grave and the 1913 Woolworth tower, ending at the Brooklyn Bridge walkway.

Best time: Weekday morning (Wall St is lively) or Sunday morning (quiet streets)

The route, stop by stop

1
Castle Clinton (The Battery)
1811 fort, later the immigrant station before Ellis Island; ferry tickets for the Statue sold here. 15 min.
2
Fraunces Tavern Museum
Washington's 1783 farewell to his officers; museum upstairs. 30-45 min if you go in.
The 18th-century tavern where George Washington bade farewell to his officers in 1783; upstairs museum on the Revolutionary War, tavern restaurant downstairs.
3
Federal Hall National Memorial
Site of Washington's 1789 inauguration, facing the Stock Exchange. 15 min.
On the site where George Washington took the oath as first president in 1789 (the current 1842 building replaced the original); the Washington statue on the steps faces the Stock…
4
Trinity Church and Churchyard
Hamilton's grave in the churchyard. 15 min.
1846 Gothic Revival church at the head of Wall Street; the churchyard holds the graves of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Hamilton.
5
St. Paul's Chapel
1766, Manhattan's oldest surviving church; Washington's pew and a 9/11 recovery-worker exhibit. 15 min.
6
Woolworth Building
1913 Gothic skyscraper; lobby only on paid tours. 5 min outside.
7
Brooklyn Bridge
Start of the promenade; continue across to DUMBO if you like (add 40 min).
1883 suspension bridge whose elevated wooden promenade gives a free, 30-minute walk with views of Lower Manhattan, the harbor and the Statue of Liberty.

Walking directions

Lower Manhattan: from the Battery to the Brooklyn Bridge

The route, stop by stop

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