Description and roll-out

To discover Harlem for your first time, there’s nothing like a Sunday morning during a guided tour followed by a Gospel mass. For this journey through Harlem, we meet at 8:30 a.m. and we go to a church whose celebration includes gospel songs whose service begins at 10 a.m. We love this church because we are well received within its community. Laurène, the founder of Your New York Story, even translates the book of one of the members of this community. We are meeting in the Washington Heights / Sugar Hill neighborhood to discover a neighborhood off the beaten track. At the bend of the streets and avenues, Harlem Renaissance’s history emerges between the stories about the musicians Count Basie, Paul Robeson and Duke Ellington.

The religious celebration punctuated with a cappella and instrumental gospel songs that we attend lasts 2 hours. By staying all the way, we become part of the community of this church. This allows us to sit among the faithful and share moments of religious fervor. After the gospel experience, we take the subway to 125th Street. Renamed Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, the 125th street clearly illustrates the evolution of Harlem between the old Blumstein store, the Apollo theater, the stores built in the second half of the 20th century and finally the Renaissance hotel!

We will finish in front of the most beautiful mural in Harlem (in our opinion) by an artist we love : Paul Deo. On that mural, we will greet the African-American figure Harriet Tubman, the intellectual Langston Hughes, the writer James Baldwin, the trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the polemicist Malcolm X, Ella Fitzgerald , the Jackson 5, Mary J.Blige and many other famous figures. Thanks to this guided tour, you will learn the origins of Gospel. You will discover the faces of these men and women who make up today’s Harlem. So put on your best Sunday clothes, Harlem is waiting for you !

For whom ?

This guided tour with gospel is aimed at everyone aged 10 and over. For families with children wanting to limit the duration of the gospel, we can go to a church with a 1-hour gospel concert on Wednesday. Contact us at info@yournewyorkstory.com for more information.

Horaires, prix, location, durée

Our Harlem and Gospel walking tour lasts between 4 hours (depending on the length of the service) and takes place on Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Our tour have a maximum capacity of 12 participants. The tour costs $55 per participant. The gospel mass begins at 10 a.m., a donation of $10 per adult will be collected by your guide. In the USA, tipping is also required, as in restaurants, depending on the appreciation of your guide’s service. Private tours may be available based on availability as this tour is very popular , please reach out using our contact form.