New York Catacombs by Candlelight

Badge of ExcellenceNew York City, USA

1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Go behind-the-scenes at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, and see parts of the church that are otherwise off-limits to visitors, during this catacombs tour. Meet your guide at a convenient location in Lower Manhattan, and follow them into the church. As you explore, learn all about the landmark’s place in New York history and discover the final resting place of famous New Yorkers past.

A tour offers a more personal way to explore the landmark
Explore the catacombs and other areas that most visitors miss
Learn all about the history of the church from your guide
Choose from a number of convenient departure times

What's Included

Professional guides
All taxes, fees and handling charges

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

266 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012, USA
Check-In Address: 266 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10012 (corner of Mulberry St. and Jersey St.) between Houston and Prince Street. Directions: By Subway B/D/F/M/6 trains to Broadway-Lafayette St/Bleecker St; R/W train to Prince St.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet your guide and group at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, centrally located in Lower Manhattan. After an introduction to the church and the history of the area, as well as insights into the story of Catholicism in New York, follow your guide into the church and the only Catholic catacombs in New York City.

Discover the rich history and spirituality hidden beneath the church as your guide leads you to hidden areas that most visitors never see. Spend some time exploring the church and its graveyard and feel free to ask follow-up questions of your guide before saying goodbye.

The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
PLEASE CHECK IN AT 266 MULBERRY STREET (CORNER OF MULBERRY ST. AND JERSEY ST.), WHERE THE TOUR BEGINS. CHECK IN 15 MINUTES BEFORE TOUR PLEASE.
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
PLEASE DO NOT GO TO ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL ON FIFTH AVENUE! THIS IS A DIFFERENT ST. PATRICK'S IN MANHATTAN
Guests requiring wheelchair should contact Tommy's New York in advance to allow us to make proper preparations for your tour
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

2,468 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 2,468 reviews

Loved it

Catherie_R, May 2024

Tour guide was so great! Wish I got his name. Learned a lot about the history of New York. Would definitely recommend.

Informative and engaging attraction. Great to hear of the good work done by Fr Hughes

ROBYN_J, Apr 2024

History of the church and the significance of the priest to the parish and community. Tour guide Marlene was excellent. Her knowledge was amazing and delivery of information was in an easy to understand manner. She engaged participants in the story.

Fascinating tour

susan_d, Apr 2024

Really interesting visit to St Patrick’s Old Cathedral . Learnt about not only the church and its history, but also the neighbourhood it stands in both past and present.

Enjoyable

Emily_W, Apr 2024

Really enjoyed this, it’s a hidden gem in the city. Would recommend. Tour guide is really knowledgeable.

It was fine.

Cathy_D, Apr 2024

It was fine- will I remember it in a couple years no. Some of it was good but the catacombs were underwhelming. Rather than a talk about who was in certain ones- it was wander on your own. The most amazing thing about it was seeing how young these folks were when they passed.

Historic, beautiful, educational

Shell_B, Apr 2024

Our guide was very knowledgeable and it was a beautiful church. It was educational about the area and the history of the church

A day with a friend in church

Victoria_O, Apr 2024

My friend and I have always loved the St Patrick's Cathedral uptown...we were curious about the beginnings of this St Patrick's..it did not disappoint..the stories were fascinating..the tour was wonderful and Tommy was great!

It’s okay but not worthy

Mindy_A, Apr 2024

Guide was very knowledgeable and personable. The tour was not what we expected. Teens were bored with all the Irish/Italian immigration history

Worst tour operators I've dealt with in NYC

Cormac_D, Apr 2024

Arrived at the meeting spot early. I was met with a sign for 'St.Patrick's', remembered the tour description said 'don't go to St.Patrick's', and circled the block looking for another entrance which doesn't exist. No signage to indicate a tour. No representative or desk to ask questions. No response to my call. No refund or reschedule. I went to the NY Public Library instead. The Public Library is open to the public for no cost, has multiple open exhibits, beautiful art and architecture throughout, and has a wonderful cafe and excellent gift shop. The NY Public Library is a must see for anyone visiting New York City. I'll be recommending the catacombs tour to all my worst enemies.

Exploring the hidden catacombs

HRonald_J, Apr 2024

Seeing something unique from Old NY. Learning NYC history. Our guide, Marlene was very helpful, knowledgeable, and fun

DON'T LEAVE NYC WITHOUT THIS TOUR!

Christina_C, Apr 2024

The guide was fantastic. Shared so much history of the area, as well as knowledge of the cathedral. Viator tours never disappoint.

An excellent time in the catacombs

Chris_K, Apr 2024

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable And truly made learning fun. Great experience! They should consider extending the tour so he could enlighten us with more of his knowledge on the city.

Short time in Catacombs

Genevieve_K, Apr 2024

The tour was interesting, but only ~10 of the 90 minutes were actually in the Catacombs, which was not our expectation.

Interesting historical walk through early Catholic history in NYC

Mary_D, Apr 2024

We enjoyed the tour of the old St. Patrick's grounds and checking out the catacombs. There was a lot more history of the Catholics coming into NYC than I realized we'd be hearing, which was a nice suprise as it was very interesting. The catacombs were a bit underwhelming, to be honest - I guess I was expecting it to be 'spookier' but we also went in broad daylight so that didn't help set the tone. Marlene our tour guide did a great job sharing the history as well as explaining about the catacombs. The tour was about 90-minutes, which was a perfect amount of time.

Worth a visit

Barrie_M, Apr 2024

Excellent guided tour of grounds, cathedral and catacombs. Worth the visit and interesting for history buffs

Great tour!

Andrea_A, Mar 2024

Despite a rainy and cold day the tour was really interesting and enjoyable. Learned a lot about the church and its history. If you have 90 minutes take the tour.

Nice trip

Richard_O, Mar 2024

The tour was interesting, but we are not Catholic. The guide was very good. I thought the catacombs were not what I expected. The church was pretty.

Fun history experience!

ILENE_O, Mar 2024

We truly appreciated hearing about the historical events surrounding the church & neighborhood, throughout various years. Of course walking through the catacombs themselves was a great experience, especially as you learn more about the people who occupy that space. Absolutely would recommend this tour to friends and family, and I would do it again!

learn the interesting Catholic history of NYC.

Robert_W, Mar 2024

Great tour of the grounds, the church and the catacombs. Well presented and displayed. Would recommend.

Super interesting NYC...

Janine_S, Mar 2024

Super interesting NYC history that I never knew! Our tour guide, Tom, was knowledgeable was great. Would recommend this tour .

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