East Village Rock and Roll Tour *Rock Junket Tours

Name: East Village Rock and Roll Tour *Rock Junket Tours
Brand: Rock Junket
SKU: 3698RJ
Price: 46.94 USD
Rating: 4.5 (163 reviews)

Recommended by 94% of travelersNew York City, USA

New York City Original Rock n Roll Walking Tour

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover the three genres of music that helped form rock culture in New York City’s East Village on this small-group guided walking tour. Rock, punk, and glam helped introduce new music, fashion, and a way of life to the world. See where bands like the Ramones, the New York Dolls, the Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, and others wrote music and performed, and soak up the rich musical history.

Explore the East Village in New York City on a music walking tour
See the sites where famous musicians played, lived and hung out
Insider tips on the best places to eat, drink, and shop in NYC
Enjoy plenty of time to ask questions with a small group

What's Included

2-hour walking tour

Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Shake Shack Astor Place
20 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10003, USA
The meeting spot is the SW CORNER OF EAST 9TH STREET AND 3RD AVENUE Meet at the corner of Shake Shack Burgers

End point

315 Bowery, New York, NY 10003, USA

What To Expect

Begin in the historic East Village, home of names like the Ramones, the New York Dolls, CBGB's, Andy Warhol, the Velvet Underground, and many more.

Find out where the musicians played gigs, where they lived, even where they shopped and shot album covers. Explore the neighborhood’s rock history, focusing on the sites and the artists.

Check out CBGB, the legendary birthplace of New York City’s rock, punk, and folk music scenes. See where Joey Ramone, Iggy Pop, Andy Warhol, and Madonna lived. Visit the St. Mark’s Hotel and Trash and Vaudeville, an iconic shop for punk rock apparel.

Embrace the rich musical history of this historic Lower East Side neighborhood and get ready to celebrate more than 40 years of rock and roll culture.

Bowery

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Comfortable walking shoes are recommended as there is a moderate amount of walking on this tour
Wheelchair accessible
Wheelchairs and strollers are permitted. Please keep in mind that the area can be congested with traffic, so smaller strollers are recommended, if possible
Stroller accessible
Tour is run rain or shine. In the unlikely event that the tour is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, you will be given the opportunity to reschedule your tour
Service animals allowed

Please advise phone number upon booking in the event of changes to the tour
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
EAST VILLAGE TOUR meets at the SW CORNER of East 9th Street and 3rd Avenue at Shake Shack
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.7

163 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 163 reviews

Great tour!

Sandra_C, Sep 2024

Very knowledgeable guide. He lived it. Showed us some cool spots and gave great recommendations. Would recommend.

If you like punk rock and/or classic rock, this tour is for you!

Kevin_H, Nov 2023

Understanding the dynamics around this neighborhood, which led to so much creative incubation in such a concentrated area, was fascinating. Our guide, Bobby Pinn, was excellent and has all the insider bona fides to conduct such a tour.

Must do for music lovers!

Earline_B, May 2023

Great tour! Highly recommend very informative and entertaining! have taken this to her several times learn something new every time.

Really fascinating Rock and Punk info

Tom_K, May 2023

Seeing some if spots where bands posed in famous pictures. Seeing the building which was used on the cover of the Physical Graffiti album

2 hours in the East Village well spent

belinda_f, May 2023

This was a great tour overall, although I think some of places/musicians in the description were cut out of our tour for some reason. Our guide Bobby was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about East Village music history and culture. Without many of the places there anymore, simply walking around the area would not be the same. I would recommend this tour regardless of whether we got the whole experience. I should of bought his book at the end.

Rocking Tour

Alex_C, Apr 2023

Bobby Pinn is a great guide- tour was informative and fun. Cool area of NYC which I had not spent time in

Best tour in NYC

Danielle_M, Jan 2023

This was the best tour we have ever been on!!! Our tour guide was so nice and literally so knowledgeable of East Village and the history behind it! We are from California and we were so excited for this tour! It went beyond our expectations! I highly highly recommend

If you appreciate good music this tour is for you

Carly_G, Nov 2022

We started the tour meeting up at an easy to find spot in the East Village. Bobby introduced himself & gave a short intro with a meet n greet with fellow tourers. Bobby navigated us around old venues & locations of significance to rock n roll history. He came came across as guy who clearly lives & breaths music & it's history, with a passion to keep the this very much alive with his informative tours. Bobby helps build a picture on the various stops with showing you LP covers & pictorial imagery. We finished at where CBGB's used to be, this was overwhelming to me as hadn't realised it is now a clothes & vinyl shop...literally thought it was derelict so I was overjoyed to be told by Bobby you could go in & take a look. Inside is preserved flyers & posters from the club that you can take a look at & the shop assistants are more than happy for you to take pictures & assist you if you need anything. Bobby also finished the tour with a very handy leaflet he had created including clothing, bars & links to cool places relevant to music. If you appreciate good music this tour is for you & the East Village is the place to be 🤘🏻

Hey ho, let's go!

Mark_R, Oct 2022

Really glad we did this tour. A pilgrimage to some significant and important sites in the history of rock and roll, guided by a man with a wealth of knowledge and passion for the music and the area.

Hot and disinterested.

Amy_C, Sep 2022

We were interested in this area of town and the history of the rock scene however, it was a hot day and the tour operator seemed unenthused about the tour. He would say his part and then quickly march to the next spot not caring if his group was near him or struggling in any way. We actually held back to help others on the tour who eventually quit the tour early. No plans or flexibility for bathroom breaks or drinks along the way. Hopefully, if you do this tour he will be having a better day.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Hi Amy we're sorry you didn't have a good time but we can't do anything about the heat, Our records say you took the tour on July 1st when the temperature was 95 degrees with 70% humidity, we keep notes for each tour, so we'll admit it was tropical but we try to make it as enjoyable as possible. Its been one of the hottest summers on record in NYC however we do find shade at every site and we do walk on the shady side of the street between sites. The sidewalks in the Village are narrow so our groups can't walk shoulder to shoulder but in a line so a few people will always be 10-15 feet behind the guide. On your ticket we suggest to bring water and wear comfortable shoes however if you need water just ask and we'll stop at a deli. I don't enjoy the heat and humidity either but our guides carry a 25 pound shoulder bag full of visuals, books and water so its rather exhausting and hot for us too. Retailers in the area are small boutiques and frown upon tour groups coming in to cool down and the bars usually don't open until 4pm well after the tour ends so we are limited with places to chill and go to the bathroom. If it's an emergency we'll accommodate for sure. I do remember the 2 people that left early and prior to the tour the husband emailed us to ask if it's a difficult walk with hills and such because his wife has problems walking. I said its a moderate walk, flat streets and an easy walk. I did speak to him about 30 minutes into the tour asking how they were doing and he said "Don't worry about us but I'm not sure we're going to finish but we'll give it a go." Before they graciously left the tour he said it was fun and interesting and that he wished he could finish but his wife was having trouble with her legs. He then tipped me $20 and said despite the heat we really enjoyed it and wish we could finish. We hope you did learn a bit about the neighborhood as its one of our favorites and perhaps we'll see you on a different tour when its cooler out. Thanks.

Meh

Vanessa_P, Sep 2022

Overall the tour was not good. Most places we were taken was about the punk rock scene. We thought it would encompass all genres. The tour had way too much walking for the small amount of places we visited. The tour guide was knowledgeable but not engaging with the tour group.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Hi Vanessa we're sorry you didn't enjoy your experience as everyone else in the group expressed how much they loved the tour. You booked the "Rock n' Punk Walking Tour" so yes there were punk locations but we also spoke about Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Clash, Stones, Bill Graham, Ramones, CB's, Iggy, Dolls and we even touched upon pop and jazz. Maybe punk rock is not your thing. Nevertheless we hoped you enjoyed your stay in New York City.

Let’s Rock!

Simon_D, Sep 2022

So informative and really good fun. “Bobby” does a great job of painting a vivid picture. Will do more.

Not a great guide

Suzanne_M, Jun 2022

So-so. The guide wasn’t very engaging and was negative on the area. A good guide can make a tour, this guide wasn’t good.

Excellent tour

Amanda_P, Apr 2022

Bobby was a great guide - really enjoyed the tour and seeing the music landmarks. Fascinating area to visit.

Rock History

Bernice_W, Apr 2022

Loved seeing this part of the city and the history therein. Bobby knew so much and shared interesting stories.

Excellent Tour

Denise_T, Jan 2022

Really interesting tour, Bobby knows so much about everything that happened in the area. Thank you 😊

The best music tour of NYC

Dena_R, Oct 2021

The experience was absolutely awesome! Our tour guide, Bobby Pin, showed us all kinds of treasurable and unique spots known to musical artists and icons I never would have noticed or picked up just walking through NYC. His knowledge was exceptional and I highly recommend any music fanatic to take this tour, you will not regret it.

Great Tour

Nadya_M, Sep 2021

Thanks for the great tour Bobby! We enjoyed the wealth of information you shared about rock and punk history in New York! A memorable tour!

Perfect !!’

Collin_M, Jul 2021

Great guide / great info . Great to see the city sights with someone From the music business - !!! 5 stars will recommend for sure . Music guy from Los Angeles .

Good insight into old New York

Lisa_W, Aug 2019

Good tour taking in sites linked to Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, Charlie Parker, Iggy Pop and The New York Dolls.

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