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A panoramic view of the harbor
Discover New Amsterdam on the streets of New York with our free self-guided tour.
Download the full package
with audio narration and full-color map guide.
Save the 52 mb zip file in its entirety before opening. Open and transfer the audio files to your portable audio player, then print the pdf.
Or get the map guide only.
 RANGER-GUIDED TOURS 
Closed for season. Daily tours resume spring 2010. Sign up for Harbor Highlights for updates on this and other tours and park events.
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Walking Tour

The New Amsterdam Trail

Commemorate the 400th anniversary of explorer Henry Hudson's voyage for the Dutch and the subsequent settlement of New Amsterdam with this 90-minute walking tour of important sites in 17th-century Lower Manhattan.

Download our map & audio narration and go off the grid to explore the winding streets that still retain their Dutch names. You will be accompanied by the voices of prominent historians and scholars, including Russell Shorto, author of the bestselling book, The Island at the Center of the World. On your tour you will:

  • Visit the site of Fort Amsterdam, the first permanent fortification on the island.
  • Hear about the ragtag group of famous and infamous settlers.
  • See the outline of the Stadt Huys, the Dutch first seat of government.

After your tour, visit the South Street Seaport Museum to see their new exhibit New Amsterdam: The Island at the Center of the World.

ROUTE
Begins at Castle Clinton; concludes at Federal Hall.

National Parks of New York Harbor historian Steve Laise
LISTEN to "Nieuw Amsterdam to New York," from our Ranger Stories podcast, for additional insights and information about Hudson's voyage and the Dutch settlement.

PARTNERS
This is an official tour of the National Park Service created by the Harbor Conservancy in partnership with the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation. The audio walking tour is an Acoustiguide production.

SPONSORS
The Tiffany & Co. Foundation is among the founding sponsors of the Harbor Conservancy. Their generous grant was matched, in part, by federal funds to produce this tour. Henry Hudson 400 Foundation is a partner on the tour, through the generosity of American Express and the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds.