Literary Tours
3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 93% of travelers
93% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$49
per adult
Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl
Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl
Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl
4.5
City ToursBar, Club & Pub ToursLiterary, Art & Music ToursWalking Tours
Full view
About
Local actors take you on a fascinating tour of Greenwich Village bars rich with literary history. While you relax over a drink, they'll weave tales of the pubs, the neighborhood, and the writers who helped shape it. With in depth and ongoing research we've dispelled much of the misinformation shared by other tours. We're the oldest and most accurate in Greenwich. And the most fun. And the cutest. Passionate recitations, charmingly dashing guides, and a buttload* of wit - (*is an actual form of measurement for alcohol. 1 butt load = 126 gallons or 2 hogshead) Tickets Available at literarypubcrawl.com
Tours and Tickets by Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl
Historical Tours
90–120 minutes
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$49
per adult
Food & Drink
3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$49
per adult
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
71 reviews
Excellent
61
Very good
5
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Randy_Gunter
San Marcos, TX19 contributions
Mar 2017 • Family
Wow! I've visited the city several times a year for about the last decade. This tour was just fascinating. Robert and Maggie took us through a wonderful story-filled tour with stops at significant pubs along the way. As a serious student of literature, I heard stories I'd never heard and seen literary sites I'd never seen. I will do this again. You will love this!
Written March 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lpoko258
Long Island, NY154 contributions
Jan 2020
This was a fun tour walking around the village and hearing stories of authors known, and unknown. The guides were a comic duo who played off of each other well. Their stories were full of information, and I learned a lot about a part of the city with which I thought I was really familiar.
The stops along the way were iconic. We had enough time to get a drink and hear some tales.
Definitely a fun afternoon out!
The stops along the way were iconic. We had enough time to get a drink and hear some tales.
Definitely a fun afternoon out!
Written February 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the great feedback. We appreciate your coming along. Hit us up next time you are around and we’ll get you discounts on one of our other tours. Thanks and keep reading!
Written February 9, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ashley M
19 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
If this isn't on your bucket list, it should be right this instant! If you love to drink and learn about famous authors while having a great time. It's a very chill walk with extremely knowledgeable tour guides that make it fun even if you are not a huge literary buff. Seriously if you only do one thing in New York it should be this pub crawl.
Written July 29, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WendyTomes
Leamington Spa, UK180 contributions
Oct 2019 • Friends
We were told to be there by 2pm
arrived to be greeted with we are a very large group today and won’t leave until 2.20
We left at 3pm
Info was interesting but far too slow . At 4pm we were in second pub and all crammed in - too many of us to sit together
Guides were interesting but need a smaller group and less hanging around
arrived to be greeted with we are a very large group today and won’t leave until 2.20
We left at 3pm
Info was interesting but far too slow . At 4pm we were in second pub and all crammed in - too many of us to sit together
Guides were interesting but need a smaller group and less hanging around
Written October 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We appreciate the feedback, thanks for sharing, and are sorry to hear it was disappointing.
It appears that probably this product was not the right fit for the patrons. Based on the review, they would probably have preferred on of our shorter walking tours, rather than our literary pub crawl.
Our selling point, and what makes us unique, is while you relax over a drink at each pub, we share stories, legends and performances. This has been our model for the 21 years we've done this. People gather at 2pm, buy drinks, we allow a little time for train delays (New Yorkers are used to frequent subway delays) and then we begin. We were fairly close to being on schedule for our 3 hour/3 pub tour and ended on time at our last stop.
We did have a larger than usual group, and sadly this is rare. It's also very rare for our second pub to be as busy as it was. Regrettably the bars have high overhead in rents and can't turn business away just for us. Bad timing that both our tour and the second bar were so popular that day.
I do think one of our walking tours/non pub crawls would have been more in line with what the reviewer would have preferred.
Wendy, we'd be happy to refund your tickets, or offer you comps onto one of our non pub crawl tours. This should have been suggested to you onsite and I apologize this did not happen. Email me with your confirmation email and I'll set it up.
Thanks!
Written October 14, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
michele_eve
Bristol, UK16 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
Hate shops? Rather be walking the streets soaking up real life than being herded like sheep on your holidays? Have read a book or two (desirable but not essential..) Then this is the tour for you. Fantastic tour starting off in the White Horse Tavern, home away from the valleys for Dylan Thomas and rambling through the back streets and bars of West Village. The tour guide, Eric, was informed, funny and conducted the the tour at the perfect pace. He even did some poetry readings - it was amazing listening to Kerouac's voice in the red neon glow. The tour ends up at the site of Thomas Payne's death - now a bar/night club - and a moving sense of history through another lens. The frieze on the wall shows both the French and Americans fighting for freedom and justice. Payne with a book instead of a sword. Great stuff, highly recommended!
Written November 10, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen S
London, UK53 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
The tour took in 3 pubs but there was also a fair bit of walking around the west village also, so the tour would be suitable even if you were more interested in a sightseeing tour than the pub part. It was very interesting to learn about the history of the area and to have a look around the neighbourhood assisted by someone who knew it well. Highly recommended!
Written September 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colby R
Sherburne, NY32 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
This tour was a lot of fun, so much to see and talk about. We got a beautiful day which was a pleasant surprise for March especially. There was so much information and it was a great history lesson about Greenwich Village! After the tour was over we chatted with some of the other patrons about books, shows, and the city. We had a great time and would definitely love to do one of their other tours. If you are in the city and love books, history, or drinking this tour is for you!!
Written March 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erin
1 contribution
May 2018 • Couples
Unique idea and well executed. I went with my boyfriend. We both enjoyed it. He is a big reader and was very into the history. I am less of a reader and I enjoyed the fun facts about the authors. The tour guides were funny and engaging. I would recommend this to anyone who is a big reader or likes NYC history.
Written January 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bill R
2 contributions
Jan 2019 • Friends
I had an excellent time celebrating my 40th birthday with 20 of my closest family and friends. It was extremely easy to set up; the person I worked with was exceptionally friendly and flexible and responded very quickly to my queries. The day of the crawl, things worked out amazingly smoothly. Our guides--Devin and Justin--were knowledgeable, entertaining, engaging and very funny My entire group had an excellent time. We learned a lot, drank a little more, and had an excellent time doing it! Highest recommendation!! Thank you!!!
Written January 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alysse W
Athens, GA6 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
This was my second trip to the Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl, and I plan to go again next time I have family/friends in town and want to entertain with a fun, educational, and non-touristy activity. The tour shared funny stories and interesting facts about the neighborhood, architecture, and residents of Greenwich Village. There were two tour guides on my first Crawl back in February and it was a flawless tour. One guide took the lead and the second provided backup information or stories. The second time I attended, there were three tour guides and at times they spoke over each other, making a distracting tour at times. One tour guide seemed to use the tour as practice for stage performances, which was awkward.
Written July 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience