New York audio guide that talks as you walk
New York packs centuries of stories into its streets: the old Dutch and colonial core of Lower Manhattan, the skyscrapers and avenues of Midtown, and Central Park in the middle of it all. With AI TourMate you don't need a pre-booked tour. Switch on GPS auto mode, start walking, and the app tells you the story of each place as you reach it — in your own language. Head uptown to Midtown or Central Park, and it keeps narrating there too.
Have a listen
This is how the app tells the story when you arrive: Brooklyn Bridge · 0:46
In the app, every story is created on the spot, so each one is a little different. This is a pre-made example in the same voice the app uses.
Read the story
Stop beneath one of the stone towers and look up through its pointed arches. When this bridge opened in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first fixed crossing of the East River. Its designer, John Augustus Roebling, never saw it rise: a ferry crushed his foot while he was surveying the site, and he died a few weeks later. His son Washington took over, until work in the compressed-air chambers beneath the riverbed left him an invalid. From his window in Brooklyn Heights he followed the work through a telescope, while his wife, Emily Warren Roebling, carried his instructions to the engineers. A year later, a circus showman led a herd of elephants across, just to prove how solid it was.
How many places can the app talk about?
AI TourMate finds its stories in OpenStreetMap. Within the city limits of New York, that means more than 4,900 named places, for example:
- 1,071 historic sites and monuments
- 2,672 churches and places of worship
- 496 museums and galleries
- 746 sights, viewpoints and artworks
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors, counted on October 8, 2026.
From the Brooklyn Bridge to Battery Park
Through the oldest part of the city, from the great bridge to the southern tip of Manhattan. The app narrates as you go — and keeps telling stories in the side streets of the Financial District too.
4 km · about 55 min walking · 7 stops
Tap a pin or a card to see the place.
What the app tells you about
In the app, each of these is a 2–3 minute story that starts as you arrive — your first one is free.
Photo: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0 1Brooklyn Bridge
When it opened in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first fixed crossing of the East River. It was designed by John A. Roebling and completed by his son Washington, with Washington's wife, Emily Warren Roebling, playing a key role. A wooden promenade runs above the traffic, with views of the Manhattan skyline.
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0 2St. Paul's Chapel
Completed in 1766, it is the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan. George Washington worshipped here on the day of his inauguration in 1789, and his pew is still preserved. After 11 September 2001 the chapel, standing just across from the World Trade Center, escaped damage and for months served as a place of rest for recovery workers.
Photo: One World Trade Center, Public domain 3One World Trade Center
Rising to a symbolic 1,776 feet (541 metres) — a nod to the year of the Declaration of Independence — it is the tallest building in the United States. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it opened in 2014 on the rebuilt World Trade Center site. From One World Observatory near the top, you can see across the whole city.
Photo: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 49/11 Memorial & Museum
Two reflecting pools mark the footprints of the Twin Towers, with waterfalls pouring into their depths. Inscribed in bronze around their edges are the names of nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks of 11 September 2001 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The memorial, designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, opened on the tenth anniversary in 2011; the museum beneath it tells the story of that day.
Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman from Manhattan, USA, CC BY 2.0 5Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange
The street takes its name from the wooden wall the Dutch built here in the 17th century to protect New Amsterdam. Organised stock trading in New York traces its roots to the Buttonwood Agreement, signed by 24 brokers in 1792. The Exchange's present building, with its six Corinthian columns, was designed by George B. Post and completed in 1903.
Photo: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 6Federal Hall
On this site stood New York's old City Hall, where the first Congress of the United States met and where George Washington took the oath as the first President on 30 April 1789. The original building was demolished in 1812; the Greek Revival building you see today was completed in 1842 as the Custom House. A bronze statue of Washington on the steps marks the moment.
Photo: Gryffindor, CC BY-SA 3.0 7Battery Park
This park at the southern tip of Manhattan is named after the artillery batteries that once defended the harbour. Its round fort, Castle Clinton, was built shortly before the War of 1812 and later served as the main landing station for immigrants, before Ellis Island opened. Today the ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island leave from here.
Photo: AskALotl, CC0 8Statue of Liberty
A gift from the people of France, the statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, with an iron framework engineered by Gustave Eiffel, and dedicated in 1886. Its copper skin has turned green over time. For millions of immigrants arriving by ship, it was their first sight of America.
Photo: Sam Valadi, Public domain 9Empire State Building
This Art Deco skyscraper went up in little more than a year and opened in 1931. With 102 floors, it remained the tallest building in the world for nearly four decades. Its observation decks are on the 86th and 102nd floors.
Photo: Fcb981, CC BY-SA 3.0 10Grand Central Terminal
The Beaux-Arts station opened in 1913. Above the Main Concourse, the vaulted ceiling is painted with the constellations of the zodiac, and the four-faced clock above the information booth is a classic New York meeting point. In 1978 the US Supreme Court upheld its protection as a landmark, a milestone for historic preservation.
Photo: Terabass, CC BY-SA 3.0 11Times Square
Once called Longacre Square, it was renamed in 1904 when The New York Times moved its headquarters here. The New Year's Eve ball drop has been held here since the end of 1907, and the surrounding streets form the heart of the Broadway Theater District.
Photo: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0 12Central Park
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won the design competition for the park in 1858. Its lakes, meadows and woodlands, covering 341 hectares, are almost entirely shaped by hand. Highlights include Bethesda Terrace and Strawberry Fields, the memorial to John Lennon.
Photo: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 13The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Founded in 1870, the Met is the largest art museum in the United States, with a collection spanning some 5,000 years. On Fifth Avenue at the edge of Central Park, it holds treasures such as the ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur.
Beyond Manhattan
Brooklyn's brownstone streets and waterfront parks are just across the bridge, and the Hudson Valley, with its riverside towns and historic estates, makes an easy day trip from the city. The app works there too, and on a road trip it narrates the towns you pass if you turn on GPS auto mode before you drive.
More about road tripsFrequently asked questions
Is there a New York audio guide in my language?
AI TourMate narrates New York in 14 languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Hungarian, Japanese and Chinese. Everyone in a group can listen in their own language on their own phone.
Is it a ticket for the Statue of Liberty ferry or the Empire State Building?
No. The app tells you the story of the places around you as you walk. For the Statue of Liberty ferry, the Empire State Building observatory, the Met and other sites with an entrance, you still need a ticket from the site.
Does it work inside buildings?
The app follows your location by GPS, so it works best outdoors — around the sights and in the streets. Inside large buildings GPS can be inaccurate, and among Manhattan's tall buildings its accuracy can vary too.
How much does it cost?
The app is free to download and your first story is free. After that you pay only for what you listen to, with credit packs — there is no subscription.
Explore New York at your own pace
Free to download · first story free · no subscription