NYC Speakeasy Tour: Prohibition History & Premium Cocktails

Three Speakeasies, One Night: How New York Drank Illegally

You visit three speakeasies across Manhattan with a licensed guide who walks you through Prohibition history, bootlegger tales, and the women's movements that shaped the era. Skip-the-line entry at all venues means no waiting. Premium cocktails ($18–$25) are mixed on-site. The tour covers Times Square, historic neighborhoods, and the Broadway district in one evening, and you meet people from around the world doing the same thing.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Prohibition era bars and history

• Visit NYC's famous nightclub
• Walk through Times Square area
• Pass historic and cultural neighborhood
• See Broadway theater district
• Walk north of Times Square

The experience

The bartender slides a cocktail across the counter without a word. You're standing inside one of Manhattan's most famous speakeasies: the kind of place that existed in the shadows during Prohibition, when the federal government tried to ban alcohol and New York's underground watering holes became the real pulse of the city. This tour takes you to three of them, each with its own story tangled up in bootleggers, oil kings, and the women who fought for change while the law looked the other way.

Your guide knows the Prohibition era the way someone knows their own neighborhood: the catalysts that started it all, the notorious gangsters who profited from it, the immigrant families who saw the speakeasy as a step toward the American Dream. You'll walk through Times Square and into one of the city's most historic neighborhoods, moving between venues that range from sleek and modern to genuinely old, the kind of bar where you can almost feel the 1920s still breathing in the walls. The guide doesn't just point things out. They tell you why each place mattered, who drank there, what happened when the law finally changed. Cocktails run $18 to $25 each, mixed by top mixologists who take the craft seriously.

What makes this different from wandering into random bars is the skip-the-line access at all three venues and the fact that someone who actually knows this history is walking beside you, not just handing you a map. You're not fighting the crowd or waiting to order. You're moving through the story itself. The dress code is upscale casual (no sportswear or ripped clothing), which keeps the vibe consistent across all three stops. The whole thing moves through the Times Square area and the Broadway theater district, neighborhoods that were central to Prohibition's underground economy.

You'll need to be 21 with a valid photo ID (passport if you're not a U.S. citizen), and the tour assumes you can walk and stand for a moderate amount of time. Bring cash or a card for drinks and any food you want to order beyond the tour itself. Processing fees apply to those charges. Public transportation is nearby if you need it to get to the starting point.

What’s included

• Entry and preferred access to three speakeasies (no lines, no waiting).
• a licensed local guide expert in New York City history and Prohibition-era storytelling.
• rich narratives about gangsters, bootleggers, immigrant progress, and the women's movements of the Gilded Age.
• and the story of how Prohibition ended. Cocktails and food are ordered separately and paid for directly at each venue.

Options for this experience

5 options

6:30pm TourGuide in English · 18:30

5pm TourGuide in English · 17:00

4pm TourGuide in English · 16:00

See 2 more options

7pm TourGuide in English · 19:00

7:30pm TourGuide in English · 19:30Tour starting at 7:30 PM

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 3h, runs every day, 5 start times, from US$ 40 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday: 17:00 and 19:00Thursday: 16:00, 17:00 and 19:00Friday and Saturday: 16:00, 17:00, 18:30 and 19:30

GroupUp to 18

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (21 and older) · Under 21: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by NiteTables Experiences

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the Prohibition story told by someone who knows it, plus skip-the-line access to three real speakeasies in one night. It takes the logistics off your hands and keeps you moving through the history instead of waiting at the bar.

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Top questions

What's the minimum age for this tour?

You must be 21 years old with a valid photo ID (passport for non-U.S. citizens).

Are drinks included in the tour price?

No. Cocktails cost $18–$25 each and are purchased separately. Processing and credit card fees apply to drink and food orders.

How many speakeasies do you visit?

Three. They range from modern to historic, and you have skip-the-line entry at all of them.

What neighborhoods does the tour cover?

You walk through Times Square, the Broadway theater district, and one of NYC's most historic and culture-rich neighborhoods just north of Times Square and south of Central Park.

What should I wear?

Upscale casual dress code. No sportswear or ripped clothing.

Is public transportation nearby?

Yes, public transportation options are available near the tour venues.

Who is the guide?

A licensed local guide with expertise in NYC history and culture, specializing in Prohibition-era stories and Gilded Age New York.