Booking choice: The NYPD mafia and food tour, from $129 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The New York Gangster Experience by Police Tours is the big one: two listings with well over a thousand reviews each and guides who are retired or active NYPD officers. The alternatives are cheaper and shorter, focus on Little Italy alone, mix in ghosts or speakeasies, or put you in a private car.
Every tour below is booked on Viator and cancels free up to 24 hours before.
The quick answer
For the classic, take the NYPD mafia and food tour ($129, with dinner) or the NYPD walk ($79). For a short Mulberry Street tour in a small group, the Little Italy walk ($40). For the cheapest option and families, gangsters and ghosts ($35). For your own group by car, the private tour ($975 per group).
How do New York's mafia tours compare?
Only the NYPD tours are led by police officers; the others are cheaper, shorter or more specialised.
| Tour | Focus | Length | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYPD mafia and food tour | Mob history, dinner at John's | 3.5 hours | 4.9 (1,495) | $129 |
| NYPD mafia walk | Same route, cannoli | 3 hours | 4.9 (1,220) | $79 |
| NYPD mafia history walk with dinner | Second listing of the food tour | 3.5 hours | 4.8 (68) | $129 |
| Little Italy mafia walk | Mulberry Street only | 2 hours | 4.7 (17) | $40 |
| Gangsters and ghosts | Five Points to the Village | 2 hours | 5.0 (145) | $35 |
| Secret speakeasies | Prohibition bars, Midtown | 3 hours | 4.8 (72) | $40 |
| True crime with a lawyer | Four murder cases | 2.5 hours | 4.6 (13) | $100 |
| Private tour by car | Graves, Goodfellas bar | 6 hours | 5.0 (24) | $975 per group |
Best overall: the NYPD mafia and food tour
A retired or active NYPD officer walks you from John's of 12th Street to Mulberry Street, with spaghetti and meatballs first and a cannoli at the end.
It is $129, about 3.5 hours, and rated 4.9 from 1,495 reviews. The honest caveats: it starts in the East Village, not Little Italy; groups reach 37; and your guide may have been a patrol officer rather than a mob detective. Read John's of 12th Street for where it begins.
Want the police view and dinner in one evening? This is the tour most visitors book.
Check dates for the NYPD mafia and food tourBest value: the NYPD mafia walk
The same guides and route for $79, with a full-size cannoli at the end and pasta lunch on the 11 AM option.
Three hours, rated 4.9 from 1,220 reviews. The 10 AM start has no lunch. See mafia walk vs food tour for the full comparison.
Best for Little Italy alone: the Little Italy mafia walk
Two hours on Mulberry Street in a group of up to 10, with a binder of vintage photos and newspaper clippings.
At $40 it costs half the NYPD walk. Stops include Petrosino Square, the old Police Building and Umberto's Clam House. One guest noted you walk back and forth around a few blocks, so it is compact rather than sweeping. See Little Italy mafia sites.
Best for families and budgets: gangsters and ghosts
Two hours from Columbus Park through Chinatown and Little Italy to Washington Square, from $35.
It mixes gangsters such as John Gotti and Lucky Luciano with ghost stories, and is pitched as suitable for all ages. Rated 5.0 from 145 reviews, with groups of up to 25. See the mafia tour with kids.
Want the mob stories in two hours and at a third of the price? This walk adds ghosts and suits all ages.
Explore the gangsters and ghosts tourBest for an evening out: secret speakeasies
A three-hour Prohibition history crawl through at least three Midtown bars and speakeasies, with express entry.
From $40; drinks and tips are extra, and the dress code is upscale casual. It is about the bootleggers rather than the five families.
Best for true crime fans: the lawyer's tour
Four real murder cases in the East and West Village, told by a lawyer who once lived in the building where one happened.
It skips the mafia entirely and covers New York from the 1960s to the 1990s, in a group of up to 12. From $100, rated 4.6.
Best for a private group: the mafia tour by car
A six-hour private tour with hotel pickup, the cemetery where mobsters are buried, the Goodfellas bar and movie locations.
It costs $975 per group, not per person, so it makes most sense for four or more. The guide is a mob historian, not an NYPD officer, and traffic decides how many sites you fit in.
Want to reach the mob sites the walks cannot? Your own guide and car, from your Manhattan hotel.
Explore the private mafia tour by carFrequently asked questions
What is the best mafia tour in New York?
For most visitors, the NYPD mafia and food tour: it is the only one led by police officers and includes dinner. The NYPD walk is the same tour without the meal.
What is the cheapest mafia tour in NYC?
The gangsters and ghosts walking tour, from $35 for two hours.
Are any mafia tours private?
Yes, the private mafia tour by luxury vehicle is for your group only, priced per group.
Which mafia tour includes food?
The NYPD mafia and food tour includes spaghetti and meatballs and a cannoli; the NYPD walk includes a cannoli, and pasta lunch on the 11 AM start.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Mafia & Local Food Tour with an NYPD Guide
- Walking tour led by a retired or active NYPD detective or officer
- Full-portion spaghetti and meatballs at John's of 12th Street (the 11 AM start serves spaghetti marinara)
- A full-size Sicilian cannoli in Little Italy; vegetarian meals on request
Gangsters and Ghosts Walking Tour
The cheapest way to hear the gangland stories
Private Mafia Tour by Luxury Vehicle
- Private guide and driver for your group only
- A luxury vehicle sized to your party, with bottled water
- Pickup from your Manhattan hotel
