United Nations Headquarters
United Nations Headquarters
4
Historic SitesPoints of Interest & LandmarksGovernment Buildings
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Standing on the eastern shore of Manhattan Island, on the banks of New York City’s East River, United Nations Headquarters remains both a symbol of peace and a beacon of hope. To its 18 acres come representatives of the earth’s seven billion people, to discuss and decide issues of peace, justice and economic and social well being. Visit the United Nations - It's your world!
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience United Nations Headquarters
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Midtown East
How to get there
- Grand Central – 42nd St • 10 min walk
- Grand Central • 10 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
10,000 within 5 kms
Attractions
2,972 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- Omar786123London, United Kingdom5 contributionsRude security, lots of self-praise/propagandaDid the tour. Arrived 30 mins before and did the security Checkin across the street first. Underwhelmed. The building seems a little run down, and a lot of the tour was blatant UN- propaganda “look how great we are” “look how much the world spend on weapons” etc. Security was a little too strict, and the security guards themselves all seemed a bit rude, from check-in itself.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 3 October 2023
- louverstraelenDromana, Australia80 contributionsUnited Nations info!It was terrific to see the UN building and learn about the various chambers and business undertaken therein. The membership of the UN and the rules about votes and applications to join were also informative! The artwork and gifts in display were impressive and the tour guide was excellent! I really enjoyed it all!Visited October 2023Travelled soloWritten 19 October 2023
- Brian N18 contributionsExcellent informative tour with excellent guideReally interesting tour definitely worth doing if you have a few days in New York. The tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and took questions throughout the tour. We got to see the security council chamber and were able to walk through the general assembly whilst in session. So glad we did this tour.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 3 November 2023
- Grant G2 contributionsWell worth a visit with school groupsI visited the UN with students from a school in the UK. The process was pretty straightforward for getting in but with large groups, leave some time spare as the security is obviously very tight and takes a while to get your group through. Once inside, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and was able to tailor the information to the age of the students. I would highly recommend visiting the UN to other school parties as there are so many links to multiple curricula.Visited November 2023Travelled on businessWritten 12 November 2023
- BirdyQuébecQuebec City, Canada248 contributionsA must see in NYC !One of the last great attractions that I didn't see in New York. You can get in to access a gift shop and bookshop, but the guided tour is highly recommended for the explanations. We saw the Security Counsil room and the General Assembly room.Visited December 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 31 December 2023
- marcus g2 contributionsWorthwhile tourWe took the 1 hour tour. Tour guide was a Japanese gentleman who was brilliant - very thoughtful commentary - answered all questions & clearly very passionate about the UN's mission esp. Sustainable Development objectives. There was an event going on inside the General Assembly hall which was unfortunate and we could only go into it briefly but the rest of tour was very worthwhile esp. Security Council room. My teenage children werent enthused initially about going, but even they enjoyed it. Left the tour understanding more about the UN and all its various missions than before. Worth the ticket and time.Visited February 2024Travelled with familyWritten 19 February 2024
- DealFinder50Honolulu, Hawaii28 contributionsGetting Ready for and Ending UN ToursWhat you need to know. 1. The check in area is not particularly clearly marked. It is on the corner of 1st and 45th. The door on the right is the entrance door. It was locked when I arrived, but the security officer opened it after a few seconds. 2. You will need your ID twice. Once as you walk in the door and AGAIN when they take your picture (so don't put it away). 3. Once badged walk across the street to the security entrance which is just off to the left side. It is a full airport like security screening. 4. There are different types of tours, so chose carefully! 5. At the end of the tour, you will be taken down to the UN "gift" Store, Cafe, UN post office and UN bookstore and restrooms. There was also 2 non profits, directly to the left as you come out of the elevators. One of them has wonderful quality T-shirts, from $10-$20 and the other has various artistic prints. Finally the UN has its own post office! You can purchase postcards AND UN stamps and have mail postmarked from the UN.Visited April 2024Travelled soloWritten 9 April 2024
- Daniel U1 contributionTour great, do not under any circumstance use their post officeThe tour was fascinating, with a very well informed guide. However, do not use their post office. My mother worked at the UN in the 60's, so I purchased five postcards with postage for her and several of her friends, most of whom are elderly and like to receive mail. One month later, when they didn't arrive, I sent the UN post office a very pleasant email asking if perhaps they were still on the way. In response I got a very terse email essentially telling me to go #$%@ myself. Very disappointing.Visited March 2024Travelled with familyWritten 16 April 2024
- stephent922Austin, Texas51 contributionsWonderful tourSon was a member in the school's Model UN, so visiting the UN HQ was a must for him. Booked the tour a month in advanced and downloaded the tickets. The tour was very informative. Our guide was pretty knowledgable. You will learned a lot about the UN and its function, as well as the goal and why they are important not only for us, but everyone else on this planet. We got to go in and check out the assembly hall too.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten 27 June 2024
- Dale and Rick C5 contributionsShare the WorldIt is such an important place for everyone to visit in their lifetime. The building is stunning, the guides are knowledgeable, the history is critical for all citizens of our world. We took our 12-year old grand daughter for her first visit to NYC. She found many connections to her life as well.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 8 July 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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 waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
2,195 reviews
Excellent
1,050
Very good
672
Average
330
Poor
99
Terrible
45
Cozette W
Lakeville, MN1 contribution
Jan 2020
If you are a news junky this is a great tour to take. The tour solidly connects todays headlines with historical interest! Understanding the UN at a new level of detail, the tour breaks down the history, shares the evolution over time and give you an opportunity to really see all the areas the UN impacts. As an interesting aside, there is beautiful art that has been donated by countries and is scattered along the tour. I was there in January so there were no lines and the grounds look amazing, but of course were bare. I plan to go back just to see the grounds when it's warm.
Written 20 January 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.
Fay S
California48 contributions
Jan 2020
The U.N. has been around a long time and we always hear some tidbits about them on the news from time to time. However, it is well worth a visit to this great institution to hear about the inner workings of how things are actually done, to see the different rooms in which they meet and to see some of the splendid artwork that is displayed. Our tour guide was very informative and answered questions readily. It is a good place to learn about what exactly the U.N. does and their worldwide involvement in making this a better place for us all.
Written 3 February 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.
Jim R
LYNCHBURG9 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We (two out-of-state couples) visited on a weekday morning. The UN recommended that we arrive 60 minutes before the scheduled tour time. We did not need that much time, but February is definitely the slow season, thankfully. Our guide was from Senegal, was very easy to understand, and was passionate about serving the UN. When asked by a tour member what he found fulfilling about his job, he became very animated. He said he very much enjoyed educating visitors from all over the world about the breadth of the UN mission both at the headquarters and throughout the world. He had held a variety of positions both here and abroad, and seemed very knowledgeable (and diplomatic when asked uncomfortable questions). There is a bookshop of course, and we spent most of our pre-tour wait in there. Perhaps the highlight was the opportunity after the tour to chat for over an hour with a nice couple from Belgium about their country and ours. Getting to know people from other countries definitely makes the world a smaller place.
Written 8 February 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.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,639 contributions
Mar 2020
The United Nations Building is considreed to be a foreign enclave on US territory. The UN Building is quite specacular, but its hard to get into it these days, for a tour you must book ahead and arrive an hour beforehand for secuirty checks. The UN Building is on the East River, in Turtle Bay, which sometimes serves as a sobriquet for the UN organisation.
Written 29 May 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.
Melissa M
United Kingdom292 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
I visited the UN last week twice one on Monday which was the Spanish General Tour and the second which was on Wednesday called the Black History Month Tour, and despite the slight bad experience I had with the rudeness of one of the guards at the check in process department (who should read the charter of the UN BETTER as he has it ¨on hand¨), the rest of my experience was more than perfect. I really recommend visitors of NYC to drop and learn more about the Humanitarian work of United Nations. Overall my visit was very educational and I highly recommend it especially to law students dealing in the field of International Law and Human Rights. Honestly, it was a privilege to be able to attend twice. Melissa Munoz :D!
Written 13 February 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.
LW7658
Philadelphia, PA61 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We’re in NY to see a couple of shows, enjoy restaurants and museums but we also wandered over to the East Side to tour the UN. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and the tour was very interesting. We’d like to go back and take a tour of the art works in addition to the basic tour we took, which covers the history, structure and workings of the UN. Definitely worth the time!
Written 17 January 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.
GaHound
Monroe, GA223 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The UN is a great place to visit in NYC. I learned more about its operations and purpose. The art is fantastic. Staff could be more visitor friendly, especially across the street wher you have to check in before purchasing your tickets. Otherwise, nice visit.
Written 15 February 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.
Grant G
2 contributions
Nov 2023 • Business
I visited the UN with students from a school in the UK. The process was pretty straightforward for getting in but with large groups, leave some time spare as the security is obviously very tight and takes a while to get your group through. Once inside, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and was able to tailor the information to the age of the students. I would highly recommend visiting the UN to other school parties as there are so many links to multiple curricula.
Written 12 November 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.
Edward3010
Sydney, Australia22 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
The visitor centre office where you must go first is a pretty unfriendly place. They scream orders at you and try to create a feeling of fear to do the wrong thing.
Once over to the UN proper that feeling disappears and normality returns.
The tour was informative but was rushed through in some parts. The guide was knowledgeable but didn’t engage at all with us on any personal level.
One of the tour group broke the rules 3 or 4 times and was warned again and again but not removed.
Once over to the UN proper that feeling disappears and normality returns.
The tour was informative but was rushed through in some parts. The guide was knowledgeable but didn’t engage at all with us on any personal level.
One of the tour group broke the rules 3 or 4 times and was warned again and again but not removed.
Written 6 February 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.
L3656JArichardf
Slidell, LA37 contributions
Feb 2020
We have been wanting to visit the United Nations for a long time on our many trips to New York. We could never squeeze it in but this time we finally did and it was worth the wait. To get in you need to go across the street from the entrance to get your pass. Be ready because it is just like going thru TSA check in at the airport. But the pass and the entrance is free and when you walk in you will be amazed there will be a tour that you can go on, not sure if there is a fee because we did not have time to take a tour, but we could walk around the ground floor, got to see where the room where the delegates cast their votes. Really a great experience and I highly recommend it.
Written 11 February 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.
If I book a tour for the afternoon can I get it early to view exhibits and the shop beforehand?
Written 19 March 2023
I believe you will only be able to see the shop if you make it earlier, not the exhibits.
Written 20 March 2023
Journey64981615641
New Jersey
レジスターの名前と、ツアーに参加する者の名前を
間違って入力した場合、ツアーには、参加できないのでしょうか?
Written 7 October 2022
Are water bottles or food permitted through the security checkpoint?
Written 24 January 2020
No, but there is a snack area downstairs
Written 16 February 2020
Veo que hay gente que dice que se puede visitar sin reservar el tour de pago, pero entrando gratis y sin reserva se puede acceder a las salas principales?
Written 12 October 2019
No, a las Salas de las Reuniones tienes q ir con un guia y pagar por la visita. Gratis puedes entrar al holl del edificio, donde está la cafetería y la tienda, además de la figura en bronce de Nelson Mandela.
Written 15 October 2019
Wo kann ich eine Führung in "deutscher" Sprache in der UN in New York buchen? Zeitraum: 08.10. bis 12.10.2019
Written 21 August 2019
Bonjour. Sur le site de l'ONU ...
Written 21 August 2019
Do we have to book the tour online or can it be done on site?
Written 3 July 2019
I booked ours online.They have tours every 15 mins. You have to arrive an hour early to get "clearance". Bring ids
Written 4 July 2019
I want to tour the U.N. but we can't take the subway so must rely on a cab. Is there anything else, sightseeing wise, to see that is close by since we are already in the area?
Written 30 June 2019
Walk a few blocks down 42nd Street to Grand Central Terminal...well worth a visit
Written 1 July 2019
Any help with the dress code? Visiting in July and it will be hot. Are shorts acceptable?
Written 27 June 2019
There is a stated dress code. We dressed in summer pants and tops with short sleeves. That said there were people in suits and people in shorts as well.
Written 28 June 2019
If you book online do you have to print the tickets, or can you show on a phone?
Written 27 June 2019
I went with a group of 12 people so I printed the tickets. Not sure if you can just show the phone.
Written 1 July 2019
How much are the flags at the gift shop?
Written 18 May 2019
I bought two whilst there. Can’t remember the price exactly but maybe around $6-8 each.
Written 14 June 2019
…
Showing results 1-10 of 48
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing