Harlem Sunday-Morning Gospel Tour

New York City, United States of America

Spend Sunday morning in Harlem, the ethnically diverse borough of New York. You'll join a local church congregation and experience the soul-stirring power of gospel music on this special visit to one of New York City's most vital neighborhoods.

During your visit to legendary Harlem, you'll learn about the area's early days as a rural Dutch community. You'll hear how Harlem became home for African American writers and artists at the turn of the 20th century. You'll also learn of the suburb's troubled past during the 1960s and 70s, and of today's community brimming with pride and reveling in its new renaissance.

Harlem has an amazing story to tell at every turn! On your tour of the neighborhood you will see famous sights and landmarks such as City College, Morning Side Heights, the Morris Jumel Mansion, Sylvan terrace, Strivers Row, the Abyssinian Baptist church, Duke Ellington's home on St. Nicholas Avenue, famed 125th Street, Harlem USA, the Cotton Club, and the Apollo Theater. You'll visit the charming residential enclaves of Sugar Hill and Hamilton Heights with their elegant apartment buildings.

If you choose the gospel tour with brunch, you'll enjoy a soul food brunch at one of Harlem's local restaurants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is "Soul Food"?

A: Soul Food is traditional African American cuisine that originated in the South in the United States. Today it has become a highly sought after cuisine. It consists of spicy ribs, collard greens, fried fish and chicken, freshly cooked corn bread, and a few side dishes like black eye peas, okra, or macaroni and cheese to mention a few.

USD $55.00

Review by: Sheryn D	April 2012
This was an amazing tour, the guide was well infromed and gave us a real insight into Harlem. The gospel service needs to be seen to be believed I highly recommend that you include this in your time in NYC

Review by: Melissa M	April 2012
We felt that the church participated in this mostly for financial benefit The guide also failed to provide any real in-depth knowledge about Harlem and its history. She talked a lot about music which is obviously her passion. She also talked a lot about the tip at the end and how we had to tip her and the driver separately. If you go on this tour, expect to have your hand constantly in your wallet! (We also go taken to see an old mansion which again, we had to pay to go in).

Review by: Greg N	April 2012
Our guide for this tour led us through the early history of Harlem, which our group appreciated. Being prepared for asn all female group (a la "Sister Act"} I was a little disappointed in having a male group but nevertheless we did enjopy the experience of the Gospel event.

Review by: ELIZABETH M	April 2012
Unfortunately the NY marathon was on the same day as the tour so we had a lot of difficulty getting to our bus. The arrangments were disorganised and some people got lost along the way. The tour was cut short as a result but the quick tour we did have was insightful and the tour leader was very informant and apologetic about our delay. She was very knowledgable so it was a shame to have missed out on a full tour with her. That said, we made it to the Church service in time and thoroughly enjoyed participating in it. There were a lot more tourists than there were locals but there was no doubting their genuineness. _br/_ I took the lunch option and while I expected more from the food, the show was a lot of fun.

Review by: Jenny C	March 2012
We were really looking forward to doing this but it didn't meet our expectations at all. Firstly it was the day of the half marathon and we did a half marathon of our own to get our bus. It was very disorganised given they would have known the city would be disrupted. There was no explanation as to what was going on we were just led on a trek This made us late but credit to our guide as she managed to show us most of what was in the itinerary all be it very rushed._br/_ As for the Gospel Church, couldn't have been more disappointed! A show really for the tourists. Didn't feel it was genuine at all. A number in our group felt the same way. Lunch at The Cotton Club was ok but again rushed and didn't really feel it was good value. Save your money and join the queues at the larger Churches and enjoy the real deal.

Review by: Synnove G	March 2012
Very disappointing, most of the service was a annoncement off up-coming activities in the weeks to come.....

Review by: Jo L	March 2012
Quite disappointing, the church we went to had more tourists than parishoners and we were told we had to put a minimum of $5 in the collection plate. Lunch at the world famous cotton club was terrible. The club might have been famous in 1930 but it's now run down, the floor show was no better. Personally I would not recommend this tour, save you money.

Review by: Debra R	March 2012
If you want something different from the norm this is the trip for you! Sheila the tour guide is excellent, very knowledgeable and funny. The history is given as the bus travels along the westside of central park into Harlem with a couple of stops to get out and walk. You are made very welcome at the church and can sit and watch or join in as you wish. It's uplifting and even emotional. Do go if you get the chance you won't regret it!

Review by: lyn.peters	February 2012
A good mornings entertainment although the service was a bit full on. Meal at Cotton Club was great but I have no idea what I ate! Was seated in a very cold corner. Guide was very good and informative. Overall, a great experience.

Review by: cjggreen	January 2012
Fantastic Tour, brilliant tour guide. Thank you. Highly recommended.

Review by: Lorraine	January 2012
This was an excellent tour, very well commentated, I learnt such a lot not just about Harlem but NY in general. The gospel singing at the church was fabulous of course., and as visitors to the church we were welcomed for that section of the service.

Review by: Francesca R	January 2012
Very interesting and well organized!

Review by: francess135	January 2012
beautiful experience! our guide was lively and full of stories!

Review by: Sue	December 2011
I found the tour very enjoyable and informative - quite helpful.

Review by: Catherine H	December 2011
Really enjoyed this tour. Our guide, Tony from the Bronx was fantastic. The Church we attended in the Bronx was very welcoming and a wonderful experience. Definitely would recommend this tour.

Review by: beth	December 2011
Fantastic Tour Guide - very enthusiastic and made you feel he was enjoying what he was doing. Church service was fabulous and the congregation very welcoming. A fabulous trip.

Review by: valeria c	November 2011
The tour was extremely interesting , the guide very competent . Due to previous experiences we did not expect anything like this. This was a wonderful tour , the guide was a brilliant lady from Haiti , i don"t recall her name but I can only recommend this tour and hope that VIATOR keeps this capable and knowledgeable lady for a long time. _br/_ Val and Fran

Review by: djearthling	November 2011
Enjoyed the tour. Sheila was a great tour guide, sharing a wealth of information and history about Harlem and New York City in general. The Gospel service was enjoyable and engerizing.

Review by: FABRICE L	November 2011
The tour was OK despite I was more expecting intimacy and that we were too much people, reducing then the seats opportunities during the religious office.

Review by: Nicola H	October 2011
Definitely recommend this trip for people of all ages. The bus trip beforehand was very informative and we felt very welcomed at the church.

Review by: CARL R	October 2011
Expected more detail and history.

Review by: Anne-Marie K	October 2011
The Harlem Gospel tour was fine. We had a very friendly, pleasent and knowledgeable guide, Robert, who also had a fine sense of humour. The gospel expirience was tremendous, we felt very welcome in the church and left with a joyfull mind. Thank you for a nice and meningfull expirience. John og Marie form Denmark

Review by: Llewelyn P	October 2011
Excellent experience. A real surprise to have lunch and a show at the Cotton Club

Review by: Tan	October 2011
Our tour guide was so knowledgable, this was a perfect way to start the day. He filled us up with so much information and history on the bus and then we arrived at the church. This is a total other world for me, it was inspirational to actually be able to be apart of this, thoroughly recommended.

Review by: TracyHocking	October 2011
Made very welcome by the small but passionate congregation.

Review by: Cheryl W	October 2011
I was very disappointed in the brunch offered, tour guide was very good but food was not typical soul food

Review by: Barbara M	October 2011
The tour was great and since the tour guide was a native New Yorker he was able to answer absolutely all questions. We went to a local church service so it was totally authentic versus a contrived staging of a Sunday morning service. The congregation was sincerely happy to have us as guests. We were pleased to see the option of taking the tour in another language (e.g., French, Spanish, German). It meant that we did not spend time on the English tour having everything translated into another language. The only minor challenge was when we arrived at the Harlem Spirtual office - there was no line-up so everyone was blocking the entrance and it was quite chaotic trying to pick up the tickets. The organizers might consider monitoring the line and having a more 'civilized' process.

Review by: Mireille H	October 2011
sadly, the night before this tour, i got food poisoning and could not get up to go!!! BUT i heard it was lots of fun!!!

Review by: JANICE S	October 2011
This was better than expected not only including the Church Service but a very comprehensive tour of Harlem. The church was packed with regulars and the tourists just mixed in, singing, chanting and really being a part of the congregation's regular Sunday Service. My only complaint was the organising company did not tell the guide I had booked the Soul Food Brunch so I missed that which was VERY disappointing. The tour office were quite rude when I went back to enquire about missing out on the meal. Don't miss this though even that didn't really spoil the day.

Review by: Paul M	October 2011
A great insight into another culture and to see what Harlem is really like after the injection of cash to improve it.

Review by: laurat	September 2011
Me resultó muy interesante. La guía tenía excelente información. Fue una linda mañana conociendo un barrio típico.. Gracias

Review by: Henrik S	September 2011
It was a great experience, we had a very knowledgeable and fine guide. Its only the brunch buffet that tip it down to 4 stars.

Review by: THERESA K	August 2011
The tour was good but not what we expected. Thought we would be there for the whiole church service

Review by: Karen Marie S	August 2011
Roger, our guide was a brilliant guide, giving us all the background info on Harlem. Loved the gospel-service, and enjoyed the brunch at the Cotton Club even more. An allround good experience that I will recommend to others.

Review by: Arnold V	August 2011
This was a really good tour. The guide was a well informed native of Harlem. The lunch at the Cotton Club was fantastic. The food was excellent and the gospel band that played during that time was great as well.

Review by: FREDERICK H	August 2011
we were very happy, the guide was grat, enjoyed it so much

Review by: Sarah-Isabelle M	August 2011
So much fun! I love gospel music and loved how we could join in._br/_ Also loved the performances the church put on for us as well.

Review by: Karl W	July 2011
Very informative and interesting tour. Tour guide was providing info starting from Times Square Area. Tour includes drive-by of Upper West Side, Columbia University, Grant's Tomb, Apollo Theater, and various Harlem streets. Walking through City College of New York, George Washington's headquarters during Battle of Harlem Heights. Church service was very good. All bus tourists sat in the balcony. Musicians and choir were rockin' and very inspirational. Would have like to have seen more tourists participating in the singing and clapping in the service. Would definitely recommend this tour. Didn't participate in the soul food meal. Instructions for departing Times Square area are not exacting. We were told to be at the bus at 9:15 for a 9:30 departure. When we arrived at 9:15, the bus was full except for three seats. Some people were turned away from our English-speaking bus. I don't know if they got onto a non-English bus or were turned away completely.

Review by: A M	July 2011
Interesting trip.Great host on the tour._br/_ Some very interesting historical aspects.The church choir and music was enjoyable even though the drummer was extremely loud!_br/_ Overall reasonable value.

Review by: Tony Y S	June 2011
Great tour with a sensational guide Ellen. Fantasic Church that welcomed our group with open arms. Harlem and New York tour while travelling was alse excellent. A moving and enjoyable experience and I would highly recommend to all NY tourists

Review by: Nicole G	June 2011
A great start for a Sunday._br/_ A very nice guide made it a really good tour. Although I wish the stop at the Gospel service would have lasted longer, because the service in the church goes on but the bus groups only stay for 1 hour. The Lunch at the Cotton Club was not really worth the money, the seating was very tight and squeezed together, the food service was mass oriented, though the musical surrounding (live singer) was quite good with a personal note.

Review by: Stephen G	June 2011
Excellent activity would recommend you do this trip if you have the time.

Review by: Paul v, Australia	June 2010
excellent, guide was superb very knowledgeable with very friendly personality. Cotton Club food not as authentic as expected.

Review by: Paul M, United Kingdom	June 2010
The area that we visited was something quite different to what you would expect to find in NY. I found the brunch leg of the tour the best - the food was great and the gospel music was just sensational. The gospel worship service was a bit disappointing, mainly because the music was TOO LOUD you may need earmuffs for this event D

Review by: Erika A, Switzerland	June 2010
I will recommend this to my friends

Review by: bernadette h, United Kingdom	May 2010
we had a fab timon this tour . We had booked for the Brunch option and it was worth it. WE had a superb guide in Rober who was wll informed and a lovely man, he answered all our questions. e Church service was so inspiring and we weresad to leave wishing we could have stayed for longer , we elt welcome an priviliged to be prt of the community. And the lunch!!!! we went to the cotton club ,had delicious food and great Gospel singing..The whole tour should be longer a highlight of our trip.and everyone sould do it. Thankyou .i love viator have never been dissappointed.

Review by: Anonymous, Netherlands	May 2010
We were in the greater highway deliverance temple en the gospel singing was fantastic! The band made an enormous sound that we were blown away from our seats. We were for an hour in the church and it was a pitty that we could not stay any longer. I recommend this to everyone. Next time New York I'll go again.

Review by: Robert G, Australia	April 2010
An excellent experience. One of the best gospel tours I have been to.

Review by: Beverley P, United Kingdom	April 2010
Fantastic trip - really surprised at the history and architecture in Harlem. Our guide was fantastic - loads of knowledge, loads of personality. The Gospel Church was joyous.

Review by: Clara F, Spain	April 2010
The Gospel service was unbelievable!!