Embark on an enlightening journey at the United Nations Visitors Services in New York City, where you can dive into the heart of global diplomacy. This is your chance to explore the inner workings of the UN, a place where world leaders come together to forge solutions for peace and progress. The Visitors Services offers guided tours that provide a unique perspective on the UN’s role in addressing international challenges. You’ll see the General Assembly Hall, where pivotal decisions are made, and learn about the Organization’s work through exhibits and presentations. It’s not just a tour; it’s an educational adventure that brings you face-to-face with the efforts to improve our world. Whether you’re a student, a tourist, or a local, the United Nations Visitors Services presents an opportunity to connect with global issues and understand the impact of the UN’s mission.

Just note that check-in services are on west side across the street.

We saw the rooms where the UN General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, and the Trusteeship Council meet. There is amazingly beautiful art throughout the complex, and a separate art tour is offered to see even more art than what is shown on the general tour.

We took a guided tour. Our tour guide was Regina and she was very informative, professional, and enthusiastic. She even offered to take pictures for us. At the end they offered some free resources for educators.

Brilliant tour guide. Extremely professional and knowledgeable. Thank you

A great experience to visit around

Worth the stop! Go across the street to get a visitors badge. We didn't sign up for the tour but walked the grounds and visited the gift shop.

Very interesting tour with lots of facts. Guides we’re extremely knowledgeable. Very cool.

Amazing tour inside the UN headquarters!

+6

Nice place to visit and see how multilateral relations works among states.

The tour was fantastic and very inspiring. It is good to know and understand what the UN does for the people in need.

I really enjoyed this tour. That was in large part to our tour guide, Hajer, who seemed really passionate about the UN and it’s guiding principles. She asked questions and made the tour engaging. The UN HQ is of course engaging all on its own. It’s an incredible piece of architecture. it has the energy you get from visiting the US Capitol building or some other powerful institution (obviously!) great tour. Arrive early, the security check can take a minute.

They have very nice things to buy.

+3

The one hour tour is well worth the visit. Exhibits are excellent and tour guide informative.

I love this place! Global Citizens:)

+6

Fantastic visit. Our guide was great.

Visitors service is very helpful. Don't forget to sign up online in advance. It makes it easier to get a pass. There can be a line sometimes.

A cool place that might put me out of work someday.....and that would be a good thing!

+1

A great interesting visit to the U N. Wonderful Guide.

+1

We had the most amazing tour at the UN. So much culture to experience in one single place. Special praise for Mrs. Silmara! She was wonderful! Showed great knowledge of the UN and allowed us to fully comprehend how the entity works. She’s got an amazing good energy that was contagious on the entire group! Keep up with the great work!

Love this place it have an free area to the public were you can see all the skyline and the Iconic Pepsi cola sign.

We all saw these chambers on news. I loved the experience of looking at these chambers in-person. Also the tour and explaining about the UN goals.

+6

Awesome tour! Got to see UNGA in action!! Excellent tour guide 👍

+2

Wonderful experiences that could be treasure. So much learning and education. I hope it will be open to other civilian visitors for them to experience. Beautiful UN stuffs for souvenier.. Thank you!!! 😊

+6

Excellent tour of the UN! You get to learn so much about global health and the relationships countries, their leadership, and it’s people have. Highly recommended.

+4

Awesome....the program / agenda for the "International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade" was phenomenal!!

+3

We visited as my son was very keen on doing this tour. We got to see the UN main council in session with the Secretary General on the podium ! Good tour guide kept the level of interest up

Great place to visit ($0) even without doing the tour ($20) Interesting building,garden plaza,exhibitions in the foyer and lots of gifted art on display.Visitor centre downstairs has posters and lots of interesting literature for free 😉

+5

Very well informed guides. We got to see a few of the meeting rooms and even (quietly and quickly) walk through a meeting in progress. We didn't get to see the security council meeting room though. Security was long but we got through with enough time to explore some of the lobby and grounds before our tour began. The gift shops were great and I got a good amount of quality merch. I would visit again but I would recommend checking the meeting schedule online to see which rooms will be empty when you visit.

It was very informative. I took a group of girls to just gain the experience of the tour and they left with way more. Thank you.

+6

We had a great tour from our guide Jonathan who was very knowledgeable and who showed us more from this fascinating place than we expected. A truly inspirational visit!

I went to N.Y and I went here, but, It was close. But from outside it looks awesome, it was a huge building. But what I didn't saw was, all the flag's of Country's up. I don't know why!! But this building looks nice.

Great place to visit and learn about the uN and its mission. Great view take photos

+3

Amazing place to visit. Must book tour and checkout the general assembly.

The tour was exciting. The energy so high! Tour was informative.

First time here a week early before they're in session

+6

Tour was great, as long as there isn’t a meeting they’ll take you into the General Assembly, the Security Council room and everything. Very cool! Make sure to book a time in advance and be there well ahead of your reserved time (they recommend an hour but 45 min was okay), because security can take some time.

O think the UN does not requires any introduction or review. I’m just sharing here my personal experience. I have always been interested in international diplomacy because I’m a firm believer that the world is just one and we have to find a way to live like that. UN has a lot of imperfections and old politics but is still the better political experience we have been able to produce. The guided tour takes you directly in the places where leaders and dignitaries from all around the world meet. For anyone like me who are used to watch international meetings taking place in those rooms, be there is quite fantastic.

Great tour guide, very informative

Our tour guide was full of information and answered everyone's questions as in depth as she could. It was surreal to be looking around and walking through places I've seen only on t.v. and in photographs. It has multiple (huge) gift stores, toilets and plenty of opportunities to take brilliant photos. I highly recommend!

+6

The UN was an amazing experience and a building that ends up being very emotionally draining. Unexpectedly the meaning of the building was laid upon you. From the security council to the general assembly. The amazing jaw dropping importance of this house gives you chills.

+2

The guided tour gives in depth access to many rooms that you would otherwise not see. Keep in mind that you should arrive early to your scheduled tour as you will need to check in across the street. The process takes about 10-15 minutes including waiting in line, getting your visitor badge, and security screening. Guides are very knowledgeable and are very passionate about the United Nations missions and can answer any question you may have for them

Nothing much to say about this. It’s the United Nations so I believe it to be an important visit. Security can be a bit stressful especially if you have a language barrier, but I believe in you, you can do it! Not pictured is a large downstairs area where there is a post office, food court, bookstore, and gift shop. I would recommend the visit, but there are definitely better things to see in NYC if you have time restraints

+6

Konstantinos Karampelas

The 45 minutes tour was really interesting. It contains plenty of information about the role and mission of the UN. It is also a chance to see for real the assembly room and other meeting halls, often displayed in the media.

+6

Milind Godbole

Excellent service and help in issuing an access pass. Pl carry your passport or a national ID. Indian tourist can carry an Adhar card or a driving license. Amazed to see Staff pulling out information by accessing India Govt data base. Pl consider taking a guided tour that would give an access to UNGA, Security council meeting room and many. Adult below 60 will cost $ 26 and above 60 is $ 18. Children below 18 are free. Must visit to understand the objectives and purpose of setting up UN. People, Planet, Prosperity, Partnership are the focus area.

+6

MJG

This was easily the highlight of our trip to NYC. We didn't even plan on doing a tour but there was a heatwave going through NYC while we were there so we opted for more indoor activities and we were glad we did. You have to buy tickets ahead of time, and the times for tours get scooped up fast. The tour is an hour, could have been longer but it was still so informative. Our tour guide was great. (forget her name but she was a very nice lady from Madagascar). She had answers for all the questions and she was very informative and kept us on schedule. If you're going to NYC, make sure you make this a must stop for your trip. You won't regret it. After the tour you can go to the gift shop which has a lot of cool merchandise. 5/5, highly recommend. Follow me for more reviews, photos and tips.

+6

Eugene Tan

Highly recommend this guided tour of the United Nations headquarters. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and patient and gave us plenty of opportunities to take pictures. The gift shop has souvenirs from every country. Recommend purchasing tickets in advance and choosing a time slot. When you arrive, you have to first check in across the street.

+2

Roland Zeller

Great tour of the United Nations! The place is quite accessible and you can visit both the Security Council and the General Assembly, if there is no session ongoing. Our guide give a lot of very valuable information about the UN and how it works.

+6

BONNIE HERNANDEZ

You do need to preregister and upload some documents for security, but the time and effort are worth it. You get a hands on tour of the UN and get to see artifacts from around the world. The tour guides give you time for photos and your questions about this important work this place. AMAZING!!

Damon Peters

So worthy of our time. Pro tip: attend in the off season, such as January. I didn’t wait in line at the security check, and we only had eight people in our tour group. The tour guide was calm and thoughtful, and we had plenty of time to ask questions and take pictures. Highly recommend if you have half a day and have weekday open.

+6

Steve Tung

I got a tour at 11AM. I arrived on time. Those who have a tour should come at least 1 hr before because you have to pass an ID checked and security screening. After you came inside the building, you also have to get a sticker color base on your tour time. It’s for safety reason. Overall, I enjoyed the tour and the guide “Vola” was great. She explained everything clearly and she was so friendly to guests.

+6

L. Chu

Worth visiting and remember to send out the postcard from here to get the unique stamp.

+6

Rafael Volquind

I liked too much too visit UN buildings. It's possible to access important parts and the main conference rooms were all the world discuss about peace, environment and development. Beautiful place and an incredible experience to walk inside this so important organization. If you are in New York or intended to visit the city, go to UN and enjoy the experience!

+6

Hong Zhang

UN HQ is a highly educational place for ordinary people. The guided tour is the best way to get the education and fun. All the staff are wonderful.

+6

AK

Very nice garden, but United Nations building needs some updates

+6

Yes ready good to know all history and the work the UN dose around the world

+6

Steve Cavaleri

I was blown away by the access you get with this tour. Our tour guide was an expert on the current operation as well as the history of the United Nations. You don't see this tour as a suggestion in the travel guides,but I highly recommend it!

Carlo R. Carranza

Visiting the United Nations Visitors Services was a fascinating experience. The guided tour offered insights into the UN's important work and global impact. I appreciated learning about international diplomacy and seeing iconic spaces like the General Assembly Hall. A must-visit for anyone interested in global affairs!

Worth a visit for anyone in NYC, idealistic vision but required in this increasingly disturbed world, elegant but expansive spaces with typical scandinavian utility and simplicity. The tour guide was knowledgeable, the security process was not too onerous. If you want your passport stamped, shop the gift store or eat at the cafeteria don't take the 445 (last) tour or come earlier since everything closes by 5 and they don't tell you that!

Visited here on a class field trip years ago. Very interesting place to visit as a child. I particularly liked the Ivory sculptures but don't know if they still have them due to the sensitivity of the ivory trade now.

Finally made it inside. Tour overall was good, overview of the building and mission. However, tour felt a bit rushed. Tour guide could of benefited from a microphone, and spoke fast.

It was a very nice and interesting tour. one can enter all the Chambers and learns about the history and present of the UN. Just a little too hasty, I would have liked to have more time at each stop.

Highly professional and courteous. . Get the job done of security screening with better level of efficiency than some New York City locations. Easy instructions, simple directions. Relatively well thought out processes and procedures. . Pleasant experience. . We would not hesitate to consider the United Nations Visitor Center for a security screening and visit again. . Definitely go and visit the United Nations through this office for your security classification. .

Those who have a tour should come at least 1 hr before because you have to pass an ID checked and security screening. After you came inside the building, you also have to get a sticker color base on … More

A Historically Rich Centre with Art and Artifacts dipicting the diverse culture of the the Nations United.

+1

Located right on the East River and the tour is interesting and worth doing

Entry to UN buildings is free with passes. Present Identity proof (Passport) to the visitors office at the corner of 45th Street. For Guided tour, only online booking is available whereas for normal entry to UN building requires passes which are issued at the visitors centre. Ensure to book online in advance for guided tour with charges. Guided tour takes about an hour & is done every hour. Very courteous security staff, & other tour guides in the premises.

Must visit earlier than your tour booking time. Security check would be around 20-30 minutes.

+6

As our Trip to NY we visited UN building. There are other major places to visit as well.

Interesting to see the UN headquarters from the inside. Lots of photo ops and thought-provoking information on display. The guided tour we were on was a decent experience but a lot depends on your guide. Come armed with questions if you want to maximize the experience. Caution: visitor check-in (across the st from the main entrance) is slow so get there early.

Hongda Lu

Be there at least 30 minutes before the tour. You don't need tour to get in to the building. Just need to pass the security. Book the tour 1 or 2 weeks in advance. If not available, you still can get into the building 1st floor and basement without tour tikets. In . Tour tickets may be available to buy in site. There's cafeteria and gift shop in the basement.

+6

Desiree Schwartz

We did a tour of the United Nations Building and it was extremely fascinating. There were so many things we hadn't known that our guide talked to us about. We got lucky with being able to see one of the meeting rooms as they are normally in session at this time. Overall, it's worth going-at least to be able to gain more knowledgeable about everything around us!

+1

Evelyn Moore

We did a tour of the United Nations Building last week. A few things to know. You need to check in at the building across the street from the UN bldg. Ask security when you arrive. We, and many others, were in the wrong line. A security officer came up and explained this, and told us we needed ONE person from our party with an ID to check in. The rest of your party can go across the street and get in the line for the tour @ the UN Bldg. The person checking in will receive a name tag they must wear, which has the number of people in your party. They are given wrist bands for the rest of your party that you must wear for the duration of your time in the building. You'll go through security, similar to airport security, prior to entering. Once you get through security you'll be in the plaza. Great views and sculptures there. You'll then proceed into the building and you need to check in again for your tour. They'll have you wait for your tour time to be called. Be on time! They leave immediately when they call it up. We had a very nice Ukrainian gentleman do our tour. He was a bit difficult to understand at times due to his accent and he spoke quickly, but he was very knowledgeable! We were able to see a couple of the meeting rooms, which was interesting. There are many displays, exhibits, and gifts from other member countries throughout. Our tour guide didn't stop at all of them, and there were some I wish I had seen. I did, however, pop out of the group a couple of times to grab photos of some things that he didn't point out. (I didn't leave the group - just walked around the area he was speaking of). It's certainly worth a visit. They have clean restrooms, vending machines, a cafe, and a gift shop. Near the gift shop there were also two small "shops" that we stopped into. Don't miss these as your purchase goes directly to these groups. One is a women's organization, the other is an organization that trains young college students. I can't remember the names of the organizations, but both shops are run by volunteers. We purchased an item from each shop. They are right near the staircase. I'll update my review with the names once I have them.

+6

Rodrigo Sartori Bogo

The building is beautiful and there's interesting things to see on the first floor, including the UN store. However, the free pass is limited, if you want to visit more places you need to do it through a tour.

+4

Samrudha Dixit

Amazing experience. We took the Guided tour for architecture, there are others for art, history, etc. The building itself is getting a little older but also packs a lot of history and heritage. The exhibits are good to walk past and read about the current world event. However the UN shop is not good at it. The higher mark-up value is not justified by the quality of products. Even the collection of things from different countries was bad.

+6

The tour here was very underwhelming… it was interesting to see inside of the UN - although the building is pretty old and looking a bit tired. The tour guide was nice but the info given was so basic - I mean getting info about very basic historical events should not be the point of the tour - rather it should focus on workings of the UN challenges today etc - also showing random gifts from countries on display like some boat model are just not interesting. I would not prioritize this if you are in New York for a short while. I see a lot of positive reviews here - experience might be guide dependent

Visited it with family today. Flowers in the garden along the East River and history of the building are amazing. Some guards at the visitor entrance were rude and acted as if they were better than visitors. They made my elderly parents jump through many loops while berating us for holding the line. A discredit to the vaunted organization.

Not a bad experience , but nothing special neither

Was looking forward to this as I studied a great deal about it during school and after. Had built it up in my head with such respect and regard. Unfortunately, wasn't very impressed with the tour. A lot of sections were closed to visitors. The very few exhibits displayed were good but the tour was so rushed that one doesn't have enough time to fully appreciate the artwork.( Not the fault of the tour guide; it was designed as such). Also, wasn't allowed to look around after the tour concluded. ( To read and study things that were set aside due to the rushing tour) So that was disappointing. The narrative, I thought, was lacking. It neither inspired awe or appreciation. I forgot all about it as soon as I walked out of the UNO. It was that memorable. The gift shop was a bit of a saving grace. Though didn't buy anything other than post cards, the collection of jewellery for sale from different countries was delightful. Book section was good as well. Can't say the disappointment was because of reality not meeting expectations or because it was genuinely poorly designed tour. Over all, it was not satisfying. It felt incomplete and unimpressive. If they were going to close off so many sections to the public, why bother opening it at all? I guess the philosophy they operated on here was "very little is better than nothing at all".

This is a place I always wanted to see. The guided tour itself was okay. I expected to see more. However my expectations may have been wrong because this is a secure place and should be. Ensure you read signs. A security guard got real rude with me for venturing past a secure point. I would say unnecessarily rude. Definitely go if you get a chance. The diversity of people and some parts and the tour is worth it.

+1

Samuel C

Great tour - highly recommended! But the staff at the exit was unbelievably rude. We followed the visitor exit sign, opened the door and wanted to exit. The guy literally shouted at us, “no, shut the door!” (Yes even without a “please”) - and he opened the staff exit gate for us! No explanations whatsoever, typically US rude style! We just followed the sign - so what have we done to deserve this! We were left pretty annoyed by this treatment, so for this reason I only gave 3 stars. I hope the management team could see this review and improve their customer service. After all, we paid the visit, and our countries also contributed to the running costs of UN, including staff. So we deserve better respect.

We had to wait a long time to get inside due to the huge visitor pass line and security check-in, even though we arrived before opening hours. As a consequence we missed 20-25 minutes of our paid(!) tour and didn't get the option for joining a later one.

I'd say it was the worst place I visited in NYC. Too much security and entry procedures more than airports. The staff is friendly though. Once you are finally inside, you only have access to the first and ground floors, which have nothing special except the stores in the ground floor. To explore the building, you have to wait for about 3 hours for a scheduled guided tour only otherwise you can't do anything. I ended up buying some nice souvenirs and leaving without exploring the building.

The workers/security guard were so RUDE ! Guide was good on explaining everything thoroughly. It was our first time going so we didn't know we had to check in beforehand online before going on line. The security guard at the check in center was so rude sounded like he was racist towards us (Chinese) he said how did we not know to check in online beforehand and that we were wasting his and everyone's time, like there was other people on line also and I saw others too that forgot to sign up online. When we went in the the workers that was helping us behind the desks started laughing at us when I was translating for my relatives they were seniors!! Being an Chinese born American this was just racist and I felt so offended

Got denied the tour because my ID expired during my trip. He said I could come back tomorrow but how am I supposed to have a different ID when I'm from half way across the country. I understand security but seriously dumb.

Awful experience. Felt horrible walking in

Our guide was a big disappointment, heavy accent and low energy, impossible to understand. Compounded by the fact that other loud tours were taking place all around us. What you “learn” from the ordeal can all be gleaned from five minutes on their website. Before the boring tour, you’ll be greeted by surly security staff barking commands and feeling important. Lack of information on the ticket regarding the location of the entrance as well as confusing signage. Save yourself the money and headache and avoid this big meh.

I went in September - awful customer service. I missed a third of the tour because they didn't make it clear that it was starting. Refused to give me any money back and instead suggested I go on another tour at a concession rate. Absolutely diabolical. The actual tour guide was lovely and it's a shame I can't rate her separately.

Thailand has already used bilateral mechanisms to arrange for border talks, but Cambodian leaders have refused to cooperate and created provocations, even violating the Ottawa Treaty. And now Cambodia is violating the Geneva Convention by using missiles to attack hospitals and civilian homes in Thailand, resulting in the deaths and injuries of civilians and detainees, which is considered a war crime.

Do not come unless you want to risk getting treated like a criminal. I booked a tour and they cancelled it but i had no idea, so i went on the morning for my tour. They said i had no tour and they had sent an email notifying and even told me i had opened the email when i actually didnt. Turns out they did sent it but it was in spam folder so i got no idea i got it but i didnt even opened it, but they assured me i had read it and tried to frame me as a liar which coming from them is quite ironic. Why on earth would I come and waste my time if i already knew it? So its not only that they do nothing to stop wars and genocide. They cant even book tours, but as seen on tv they sure are good at accusing and condemning.