Really cool piece of history! The self-guided tour is mostly stories about what it was like to live as a Jewish immigrant in the lower East Side and it was like seeing a slice of the past. It was incredible to learn about the restoration journey, as well.

Amazingly beautiful synagogue, a hidden gem in LES Chinatown. Pay what you wish on Monday & Friday. Friendly staff. Great digital guide with a lot of information. The architecture is a treasure. All the details are just so wonderful and full of rich history.

Beautiful restored synagogue. Its beauty is worth the entrance ticket. You can walk around and admire the craftmanship and pay your respect. On the basement is an exhbit or the museum part where you can learn about the Jewish migration to the New World and how they strived.

The Eldridge Street Synagogue (1887) was the first grand synagogue built in the United States by Eastern European Jews. Impressive decoration and architecture! Take pictures and enjoy the beautiful view of this magnificent place!!:)

Absolutely beautiful! We went for a free docent led tour of the museum. Such a wonderful history! The exhibits explained the background and early stories of the museum.

Simply WOW! So well maintained and so much history! John was our guide on the day and the visit would not have been the same without him. Thank you John!

Incredible place. A must-see. Came here for the first time recently. Everyone is super nice. I went on tour with one of the volunteers who was so kind and knowledgeable. Truly a hidden gem.

This place is wonderful and extremely beautiful. You would be amazed to see what’s inside of this sleeping beauty. On Fridays, docent led tours are offered at a donation price (which ever amount you choose). Gorgeous and historical place to visit.

This is really known as the Eldridge Street Synagogue. It is a beautiful historic building that has been renovated back to its former glory. The docent was excellent and was very receptive to questions. Put this lovely building in your list to visit. You won't regret it!

This synagogue is a special piece of Jewish history worthwhile for anyone to visit. The digital tour is well done and the workers were helpful. There are no services currently due to covid. The building is stunning with stained glass, a rich wood bima, and Jewish artifacts on display. This tour pairs well with the Tenement Museum.

This is an absolute hidden gem! The beauty within those walls is breathtaking! I enjoyed the exhibit prior to entry that highlighted women who lived on the LES and their incredible journeys. It was built as a synagogue welcoming Jewish immigrants from all over the world. Be sure to look for the flyer that has a QR code for a self guided tour. They also have docent led tours. Do not miss this amazing piece of NYC history.

Best tour I’ve been to during this trip! Staff were very knowledgeable, friendly and thoughtful. I knew almost nothing about Jewish culture before this trip but now I’m fascinated! I think I’m going to check out the museum of Chinese American as well after this! To hear what they’ve been through as immigrants since centuries ago.

This place is beautiful and spectacular inside with a humble entrance that is even hard to notice when passing by. You can come on Mondays and Fridays - it's pay as you wish. On other days the regular price is 15 bucks. You have to deposit your backpack and any food or drinks. There aren't a lot of visitors and the staff are friendly and welcoming. I happened to join a guided tour which was also good - the guide (cannot remember her name) is a patient and kind lady and they are not forcing you to donate or do anything. I know little about Jewish religion and came only because I heard it is beautiful architecture but the visit was still informative and doesn't make me feel weird or unwelcomed.

A hidden gem in the Lower East Side surrounded by Chinese shops and right next to a Buddhist temple. Beautiful architecture with tons of symbolism. The museum is very small but provides a good background of how the Jewish community established and grew in NY. Since it is not busy, you can take your time reading all the information and sitting and reflecting. The piece de resistance is the temple itself. It is breathtaking!! There are no words to explain how majestic and peaceful it is. As you enter, WOW! The gorgeous stained window , the chandeliers, and the wood surrounding the nave are incredible. One has to sit to take in all the beauty in this temple. The tour guides are so knowledgeable and funny!

An absolutely stunning synagogue. Full of so much history, a must see if want to be taken back in time and see some amazing artefacts and hear some incredible facts about Eastern European jews who lived in that area many many years ago. Such a beautiful place. The tour we went on was so great too and the guide was insanely knowledgeable and friendly.

Truly great museum, I have been to similar places across the world. But this was the best. If you come on the hour there is a guided tour. We had Jamie and she did a great job. I learnt a lot about the place and really enjoyed learning and seeing the beautiful history

The museum staff was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. The whole self guided trip was informative and, the pictures don't lie, the architure is out of this world beautiful.

Great lowkey spot to spend 30-60 min appreciating the astounding craftsmanship and Glasswork, as well as learning about Jewish history. Would highly recommend a self guided tour, which leaves you open to take pictures wherever you'd like. Certain days are pay as you wish as well. Not somewhere you could spend a whole day, but definitely a nice stop when touring downtown Manhattan and China town!

pretty cool, kind of short but a nice slice of history. I wish there was more about restoration and how the temple worked, but it was very interesting. It was a little difficult to access internet so for the self-guided tour I missed one “stop”, but they were all cool websites. And I liked the menorah exhibit thing.

Beautiful place, very glad that it wasn’t lost and was restored.

What an amazing place to visit. The tour was absolutely wonderful with so much information. The history is interesting and the building itself is a work of art. You don't need to be Jewish or religious to appreciate the beauty of the building. Photos don't do it justice. You don't have to take the tour if you don't want, but they point out a lot of things that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't. The piece de resistance is the large stained glass window. It isn't the original, so isn't of that period's style, but it is so spectacular and unique. The blues are breathtaking. I could spend an hour just admiring it. It is also located in China town, so you are surrounded by amazing restaurants to try.

I had a lovely experience! The staff are so nice and helpful. The tour guide sometimes forgot some words in english (but that's fine, 'cause I'm not a native speaker either!). The Museum itself is an important project of conservation and restoration of the original temple. Amazing. Since it'a jewish museum, it's closed on saturdays, but on mondays it has a "pay what you wish" schedule. They asked for a vaccine card.

We very enjoyed our visit. It made our visit to NYC more special. The tour guide was excellent. He was able to point out features which added to our understanding. He was personable and professional. A special thank you to the staff.

Great experience with a docent led tour. It was about an hour. And provided great overview and context of historical NY Jewish and about the historical building it self. Didn't expect to learn as much as I did and that is always a delightful surprise.

Excellent restoration and exhibits showcasing late 19th and early 20th century local Jewish culture. You can spend anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours depending on your schedule. Make this synagogue your primary destination to learn about the lower east side and Jewish immigration to the United States!

Beautiful synagogue with exquisite attention to detail during the restoration. The museum shows the history of the building and the work done to restore it to what you see today. Guided tours are offered. Plan to spend about an hour if you’re going to look at / read the history and details of restoration. There’s also a small gift shop with well thought out purchase options.

Amazing place, incredible design, interesting history. Take time to absorb it!

One of the world most beautiful synagogues. Now strictly a museum. Our your guide, Barry, was quite a raconteur.

On Monday, it is pay what you wish + $1. Docent-led tours get a personal touch with family stories, and you are allowed into the synagogue. This beautiful place was the first synagogue built from the ground up (not a converted building) built by the poorest wave of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. It captured their high hopes for their lives in this new country. It was almost lost to neglect and decay but was luckily rescued and restored.

Fabulous experience.... March 2023 My husband and I had read about the history of the Eldridge Street Synagogue and Museum and stopped by to take a look. WOW!!!!! The synagogue was breathtaking and the one-hour (FREE) tour was exceptional. Susan was our tour guide. She was articulate and enthusiastic in her presentation and thoughtful and respectful as she explained the meaning of the various artifacts and materials in the museum. We came away enlightened and grateful for this lesser-known tourist destination. Very few people and a personalized educational tour that was top-notch. Highly recommend.

Stunning building. Just the new stained glass window at the back is worth the price of admission. We didn't try the guided tour, but the self-guided one was great. Be sure to bring your NYCID if you have one for free entry

Fun little tour! The display of international menorahs was cool (but I wish they listed dates). So was the memorabilia downstairs from the history of the synagogue. Lots of cool artifacts from the 19th - early 20th centuries.

This is a place EVERY one should see. It is both solemn and joyous and a feast for the eyes. It's an outstanding NYC landmark. You must go! I was here before Covid and I'm going back. There are stunning architectural details and beautiful restoration work. Our guide was super nice and smart and helpful.

Absolutely GORGEOUS historical landmark, museum, cultural center, and synagogue. A fascinating and beautifully preserved landmark from old New York which hosts concerts, neighborhood events, and tours year round. We love attending the “Eggrolls, Egg creams, and Empanadas” festival every summer where they delve into the ethnic make up of the LES by exploring the Chinese, Jewish, and Hispanic cultures that have made up the neighborhood. They also always have a fantastic concert on Christmas Day: this year (2023) they had a Klezmer Trio and a traditional Chinese instrument trio which each played separately and then together. A MUST for tourists and locals alike!

A true gem and well worth a visit, even if only for a moment. The staff are very friendly, welcoming and knowledgable. (Thank you!) This is a monument to the spiritual and social life of a vibrant immigrant community. An amazing American story with connections to the past and the "old country."

Such a beautiful surprise... Stunning place to sit and enjoy.

You must visit this place! Incredibly beautiful synagogue. Take the tour to learn so much more information about the temple (open in covid) There is also an exhibit on menorahs from around the world. Stain glass is breathtaking and stunning. Staff is wonderful. They need your support!

It was absolutely wonderful! We were surprised that it was in Chinatown, but it was truly an amazing experience. The museum on the ground floor is very informative, and the upper floor synagogue was simply marvelous. The architecture and restoration work they’ve done is outstanding. I also saw a temporary exhibition on menorahs from around the world (absolutely mind blowing).

I booked guided tour weeks before. When we have arrived on the reserved day and time, lady at the desk told us there will be no tour for the day. We said thats okey and started our self guided tour. We spent some time and the place was beautiful by the way. But when we were about to leave, we saw their guide and few people around him. He kindly asked us to join them. Apparently that was the tour I also booked. Dont understand the motive of front desk lady..

Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area- beautiful architecture and fascinating history of Jewish immigrants on the Lower East side. The tour via the app was very informative, and there are also docent-led tours.

Not what we were expecting and beyond what we could have hoped to see. The history at the tour stops were full of interesting facts. Sit in the synagogue and let the history of the wood and windows wash over you. Listen and let yourself hear the sounds of early Jewish life in NYC. Wow...just wow. As we left the subway we thought we may be in the wrong area. We were not. It was awe-inspiring.

I visited on a free day entry. Museum is very interesting and guides are free every full hour. Guides are very interesting, energetic and passionate. Would recommend to everyone!

Beautiful synagogue . The young female guide is knowledgeable about the early Jewish history in America .

Add this as a stop if you're planning to visit the Lower East Side! We went on a docent-led tour of the synagogue and learned so much more than we were expecting. The structure of the synagogue and the restoration are both amazing. Added to that, our docent made the building come alive with stories of the Jewish immigrants who founded the synagogue and made this such an important part of Jewish life in NYC. I only wish we had devoted more time to exploring the building and exhibits. Highly recommended!

Spectacular restoration and knowledgeable docents make this amazing sacred space nothing short of a masterpiece!

Highly recommend a visit! The building is an absolutely beautiful piece of NYC history. Our visit was part of a school field trip into NYC. Guided tour of the building was wonderful and full of interesting information. The kids just loved it, were so engaged and had many questions to ask. A fantastic experience overall - we will be back!

I took my kids to this Synagogue turned Museum, and it was a real treat. Everyone enjoyed it. Our tour guide was a wonderful young guy from Princeton who took us around just an hour prior to closing, and gave us a thorough, informative and history-laden tour that delivered a deeper appreciation of everything we saw there. There was so much beautiful artwork and architecture to admire. Plus we went on Friday (free entry!), which was a plus given our group of 7. They were very appreciative of my donation though, and service oriented. We almost had the place to ourselves. Definitely worth making time to visit this NY gem.

My mom and I had a phenomenal experience at the Museum at Eldridge Street. Jane Frank led a fascinating and very inviting tour that made me feel connected to my Jewish culture and history — but she really made sure to make the content accessible and interesting for non-Jews as well. This is a beautiful, special place and a must-see.

This is a great place to not only see for its beauty but also to learn more about Jewish migration to New York and the history of Jews in the Lower East Side. We went on a docent-led tour for an hour. Our docent, Susan, was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and a great storyteller and guide. We really enjoyed our visit!

Gorgeous synagogue! Great guided tour for an hour to understand the history behind the building and community.

Visiting this beautifully restored synagogue was the highlight of my recent trip to NYC. I took the docent led tour and can highly recommend it. Our docent was very knowledgeable and responsive to questions. I had seen pictures of the synagogue before, but it took my breath away when the main doors opened up and we went inside this amazing space. I originally come from a town in Germany that had a gorgeous synagogue in the same style but it was destroyed. Seeing the Eldridge Street Synagogue in all of her glory was a wonderful experience, but also showed what was lost in those terrible times. Yet the Jewish people and their rich culture is surviving and thriving, and this gives hope for the future.

Amazing museum! Terrific place! Recommend! We took a tour with docent - do this if you want to know details of history of the building and street, and people! Was happy to visit it he museum!