The Ithaca Campus

Visiting with a group of 10 or more? Arrange for a Special Tour.

Can't make it to campus? Take our virtual tour!

You might need a printable map of the Cornell campus.

Walking Tours of Campus

The Information and Referral Center offers guided walking tours of the campus throughout the year. The tours are an enjoyable and informative introduction to Cornell and its history, student life, and Cornell's combined roles as an undergraduate teaching institution, an international research university, and New York State's land-grant institution.

Campus Tour Schedules by Time of Year

April 1 through November 30

Monday–Friday 9:00 AM 11:00 AM 1:00 PM 3:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM 11:00 AM 1:00 PM
Sunday 1:00 PM

December 1 through March 31

Daily (Monday–Sunday) 1:00 PM

The Freshman Experience Tour  (see below for description)

Monday–Saturday 1:00 PM

Not offered April 10-21, 2008.

Winter Holidays

Tours are conducted seven days a week, throughout the year, except on the following dates in November, December, and January:

  • Wednesday, November 26, 2008 through Sunday, November 30, 2008
  • Tuesday, December 23, 2008 through Sunday, January 4, 2009

Tours begin at the Information and Referral Center in the Day Hall lobby and, except for Special Tours, appointments are not required. The tours are mostly outdoors; each lasts about one hour and 15 minutes and includes information about Cornell's undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools and colleges. The tour routes are accessible to wheelchairs. Please advise the tour guide of any special needs or call ahead. The Information and Referral Center can be reached at 607-254-INFO (607-254-4636), Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 10 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 5 PM EST.

Tours for Groups

Campus Information and Visitor Relations is happy to welcome your group to Cornell University. We require groups of 10 or more people to make special arrangements and ask that you contact us at least two weeks before your planned visit. Special tours are not offered between the hours of 11 AM - 1 PM and there is a fee of $30 charged for each tour guide. Please review the group visit guidelines. For further assistance please contact the Information and Referral Center at 607-254-INFO (607-254-4636).

Panoramic aerial view of the Ithaca campus

Cornell -- bold and innovative, open and engaged, a community of universal aspiration and boundless contribution

The Freshman Experience Tour

The Freshman Experience Tour is an hour-long tour starting from Day Hall and ending on North Campus. This tour is designed for prospective students who have already been admitted to Cornell, have gone on the regular tour, or already possess knowledge about Cornell. This tour concentrates on the freshman year and what it is like to be a freshman at Cornell. It does not cover the seven undergraduate colleges and the academic aspects of Cornell. If this is your first visit to Cornell, we highly recommend that you take the regular Campus Tour before the Freshman Experience Tour.

Looking up at Uris Library and McGraw Tower from the bottom of Libe Slope

Libe Slope, in front of Uris Library, is the scene of an annual end-of-year celebration that has become a beloved student tradition.

Other Walking Tours

Cornell Plantations

The natural areas of campus surround and interlace the built environment, and Cornell Plantations, the unit responsible for Cornell's natural areas, offers a drop-in guided tour every Saturday. Or you can make your own walking tour using their Botanical Gardens Collections maps.

Landscape Architecture

Since 1904, the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University has challenged students to be responsible, creative designers and to develop innovative, site-appropriate solutions that enhance aesthetics and value.