New York City travel (2024)

New York City travel (1)

© Vincent Tullo/NYC & Company

Epicenter of the arts. Architectural darling. Dining and shopping capital. Trendsetter. New York City wears many crowns, and spreads an irresistible feast for all.

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Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • New York City travel (2)

    Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Upper East Side

    What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…

  • New York City travel (3)

    Central Park

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…

  • New York City travel (4)

    Empire State Building

    Midtown

    The Chrysler Building may be prettier, and One World Trade Center taller, but the queen bee of the New York skyline remains the Empire State Building. NYC…

  • New York City travel (5)

    Guggenheim Museum

    Upper East Side

    A New York icon, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, more commonly known as the Guggenheim, is an internationally-renowned art museum and one of the most…

  • New York City travel (6)

    American Museum of Natural History

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Founded back in 1869, this venerable museum contains a veritable wonderland of more than 34 million objects, specimens and artifacts – including armies of…

  • New York City travel (7)

    Museum of Modern Art

    Midtown

    Superstar of the modern-art scene, MoMA's galleries are a Who’s Who of artistic heavyweights: Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rothko,…

  • New York City travel (8)

    Grand Central Terminal

    Midtown

    Completed in 1913, Grand Central Terminal – commonly, if incorrectly, called Grand Central Station – is one of New York’s most venerated beaux-arts…

  • New York City travel (9)

    Chrysler Building

    Midtown

    Designed by William Van Alen and completed in 1930, the 77-floor Chrysler Building is the pinup for New York's purest art deco architecture, guarded by…

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Top picks from our travel experts

15 of the best things to do in New York City in 2024

Curated by

Ethan Gelber

  • New York City travel (10)

    Chrysler Building

    Midtown

    Designed by William Van Alen and completed in 1930, the 77-floor Chrysler Building is the pinup for New York's purest art deco architecture, guarded by…

  • New York City travel (11)

    Rockefeller Center

    Midtown

    This 22-acre 'city within a city' debuted at the height of the Great Depression, with developer John D Rockefeller Jr footing the $100-million price tag…

  • New York City travel (12)

    Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Upper East Side

    What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…

  • New York City travel (13)

    Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    New York City

    Opened in 1911 and now one of Brooklyn's most picturesque sights, this 52-acre garden is home to thousands of plants and trees and a Japanese garden where…

  • New York City travel (14)

    High Line

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    It’s hard to believe that the 1½-mile-long High Line – a shining example of brilliant urban renewal – was once a dingy freight line that anchored a rather…

  • New York City travel (15)

    Museum of Modern Art

    Midtown

    Superstar of the modern-art scene, MoMA's galleries are a Who’s Who of artistic heavyweights: Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rothko,…

  • New York City travel (16)

    Empire State Building

    Midtown

    The Chrysler Building may be prettier, and One World Trade Center taller, but the queen bee of the New York skyline remains the Empire State Building. NYC…

  • New York City travel (18)

    Top of the Rock

    Midtown

    When it comes to views in New York City, you’ll be spoiled for choice. The One World Observatory may have the edge for height, and the Empire State…

  • New York City travel (19)

    Luna Park

    New York City

    The original Luna Park, the most famous of Coney Island's competing amusement parks, opened in 1903 and reigned for decades until destroyed by fire in the…

  • New York City travel (20)

    Central Park

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…

  • New York City travel (21)

    Coney Island

    New York City

    About an hour by subway from Midtown, this popular seaside neighborhood makes for a great day trip. The wide sandy beach has retained its nostalgic,…

  • New York City travel (22)

    Times Square

    Midtown

    Love it or hate it, the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Ave (aka Times Square) pumps out the NYC of the global imagination – yellow cabs, golden…

  • New York City travel (23)

    Nathan’s Famous

    New York City

    The hot dog was invented in Coney Island in 1867, which means that eating a frankfurter is practically obligatory here. The top choice: Nathan’s Famous,…

  • New York City travel (24)

    Industry City

    New York City

    These six towering warehouses by the Brooklyn waterfront have been repurposed as a 35-acre hub for shops, design studios, start-ups and nonprofits. The…

  • New York City travel (25)

    Grand Central Terminal

    Midtown

    Completed in 1913, Grand Central Terminal – commonly, if incorrectly, called Grand Central Station – is one of New York’s most venerated beaux-arts…

  • New York City travel (26)

    American Museum of Natural History

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Founded back in 1869, this venerable museum contains a veritable wonderland of more than 34 million objects, specimens and artifacts – including armies of…

  • New York City travel (27)

    Met Cloisters

    Harlem & Upper Manhattan

    On a hilltop overlooking the Hudson River, the Cloisters is a curious architectural jigsaw, its many parts made up of various European monasteries and…

  • New York City travel (28)

    Radio City Music Hall

    Midtown

    This spectacular moderne movie palace was the brainchild of vaudeville producer Samuel Lionel 'Roxy' Rothafel. Never one for understatement, Roxy launched…

  • New York City travel (29)

    Madison Square Garden

    Midtown

    NYC's major performance venue – part of the massive complex housing Penn Station – hosts big-arena performers, from Kanye West to Madonna. It’s also a…

21 best free things to do in New York City

Curated by

Robert Reid

  • New York City travel (30)

    Green-Wood Cemetery

    New York City

    If you want to enjoy a slice of scenic Brooklyn in total peace and quiet, make for Green-Wood Cemetery. This historic burial ground set on the borough’s…

  • New York City travel (31)

    New York Public Library

    Midtown

    Loyally guarded by 'Patience' and 'Fortitude' (the marble lions overlooking Fifth Ave), this beaux-arts show-off is one of NYC's best free attractions…

  • New York City travel (32)

    Museum at FIT

    Midtown

    Fashionistas won't want to miss a visit to the fabulous sartorial exhibits at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), which holds one of the world's…

  • New York City travel (33)

    David Zwirner

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    David Zwirner operates several galleries around Chelsea, including this five-story, sustainability-certified building with 30,000 sq ft of exhibition…

  • New York City travel (34)

    Blue Note

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    With the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie gracing its stage since it opened in 1981, Blue Note is one of NYC's premier jazz…

  • New York City travel (35)

    High Line

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    It’s hard to believe that the 1½-mile-long High Line – a shining example of brilliant urban renewal – was once a dingy freight line that anchored a rather…

  • New York City travel (36)

    Hudson Yards

    Midtown

    After six years of construction and $25 billion of investment, the first phase of Manhattan's new megadevelopment 'neighborhood' on the Hudson finally…

  • New York City travel (37)

    Delacorte Theater

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Every summer the Public Theater heads here to present its fabulous free productions of Shakespeare in the Park, which founder Joseph Papp began back in…

  • New York City travel (38)

    Public Theater

    SoHo & Chinatown

    This legendary theater was founded as the Shakespeare Workshop back in 1954 and has launched some of New York's big hits, including Hamilton in 2015…

  • New York City travel (39)

    Central Park

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…

  • New York City travel (40)

    SoHo & Chinatown

    The world's first museum dedicated to LGBTIQ+ themes stages six to eight annual exhibitions of both homegrown and international art. Offerings have…

  • New York City travel (41)

    Strawberry Fields

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Standing inside the park across from the famous Dakota Building, where John Lennon was fatally shot in 1980, is this poignant, tear-shaped garden – a…

  • New York City travel (42)

    New York Earth Room

    SoHo & Chinatown

    Since 1980 the oddity of the New York Earth Room, the work of artist Walter De Maria, has been wooing the curious with something not easily found in the…

  • New York City travel (43)

    Prospect Park

    New York City

    Brooklyn is blessed with a number of historic, view-laden and well used green spaces, but its emerald is Prospect Park. The designers of the 585-acre park…

  • New York City travel (44)

    Pace Gallery

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    With seven galleries across the world – including this eight-story Chelsea flagship – and decades of experience showing the work of such artists as Willem…

  • New York City travel (45)

    American Folk Art Museum

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    This small institution offers rotating exhibitions in three small galleries. Past exhibits have included quilts made by 19th-century soldiers and…

  • New York City travel (46)

    General Ulysses S Grant National Memorial

    Harlem & Upper Manhattan

    Popularly known as Grant’s Tomb (‘Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?’ ‘Who?’ ‘Grant, stupid!’ goes a classic joke), this landmark holds the remains of Civil…

  • New York City travel (47)

    Barbès

    New York City

    This compact bar and performance space, named after a neighborhood in Paris with a strong North African flavor, is owned by French musicians (and longtime…

  • New York City travel (48)

    Village Vanguard

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    Possibly NYC's most prestigious jazz club, the Vanguard has hosted literally every major star of the past 50 years. Starting in 1935 as a venue for beat…

Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Things to Know

A perfect balance of urban landscape and green space, New York lends itself to one of the healthiest, most enjoyable outdoor pursuits – cycling.

Read article

Best Neighborhoods

Here’s our multi-borough guide to some of the most exciting neighborhoods in the Big Apple.

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Day Trips

Take a break from the big city energy, with a beach, art, historic — or even pizza! — getaway from NYC.

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Money and Costs

NYC is certainly not cheap but there are bargains (and freebies!) to be found if you know where to look. Here's how to visit the Big Apple on a budget.

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Transportation

NYC and its transport never rest. From 24-hour subways and buses to taxis and bikes, it's all here. This is all you need to know about navigating New York.

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Free Things to Do

No filler. No fee. This is the best of New York City for free.

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Traveling with Kids

NYC has something for kids of any age. Explore a museum or run wild at a city park: the Big Apple is filled with family-friendly activities.

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Articles

Latest stories from New York City

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As seemingly everyone jets off to international destinations, have you thought about staying put? Meet the beloved staycation.

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    I’ve been to nearly every rooftop bar in NYC. These are the best for summer 2024

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    Beaches

    Where Locals Go: Our NYC staff share their favorite nearby getaways

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    Art and Culture

    8 of the most intriguing museums in New York City

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    LGBTQIA+

    The ultimate LGBTIQ+ travel guide to New York City

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    Wildlife & Nature

    14 of the best parks in New York City

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    Air Travel

    The ultimate guide to getting to and from New York City’s airports

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