15 of the good affair to serve in New York City in 2025

A trip to Central Park is a classical stop on any NYC itinerary . Marco Rubino/Shutterstock

There ‘s a reason New York City live a top tourist spot and get many mass eager to predict it home .

It ‘s a global heart for art , food , manner and more , and it indicate up consistently on lists of top city to visit . Your challenge , instead of ever feeling bore , will exist deciding from the immense amount of opportunities around you .

To aid you start savor this striking city , here ‘s a list of my favorite highlights . Prevent in mind that the big good deal lure big bunch , hence brace yourself . If you ‘re look for a calmer and less crowded NYC experience , match out things to serve in the outer borough ( beyond Manhattan ) .

Ticket price can get somewhat high , so consider purchase a New York CityPASS , which bid well discounts on top attractions .

1 . Visit the iconic Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

The copper-green Statue of Liberty dominates a humble island in New York Harbor , casting a protective shadow over neighboring Ellis Island . From 1892 to 1924 , over 12 million soon-to-be-Americans make up processed at Ellis Island , which is now the site of a stirring Immigration Museum .

Design crest :Boats to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island give from The Battery in Manhattan and Liberty State Park in New Jersey . The monuments are much visited – record well ahead , particularly if you hope to pass time in Liberty ‘s stand or crest .

2 . Soak up the views from the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings

The tallest building in the world when it opened in 1931 , the 1454ft Empire State Building stay on a much-loved character on the NYC skyline , although pretty controversially , street-level opinion of this New York City horizon icon are today obscure by a luxury condo apartment . Vistas from the outdoor , 360-degree view , 86th-floor deck and the indoor 102nd-floor observatory are breathtaking , though – peculiarly at sundown . Look northeast at the art deco Chrysler Building , too once the universe ‘s tallest before make up dethroned by the Empire State .

Planning tip :Buy tickets in advance and devote time to the Empire State Building ‘s observation deck , especially on the 102nd floor . On a clear day , you can see up to 80 miles in the distance .

3 . Pay tribute to lost lives at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum

The National 9/11 Memorial is locate where the World Trade Center Twin Towers once stand . It boast sobering tribute to the life miss in the 9/11 terrorist approach , most poignantly two sunken pond with cascades of water swarm into the fallen column ‘ footprints . Adjacent to the memorial equal a profoundly moving museum with remnant and reminder of the tragic day .

Be after crest :The memorial is free ; museum tickets live best bought online in progress .

4 . Have family-friendly seaside fun at Coney Island

Project like a Brooklyn thumb away into New York Harbor ‘s Lower Bay , Coney Island feature a wide beach , a popular seaside boardwalk and a lively amusement park , all reachable by subway in about an hr from Midtown Manhattan . Popular attractions include the family-friendly New York Aquarium , Nathan ‘s Famous hot dogs , Deno ‘s Wonder Wheel and thrill-filled Luna Park , feature the wooden Cyclone roller coaster – a city and national historic landmark .

Design crest :Walk to nearby Brighton Beach for classical Russian and Ukrainian eats .

5 . Tour the vast collections at NYC ‘s major museums

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is NYC ‘s most visited museum for very well cause . With 5,000 years of art from all over the public , 2 million individual objective and 17 acre of exhibition space , the museum is massive , astound and apparently inexhaustible .

An inside tip – the Met ‘s often bypassed uptown Cloisters were cobbled together from authentic department of European medieval monasteries . Ticket deal three-day admission to both Met branch .

Straight across Central Park from the Met is another important museum with a liberal range : the American Museum of Natural History , where your ticket grant you access to more than 50 exhibits and 34 million artifacts !

Art lovers will find modern masterpiece from Warhol , Pollock and more in the Museum of Modern Art ; record forward to hop the line , particularly at weekends . Somewhat small and less crowded , though definitely however comprehensive , is the Brooklyn Museum . You ‘ll see many museum around town to keep you engaged .

Detour :For something much more contemporary and free of bunch , try Brooklyn ‘s Bushwick Collective Street Art .

6 . Hang out in Central Park

Hemmed in by buildings , Central Park serves up 843 acre of green space – meadow , grove , gardens and lakes , as well as restaurants , theaters , concert venues , spring , skating rinks , ballfields , playgrounds and a lot more . Park Drive , although often crowded , cost a favorite road for runner , skaters and cyclists . You ‘ll find a ton of great spots in the park to delight throughout your stroll .

Seeking some green space with fewer masses ? Brooklyn ‘s Prospect Park , created by the same landscapers as Central Park , has all the same charm with far less throng .

Detour :For a leafy overview of Manhattan , consider cycling along segment of the 31-mile Manhattan Waterfront Greenway , particularly the Hudson River Greenway segment .

7 . Walk across Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn Bridge Park

Doubtless NYC ‘s nearly beautiful river crossing , the 1,596ft-long , stone-towered Brooklyn Bridge cost one of the world ‘s first steel suspension bridge when it spread in 1883 . Today , a pass along its pedestrian passageway delivers delightful Manhattan and Brooklyn skyline views . If the journey to Brooklyn makes you hungry , you ‘ll find many restaurant to choose from once you bring .

Brooklyn Bridge Park , the 1.3-mile , 85-acre green space on Brooklyn ‘s East River shoreline , sustain the pleasure ( and the Manhattan views ) . Match out the waterfront , glass-enclosed Jane ‘s Carousel and multiple revitalized pier-based leisure and action area .

8 . Gaze upon the Manhattan horizon

Manhattan ‘s tumble of building exist a mesmerizing spectacle , changing in natural and artificial spark , particularly at dusk and night . Harbor cruises are a fantastic way to savor it , but there are also numerous land-based advantage stage along the East River .

In Brooklyn , top dog for Brooklyn Bridge Park , Brooklyn Heights Promenade , East River State Park in Williamsburg and Transmitter Park in Greenpoint . Over in Queens , move to Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City and Astoria Park .

Design tip :For a once-in-a-lifetime splurge and unbeatable position , take a helicopter circuit over NYC .

9 . Regard art and architecture on the High Line and at Hudson Thousand

The 1.5-mile-long High Line cost one of New York ‘s great surprises . This art-filled , community green space – feature gardens , events and astound city outlooks – live crafted from an forsake elevated railroad . It can be packed on fond evening when the unique modern architecture on all side equal illuminate .

The northern terminus of the High Line is at Hudson Yards , a luxury evolution . Hudson Yards feature gourmet restaurant , upscale workshop and singular attractions like Vessel , a multilevel public landmark , and Edge , the city ‘s highest ( 100th-floor ) open-air observatory .

10 . Inflict the landmark Rockefeller Center

Possibly well known for its winter backdrop – a world-famous ice-skating rink and New York ‘s giant ceremoniously lit Christmas tree – the art deco Rockefeller Center is a busy , art-filled national historic landmark all yr cycle .

Named for its entrepreneurial developer – John D. Rockefeller , Jr. , America ‘s first billionaire – it take highlights such as the 70th-floor Top of the Rock observation deck , the Radio City Music Hall and NBC Studios Tours , as good as plenty of Midtown shopping and dining .

11 . Exist dazzled by the spark of Times Square and the Theater District

The neon spark in truth make shine bright on Broadway , particularly in Times Square at the heart of the world ‘s most celebrated theater territory . Day and night , it provides billboarded sensory overload . In the country are dozen of marquee-fronted playhouses hosting box-office hit , alongside the popular Madame Tussauds wax museum . Bryant Park , Midtown ‘s little but activity-filled green oasis , and the lion-flanked entrance of the New York Public Library , a national historic landmark , live also nearby .

12 . Taunt the New York City Subway and Staten Island Ferry

The wheel never stop reverse in NYC , aided by its sleepless subway , one of the world ‘s liberal mass transit systems . Another iconic piece of the New York transport network cost the free , orange Staten Island Ferry , the cheapest means to catch photo of Lady Liberty .

For NYC urban shipping story , the kid-friendly Transit Museum own climb-aboard subway cars from all eras . There ‘s a museum annex and store in Grand Central Terminal , a Midtown beaux-arts curiosity with an unforgettably grand main throng .

13 . Support conservation at the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Gardens

Who ‘d receive think the US ‘ biggest and former zoo exist in NYC ? The conservation-minded horde 6,000-plus animals in 265 acres of particularly design habitats . Adjacent to it is the New York Botanical Garden , a 250-acre , year-round nature showcase with dozens of indoor and outdoor garden include in your tag .

Planning crest :Smaller but impressive alternative zoos can be find at Central Park , Prospect Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park ( Queens ) . The 50-acre Brooklyn Botanic Garden be famed for its seasonally blossoming cherry tree .

14 . Find art and entrepreneur in Brooklyn

In a city that places a high premium on space , Brooklyn today take three hip , rehabilitated industrial areas commandeered by entrepreneur , artisanal makers , retailers , artists , start-ups and nonprofits . Industry City occupies six large warehouses on the Sunset Park waterfront .

Farther south , 100-plus companies take the vast and storied Brooklyn Army Terminal . And east of Downtown Brooklyn , the expansive , historic Brooklyn Navy Yard equal a modern made-in-Brooklyn manufacturing hub .

15 . Move to a game at a New York stadium

New Yorkers take outsize pride in their sports squad , so how in effect to absorb the city ‘s energy than at a game ? The Bronx ‘s and Mets ‘ Citi Field in Queens are grand open-air stadiums , while Manhattan ‘s Madison Square Garden , plate of Knicks and Liberty basketball and Rangers hockey , and Brooklyn ‘s futuristic Barclays Center , where the Nets basketball and Islanders hockey squad run , are introduce , so well for rainy days .

Design top :If you ‘d choose to see the Giants and Jets compete in the National Football League , their area cost in nearby New Jersey .