New York City
We’ve compiled the best of the best in New York City - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. 9/11 Memorial
Financial DistrictOpened in 2011 to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the somber memorial occupies a large swath of the 16-acre World Trade Center complex, forming the Memorial Plaza (part of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum). It comprises two recessed, 30-foot-tall waterfalls that occupy the giant, square footprints where the Twin Towers once stood. Edging the memorial pools are bronze panels inscribed with the names of the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the 1993 and 2001 terrorist attacks. Across the plaza are benches, grassy strips, and more than 400 swamp white oak trees harvested from within a 500-mile radius of the site, as well as from Pennsylvania and near Washington, D.C. The 9/11 Memorial is an open-access, free public plaza. Along Liberty Street on the south side of the site is the elevated Liberty Park, home to Fritz Koenig's The Sphere, which for three decades stood on the plaza at the World Trade Center as a symbol of peace. Damaged in the 2001 attack, the sculpture was installed in the park in 2017. On the park's east end stands St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine ( stnicholaswtc.org), erected to replace the church that was destroyed on 9/11. Unlike an average church, this house of worship cost $85 million, took 21 years to design and construct, and among its splendid features, was built with white marble sourced from the same Greek quarry as the Parthenon's stone. Visitors are welcome daily (except Tuesday), 10--3; and on Sunday 9--2.
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2. Brooklyn Bridge (Entrance)
Financial District“A drive-through cathedral" is how the journalist James Wolcott once described the Brooklyn Bridge—one of New York's noblest and most recognizable landmarks—perhaps rivaling Walt Whitman's comment that it was "the best, most effective medicine my soul has yet partaken." The bridge stretches over the East River, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. A walk across its promenade—a boardwalk elevated above the roadway, shared by pedestrians and (sometimes aggressive) cyclists—is a quintessential New York experience, and the roughly 40-minute stroll delivers exhilarating views. If you start from Lower Manhattan (enter from the east side of City Hall), you'll end up in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, but you can also take the subway to the Brooklyn side and walk back to Manhattan. From late morning through early evening, the narrow path gets very congested, especially when the weather is nice. Head here early in the morning to find the magical quiet hours.
View Tours and ActivitiesEast River Dr., New York, New York, 10038, USA -
3. Ellis Island
Financial DistrictBetween 1892 and 1924, millions of people first entered the United States at the Ellis Island federal immigration facility. When the complex closed in 1954, it had processed ancestors of more than 40% of Americans living today. The island's main building, now a national monument, is known as the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, and it tells the story not just of Ellis Island but of immigration from the Colonial era to the present day, through numerous galleries containing artifacts, photographs, and taped oral histories. The museum's centerpiece is the cavernous, white-tile Registry Room (also known as the Great Hall). There's much to take in, so make use of the museum's interpretive tools. Check at the visitor desk for free film tickets, a good audio tour, ranger-led tour times, and special programs. There is no admission fee for the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, but an adult ferry ride (from Battery Park to Liberty Island to Ellis Island) costs $24.50 round-trip. Ferries leave from Battery Park (and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey) every 25–30 minutes depending on the time of year (buy your tickets online at www.statuecruises.com). There are often long security lines, so arrive early, especially if you have a timed-entry ticket. There is an indoor-outdoor café on Ellis Island.
View Tours and ActivitiesNew York, New York, 10004-3507, USA212-561–4588-Ellis IslandSight Details
Rate Includes: Free; ferry $25 round-trip (includes Liberty Island) -
4. Governors Island
Financial DistrictOpen year-round to the public (7 am–6 pm daily) and accessible via ferry, Governors Island is essentially a big, charming park that resembles a small New England town; it's popular with locals for biking by the water, festivals, art shows, concerts, and family programs. Wouter van Twiller, a representative for the country of Holland, supposedly purchased the island for his private use, in 1637, from Native Americans for two ax heads, a string of beads, and a handful of nails. In 1784, the island was named for English colonial governors and was used almost exclusively by the American military until the 1960s, when the Coast Guard took it over. In 2002, the city purchased the island and soon began reimagining its 172 acres as versatile public green space. The island's evolution continues with public art installations, all-ages park features, and even the QCNY ( www.qcny.com) luxury "destination day spa" inside the retired barracks. The Governors Island ferry departs from the Battery Maritime Building (free before noon on weekends), while the NYC Ferry links there from Wall Street/Pier 11, Brooklyn's Pier 6, and other docks in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
View Tours and Activities10 South St., New York, New York, USASight Details
Rate Includes: Free (Pier 6 ferry either free or $4; all NYC Ferry tickets $3) -
5. Staten Island Ferry
Financial DistrictSome 70,000 people ride the free ferry daily to Staten Island, one of the city's five boroughs, and you too can join them for the city's most scenic commute. Without paying a cent, you get phenomenal views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island during the 25-minute cruise across New York Harbor. You also pass tugboats, freighters, and cruise ships—a reminder that this is very much still a working harbor. The ferry sails every 15–30 minutes (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) from the Whitehall Terminal at Whitehall and South Streets, near the east end of Battery Park. You must disembark once you reach the opposite terminal, but you can just get back in line to board again if you don't plan to stay. A small concession stand on each ferry sells a few snacks and beverages (including beer).
View Tours and Activities4 Whitehall St., New York, New York, 10004, USA212-639–9675Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Statue of Liberty
Financial DistrictFor millions of immigrants, the first glimpse of America was the Statue of Liberty, and today it remains a powerful symbol of American ideals. Liberty Enlightening the World, as the statue is officially named, was presented to the United States in 1886 as a gift from France. The 152-foot-tall figure was sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and erected around an iron skeleton engineered by Gustave Eiffel. It stands atop an 89-foot pedestal designed by Richard Morris Hunt, with Emma Lazarus's sonnet "The New Colossus" ("Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses . . .") inscribed on a bronze plaque at the base. There is no admission fee for either the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, but an adult ferry ride (which goes round-trip from Battery Park to Liberty Island to Ellis Island) costs $24.50 (includes entrance to the statue's pedestal and museum). Access to the statue's crown, via a famously narrow, twisting staircase, remains on hiatus since 2020, but is expected to resume in late 2023. Ferries leave from Battery Park (and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey) every 25–30 minutes depending on the time of year (buy your tickets online at www.statuecruises.com). There are often long lines, so arrive early, especially if you have a timed-entry ticket (strongly recommended; tickets sell out, especially to see the crown). There is a pleasant indoor-outdoor café on Liberty Island. In 2019, a new 26,000-square-foot museum opened on the island to showcase the statue's history and legacy, with artifacts including the statue's original torch, across three interactive galleries.
View Tours and ActivitiesNew York, New York, 10004, USA212-363–3200Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; ferry $25 round-trip (includes Ellis Island) -
7. The Seaport
Financial DistrictHad this charming cobblestone corner of the city not been declared a historic district in 1977, the city's largest concentration of early 19th-century commercial buildings would have been destroyed. Thankfully they survived, and in recent years have come to enjoy new life. The landmarked "South Street Seaport Historic District" has undergone a thorough makeover as a culinary and diverse shopping destination, with seasonal markets, art installations, IPIC Theater (a luxury cinema with dining), and live entertainment—plus a simplified moniker as the Seaport. At the intersection of Fulton and Water Streets, the gateway to the seaport, is the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, a small white lighthouse that commemorates the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Beyond the lighthouse, Fulton Street turns into a cobblestone pedestrian mall. On the south side of Fulton is the seaport's architectural centerpiece, Schermerhorn Row, a redbrick terrace of Georgian- and Federal-style warehouses and countinghouses built from 1810 to 1812. Cross South Street to Pier 16, where historic 19th- and 20th-century ships are docked. Pier 16 also is the departure point for various seasonal cruises. (Ship tours are included in the admission to the South Street Seaport Museum). Across South Street along the East River are Pier 17 and the renovated Tin Building. Previously the longtime site of the Fulton Fish Market, in 2022, the latter reopened as the Tin Building by Jean-Georges, a high-end food hall and marketplace ( tinbuilding.com). In 2018, the Pier 17 building became a multilevel office complex with several restaurants and bars at street level, and a 60,000-square-foot rooftop that's programmed with live summer concerts ( rooftopatpier17.com). But the real highlight is the wraparound public wharf that's open year-round, with seating and stunning views of the harbor and Brooklyn Bridge.
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8. 9/11 Museum
Financial DistrictBeside the reflecting pools on the 9/11 Memorial Plaza is the glass pavilion of the 9/11 Memorial Museum (part of the complex known as the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum). The museum descends some seven stories down to the bedrock the Twin Towers were built on, and the vast space displays a poignant, powerful collection of artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, and multimedia exhibits, as well as a gallery that takes visitors through the history of events surrounding both the 1993 and 2001 attacks. You might appreciate the tissue boxes around the museum when experiencing the memorial wall with portraits and personal stories of those who perished. There's also a panoramic media installation about the site's "rebirth," as well as World Trade Center–related art and history exhibits that change throughout the year. Giant pieces of the towers' structural steel and foundations are displayed, along with the partially destroyed Ladder Company 3 fire truck. You can also see the remnants of the Survivors Stairs, which allowed hundreds of people to escape the buildings that fateful September day. (Check the website for current ticket packages and other discounts.)
180 Greenwich St., New York, New York, 10006, USA212-312–8800Sight Details
Rate Includes: $29 (free Mon. 5:30–7 pm with same-day advance reservations), Closed Tues. -
9. 9/11 Tribute Museum
Financial DistrictThis nonprofit project of the September 11th Families' Association opened in 2006 with the intent of putting the events of that day into context—at the time, there was little to see beyond a big construction site. Its galleries include displays about the history and construction of Lower Manhattan; the events of September 11, 2001; the response and recovery efforts after the attacks; and first-person histories. A Tribute visit tends to feel more intimate, and is a good alternative or complement to the broader mission of the separate National 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Guided walking tours are often led by survivors or first responders and cover the gallery and the memorial (not the National 9/11 Memorial Museum on the WTC site).
92 Greenwich St., New York, New York, 10006, USA866-737–1184Sight Details
Rate Includes: $17 for galleries; $35 for galleries and guided walking tour -
10. African Burial Ground National Monument
TriBeCaOften overlooked due to its location amid downtown’s Civic-Center courthouses and high rises, this powerful, compact site is well worth a visit to learn about a lesser-known part of New York’s colonial history. The African Burial Ground National Monument commemorates what was once a 6-acre cemetery, discovered in 1991 when an archaeological study for a new development revealed more than 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans. Today, visitors can view the 24-foot-high Ancestral Chamber and the large Circle of the Diaspora, each made of stone from Africa and North America, adorned with African symbols, and designed with symbolic details that honor those who were laid to rest at the site. On the other side of the block, the visitor center features the “Reclaiming Our History” exhibit, details about the work and life of African people in early New York, and the 20th-century community success that preserved the burial ground. The memorial was proclaimed a national monument in 2006 in a ceremony presided over by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and poet Maya Angelou. The visitor center is located at 290 Broadway and the Outdoor Monument is located on the corner of Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way (Elk Street).
290 Broadway, New York, New York, 10007, USA212-238--4367Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
11. Bowling Green
Financial DistrictThe small plaza that is Bowling Green, at the foot of Broadway, became New York's first public park in 1733. Legend has it that before that, this was the site upon which Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans, in 1626, supposedly for what amounted to 24 U.S. dollars. On July 9, 1776, a few hours after citizens learned about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, rioters toppled a statue of British King George III that had occupied the spot for 11 years; much of the statue's lead was melted down into bullets. In 1783, when the occupying British forces fled the city, they defiantly hoisted a Union Jack on a greased, uncleated flagpole so it couldn't be lowered; but patriot John Van Arsdale drove his own cleats into the pole to replace it with the Stars and Stripes. The copper-top subway entrance across State Street is the original one, built in 1904–05. Many know Bowling Green as the home of Arturo Di Modica's 7,000-pound, bronze Charging Bull statue (1989), look for it on the northern tip of the park.
Broadway and Whitehall St., New York, New York, 10004, USA -
12. Brookfield Place
Financial DistrictThe four towers of this complex (once known as the World Financial Center) range from 34 to 51 stories high and are topped with different geometric ornaments designed by Cesar Pelli. Inside are the company headquarters for the likes of American Express and Dow Jones. But the main attraction is the glass-domed Winter Garden atrium with its signature palm trees—a pleasant open space that hosts music and dance performances and links to a sweeping array of stores and restaurants. A concourse passes underneath West Street, connecting Brookfield Place to the World Trade Center site. There's also a pedestrian crosswalk at grade across West Street. The massive windows at the top of the Winter Garden's grand staircase on the north side of the atrium provide a view of the 9/11 Memorial Plaza and Westfield World Trade Center (the Oculus) to the east.
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13. City Hall
Financial DistrictWhat once marked the northernmost point of Manhattan today houses the office of the mayor and serves as a gathering place for demonstrators and the news crews who cover their stories. This is the one of the oldest City Halls in the country, a striking (but surprisingly small) building dating from 1803. If the history of local politics and architecture is your thing, free tours are available (sign up in advance online). Inside, highlights include the Rotunda where President Lincoln lay in state in 1865 under a soaring dome supported by 10 Corinthian columns; the Victorian-style City Council Chamber; and the Governor's Room, an elegantly preserved space with portraits of historic figures, as well as a writing table that George Washington used in 1789 when New York was the U.S. capital.
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14. Federal Hall National Memorial
Financial DistrictIt's a museum now, but this site has quite a notable claim: George Washington was sworn in here as the first president of the United States, in 1789, when the building was the Federal Hall of the new nation. (You can even view the bible Washington used to swear his oath.) The museum covers 400 years of New York City's history, with a focus on the life and times of what is now the city's Financial District. You can spot the building easily—it was modeled on the Parthenon, and a statue of George Washington is planted proudly on its (south-facing) stately steps.
26 Wall St., New York, New York, 10005, USA212-825–6990Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed weekends -
15. Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Financial DistrictWith its imposing mix of sandstone, limestone, and ironwork, the Federal Reserve looks the way a bank ought to: strong and impregnable. The gold ingots in the subterranean vaults here are worth roughly $350 billion—reputedly a third of the world's gold reserves. Tours of the building's museum and gold vault are suspended as of this writing, but check the website for updates.
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16. Fraunces Tavern Museum
Financial DistrictThis former tavern, where General George Washington celebrated the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, is now a museum covering two floors above the famed restaurant and bar. Here, in his prepresidential days, Washington bid an emotional farewell to his officers upon the British evacuation of New York. Today, this historic landmark has two fully furnished period rooms—including the Long Room, site of Washington's address—and other modest displays of 18th- and 19th-century American history, as well as temporary exhibits. You'll find more tourists and Wall Street types than revolutionaries in the tavern and restaurant on the ground floor these days, but a cozy Colonial atmosphere and decent hearty meal are available.
View Tours and Activities54 Pearl St., New York, New York, 10004, USA212-425–1778Sight Details
Rate Includes: $7 -
17. Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Financial DistrictIn a granite 85-foot-tall hexagon at the southern end of Battery Park City, this museum aims to educate visitors on the "broad tapestry of Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries—before, during, and after the Holocaust." Architects Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo designed the six-sided museum to be symbolic of the Star of David, and its three floors of exhibits demonstrate the dynamism of Jewish culture. Visitors enter through a gallery that provides context for the early-20th-century artifacts on the first floor: an elaborate screen hand-painted for the fall harvest festival of Sukkoth, tools used by Jewish tradesmen, and wedding invitations. Other exhibits present the rise of Nazism and anti-Semitism and the ravages of the Holocaust. Signs of hope are also on display, including a trumpet that Louis Bannet, “the Dutch Louis Armstrong,” played for three years in the Auschwitz-Birkenau inmate orchestra. The third floor covers postwar Jewish life. The museum's east wing has a theater, memorial garden, library, galleries, and café. A free audio guide, with narration by Meryl Streep and Itzhak Perlman, is available at the admissions desk.
36 Battery Pl., New York, New York, 10280, USA646-437–4202Sight Details
Rate Includes: $18 (free Thurs. 4–8), Closed Sat. and some Jewish holidays -
18. National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institution)
Financial DistrictMassive granite columns rise to a pediment topped by a double row of statues at the impressive Beaux-Arts Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (1907), which is home to the New York branch of this Smithsonian museum (the other branch is in Washington, D.C.). Inside, the oval stairwell and rotunda embellished with shipping-theme murals (completed in the 1930s) are worth a long pause. The permanent exhibition, Infinity of Nations, is an encyclopedic survey of Native American cultures from across the continent, with the entire museum preserving more than 825,000 art pieces and artifacts dating from ancient to modern times. The venue presents changing exhibitions, videos and films, dance, music, and storytelling programs.
1 Bowling Green, New York, New York, 10004, USA212-514–3700Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
19. New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
Financial DistrictUnfortunately, you can't tour the stock exchange anymore—though the pace on the floor is much less frenetic than it used to be, now that technology has changed how the trading floor works. The building itself, though, at the intersection of Wall and Broad Streets, is still worth ogling. The neoclassical structure, designed by architect George B. Post, opened on April 22, 1903. It has six Corinthian columns supporting a pediment with a sculpture titled Integrity Protecting the Works of Man, featuring a tribute to the Gilded Age's sources of American prosperity: Agriculture and Mining to the left of Integrity; Science, Industry, and Invention to the right. Don't miss a peek at The Fearless Girl, the 4-foot-tall bronze statue by Kristen Visbal who faces down the NYSE in a show of support for gender equality (though FYI, the statue may be moved to a new location). As an interesting aside, the NYSE was one of the world's first air-conditioned buildings.
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20. One World Observatory
Financial DistrictThere are several thrills involved in visiting One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, not the least of which are the spectacular views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. If you time your visit around dusk, you'll get daytime views as well as sunset and sparkling evening lights. The observatory occupies the 100th, 101st, and 102nd floors of One WTC, and the experience includes an exhilarating trip up in the world's fastest elevators, during which a journey through history is projected on the elevator walls. After you step out at the top, there's also a two-minute video of time-lapse images of Lower Manhattan. The ground floor has exhibits and personal stories about the building of the tower. Admission prices rise for "priority" entrance and other combo tickets (best bought online with timed entry); the box office, security checkpoint, and observatory entrance are on the West Street side of the tower. With reservations, you can purchase prix-fixe dining or bar packages for ONE Dine restaurant on 101st floor, which include observatory tickets.
View Tours and Activities285 Fulton St., New York, New York, 10007, USA844-696–1776Sight Details
Rate Includes: $44
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