New York City walking tour & city guide

Midtown Manhattan

Times Square, lit up by giant digital billboards day and night, is the bright and noisy heart of Midtown. From there, walk past the theaters of Broadway to Rockefeller Center, home of the famous Christmas tree and ice rink, and the observation deck Top of the Rock with views of the Empire State Building and Central Park.

Fifth Avenue leads past St. Patrick's Cathedral and flagship stores to Central Park, an 843-acre green oasis with lakes, bridges and lawns. Grand Central Terminal, with its celestial ceiling, and the Chrysler Building's art deco spire are both worth a detour.

Downtown and beyond

Lower Manhattan holds Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Greenwich Village, SoHo and Chinatown are made for wandering, and the High Line, an old elevated railway turned into a park, offers a unique walk above the streets of the West Side.

Uptown, Harlem is the historic center of African American culture, home of the Apollo Theater and famous soul food. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, with the Manhattan skyline behind you, is one of the great urban walks in the world.

Practical tips

The subway runs 24 hours and you can pay by tapping a contactless card. Avenues run north to south and streets east to west, which makes the grid simple to follow above 14th Street. Tipping 18 to 20 percent is expected in restaurants. Fall, with its crisp air and colored leaves in Central Park, is a wonderful time to visit.