New York City self-guided walking tour: Times Square to the Empire State Building
The classic first-day walk through Midtown Manhattan, from the lights of Times Square up to Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue, across to Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building, and back past the New York Public Library to the foot of the Empire State Building. Watch the whole route in 4K first, then walk it yourself, stop by stop.
- Distance
- About 3.7 km2.3 miles, on foot
- Time
- 2½ to 3½ hoursabout 46 min of walking
- Start
- Times SquareTimes Sq–42 St station, 1/2/3, 7, N/Q/R/W and S subway lines
- Finish
- Empire State Building34 St–Herald Sq station, B/D/F/M and N/Q/R/W subway lines, about 3 minutes' walk
Press play to start at stop 1, or pick any stop below.
Video by BookingHunterTV on YouTube
This route follows one continuous daytime walk through Midtown, from Times Square up Sixth Avenue to Fifth Avenue, south to Grand Central and back west along 42nd Street to the Empire State Building. Each stop opens the video where the camera reaches it.
The route, stop by stop
- 1
Times Square
Start where Broadway crosses Seventh Avenue, under the giant screens that light the square day and night. The pedestrian plazas in the middle let you stand and take it in without dodging traffic, and the red steps above the ticket booth give the best view up the square.
Costumed characters will ask for money if you take a photo with them; simply say no thanks and keep walking.
↓ About 8 min walk (650 m) to Radio City Music Hall
- 2
Radio City Music Hall
Walk east to Sixth Avenue and north past the office towers to this Art Deco theatre, opened in 1932. Its glowing red neon sign running round the corner of 50th Street is one of the most recognisable façades in the city.
↓ About 3 min walk (220 m) to Rockefeller Center
- 3
Rockefeller Center
A complex of 1930s towers around a sunken plaza, with the golden Prometheus statue over the skating rink in winter and an open-air café in summer. Above the main entrance at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, a carved and gilded figure of Wisdom looks down on the street.
The Channel Gardens, the planted walkway from Fifth Avenue to the plaza, change with the seasons and are the calmest way in.
↓ About 4 min walk (290 m) to St. Patrick's Cathedral
- 4
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Across Fifth Avenue, opposite the bronze Atlas statue holding up the heavens, stands the city's great neo-Gothic cathedral, its white marble spires dwarfed by the towers around it. Step inside for the stained glass and a moment of quiet away from the avenue.
It is an active church, free to enter; avoid walking around during Mass and keep voices low.
↓ About 10 min walk (820 m) to Grand Central Terminal
- 5
Grand Central Terminal
Head east to Park Avenue and south to the 1913 Beaux-Arts station. In the Main Concourse, look up at the turquoise ceiling painted with the constellations and find the four-faced clock above the information booth.
Find the low tiled arches outside the lower-level dining area: whisper into one corner and a friend in the opposite corner can hear you.
↓ About 3 min walk (240 m) to Chrysler Building
- 6
Chrysler Building
Just east of the station on Lexington Avenue, the stainless steel crown of the Chrysler Building rises in sunburst arches. Look for the steel eagle heads on the corners high up, and the dark marble and wood of the lobby if the doors are open.
The best view of the crown is from the corner of 42nd Street and Third Avenue, a block further east, or from the plaza in front of Grand Central.
↓ About 9 min walk (740 m) to New York Public Library
- 7
New York Public Library
Walk west along 42nd Street to Fifth Avenue and the marble library guarded by its two stone lions, Patience and Fortitude. Behind it, Bryant Park is a green square with movable chairs, a good place to rest before the last stretch.
The library building is free to enter; the grand Rose Main Reading Room upstairs is worth the climb when it is open to visitors.
↓ About 10 min walk (760 m) to Empire State Building
- 8
Empire State Building
Finish by walking down Fifth Avenue to 34th Street and the Art Deco tower that has defined the skyline since 1931. From right underneath it is hard to take in its height, so step back across the avenue to see it rise.
Going up to the observation decks needs a ticket and the queues are long at midday; early morning or late evening is far quieter.
About this walk
Midtown packs more famous buildings into a few blocks than almost anywhere else in the world, and the distances between them are short. The street grid makes it easy to follow: avenues run north to south, numbered streets east to west, and every stop on this walk is within a few blocks of the last. It is flat all the way, and you can step into the subway at almost any corner if your feet give out.
The route follows a single unbroken summer walk with natural street sound, so each stop opens the video at the moment the camera arrives. Look up as you go: the best details here, from the Art Deco crown of the Chrysler Building to the sculptures over the doors of Rockefeller Center, are well above street level.
Good to know
Is this walk free?
Yes. Every stop can be seen from the street, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library are free to enter. Only the observation decks, such as the one in the Empire State Building, need a ticket.
How long does the Midtown walk take?
The walking itself is a little over an hour on flat pavements. With time inside Grand Central, St. Patrick's and the library, most people take two and a half to three and a half hours.
What is the best time of day for this walk?
A weekday morning is calmest on the pavements and inside the buildings. If you want the lights of Times Square, do the walk in reverse in the late afternoon and finish in the square after dark.
Can I do it in the other direction?
Yes. Start at the Empire State Building, walk up Fifth Avenue to the library and Grand Central, then cross to St. Patrick's and Rockefeller Center and end in Times Square, which is at its brightest in the evening.
Distances and walking times are approximate. Check opening days and any booking requirements before you go.
Watch the full walk with its key moments on the video page.
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