The best attractions and things to do in Manhattan

The tallest building in the United State, One World Observatory at World Trade Center lets visitors experience panoramic views of NYC on levels 100, 101, and 102. The tour begins with a thrilling trip in the SkyPod elevators (some of the fastest in the world – taking you to the 102nd floor in 47 seconds) which lead to a two-minute video presentation of how the New York skyline has evolved since the 1500s. Check out City Pulse on the 100th floor, which shows HD videos featuring notable NYC landmarks and neighborhoods.

Time Out tip: For a taste of the high life, make a reservation for dinner and cocktails with a view at ONE Dine.

Some things get better with age. The Empire State Building—now approaching its 100th birthday—is definitely one of them. The Empire State Building became an icon when it opened in 1931 as the world's tallest building. Though the landmark may have lost that title, it's remained a beloved destination with incredible views of the city. Tourists tend to make the Empire State Building their first stop upon arriving in New York City, and they're onto something—it's worth a visit, no matter if you're a lifelong New Yorker or just passing through town.

Time Out tip: Thanks to recent updates, it's not just about the views anymore. The building now spotlights art, architecture, and history; plus, it offers a slew of cool events and excellent dining options. 

In a city where almost everything is iconic, Lady Liberty is the icon of icons – certainly where tourists are concerned. Our tip is to avoid the foam-crown-sporting masses and pre-book a combo cruise-and-tour ticket. A climb to the crown – and why wouldn’t you? – affords a panoramic view of New York Harbor and the chance to see the literal nuts and bolts of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s creation, which was given to the people of America by the people of France in 1886.

Time Out tip: We thoroughly recommend stopping in the museum on Liberty Island, if only to marvel at the initial ambivalence of 19th-century New Yorkers when they were asked to fund the construction of the pedestal. 

Opened in 1880, the massive museum takes up 11.5 acres within Central Park along Fifth Avenue, across two million square feet and receives more than 4 million visitors annually. Its collection, which spans 5,000 years of art history from pre-history to the present, boasts 36,000 objects, including 2,500 European Old Master, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, as well as the greatest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts outside Cairo—among them, the full-scale Temple of Dendur. Other major attractions include The Met’s American and Lehman Wings; The Costume Institute; the Rooftop Garden, which offers spectacular views of the Park and the Midtown skyline; and, of course, its 29 amazing period rooms.

Time Out tip: To avoid the crowds, come on a weekday or visit for date night.

Surely the world’s most famous public park, the startlingly enormous Central Park is one of the most beloved attractions in New York City, and an iconic fixture of numerous films, TV shows, and songs. It’s surprisingly easy to forget you’re in Manhattan once you penetrate the idyllic, 843-acre plot, which was first brought to life in the mid-nineteenth century by urban visionaries Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. Their thoughtful design reflects a harmonious balance of scenic elements that live on today: pastoral (the open, picnic-ready lawn of the Sheep Meadow), formal (the linear, tree-lined Mall), and picturesque (the densely wooded paths of the Ramble).

Time Out tip: Short on time? See more by renting a bike in Central Park.

If you want to call this magnificent pinnacle of Art Deco architecture NYC’s most eye-popping skyscraper, then we’re not going to argue with you. Triangle-shaped windows in its crown are lined with lights, creating a beautiful effect come nighttime. Oozing a moneyed sophistication oft identified with old New York, you can’t actually go up it as a tourist – it’s still in use as offices – but the magnificent lobby is open to the public.

Time Out tip: Get a great street-level view of the building from Grand Central Terminal, or see it from above with a helicopter tour. 

Though it’s spawned many imitators, there’s something uniquely New York about this wonderful aerial park walk, built on an abandoned railway track, an ultra-smart move-in footage-starved Manhattan. What we like best is how the pathway rises above the city while keeping you rooted in urban life: where else can you walk through a field of wildflowers as cabs zip along the street beneath you? Take in the gardens while admiring views of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. You'll soon find out why it's been ranked as one of the world's top 10 attractions. 

Time Out tip: This nonprofit wonder relies on its supporters, so feel free to donate on the website to keep this free public space alive. 

More than 13 million locals and tourists take in Broadway shows every year. Most of NYC’s 41 Broadway venues – that is to say, professional theaters with a capacity of over 500 – are located in the Theater District. Roughly speaking, that’s 41st Street to 52nd Street between Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue. Each season brings a new wave of mega-musicals, plays, and star-driven revivals. Tickets don’t tend to be cheap – although discounts are often available – but you would be remiss to leave New York City without taking in one of the season's best shows.

Time Out tip: Take the theatrics to the next level by joining a haunted Broadway theater tour.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is one of the most popular—and certainly the most heartbreaking—attractions in New York City. Located where the Twin Towers once stood, the memorial and museum tell the story of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The museum houses artifacts, historical records, firefighting equipment and a memorial exhibition. Tours with expert guides are available. 

Outside the museum is the memorial, which honors the 2,977 people killed on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing on February 26, 1993. The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest man-made waterfalls in North America.

Time Out tip: Buying tickets for the popular attractions ahead of time is recommended. Skip-the-line tickets are also available. 

Built by the fabulously wealthy businessman John D Rockefeller, the construction of this enormous complex employed over 40,000 workers over nine years. Nowadays, more than 350,000 visitors make their way to the historic landmark every year, starting early in the morning with folks hoping to spot celebrities or appear in the background of the Today Show. Always in demand is the NBC studio tour, which covers the network’s history and sites in 30 Rock.

Time Out tip: The busiest (and best) time to visit, of course, is December when the enormous 70-foot Christmas Tree stands proudly above the plaza ice rink. Book Online

This iconic transit hub, which opened in 1913, is used by thousands upon thousands of commuters each day. And it’s also a destination in its own right: its majestic Beaux-Arts architecture is an awesome marriage of form and function. 

Famous features include the vaulted, constellation-adorned ceiling and the four-faced opal clock topping the main information booth. They’re both located in the Grand Concourse. Meanwhile, ornamentation above the 42nd Street entrance includes a likeness of Mercury, the god of travel (naturally), and an ornate Tiffany-glass timepiece.

Time Out tip: Visit the Whispering Gallery with its unique acoustics: stand in a specific corner and develop the ability to hear your friend on the opposite side of the curved wall. 

Standing at the foot of the High Line along Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, the 63,000 square facility features both indoor and outdoor exhibition space. True to its founder Gertrude Vanderbilt's wishes, the Whitney is dedicated to presenting the work of American artists. Its collection holds about 15,000 pieces by nearly 2,000 artists, including Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, Edward Hopper (the museum holds his entire estate), Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Georgia O’Keeffe and Claes Oldenburg.

Time Out tip: Three outdoor sculpture spaces provide views of the Hudson and the surrounding neighborhood. This is a goldmine for slightly lesser-known but fantastic exhibitions. 

History buffs will love this Upper West Side institution. Built in 1804, it's the oldest museum in New York City. In a nod to history, the museum kept the hyphen in its name—that’s how the city’s name was spelled back in the early 1800s. The New-York Historical Society features more than 1.6 million works that explore the history of the city and the country, including exhibits, art and historical artifacts. The Patricia D. Klingenstein Library has more than three million books, newspapers, maps, photographs and more from our nation’s founding through slavery and Reconstruction and beyond.

Time Out tip: The Gilder Lehrman Collection is also housed in the New-York Historical Society, where you can view signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment and the Constitution.

Frank Lloyd Wright broke the mold on museum design when he completed his building for the Guggenheim in 1959. Since then, millions of visitors have come to the Gugg to gawk at its spiraling rotunda, but they stay for its daring art shows and its collection, which includes Peggy Guggenheim’s trove of Cubist, Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist works, as well as the largest collection of Kandinskys in the United States. Beautiful and innovative both inside and out, what more inspiration do you need?

Time Out tip: The best time to visit the Guggenheim on most days is 11am when crowds are smaller. 

Times Square in NYC—New York’s crowded attraction—is a global icon in its own right. It’s the "center of the world" and the epicenter of NYC tourism with the best Broadway shows and photo opportunities with the flashy billboards and those creepy mascots. Its fabled days of grime and crime are a distant memory, thankfully, but it still has much to experience, especially during the holiday season.

Time Out tip: There are plenty of restaurants offering an assortment of cuisines at varying prices. Ones to note include Carmine's, LOS TACOS No. 1, and Empire Steak House. 

More than six million people a year visit this former biscuit factory turned food hall: a fact that’s unlikely to surprise anyone who has ever braved the epic line for Los Tacos No. 1. In addition to 35-plus eateries, Chelsea Market is home to the rotating boutique selection of Artists & Fleas, plus a selection of other local boutiques. The fact Google snapped the space up for a cool $2.4 billion a few years back only goes to show how iconic it really is. Explore Chelsea Market and The Highline.

Time Out tip: Check out their website for info on the live music, pop-up shows and special events hosted at the market. 

Catch a glimpse of this monumental library’s Beaux-Arts facade and you’ll see why it took nine years and $9 million to construct (when $9 million was a lot of money). The grand columns, Tennessee marble lions dubbed Patience and Fortitude and the spectacular Rose Main Reading Room make the library one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.

The contents aren’t too bad either: bibliophiles shouldn’t pass up the chance to look through the vast collection of books and literary ephemera, including the original Winnie-the-Pooh bear and first folio editions of William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies.

Time Out tip: Reserve a free tour slot or download the Bloomberg Connects app for a self-guided tour. 

When it debuted in 1902, critics thought the Flatiron Building wouldn’t last: they worried that a strong wind might topple the long, thin, pyramidal structure. Fortunately, architect Daniel Burnham’s smart solution to the problem of a triangular lot has proven nothing if not enduring, and the unique architecture is still very much in place. While it's still cool to look at, the building has been under scaffolding for years now, so set your expectations if you're heading there for a photo.

Time Out tip: The best position for a picture? Crouch down at the southern end of Flatiron Plaza, just north of the biulding. 

If the American Museum of Natural History only contained the 94-foot blue whale model in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life and the 122-foot cast of the Titanosaur fossil in the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Orientation Center, then it would be worth visiting on those grounds alone. What’s that, you want more? Fair enough: you can also consider the vast collection of taxidermied animals, check out the dazzling Hall of Gems, explore the heavens in the awe-inspiring Hayden Planetarium, and get inspired in the new Gilder Center. 

Time Out tip: There are a number of exhibitions included with entry, and some that are ticketed. We'd suggest the extra purchase if you're a fan of elephants, butterflies or Tom Hanks (he narrates an exhibition about space!). 

Though it’s no longer the biggest department store in the world, the original Macy’s location is no slouch, covering a prodigious 2.2 million square feet. You could spend days shopping in this 11-floor building, but buying stuff isn’t the only draw.

Time Out tip: Visit in the spring to peep the extravagant Macy’s Flower Show, or wait until after Thanksgiving to take in the festive holiday windows and drop off your Christmas list to Old Saint Nick himself.

For generations, the architects who have worked in Manhattan have known one thing: the only way is up. Take their lead and view the area’s iconic buildings, bridges, parks and statues from the air. Ideal for when your feet need time off from earth-bound site-seeing, a helicopter tour will sweep you up and around the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building and so forth, including giving you a view of Central Park normally reserved for the birds. Head to Pier Six on the East River and, well, prepare for lift off.

Time Out tip: There are multiple companies that offer these tours, with some taking you over more landmarks than others. Have a browse before booking to make sure the sites on your list are visible on that particular tour.