New York: what to see

Ten places where most visitors start. Hours and entry rules come from the official sites as of October 28, 2026; check them before you go.

Statue of Liberty

The statue stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and was unveiled in 1886. The only way there is the Statue City Cruises ferry, which the National Park Service (NPS) calls the only authorized ticket seller. Ferries leave from The Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey, after airport-style security. Pedestal and crown tickets are limited and sold in advance; the crown is 162 steps up, with no elevator.

Ellis Island

According to the NPS, more than 12 million immigrants were processed here in the peak years of 1892-1924, and the main building opened in 1900. It now houses the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. Every Statue of Liberty ferry ticket includes the museum, and the NPS suggests an early ferry if you want to see both islands in one day.

Central Park

Central Park runs from 59th to 110th Street between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. It was created in 1858 to a design by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, and NYC Parks calls it the first public park built in America. The Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that cares for it, counts 843 acres and 42 million visits a year. Inside are 36 bridges and arches, 21 official playgrounds, boat rentals, skating rinks and a zoo.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's main building, Met Fifth Avenue, is at 1000 Fifth Avenue. It is closed on Wednesdays, open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and until 5 p.m. on other days. New York State residents and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut pay what they wish.

American Museum of Natural History

The museum is at 200 Central Park West and opens daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Thanksgiving and Christmas. New York State residents with ID pay what they wish, but only for General Admission.

Brooklyn Bridge

Designed by John A. Roebling, the bridge was built between 1869 and 1883. NYC DOT gives its total length with approaches as 6,016 feet and the main span as 1,595.5 feet. The pedestrian promenade stays open at all times, though repair work sometimes narrows it. A two-way protected bike lane, carved out of a car lane, opened in September 2021.

Empire State Building

Open since 1931, the building has observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors. Every visit needs a timed reservation, best booked online in advance; as of October 28, 2026, tickets to the 86th floor started at $46. It is open 365 days a year, with hours that vary by season, and the outdoor 86th-floor deck has heaters in winter.

9/11 Memorial & Museum

The memorial is at 180 Greenwich Street and opened in 2011. It is free and open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday and select Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., last entry 5:30 p.m., and tickets must be bought in advance.

The High Line

The High Line is a park built on an old raised rail line on Manhattan's West Side. The first train ran on it in 1933, traffic stopped by the 1980s, and the first section of the park, from Gansevoort to 20th Street, opened in 2009; today it is a continuous 1.45-mile greenway. It is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April 1 to November 30 and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from December through March, with elevators at four locations and free docent-led tours on select days.

Prospect Park

Brooklyn's Prospect Park is bounded by Prospect Park West, Flatbush, Parkside and Ocean Avenues. Olmsted and Vaux, who designed Central Park, built it over thirty years, from 1865 to 1895. NYC Parks lists a zoo, the nation's first urban Audubon Center, an ice rink, a band shell and a carousel on its 526 acres, which also hold most of Brooklyn's remaining native forest.