Sightseeing Day Passes (3,4,5,6,7, & 10 Day Passes) and Flex Passes (6,10, & 12 Attraction Passes) are both 20% off.
Plus, there’s additional savings for those traveling with children ages 3 through 12. For each adult pass purchased, you can purchase one child pass for 50% off.
The NY Sightseeing Pass offers admission to NYC attractions and sights such as the One World Observatory, Top of the Rock, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim Museum, MOMA, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, New York Botanical Garden, Madame Tussauds, National Geographic Encounter – Ocean Odyssey, Gulliver’s Gate, and Luna Park at Coney Island.
There are also many tours included, such as bike tours of Central Park, Circle Line Cruises, a hop-on-hop-off ferry tour, culinary walking tours, Gray Line/CitySightseeing bus tours, The Tour & The Ride bus toours, and tours of Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall.
The pass is available in two varieties. Both options give access to all of the available sights, tours, etc., but with the Day Pass, you pay by the day for unlimited access to the number of things you can fit into those days and with the Flex Pass you pay by the number things you want to do (you have 30 days from activation at the first attraction to see them all).
This package includes unlimited hop-on, hop-off access to CitySights NY’s 48-Hr All Around Town Tour, plus entry to the 86th floor Observatory Deck at the Empire State Building. Also included is access to the CitySightseeing New York Hop-on, Hop-off Ferry Tour, and entrance to either the Museum of the City of New York or the New York Historical Society.
The All Around Town Bus Tour consists of 4 different bus tour loops – Downtown, Uptown, Brooklyn and Night Tour.
The package deal price is $65 for adults and $55 for children.
It’s time for our annual round-up of New York City holiday activities and entertainment. Each year we provide information on some of the best things to do in NYC during the Christmas season. And since this website is all about experiencing the best of NYC for less, we emphasize things to do that are free, inexpensive, or for which discounts are available.
We’ll keep this page updated as more information about the 2017 season becomes available. Check additional online event resources such as TimeOut and the Official NYC Guide at nycgo.com to find more events. Dates, hours of operation, and fees should be verified with the official websites.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Santa’s arrival at the end of this big Thanksgiving Day parade helps usher in the holiday season. Thousands and thousands of people line the parade route each year to see the bands, floats, and giant balloons go by. The parade is on Thanksgiving Day and the start time is 9:00 a.m.. The parade starts at 77th Street and Central Park West, turns at Columbus Circle onto Central Park South, continues to 6th Avenue, then continues south along 6th Avenue until it gets to the end at 34th Street (Macy’s Herald Square).
You can see the Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons inflated outside the American Museum of Natural History on the night before the parade. It’s a great opportunity to see the balloons up close, but lots people show up to see the inflation, so be prepared for lines and crowds.
Handel’s Messiah – Enjoy the New York Philharmonic’s performance of this classical masterpiece. Performances are December 12 – 16, 2017 at Lincoln Center. Discount tickets available.
Messiah … Refreshed – Enjoy Handel’s Messiah re-orchestrated for full symphony orchestra performed in the beautiful, iconic Carnegie Hall. At the Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, Sunday, November 27th. Discount tickets available.
Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square – November 27, 2017. Annual street festival that stretches along Broadway from the Time Warner Center to 68th Street. There’s lots of free entertainment and performances, plus food tastings from neighborhood restaurants.
Caroling at Washington Square Park – Christmas Eve caroling under the Washington Square Arch is an annual tradition. The caroling usually starts at 5:00 p.m. but watch for an official announcement on the Washington Square Association website.
Holiday Edition of The Ride – Enjoy the sights of New York City from the comfort of The Ride’s high-tech interactive buses with stadium-style seating. The Holiday Edition of The Ride combines sightseeing with holiday-themed street performances.
Holiday Lights, Trees, and Displays
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Christmas Decorations
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree – This is the big one – and it really is a big tree. The tree, lights and decorations at Rockefeller Center are beautiful and a must-see for any holiday season visit to New York City. The tree lighting event will take place on November 29, 2017 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. The tree stays lit until 11:30 each night until the lights go off at 9:00 p.m. on January 7th, 2018. Free.
The Origami Tree at the American Museum of Natural History – November 20, 2017 – January 7, 2018. The holiday tree at the American Museum of Natural History is decorated with a collection of paper-folded origami ornaments. The theme for the ornaments changes each year. It’s a unique and beautiful display. Admission to the museum is free during the last hour of operation each day (4:45 – 5:45), so that’s a good time to visit if you just want to see the tree.
Metropolitan Museum Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Creche – This beautiful tree is decorated with cherubs and angels and a classic Nativity scene is arranged beneath. Lighting ceremonies are held each day, visit the museum website for details. The museum operates on a recommended admission policy, with a recommendation of $25 for adults, $17 for seniors, $12 for students, and free admission for children under 12.
Bryant Park Winter Village and Christmas Tree – There’s a big tree next to the skating rink at Bryant Park. The ice skating rink here is free (there’s a charge to rent skates if you don’t have your own). This park also features a very nice holiday market with little shops nestled in between the park’s trees. Bryant Park is located behind the New York Public Library, between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The 2017 Bryant Park Tree Lighting and Skate-tacular takes place December 1st at 6:00 p.m. Free.
Park Avenue Memorial Trees – Fir trees along Park Avenue are lit each year in memory of those who have sacrificed their lives at war. This tradition began in 1946 when a group of Park Avenue families lit trees in honor of those lost in WWII. The Brick Church at the corner of Park Avenue and 91st Street holds a tree lighting ceremony and carol sing on the night of the first Sunday in December. The trees stretch along Park Avenue from 54th to 96th Streets. The 2017 tree lighting date has not yet been announced. Free.
Star Display at the Time Warner Center
The New York Stock Exchange Christmas Tree – A tree has been decorated in front of the NYSE each year since 1923. The Stock Exchange Christmas Tree is located on Broad Street, between Wall Street and Exchange Place. The 2017 tree lighting ceremony is November 30th. Free.
Washington Square Park Christmas Tree – This tree has a spectacular location, right at the foot of the iconic Washington Square Arch. The park is located at the foot of Fifth Avenue in the Greenwich Village neighborhood. Washington Square Park also has a popular holiday market. Free.
Lincoln Center Christmas Tree – There’s always a nice holiday tree in the plaza in front of Lincoln Center. It’s a pretty setting with the fountain and Lincoln Center’s lighted architecture in the background. While you’re in the neighborhood, pay a visit to the Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium, located on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets. This public space is open until 10:00 nightly, has free wifi, restrooms, a cafe, free music on Thursdays, and is the box office for discount tickets to same-week performances at Lincoln Center venues. Free.
Holiday Under the Stars at The Time Warner Center – Twelve large stars suspended from the ceiling of the Time Warner Center atrium shift colors in a display choreographed to holiday music. The Time Warner Center is located across from Columbus Circle, where you’ll find an outdoor holiday market. Free.
Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens – November 22, 2017 – January 15, 2018. Think train shows aren’t your thing? You might want to re-think that. This train show is special. Trains run around a landscape of real plants and detailed replicas of New York City’s landmarks, created completely out of natural plant material. It all takes place in the nice warm conservatory building of the New York Botanical Gardens. There are special adults-only Bar Car Nights with entertainment and holiday cocktails.
Store Window Holiday Displays – Elaborate holiday window displays are a long-standing tradition in New York City. Macy’s, Saks, Lord & Taylor, Tiffany, Bergdorf Goodman, and Bloomingdale’s are some of the best. If you’re traveling with children, see Mommy Poppins’ “NYC Holiday Windows Walk 2013: Seeing Department Store Christmas Displays with Kids” for good information and photos. And don’t just look in the windows at Macy’s, the interior of the store has great decorations, including the famous Santaland.
Ice Skating
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Wollman Rink, Central Park
The Rink at Rockefeller Center – This is the most famous, and most crowded of the city’s skating rinks. If it’s always been your dream to skate at Rockefeller Center, you show go for it. And if you’re not much of a skater, the rink and surrounding decorations are still something worth seeing. The rink opened for the 2017 season on October 11th.
Wollman Rink in Central Park– This is probably the second most famous ice rink in the city. It’s a large rink located near the southern entrance to Central Park, where the city’s skyline provides a picturesque background. Try to go during the week when the rink is less crowded and the fees are lower. Wollman Rink opened for the 2017 season on October 21st.
Bryant Park Ice Skating – Skating at Bryant Park is free, although if you don’t have your own skates, there is a skate rental fee. The 170′ x 100′ rink here is smaller than the one a Central Park, but larger than the rink at Rockefeller Center. The park also has a nice holiday market. Bryant Park is located right behind the Main Branch of the New York Public Library, so you can stop by there to see the tree in Astor Hall and the wreaths decorating the lion statues at the entrance. The Bryant Park rink opened for the 2017 season on October 28th.
Holiday Markets
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Holiday shops and tree at Bryant Park
The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park– October 28, 2017 – January 2, 2018. The glass-enclosed structures that house the shops at the Bryant Park holiday market allow shoppers an opportunity to get out of the cold and the glass shops nestled among the park’s trees make for the very pretty setting. There are over a hundred little boutique-type shops set up along the park’s pathways. Bryant Park also has a skating rink and large Christmas tree here.
Columbus Circle Holiday Market– November 28 – December 24, 2017. This outdoor market has a great location, right at the southern end of Central Park. Combine shopping here with a trip to nearby Wollman Rink in Central Park or the lights display in the Time Warner Center.
Union Square Holiday Market– November 16 – December 24, 2017. Vendors of gift and food items sell their wares from temporary outdoor stalls topped with red & white striped awnings. The scene at this popular market is reminiscent of European Christmas markets. Located in Union Square Park, Greenwich Village.
Grand Central Holiday Fair – November 13 – December 24, 2017.Grand Central’s indoor holiday market is a good way to escape from the cold. About 40 vendors sell a variety of goods in Vanderbilt Hall.
Enjoy a different kind of sightseeing experience with The Ride, the bus tour that’s part tour and part show. See the sights and enjoy street performances along the way. You’ll ride in special buses that are custom-designed for this experience with stadium-type setting (you sit facing out the large side windows), plasma monitors, advanced audio system, and LED lights.
LivingSocial has discount tickets for the The Ride, priced at $49.
Goldstar has discount tickets for The Ride priced at $51.25 (final price with fees).
Regular full-price for The Ride is $74. They often run promotional specials. Be sure to compare deal offers with prices at The Ride website to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Look for “Flash Sales” and family pack offers. Flash sales are also sometime featured on their Facebook page.
A few notes about The Ride: Not recommended for children under the age of 6. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. All Children must be supervised. There is no food or drink permitted on The Ride. There is no restroom available on The Ride.
Due to sideways seating, frequent stops and starts, strobe lighting, loud music, and simulations that include floor shaking, sudden tilting, and jarring actions, The Ride has a safety advisory posted on their site advising that: The Ride is not recommended for guests with motion sickness or dizziness, sensitivity to strobe or other lighting effects, back, neck or similar physical conditions, heart conditions or high blood pressure, sensitivity to loud sounds. Visit the official The Ride website for details.
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Have you ever toured a brewery? Well, here’s your chance. The Brooklyn Brewery offers free tours of their facilities on Saturdays and Sundays. They offer tours other days of the week too, but there’s a charge for those.
The weekend tours start at noon on Saturday and depart every half hour from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and start at noon on Sunday and run every half hour from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can pick up a tour ticket at the brewery’s Company Store beginning an hour before the tour’s start time. The tours are limited to 40 people and are first-come-first-served. The brewery’s website provides the details on how all of this works.
You can try the beer, but that’s not free. Beer tokens are $5 each or 5 for $20.
The Brooklyn Brewery is located at 79 North 11th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, between Berry Street and Wythe Avenue. Directions.
While you’re in Brooklyn, check out all the shops and eateries in the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood. If you go on a Saturday, Smorgasburg is nearby.
Knowledgeable tour guides lead a 90 minute tour of the neighborhood that includes the Terminal and other neighborhood buildings. The focus is on history and architecture.
Landmarks included on the tour include Grand Central Terminal, the Chrysler Building, the News Building, and more. See reviews of the tour at TripAdvisor.
The tours take place every Friday, starting at 12:20pm. The tours are free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. Meet in the atrium of 120 Park Avenue, directly across from Grand Central Terminal, at the southwest corner of East 42nd Street and Park Avenue. See tour information at the Grand Central Partnership website.
Touring Grand Central Terminal
The Grand Central Partnership’s walking tour does not include an interior tour of Grand Central Terminal. You can take a look around Grand Central on your own or with one of the tour options below.
Grand Station Terminal Interior
Grand Central Terminal Audio Tour – A self-guided audio tour of the Terminal building is available seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The fee for the audio tour is $9 ($7 for seniors, military, students, and kids). Note: The audio tour is available through Groupon at a discounted price of $5 per person.
To take the tour, you’ll get your audio device and headset from the Grand Central Terminal Tour window in the main concourse, near customer service. It’ll take 45 minutes to an hour to go through the tour. The audio device and headset need to be returned to the Grand Central Terminal tours window before they close for the day at 6:00 p.m.
Grand Central Terminal Guided Tour – The official guided tour of Grand Central Terminal is the Municipal Arts Society of New York’s 75-minute docent-led tour. The tour highlights the history, architecture, and operation of Grand Central. The guided tour is offered daily as 12:30 and the fee is $25 ($20 for seniors, military, students, and children under 10). Details.
Free Tours Offered by the Central Park Conservancy
The Central Park Conservancy regularly offers free guided walking tours of Central Park. No pre-registration is required for the free tours, just show up in the specified meet-up location at the specified start time.
The Central Park Conservancy is the organization responsible for keeping Central Park the beautiful place to visit that it is today. They’re a not-for-profit organization that has contracted with New York City since the 1980s to manage the park. That’s a big job, because Central Park in huge, as in 843 acres huge!
Because the park is so large, it’s fairly easy to get yourself turned around and a little lost without a guide. The folks with Central Park Conservancy probably know the park better than anyone else, making them a great choice for guided tours. Conservancy tour guides give both free and paid tours. To see the full list of tours available, please visit the Central Park Conservancy website.
Free Central Park Tours
The Southern Welcome Tour – An introductory tour of the southern portion of the park including Grand Army Plaza, the Chess and Checkers House, Wollman Rink, Gapstow Bridge, The Pond, and the Dairy Visitor Center.
Mid-Park Welcome Tour – An introductory tour of the middle portion of the park including the Lake, Belvadere Castle, the Ramble, Oak Bridge at Bank Rock Bay, and Balcony Bridge.
Northern Welcome Tour – An Introductory tour of the northern portion of the park including Harlem Meer, the Conservatory Garden, and the North Woods.
Secrets of the Southwest Park – Explore and learn little-known facts about one of the most-visited sections of the park. Highlights include the Maine Monument, the Children’s District, Sheep Meadow, Tavern on the Green, and Strawberry Fields.
Heart of the Park Tour – This tour through the middle of the park includes Bethesda Fountain, Cherry Hill, The Lake, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, Conservatory Water, Loeb Boathouse, and Strawberry Fields.
The free tours last 60 to 90 minutes and start at various meeting places throughout the park. Check the individual tour descriptions and schedule for tour length and meeting places.
Tours take place rain or shine, except in extreme weather conditions (heavy rain, sustained winds of 30 mph or more, heavy snowstorms, wind chill below 25 degrees F, or heat index above 95 degrees F. Cancellations will be noted on the online calendar at the Conservancy’s website, so if the weather seems iffy, check there.
Free Self-Guided Tours
If you’d rather explore on your own, the Conservancy has a nice selection of self-guided walking tours available for free download in PDF format. Tours available for download include a North End Tour, Mid-Park Tour, South End Tour, and Woodland Tour, plus a Monthly Mile Tour that covers a different mile-long walk in the park each month, and a series of Tree Walks that help you learn about the many types of trees in Central Park while you explore the Great Lawn, the Bethesda Terrace area, 59th Street, the East Meadow, or the Upper West Side. Download self-guided walking tours of Central Park here.
The Free Official Central Park App is also useful for self-guided explorations. The GPS-enabled app provides an interactive map that will show you where you are located with in the park and what is nearby. The app also includes the Celebrity Audio Guide.
There’s also a free audio guide that provides celebrity commentary of some of the park’s most famous locations. You can access the audio guide with the Official Central Park App or via a special phone number. Lean more about the audio guide here.
Paid Tours
The Central Park Conservancy pays for 75% of the park’s annual operating budget plus all maintenance and capital improvement costs, so if you enjoy Central Park and want to help support its continued maintenance, you might consider taking one of the paid tours or becoming a Central Park Conservancy member.
Paid tours provide in-depth explorations of specific areas of the park or about specific topics. See a full list of available tours here.
Water Lilies triptych by Claude Monet at the Museum of Modern ArtAdmission to the Museum of Modern Art is free for all visitors on Fridays from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Admission is always free for children age 16 and under and for active members of the US Military and military families (with valid ID/dependent card).
Regular admission to the Museum of Modern Art is $25 for adults, $18 for Seniors (65+), $14 for Students (full-time with ID).
The Museum of Modern Art (also known as MoMA) houses a world-renowned collection of modern art. The museum’s collection includes modern works of many types and features pieces by great artists such as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Henri Rousseau, and Jackson Pollock.
While you’re there, you can learn more about the exhibits with free MoMA audio recordings. You can use one of the museum’s audio devices free of charge or download the files in advance onto our own mobile device.
MoMA is located on 53rd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues.
The Downtown Alliance provides a free bus service called the Downtown Connection to help you get around Lower Manhattan.
The Downtown Connection travels between South Street Seaport and and Battery Park City, making 38 stops along the way. You can hop on and off as you please. Seven buses serve the route. Look for the red shuttle-sized buses with the Downtown Connection labeling on the side.
The buses are set up for GPS tracking, so you check online to see where the buses are and when they’ll arrive at a stop. The Downtown Alliance website has directions on how to use your cell phone to check on bus locations.
The bus service runs seven days a week (except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Buses arrive at the stops on about 10 minute intervals during the week and 15 minute intervals on the weekend.
There are many things to do in Lower Manhattan that are either free or inexpensive. You can walk the Brooklyn Bridge, visit the 9/11 Memorial, see the famous Wall Street Bull, explore Battery Park and South Street Seaport, or take the Staten Island Ferry (for views of the Statue of Liberty), all free of charge. A ferry ride to Governors Island costs just $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and is free for kids under 13, and the official ferry out to visit the Statue of Liberty is just $18 for adults, $14 for seniors and $9 for kids. Combine these activities with the Downtown Connection’s free bus service and you can spend days seeing NYC attractions while spending very little money.
Get out of the cold and enjoy a different kind of sightseeing experience with The Ride, the bus tour that’s part tour and part show. See the sights and enjoy street performances along the way. You’ll ride in special buses that are custom-designed for this experience with stadium-type setting (you sit facing out the large side windows), plasma monitors, advanced audio system, and led lights.
There’s a special “Holiday Edition” of The Ride November 12 – January 3rd. You’ll get to see the city’s holiday lights and displays from the comfort of a high-tech bus, and enjoy special holiday-themed street performances.
![Photo by Wikipedia Loves Art participant "trish" [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://nyccheaptravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/moma_monet.jpg)