343 Best Sights in New York City, New York

For millions of immigrants, the first glimpse of America was the Statue of Liberty, and today it remains a powerful symbol of American ideals. Liberty Enlightening the World, as the statue is officially named, was presented to the United States in 1886 as a gift from France. The 152-foot-tall figure was sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and erected around an iron skeleton engineered by Gustave Eiffel. It stands atop an 89-foot pedestal designed by Richard Morris Hunt, with Emma Lazarus's sonnet "The New Colossus" ("Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses . . .") inscribed on a bronze plaque at the base.

There is no admission fee for either the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, but an adult ferry ride (which goes round-trip from Battery Park to Liberty Island to Ellis Island) costs $24.50 (includes entrance to the statue's pedestal and museum). Access to the statue's crown, via a famously narrow, twisting staircase, remains on hiatus since 2020, but is expected to resume in late 2023. Ferries leave from Battery Park (and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey) every 25–30 minutes depending on the time of year (buy your tickets online at  www.statuecruises.com). There are often long lines, so arrive early, especially if you have a timed-entry ticket (strongly recommended; tickets sell out, especially to see the crown). There is a pleasant indoor-outdoor café on Liberty Island. In 2019, a new 26,000-square-foot museum opened on the island to showcase the statue's history and legacy, with artifacts including the statue's original torch, across three interactive galleries.

Taking you 1,210 feet and 93 floors above the heart of New York City, in part via an all-glass enclosed elevator, NYC’s newest observation deck (opened in late 2021) "elevates" the observation deck concept, offering unique immersive and multisensory art installations along with mirrored floors and ceilings to reflect and multiply the incredible views of the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and beyond. In fact, there are so many reflective surfaces in this experience that Summit recommends pants and sunglasses to protect your modesty and your eyes.

The 91st and 92nd floors are completely enclosed. The views are endless and even with crowds, it is easy to find an impressive selfie backdrop. After you have had your fill of spotting NYC rooftops and before you come back down to earth, linger a while longer in the spectacular skyline views at Après on the 93rd floor, where you can enjoy food, coffee, and cocktails on the wraparound terrace. Those who dare to go higher can try Ascent, the world’s largest exterior glass-floor elevators, which take you up the outside of the building to its highest point. 

Walk up a small and unassuming staircase from St. Nicholas Avenue in Washington Heights, and Sylvan Terrace appears as if you have magically stepped back in time to 19th-century New York City or onto a film set. The one-block cobblestone street lined on both sides with charmingly restored wooden town houses built in 1882 is one of New York City's greatest hidden streets/gems. Before the rows of town houses were built, the street served as a carriage drive to the 1765-built Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest house in New York City. The quaint town houses are occupied (and rarely come on the market, sorry) but are still worth visiting, especially when paired with a visit to the Morris-Jumel Mansion. A view of the mansion, framed by the charming yellow houses with ornate brown details and usually unobstructed by tourists, can be seen when looking eastward.

For a step back to various points in time on the Lower East Side, book one of the experiences that revolve around the partially restored 19th-century buildings that comprise the Tenement Museum. Options include apartment tours, neighborhood walks (including "Reclaiming Black Lives" introduced in 2021), and informative talks. At 97 Orchard Street, theme tours take you through the preserved apartments of several generations of immigrants who lived in the building. The "Hard Times" tour visits the homes of Natalie Gumpertz, a German–Jewish dressmaker (dating from 1878), and Adolph and Rosaria Baldizzi, Catholic immigrants from Sicily (1935). "Sweatshop Workers" visits the Levine family's garment shop–apartment and the home of the Rogarshevsky family from Eastern Europe (1918), while "Irish Outsiders" explores the life of the Moores, an Irish American family living in the building in 1869. Nearby, at 103 Orchard Street, the Under One Roof exhibition explores the lives of immigrant families from Poland, China, and Puerto Rico who lived in the building after World War II. All the tours fill up fast so it's best to sign up in advance.

Bushwick is well known for its street art, as the Brooklyn graffiti scene endures with colorful, larger-than-life murals. It's all encouraged, supported, and curated by this urban art collective, under the helm of Joseph Ficalora. The outdoor street art gallery is omnipresent as you walk Troutman Street and the adjacent blocks of St. Nicholas Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue, the area's main drag. Fans of global street art will recognize featured artists, including Carlitos Skills, Ruben Ubiera, and Mr. Blob.   Every summer, the Collective throws a block party that's a mix of DJ music, food trucks, and local makers selling their wares. Check their website for details.

Housed in a French-Gothic, chateau-style mansion dating from 1908 that was once the home of German-Jewish immigrant and businessman Felix Warburg, the Jewish Museum draws on an impressive collection of art and ceremonial objects to explore Jewish identity and culture spanning more than 4,000 years. The wide-ranging artifacts include the world's largest collection of menorahs (ritual candelabras used during Hanukkah), a 3rd-century Roman burial plaque, 20th-century sculpture by George Segal, and works by such artists as Camille Pissaro, Deborah Kass, Lee Krasner, and Kehinde Wiley. Scenes from the Collection, occupying the entire third floor, contains roughly 600 pieces from ancient to contemporary. The space is divided into seven thematic sections complemented by interactive media; displays rotate at least annually. The museum's changing exhibitions are well curated and lively.

Perched on a wooded hill in Fort Tryon Park, near Manhattan's northwestern tip, the Cloisters museum and gardens houses part of the medieval collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is a scenic destination in its own right. Colonnaded walks connect authentic French and Spanish monastic cloisters, a French Romanesque chapel, a 12th-century chapter house, and a Romanesque apse. One room is devoted to the 15th- and 16th-century Unicorn Tapestries, which date from 1500 and are must-see masterpieces of medieval mythology and craftsmanship. The tomb effigies are another highlight, as is the Reliquary containing silver and gold religious objects. Two of the three enclosed gardens shelter more than 250 species of plants similar to those grown during the Middle Ages, including flowers, herbs, and medicinals; the third is an ornamental garden.

Concerts of medieval music are held regularly, and there are holiday concerts in December. Concert tickets include same-day admission to the museum, and tickets to either the main Met on 5th Avenue or to the Met Cloisters include same-day admission to the other. The outdoor Trie Café is open during museum hours, rain or shine, May through October, with a light menu of sandwiches, desserts, and coffee.

If Manhattan had no museums other than the colossal Metropolitan Museum of Art, you could still occupy yourself for days—even a week—roaming its labyrinthine corridors. It is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, with more than 1.5 million works of art representing 5,000 years of history, so plan ahead and be selective. The famous Egyptian collection (including the Temple of Dendur) is reason enough to visit. Other don't-miss sections include the extensive European Paintings galleries, the magnificent Islamic Galleries, the impressive collection of impressionist paintings, the American Wing, the Anna Wintour Costume Center (within the collection of the Costume Institute), and tons (literally) of ancient Greek and Roman statues. Kids love the Arms and Armor displays.

Be aware of ongoing renovations. A three-year rebuild of the Ancient Near Eastern and Cypriot Art galleries will continue into early 2026; check the website and museum map to plan your visit around gallery closures. Take a break at the Cantor Roof Garden, open May to September, or at one of four cafés and lounges offering light bites and cocktails. Admission includes same-day entry to Met Cloisters, the medieval art collection in Inwood, at the northern tip of Manhattan. Download a free audio guide to make the most of your visit (with your own headphones), or take advantage of a tour with a docent.

The treasures inside this museum and research center, gathered by John Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), one of New York's wealthiest financiers, are exceptional: medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts, Old Master drawings and prints, and autographed literary and musical manuscripts. Some of the library's crowning achievements on paper include letters penned by John Keats and Thomas Jefferson; a summary of the theory of relativity in Einstein's own elegant handwriting; three Gutenberg Bibles; drawings by Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, Blake, and Rembrandt; the only known manuscript fragment of Milton's Paradise Lost; Thoreau's journals; and original manuscripts and letters by Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Thomas Pynchon, and many others. 

Had this charming cobblestone corner of the city not been declared a historic district in 1977, the city's largest concentration of early 19th-century commercial buildings would have been destroyed. Thankfully they survived, and in recent years have come to enjoy new life. The landmarked "South Street Seaport Historic District" has undergone a thorough makeover as a culinary and diverse shopping destination, with seasonal markets, art installations, IPIC Theater (a luxury cinema with dining), and live entertainment—plus a simplified moniker as the Seaport.

At the intersection of Fulton and Water Streets, the gateway to the seaport, is the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, a small white lighthouse that commemorates the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Beyond the lighthouse, Fulton Street turns into a cobblestone pedestrian mall. On the south side of Fulton is the seaport's architectural centerpiece, Schermerhorn Row, a redbrick terrace of Georgian- and Federal-style warehouses and countinghouses built from 1810 to 1812. Cross South Street to Pier 16, where historic 19th- and 20th-century ships are docked. Pier 16 also is the departure point for various seasonal cruises. (Ship tours are included in the admission to the South Street Seaport Museum).

Across South Street along the East River are Pier 17 and the renovated Tin Building. Previously the longtime site of the Fulton Fish Market, in 2022, the latter reopened as the Tin Building by Jean-Georges, a high-end food hall and marketplace ( tinbuilding.com). In 2018, the Pier 17 building became a multilevel office complex with several restaurants and bars at street level, and a 60,000-square-foot rooftop that's programmed with live summer concerts ( rooftopatpier17.com). But the real highlight is the wraparound public wharf that's open year-round, with seating and stunning views of the harbor and Brooklyn Bridge.

This leafy park is a favorite spot, year-round, for the neighborhood locals who lunch on the benches, picnic in the central green spaces, and put on impromptu jazz concerts. There's a year-round farmers' market by the southwest corner on Sunday, and an annual Halloween dog-costume event. It wasn't always so rosy in the park, though: in 1988, police followed then-mayor Ed Koch's orders to evict the many homeless people who had set up makeshift shelters here, and homeless rights and antigentrification activists fought back with sticks and bottles. The park was reclaimed and reopened in 1992 with a midnight curfew, still in effect today.

Rockefeller Center's multifloor observation deck, the Top of the Rock, provides views that rival those of other sky-high spots in the city. Arriving presunset affords a view of the city that morphs into a dazzling wash of colors, with a sky-high view of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, and sweeping vistas northward to Central Park and south to the Statue of Liberty. Timed-entry ticketing eliminates long lines. Indoor exhibits include films of Rockefeller Center's history and a model of the building.

Rapid elevators lift you to the 67th-floor interior viewing area, and then an escalator leads to the outdoor deck on the 69th floor for sightseeing through nonreflective glass safety panels. Take another elevator or stairs to the 70th floor for a 360-degree, outdoor, NYC panorama on a deck that is only 20 feet wide and nearly 200 feet long. A Plexiglas screen on the floor has footage showing digitized Rock Center construction workers dangling on beams high above the streets. Expect a $10 surcharge for tickets at sunset hours; for $85, get VIP expedited entry, a 45-minute private tour, and gift-shop discount. More Rockefeller Center–tour combo discounts are available, as are partner deals with CityPASS and other sightseeing packages.

A park, farmers' market, meeting place, and the site of rallies and demonstrations, this pocket of green space and surrounding public square sit in the center of a bustling residential and commercial neighborhood. The name "Union" originally signified that two main roads—Broadway and 4th Avenue—crossed here. It took on a different meaning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the square became a rallying spot for labor protests; many unions, as well as fringe political parties, moved their headquarters nearby.

Union Square is at its best on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (8–6), when the largest of the city's greenmarkets draws farmers and food purveyors from the tristate area selling fruit and vegetables, plants, fresh-baked pies and breads, cheeses, cider, fish, and meat. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, artisans sell gift items and food at the large Union Square Holiday Market ( www.urbanspacenyc.com).

New York University dormitories, theaters, and cavernous commercial spaces occupy the restored 19th-century commercial buildings that surround the park, along with some chain stores and restaurants. Statues in the park include those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi (often wreathed in flowers), and the Marquis de Lafayette (sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty).

NYU students, street musicians, skateboarders, chess players, and those just watching the grand opera of it all generate a maelstrom of activity in this physical and spiritual heart of Greenwich Village. The 9¾-acre park with its iconic central fountain had inauspicious beginnings as a cemetery, principally for yellow-fever victims—an estimated 10,000–22,000 bodies lie below (a headstone was even unearthed in 2009). In the early 1800s, the park was a parade ground and the site of public executions; the notorious Hanging Elm still stands at the northwest corner of the square. 

The triumphal European-style Washington Memorial Arch at the square's northern flank marks the start of 5th Avenue. The original wood-and-papier-mâché arch, situated a half block north, was erected in 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of George Washington's presidential inauguration. The arch was reproduced in Tuckahoe marble in 1892, and the statues—Washington as General Accompanied by Fame and Valor on one side, and Washington as Statesman Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice on the other—were added in 1916 and 1918, respectively.

The Renzo Piano–designed museum welcomes visitors with a lively plaza, bold works of contemporary and modern American art, plenty of terraced outdoor spaces, and expansive windows. There are eight floors (not all open to the public), with a restaurant on the ground floor and a café on the eighth floor. The galleries house rotating exhibitions from the permanent collection of postwar and contemporary works by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko, Chuck Close, Cindy Sherman, and Roy Lichtenstein. Notable pieces often on view include Hopper's Early Sunday Morning (1930), Bellows's Dempsey and Firpo (1924), Calder's beloved Circus, and several of O'Keeffe's dazzling flower paintings.

The Whitney experience is as much about the setting as the incredible artwork. The outdoor terraces on floors six, seven, and eight are connected by exterior stairs that provide a welcome reprieve from crowded galleries as well as stunning skyline views. After 7 pm on Friday, the price of admission is pay-what-you-wish.  Skip the long lines, and buy tickets in advance, but note that you cannot buy same-day tickets online. They must be purchased the day before.

From April through October, you can see one of baseball's great franchises, the "Bronx Bombers," in action at their $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium, opened in 2009 right across the street from the site of the original (aka "the House that Ruth Built"), which is now parkland. Tickets can be pricey, but the experience is like watching baseball in a modern-day coliseum. It's quite opulent: a traditional white frieze adorns the stadium's top; inside, limestone-and-marble hallways are lined with photos of past Yankee greats. History buffs and hard-core fans should visit the museum (set on the main level and open 'til the end of the eighth inning), filled with team memorabilia, and Monument Park (closes 45 minutes prior to first pitch), with plaques of past Yankee legends, by center field. Pregame and off-season one-hour stadium tours are held on a near-daily basis year-round; visit the Yankees website for more info on times and ticketing.

Many young Bushwick galleries showcase edgy and experimental work, but visiting this converted warehouse is an easy way to see a lot of art in one shot. The BogArt contains large studios and several galleries. Standouts include the Amos Eno Gallery and Arcade Project Curatorial.  Gallery hours vary, but the best time to visit is on Friday and weekends, when most places are open.

Rising real-estate prices inspired the construction of New York City's narrowest house—just 9½ feet wide and 32 feet deep—in 1873. Built on a lot that was originally a carriage entrance of the Isaacs-Hendricks House next door, this sliver of a building has illustrious past residents including actor John Barrymore and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Beside the reflecting pools on the 9/11 Memorial Plaza is the glass pavilion of the 9/11 Memorial Museum (part of the complex known as the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum). The museum descends some seven stories down to the bedrock the Twin Towers were built on, and the vast space displays a poignant, powerful collection of artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, and multimedia exhibits, as well as a gallery that takes visitors through the history of events surrounding both the 1993 and 2001 attacks. You might appreciate the tissue boxes around the museum when experiencing the memorial wall with portraits and personal stories of those who perished. There's also a panoramic media installation about the site's "rebirth," as well as World Trade Center–related art and history exhibits that change throughout the year. Giant pieces of the towers' structural steel and foundations are displayed, along with the partially destroyed Ladder Company 3 fire truck. You can also see the remnants of the Survivors Stairs, which allowed hundreds of people to escape the buildings that fateful September day. (Check the website for current ticket packages and other discounts.)

This nonprofit project of the September 11th Families' Association opened in 2006 with the intent of putting the events of that day into context—at the time, there was little to see beyond a big construction site. Its galleries include displays about the history and construction of Lower Manhattan; the events of September 11, 2001; the response and recovery efforts after the attacks; and first-person histories. A Tribute visit tends to feel more intimate, and is a good alternative or complement to the broader mission of the separate National 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Guided walking tours are often led by survivors or first responders and cover the gallery and the memorial (not the National 9/11 Memorial Museum on the WTC site).

The 19th- and 20th-century, museum-quality art inside this five-story, marble-floored French neoclassical mansion tends to be big-name stuff, from impressionist through pop art movement artists, including Picasso, Modigliani, Lucian Freud, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol. Check the website of this third-generation family-owned gallery for individual exhibit hours, which can vary.

Often overlooked due to its location amid downtown’s Civic-Center courthouses and high rises, this powerful, compact site is well worth a visit to learn about a lesser-known part of New York’s colonial history. The African Burial Ground National Monument commemorates what was once a 6-acre cemetery, discovered in 1991 when an archaeological study for a new development revealed more than 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans. Today, visitors can view the 24-foot-high Ancestral Chamber and the large Circle of the Diaspora, each made of stone from Africa and North America, adorned with African symbols, and designed with symbolic details that honor those who were laid to rest at the site. On the other side of the block, the visitor center features the “Reclaiming Our History” exhibit, details about the work and life of African people in early New York, and the 20th-century community success that preserved the burial ground. The memorial was proclaimed a national monument in 2006 in a ceremony presided over by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and poet Maya Angelou.  The visitor center is located at 290 Broadway and the Outdoor Monument is located on the corner of Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way (Elk Street).

Perhaps the most obvious landmark at the junction of Astor Place and Cooper Square is the giant cube balanced on one of its pointy ends. The sculpture, made by Tony Rosenthal, was meant to be temporary when it was installed in 1967, but residents liked it so much that they petitioned to have it made permanent. The steel structure is 8 feet long on each side and has a hidden pole at the center so that it can revolve. The pedestrian plaza in front of the sculpture has a few benches, chairs and tables, plus a kiosk selling coffee and snacks. In the traffic island across the street, an ornate cast-iron replica of a Beaux-Arts kiosk marks the subway entrance for the uptown 6 train—at the beginning of the 20th century, most of the city's Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) subway entrances resembled this one.

The focus of this museum near Lincoln Center is its incredible collection of work by folk and self-taught artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including the single largest collection of reclusive Chicago artist Henry Darger, known for his painstakingly detailed collage paintings of fantasy worlds. The gift shop has an impressive collection of handcrafted items.

Figures representing Wisdom and Force flank the main portal of this imposing Beaux-Arts courthouse, built in 1899. The structure's purpose coincides with artistic symbolism, and there are statues of great lawmakers, including Moses, Justinian, and Confucius, lining the roof balustrade. In total, sculptures by 16 artists adorn the ornate building, a showcase of themes relating to the law. A branch of the New York State Supreme Court, this is one of the most important appellate courts in the country: it hears more than 3,000 appeals and 6,000 motions annually and also admits approximately 3,000 new attorneys to the bar each year. Inside the courtroom is a stunning stained-glass dome set into a gilt ceiling. The main hall and the courtroom are generally open to visitors weekdays from 9 to 5.

The Asian art collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III forms the core of this museum's holdings, which span territory from Pakistan to Java; date from as far back as the 11th century BC; and include Hindu stone sculpture, Buddhist paintings, Vietnamese ceramics, ancient Chinese bronzes, and Japanese woodblock prints. A growing contemporary collection features video, animation, ink art, photography, and new media art by artists from Asia and the Americas. Founded in 1956, the society has a regular program of lectures, films, and performances, in addition to changing exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art. Trees grow in the glass-enclosed, skylighted Garden Court Café, which serves an eclectic Asian lunch menu and weekend brunch. Timed tickets are available online. A free audio tour is included with admission, or you can take a free guided tour at 2 pm daily.