If you’re visiting New York for the first time, here’s a list of essential landmarks. This is especially useful for tourists with a short time to experience the city.
Click on the location for more information and how to get there:
The Midtown Essentials
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial and transit hub at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Known for its large digital billboards, theaters, and continuous pedestrian activity, it’s a frequent crossroads for visitors and locals moving through the city.
Subway: 1/2/3/7/N/Q/R/W/A/C/E to Times Sq–42 St
The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is an Art Deco tower. Completed in 1931, it’s more than one hundred stories above the street and remains one of Midtown’s most recognizable landmarks.
Subway: B/D/F/M to 34 St–Herald Sq
1/2/3/A/C/E to 34 St–Penn Station
6 to 33 St
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library has two large marble lions positioned at the main entrance. These sculptures at the front of the building are well-known, identifying features.
Subway: 4/5/6/7/B/D/F/M to 42 St–Bryant Park
Grand Central Terminal and Food Court
A brass clock sits above the central information kiosk. Chandeliers and high, arched ceilings make this a picturesque stop worth a visit.
The lower level of the terminal contains a food court that includes recognizable brands and meals.
Subway: 4/5/6/7/S to Grand Central–42 St
Rockefeller Center
A dense cluster of plazas, shops, and landmark buildings, Rockefeller Center functions as a self-contained Midtown neighborhood, animated by public art, crowds, and year-round activity.
Subway: B/D/F/M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center
Radio City Music Hall
The theater opened in the early 1930s under the direction of a designer who worked extensively in the Art Deco style, and the building maintains that visual language throughout its structure. Its size places it among the largest indoor venues of its kind, and the seating capacity supports large-scale productions that have continued for decades. The stage has hosted numerous performances by a well-recognized dance troupe, and these events have contributed to the theater’s long-running identity as a site for coordinated entertainment programs.
Subway: B/D/F/M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a Gothic Revival masterpiece.
Subway: 5 to 51 St
E/M to 5 Av/53 St
Fifth Avenue
The avenue functions as a major commercial corridor recognized for its concentration of retail stores. Its position within the city grid places it among the most active streets for shopping, and the steady movement of pedestrians reflects its role as a central point for visitors and residents who travel through Midtown.
Subway: E/M to 5 Av/53 St
N/R/W to 5 Av/59 St
The Plaza
An enduring symbol of old New York luxury, The Plaza is a stunning hotel situated on the bottom east corner of Central Park.
Subway: N/R/W to 5 Av/59 St
4/5/6 to 59 St
The Central Park Essentials
The Obelisk (Cleopatra’s Needle)
The Obelisk, also known as Cleopatra’s Needle, is an ancient Egyptian monument located on the east side of Central Park near the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subway: 4/5/6 to 86 St
Shakespeare Garden
Shakespeare Garden is a landscaped garden area within Central Park on the west side of the park near Belvedere Castle. The space contains plantings and pathways arranged around a small central lawn.
Subway: B/C to 81 St–Museum of Natural History
Belvedere Castle
Belvedere Castle is a stone structure located within Central Park near the Great Lawn and Turtle Pond.
Subway: B/C to 81 St–Museum of Natural History
The Lake
The Lake is a body of water located within Central Park, positioned south of Belvedere Castle and bordered by pedestrian paths.
Subway: 6 to 77 St
B/C to 72 St
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields, which includes a memorial site for John Lennon, is located within Central Park near West 72nd Street, across the street from The Dakota, a residential building where John Lennon lived.
Subway: B/C to 72 St
The Museum Essentials
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
One of the world’s most influential modern art museums, MoMA presents a concentrated encounter with groundbreaking painting, sculpture, photography, and design in a sleek Midtown setting.
Subway: E/M to 5 Av/53 St
B/D/F/M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is a large museum complex located along Central Park West on the Upper West Side. The institution contains exhibition halls devoted to natural science, human cultures, and the history of the Earth and universe.
The Rose Center for Earth & Space is a modern facility that forms part of the American Museum of Natural History along Central Park West. The center houses exhibitions and installations focused on astronomy, astrophysics, and the physical sciences.
Subway: B/C to 81 St–Museum of Natural History
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art occupies a large complex along Fifth Avenue and houses extensive collections representing many world cultures. The galleries include Egyptian antiquities, classical sculpture, Islamic art, European painting, and twentieth-century decorative arts.
Subway: 4/5/6 to 86 St
The Financial District Essentials
The Charging Bull
The Charging Bull is a bronze sculpture located near Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan. The sculpture has become a well-known public landmark within the Financial District.
Subway: 4/5 to Bowling Green
R/W to Whitehall St
1 to South Ferry
The New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a major financial institution located on Wall Street.
Nearby subway: 4, 5 to Wall St.; 2, 3 to Wall St.; J, Z to Broad St.; R, W to Rector St.
Foley Square
Foley Square is a public plaza in Lower Manhattan bordered by federal, state, and municipal courthouse buildings and serves as a central civic gathering space. The square provides a clear entry point into the Financial District and nearby government buildings.
Nearby subway: 4, 5, 6, J, Z to Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall; R, W to City Hall
City Hall
City Hall is a historic government building located at the southern edge of City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan.
Nearby subway: 4, 5, 6, J, Z to Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall; R, W to City Hall
St. Paul’s Chapel
St. Paul’s Chapel is a historic Episcopal church located on Broadway in Lower Manhattan. The building sits just north of the World Trade Center site.
Nearby subway: 1 to Rector St.; R, W to Cortlandt St.; 4, 5 to Wall St.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum
The National September 11 Memorial occupies the area where the former World Trade Center towers stood. The site has two large reflecting pools. One World Trade Center offers guided tours.
Nearby subway: E to World Trade Center; R, W to Cortlandt St.; 1 to Rector St.
Trinity Church
Trinity Church is churchyard and Gothic Revival building located at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.
Nearby subway: 4, 5 to Wall St.; R, W to Rector St.; 1 to Rector St.
Battery Park
Battery Park is a waterfront public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan, facing New York Harbor. The park contains walking paths, seating areas, and ferry access points.
Nearby subway: 4, 5 to Bowling Green; R, W to Whitehall St.; 1 to South Ferry
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a large copper monument located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and reached by ferry departing from the southern tip of Manhattan.
Nearby subway: 4, 5 to Bowling Green; R, W to Whitehall St.; 1 to South Ferry
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum occupies the main historic building on Ellis Island in New York Harbor and documents the immigration process that took place there in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
ENY Where
ENY Where is a guide for the five boroughs of New York City.
