One week in NYC with the New York Pass

Big Bus New York hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour. There’s really no better introduction to the Big Apple. This two-day pass covers Uptown and Downtown loops, taking you from the bright lights of Broadway and Times Square to Central Park, Museum Mile, Wall Street and more. You can get the full lowdown to Big Bus stops and sights in our complete guide.

Admire the views and fill your camera roll from the open-top upper deck, or start your NYC sightseeing in earnest by hopping off at whichever stops grab your fancy. First timer? The smart money’s on Times Square…

Madame Tussauds New York. How would you like to meet Rihanna today? Or maybe Lady Gaga’s more your style? Or even the President of the United States of America? NYC’s branch of the beloved Madame Tussauds wax museum sits right on Times Square. Take time to soak up the sensory spectacle outside before stepping through those famous doors and straight into selfie heaven. Tay-Tay, Tom Cruise, Timothée Chalamet: they’re all here, and then some. We guarantee you’ll be waxing lyrical about this A-list experience for weeks afterwards, a bit like we’ve done here.

Top of the Rock. The first of many observation decks featured in this guide because – quite frankly – who can ever get enough elevated views of the New York skyline? No-one, that’s who. Top of the Rock occupies the three toppermost floors of the iconic Art Deco gem that is the Rockefeller Center, promising what is hands-down the best uninterrupted view of its near-neighbor – the mighty Empire State Building – you’ll find anywhere in NYC. It stays open until midnight for all those classic panoramas of the illuminated Manhattan skyline. Find out what else you can spot in our guide.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). This one’s worth a couple of hours of anyone’s time. Yes, even you! You’ll find all the leading lights of progressive 19th- and 20th-century art here, from Impressionism all the way through to Pop Art and beyond. If you’ve ever wanted to ogle Monet’s dreamy Water Lilies or Andy Warhol’s soup cans up close, this is the gallery for you.

Just want to catch MoMA’s greatest hits? Here’s what they are and where to find them.

RiseNY. From Pop Art to popular culture, this immersive Times Square museum covers recent NYC cultural history from the advent of the subway to Cardi B’s bodysuit via the Friends sofa and Bruce Springsteen’s guitar. The cherry on the cake? Strap in for a thrilling simulated flight over the New York rooftops, featuring 8k aerial footage of major landmarks across the seasons. Take a closer look in our complete RiseNY guide.

Empire State Building. Another day, another sky-high observation deck. This time it’s your opportunity to come over all King Kong as you ascend the world’s most famous skyscraper (but ideally using the elevator rather than scaling the outside, giant gorilla-style). We do, of course, also have a complete guide to this Art Deco icon.

American Museum of Natural History. Is there a better natural history museum anywhere in the world than AMNH? Quite probably not. Some of the items you might expect to see from the collection of some 32m+ specimens and artifacts include a full titanosaur skeleton, a hefty chunk of prehistoric meteorite and a 94-foot model of a blue whale.

Ever watch Night at the Museum? Then this fun romp around AMNH is for you, Dum-Dum.

Central Park by bike. Another good option for New York newbies, this two-hour tour gives a solid overview of the Big Apple’s favorite green space, including gentle pedals to Strawberry Fields, Bethesda Fountain and Terrace, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and more. Alternatively, if you prefer exploring on foot, try a fun jaunt around famous filming locations, including scenes from The Avengers, Home Alone 2 and When Harry Met Sally (no, not that scene).

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Assuming you’re not all museum’d out already, this Museum Mile gem is well worth a late afternoon visit. Set in the sumptuous Andrew Carnegie Mansion, its collection of 200,000+ design objects spans 3,000 years and includes everything from ancient Roman marble to 3D-printed limbs. Take some time to hang out in the garden, too: its rhododendrons and cherry trees are particularly charming in spring and summer.

What other museums could I visit with my New York Pass, we hear you cry? Why these, of course!

Circle Line’s best of NYC cruise. Day four and you’re probably tiring of that skyline by now. No, don’t be silly; of course you’re not! But if you fancy a new perspective, you could do far worse than this circular tour of Manhattan Island, which takes in more than 100 major landmarks and passes under multiple iconic bridges, including Brooklyn, Manhattan and George Washington along the way. Dreamy!

Say hey to Circle Line stalwart Cap’n Ken here.

Intrepid Museum. The former USS Intrepid warship’s days of active duty are long over so you can now safely visit it in its retirement home at Hell’s Kitchen, where its hulking great steel hull fairly dominates the harbor. Alongside the Intrepid herself, treasures of the collection here include stealth bombers, a Cold War submarine, a Concorde, an iconic Bell 57 helicopter and the space shuttle Enterprise. Pretty thrilling stuff. Check out our 10 favorite things about the Intrepid here.

High Line, Chelsea and Meatpacking District tour. There are few walks in NYC as unique and enjoyable as a stroll along the High Line, the former freight line that seems to float above the streets of Manhattan. Your tour starts at the buzzing Chelsea Market, where the urge to pick up coffee and coffee and squishy brownies from the Fat Witch Bakery is near-impossible to resist, Suitably fortified, you’ll enter the High Line and follow its elevated gardens and public art installations with Hudson views and entertaining anecdotes thrown in for good measure.

Brooklyn Bridge bike tour. Time to get back on your bike for a jolly jaunt across the Brooklyn Bridge, through DUMBO and up to Brooklyn Heights for some more – yep, you guessed it – showstopping views of the Manhattan skyline. Along the way, your guide will regale you with historical tales and anecdotes. Yes, great American showman P.T. Barnum really did march 21 elephants and 17 camels across Brooklyn Bridge in 1884!

Graffiti and street art walking tour. When in Brooklyn… immerse yourself in the borough’s cultural DNA with a tour of the Bushwick neighborhood and its eye-popping Bushwick Collective – an open-air gallery of some of the city’s most colorful, contemporary and often politically-charged street art. It’s a fine intro to this uber-hip NYC’s enclave’s cutting-edge creative flair.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Part of Brooklyn’s mighty Prospect Park (which is also home to a zoo, among many other fine attractions), the Botanic Garden makes for a blooming great afternoon out. Expect tranquil Japanese gardens, sensory zones, edible plants, formal landscaping and, in spring, one of the best cherry blossom displays outside of Japan.

One World Observatory. Back in Lower Manhattan, ascend the glass-and-steel behemoth that is the One World Trade Center – only the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, vertigo fans – for immense aerial views back across to Brooklyn and, well, for a radius of something like 45 miles. Stick around for a magical NYC experience as the daylight fades, dusk falls and the city lights up beneath you. Here are 10 things you never knew about the One World Observatory.

Museum at Eldridge Street. Mosey downtown and make the best of the morning light to explore the beautiful interiors of the Museum at Eldridge Street, an immaculately restored 19th-century synagogue. Enter through the neo-Moorish facade to discover soaring glass domes intricately decorated with Stars of David and – the real showpiece – a 16-foot circular stained glass window with swirling turquoise tones and a splendid constellation of stars.

Little Italy walking tour. Take an in-depth stroll though the historic streets of Little Italy, where your knowledgeable guide brings the area’s past to life through vivid tales of colorful characters and cinematic connections. Discover where a young Martin Scorsese found inspiration for movies including Mean Streets and The Godfather, and take a peek at 200-year-old St Patrick’s Old Cathedral, no stranger to the silver screen itself. It also stars in our guide to NYC’s best churches and cathedrals.

Wall Street. As you’re already in the area, you’d be remiss not to pop by and nab a selfie or six with the famous Charging Bull of Wall Street or, indeed, his infamous counterpart, the Fearless Girl (we know who the smart money’s on). If you have time, this Wall Street tour adds color and insight to the area. 

South Street Seaport Museum. Your deep dive into Lower Manhattan history concludes with a bit of maritime magic at the South Street Seaport Museum, where the soaring sails of the heritage ships in the harbor are rivaled only by the swoonsome accompanying views of Brooklyn Bridge.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Yep, we’ve saved some of the best and most iconic New York landmarks for last, and this one requires little introduction. Set sail from The Battery and watch the New York skyline retreat from view as Lady Liberty looms larger on the horizon. You’ll get a chance to hear the human stories of millions of immigrants who were processed through Ellis Island as well as getting up close (like, really close) to the glorious copper patina of the Green Goddess herself. Truly awe-inspiring stuff.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum. From the pride of New York to the city’s most heartbreaking day, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum showcases artifacts, survivor stories and tributes to the thousands of people whose lives were lost that day. Take time to pay silent tribute at the pavilion and the two great reflective pools that now occupy the footprints of the former World Trade Center’s North and South towers.

Edge. Got time for one more observation deck? Sure you have, especially since this one just happens to be the highest outdoor viewing platform in the Western Hemisphere, complete with nerve-jangling quirks like outward-angled glass walls, and a completely see-through floor section. Lean into the experience (literally) and drink in those extraordinary views to create a truly enduring memory of your fabulous week in New York.