10 days in NYC: your ultimate itinerary with the New York Pass

Big Bus New York hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour. There’s no more comprehensive way to see New York than on a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. Sit back, relax, and keep your selfie stick handy as the bus rolls past major landmarks like the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden and other iconic NYC sights. An expert tour guide commentates on the history of attractions to entertain you along the route and you have the flexibility to jump off (and back on) wherever the mood takes you.

The New York Pass gives you two days of Big Bus action on the Uptown and Downtown loops – you can read more about what to expect here.

Foodie walking tour of NYC. You’ve seen the sights, now sample New York’s signature flavors on a fun guided walking tour. Expect classic NYC pizza, burgers, tacos and more. It’s totally guilt-free, too. After all, calories don’t count when you’re on vacation, am I right?

Catch a Broadway show. Nothing says ‘New York’ like a night out among the bright lights of Broadway and Times Square. Take your pick from an embarrassment of mega-musical riches, among them Wicked, The Lion King, Les Mis, Chicago and Hamilton, to name just a few. Musicals not your thing? Then catch the near-legendary Shake, Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos show instead – entry is included with your New York Pass.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Whether you’re in town for two days or 10, Lady Liberty is, of course, an absolute NYC must-see. Discover the human stories of the millions of 20th-century immigrants and get up close (like, really close) to the Green Goddess, quite possibly the most famous monument anywhere on the planet.

Surrey Rental on Governors Island. Island-hop your way to Governors Island, a little oasis of calm just a short ferry ride south of Manhattan. Once there, pick up your surrey rental to pedal your way around the island’s myriad attractions, among them historic Castle Williams and Fort Jay, and mesmerizing 360-degree panoramas, taking in Lady Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, from the top of Outlook Hill (note: some pedal-power required).

Brooklyn Bridge bike tour. Ride beneath the great stone arches of one of the planet’s most iconic bridges. Your expert guide will regale you with fascinating tidbits about the Brooklyn Bridge’s history, before leading you down into DUMBO and onward to Brooklyn Heights, for some more of those extraordinary Manhattan skyline views.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden.  Famed for its labyrinth of gardens, this stunning 52-acre attraction in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is well worth a couple of hours of anyone’s time. The extensive display of botanical life houses some 14,000 taxa of plants, with three climate-controlled plant pavilions, a cast-iron-and-glass aquatic plant house, an art gallery and themed gardens creating plenty more points of interest around the grounds.

One World Observatory. Back across the Brooklyn Bridge to Lower Manhattan we go, for the first of many observation decks that we’ll be visiting in this guide. Go big or go home: at 1,268 feet above terra firma, this one’s the highest in town, with far-reaching views across the city’s rooftops and well beyond. Here are just a few of the many landmarks you can expect to spot from way up there in the clouds.

American Museum of Natural History. Start your morning on the Upper West Side, where one of the world’s biggest and best collections of natural history specimens and artifacts awaits. Dinosaurs, meteorites, ancient sequoias, even a full-sized model of a blue whale: you’ll find them all here, and then some. Take a ‘Night at the Museum’ approach to your AMNH visit here.

Central Park bike tour. Well, you can’t really be expected to find your way around such a massive green space all by yourself, can you? Instead, join a two-hour cycling adventure that will not only give you your Central Park bearings, but also provides a bit of context around the park’s most beloved attractions, including Bethesda Fountain (one of the largest fountains in New York, measuring 29ft high by 96ft wide), the Jackie O Reservoir, Strawberry Fields, Sheep Meadow and more. 

RiseNY. If you’ve ever wanted to see Biggie’s red tracksuit, The Boss’s guitar and a check signed by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton in the context of an NYC cultural history museum that also happens to boast a thrilling simulated ride across the rooftops of Manhattan, well, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find all this and many more cool selfie opportunities (sitting on the Friends sofa for the win) at this ultra-cool Times Square museum/cultural time capsule. Get the full lowdown in our complete guide to RiseNY.

Luna Park at Coney Island. Ok, so you’re now halfway through your 10-day New York adventure – a fine time, in other words, to take a day off from all that pavement-pounding and let your hair down at the fabulous old-school fairground that is Coney Island’s Luna Park. Make your way down to the southernmost point of Brooklyn, where thrills and spills of the highest order await. For here’s where you’ll find the century-old wooden Cyclone coaster, plus log flumes, a rib tickler, a carousel and plenty other amusements – whack-a-mole, shooting galleries, arcade games, and so on. And once you’re all fairgrounded out? Grab a gelato from Coney’s Cones and take a stroll along the bay’s golden sands.

Deno's Wonder Wheel. Oh go on… just one more ride! After all, no trip to Coney Island would be truly complete without a spin on Deno’s Wonder Wheel. Climb aboard the classic carnival ride (here since 1920, fact fans!) and take in stunning views of NYC as your gondola soars 150 feet over the boardwalk.

Intrepid Museum. Ready for more sightseeing? Good. Decommissioned in 1974, the USS Intrepid was a mighty aircraft carrier that fought in World War II, surviving five kamikaze attacks and one torpedo strike. This incredible ship later served in the Cold War and the Vietnam War, and as a NASA recovery vessel in the 1960s. Now it’s the centerpiece of this interactive museum on the Hudson River, which is also home to a Concorde, a Cold War sub, the space shuttle Enterprise and a whole fleet of fighter planes. Short on time? Try our guide to the Intrepid must-sees.

High Line, Chelsea and Meatpacking District tour. While you’re in the area, join this entertaining walking tour that starts at the bustling Chelsea Market before joining the former railway line-turned-elevated garden that feels like it’s floating above the city streets. Catch some great views of the Hudson, Hell’s Kitchen and beyond as you follow the High Line all the way up to Hudson Yards, where your next observation deck awaits…

Edge. This one’s a cracker: an outdoor deck that juts out of the side of 30 Hudson Yards like a shard of broken glass. At 1,131 feet, it ain’t for the faint of heart, but true daredevils are invited to lean out into its angled glass walls and step onto its triangular section of glass floor, for the frankly terrifying sensation of walking in air. Yikes. Here’s what those brave enough to keep their eyes open might be able to spot from up here.

Circle Line landmarks cruise. Give your legs another rest and get a new perspective on New York’s landmarks with a whistle-stop cruise down the Hudson and around the southern tip of Manhattan Island. Not that you need an excuse to ogle Lady Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, the Chrysler Building et al for the umpteenth time of your trip but, if you did, this cruise would definitely be it. Check out which other Circle Line cruises you can take with the New York Pass.

Madame Tussauds New York. What do Pennywise, POTUS and Katy Perry dressed as a chandelier have in common? That’s right: you’ll find them all immortalized in wax at the Tussauds exhibition on Times Square. Get ready to give your selfie stick a workout-and-a-half as you encounter the great, the good (and maybe even the not-so-good) of film, music, sport, politics and beyond. You can find out more about each of the different zones at Madame Tussauds here.

Ghosts of Greenwich Village tour. Prepare to be seriously creeped out on this macabre meander around the most haunted spots of Greenwich Village. We’re talking grim 18th-century hanging trees, the charmingly nicknamed ‘House of Death’ (said to be New York’s most haunted building), and the former burial ground that later became Washington Square Park. Not one for the easily spooked. BOO!

Museum of Broadway. Do the opening bars of I Dreamed a Dream, Circle of Life and All That Jazz have you reaching for your hairbrush, ready to belt out the high notes? Then the Museum of Broadway is likely to be right up your (42nd) street. This deep dive in the wonderful business of show includes costumes, stage sets, singalongs and – yes – even a chance to strut your stuff with the chairs from Cabaret and snap a selfie on the yellow brick road. Sneak a peek behind the curtain with our complete Museum of Broadway guide.

Rockefeller Center tour. Only one of NYC’s most treasured buildings, the Rockefeller Center is an Art Deco Midtown must-see. Join your expert guide on a wild ride through the building’s history, from the Great Depression to the public art incorporated in its architecture. And, if you happen to be there at the right time of year, you’ll also get to ogle its towering Christmas tree and take a spin on the ice rink.

Top of the Rock. Not the tallest observation deck in town to be sure, but what Top of the Rock lacks in height it more than makes up for with sweeping Central Park vistas plus what, for many, is the finest view you’ll find anywhere of fellow Art Deco icon the Empire State Building. Even King Kong would likely grunt his approval. 

9/11 Memorial & Museum. Pay tribute to the victims of New York’s darkest day at the great reflecting pools that now fill the footprints of the former World Trade center’s North and South towers. The names of all those who perished in the September 11 attacks are engraved and the museum adds human stories and voices, plus many artifacts from the events of that tragic day. Essential stuff.

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Next, grab a coffee and head uptown to one of America’s premier religious centers. Wander the historic cathedral’s picturesque gardens (complete with peacocks) and take in the stunning gothic architecture and soaring dome that – believe it or not – Lady Liberty could comfortably fit underneath.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Mad about Magritte? Potty about Picasso? Get a kick out of Koons and Kandinsky? Then get yourself over to the Guggenheim, the spiraling Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building on Museum Mile that’s an artistic masterpiece in its own right. 

The Harlem Jazz Series. Whaddya mean you don’t like jazz? While away a Friday evening listening to NYC’s top musicians play the hits of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis et al, and you’ll soon change your tune.

Central Park TV & movie sites walking tour. We end our 10-day Big Apple extravaganza just as we began it: with some of the city’s blockbuster attractions. First up: popcorn (and selfie stick) at the ready for a guided tour of Central Park’s most famous TV and movie locations. We’re talking Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Sex and the City, Friends, The Avengers, Home Alone 2, When Harry Met Sally and more. Action!

Museum of Modern Art. One of the planet’s premier modern art collections, MoMA is where you can eyeball some of the most famous paintings ever committed to canvas. Yes, that really is Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and that room over there is indeed packed with Monet’s Water Lilies. Add Warhol’s soup cans, Dalí’s hallucinatory melting clocks and Pollock’s large-scale Abstract Expressionism, and you’ve got a doozy of an art-filled afternoon. Unmissable. And it’s not just for grown-ups either.

Empire State Building Observation Deck. What New York itinerary worth its salt would be complete without a trip to the top of the world’s most beloved skyscraper? Pause to say hey to King Kong (yes, really) before rounding off your big NYC adventure with swoonsome Manhattan views as day turns to dusk turns to night and the city lights up all around you. Get the full lowdown on what to expect from this titan of the NYC skyline.