There's truly nothing like Christmas in New York City! The holiday season brings a magical atmosphere, and NYC transforms into a winter wonderland brimming with Christmas cheer. If you're looking to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit and explore the most festive spots, here's a guide to all the NYC holiday moments not to miss! The city's holiday decorations are unparalleled, and nothing captures the essence of the season quite like the stunning Christmas trees in New York. I'll share the top trees to visit for the perfect Christmas photos and why New York is so incredibly addicting during Christmas.
Weather
NYC is
cold during winter. The weather in December can range from a high of 50F to 30F during the day and much colder at night. It hasn't snowed on Christmas in NYC in 22 years. Because the buildings are so high, don't expect to see the sun on a sunny day and expect a lot of wind. Since you will be outside all day long walking, be sure to wear
long johns under your pants,
wool socks and a
warm base layer. I wear those three things, they were expensive, but are worth the money in terms of how much heat they give me. I wore sneakers and logged 24K steps in one day! May and October are the best months to visit NYC for weather. It does rain in December so you may want to create a rainy day itinerary just in case.
It's Expensive
It is important to note that the New York City holiday season is the busiest and most expensive time of the year, so keep that in mind when planning to celebrate Christmas in NYC. Expect restaurant prices to be high, especially cocktails in bars which average $20 each. Hotels will be averaging $500 a night in December. So use your hotel points for a free stay. I personally think the weekend of Thanksgiving is the best time to go because all the decorations are up and the city is empty. Hotel prices go down in January, my co-worker used to go to NYC every January because it was the cheapest (and coldest) month of the year to visit. But without the Christmas spirit, I wouldn't want to go then.
Getting Around
Prepare to walk a lot as NYC is very much a walking city. I always enjoy seeing a city on foot, as I feel like it’s the best way to get a feel for the city. I logged 24K steps per day! I did take the subway when I felt it was just too cold. The subway is $2.90 a ride and don't forget about the bus. Riding the subway means walking up and down a lot of steps! In the winter, the trains are so hot, you will be sweating in your winter coat. I have to caution you that every year, several people get pushed onto the city’s subway tracks, here's one incidence after the
Nostalgia train. Never stand close to the edge of the tracks while waiting for a train or after it leaves. Many of these people who do this are mentally ill, homeless and unemployed people who haunt NYC’s subway stations. They do so without warning and without saying a word.
Crowds
Expects lots of crowds everywhere you go during the holiday season! It will be absolute madness. You'll need to have patience. The sidewalks are packed. New York is never busier than in the winter! I went to the Rockefeller tree at 10:30pm and it was packed shoulder to shoulder, it was so hard to get a picture. Hence I recommend going at 11:30pm instead. They turn off the lights on the Rockefeller tree at midnight but turn it back on at 5am. I heard that if you go out in the morning at 5:30am you can see the city with zero crowds! Also Bryant Park is packed shoulder to shoulder! Bryant Park transforms into a European-inspired holiday market with more than 100 vendors to entice those passing by with festive decor, handmade crafts, unique jewelry, and delicious holiday treats.
10 Christmas Trees to See
So many free things to do like seeing the Holiday window displays and Christmas trees. A lot of trees in NYC have official lighting party open to the public so I would get that list and plan to attend one event.
- Rockefeller Center - doesn’t get lit until the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. The massive tree towers at 80 feet! They have professional photographers that you can pay $40 to take your photo. I think this is a good idea to be in the best vantage point and have a professional camera with flash for a night photo. There are also a bunch of amateur photographers standing around offering to take your photo but when I looked at their examples I wasn't impressed with the quality.
- Lotte New York Palace is my favorite!
- New York Stock Exchange - as big as Rockefeller Center but with no crowds! Has an official lighting party.
- Bryant Park Winter Village - Has an official lighting party.
- Washington Square Park - 45 foot stunner framed perfectly inside the arch. Has an official lighting party.
- Swarovski’s 5th Avenue flagship
- South Street Seaport Christmas Tree - Has an official lighting party and otherwise is so quiet there.
- New York Public Library
- Radio City Music Hall
- Bergdorf Goodman’s golden Christmas tree - This gold-painted tree feels like something out of a fairytale. The tree has golden acoustic guitars, violins and horns and is topped off with a giant deer.
Now the best Christmas lights are in Dyker Heights in Brooklyn but I have yet to get out there.
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City is also home to the Rockettes, who put on their world-famous
Christmas Spectacular. The Rockettes perform synchronized dance routines, intricate choreography, and dazzling costumes, all set to a backdrop of festive music and visual effects. Definitely worth going once in your life! Outside are jumbo sized ornaments that everyone loves to take pictures of. This can be described as the Times Square of NYC around the holidays since it's so busy. At 10:30pm the
Adel's Famous Halal Food Truck had a line all the way around the block!
The Nutcracker New York City Ballet
The
nutcracker ballet is set against the enchanting backdrop of New York City during Christmastime. The production invites audiences on a journey through a young girl's dream, where toy soldiers, dancing snowflakes, and the iconic Sugar Plum Fairy captivate with their graceful movements. Together the magic of dance and music to bring Tchaikovsky's beloved story to life for its 70th anniversary.
I used to play piano and violin and loved playing the Nutcracker Suite. I also danced ballet as a little girl and then again in college so I had to see the Nutcracker this year in DC and it didn't disappoint! The set design and costumes were exquisite! They had sugar plum fairies, show angels, little dancing dolls, little butterflies, bees, mushrooms, dew drop fairies, fish girls, and a rat king!
SantaCon
Once a year in December when New Yorkers dress up as Santa (or an elf, the grinch, gingerbread man) and take to the streets for a massive pub crawl in the name of charity. Get to the starting point early for pictures. Know there will be lines to get into the sponsored bars later.
I've done this a few times in DC. 30,000 people participate in NYC and it looked to be mostly 20-somethings.
Register here $15
Nostalgia Train
During weekends in December, the New York Transit Museum offers New Yorkers a chance to time travel by running vintage subway cars on the F line for an experience called the Holiday Nostalgia Train. It's a cool holiday experience to see everyone dressed up in 1920s clothing with hats.
scheduleThe New York Transit Museum in Grand Central also has a free miniature train show.
New York Botanical Garden
The Holiday Train Show at the
New York Botanical Garden combines model trains and nature. Tickets are $39. Holiday Train Nights allows you breathtaking views of the garden’s landscapes and buildings. illuminated outdoor canvas between 5 and 10pm. The outdoor light experience will brighten up the grounds with thousands of energy-efficient LED lights and festive installations. After dark, you can walk through this 1.5-mile colorful pathway featuring whimsical, picture-perfect installations. Not to be confused with the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
Storefronts of Fifth Avenue
Saks unfortunately did not do their light show this year. The Plaza Hotel doesn't allow non-guests to enter, so get reservations for tea if you want to see their trees. I'm sure you've heard of Fifth Avenue as being one of the most prestigious streets in the world known for its high end boutiques. Each year, the Cartier store's façade becomes a canvas for artistic expression, as intricate and shimmering ornaments come together in a symphony of lights and luxury, which makes for a perfect holiday photo spot! The windows of Bergdorf Goodman are decorated so innovatively! The Dior store has a beautiful entrance. This year the Louis Vuitton flagship is currently covered in scaffolding made to look like its iconic luggage, as it is undergoing a years long renovation project. Across the street the temporary store is open and has a chocolate shop worth visiting, but expect to wait in a long line outside to enter. You must enter the Tiffany's store just to see their gorgeous bathrooms on the 5th and 6th floors, they're a work of art!
The Edge
The Edge is the highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere located at 30 Hudson Yards. With a one-of-a-kind design, it’s suspended in mid-air, giving you the feeling of floating in the sky with 360-degree views you can’t get anywhere else. You can look 100 stories down from the thrilling glass floor, which I was scared to do. Open from 7am to midnight but plan to visit at sunset - 4:30pm. Tickets are $47 during the day and $58 at sunset. They do sell out so purchase in advance, which of course is risky as you don't know if it will rain.
Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards, one of the newest and trendiest developments in Manhattan, opened in 2019. Hudson Yards is home to a number of office buildings, residential apts, retail shops, and dining, along with the attraction the
Vessel. Unfortunately they've had some people commit suicide on it, so they closed it for awhile then last I checked solo people were no longer allowed to go up if you were alone. Tickets are $10. It's 16 stories and 154 flights of stairs or 2,500 steps.
There are the Shops at Hudson Yards, which had my absolute favorite Christmas decorations in the city. The mall gets decked out with over 2 million twinkling lights, every inch is covered in glittering lights. You’ll find them all along the railings, hanging from the ceiling, on the escalators, and even on the outside. The highlight is a 32-foot hot air balloon centerpiece. You can get pictures with Santa every weeknight evening for free. Outside they have 425 evergreen trees strung up with lights.
Ice-Skating
The Rink at Rockefeller Center purchase in advance for timed entry. I think more people come here to watch others ice-skate than actually skate themselves but if you want to do it yourself the price depends on when you want to go, but it averages at $80. I think it's iconic to do once! If you want to get
engaged there, it's $1650 for them to close the rink for one song of your choice and have a professional photo taken.
Bryant Park Rink even bigger at 17,000 square feet, you an also reserve an igloo there. To skate is
free but you have to pay to rent a skate $18.72-$57.29. They don't give you a lock for the lockers, you have to buy one, so bring your own.
Wollman Rink in Central Park where you can enjoy skyline views and skate in a 50,000 square feet rink. Price depends on when you go but expect to pay $38 plus $12 for skate rental.
Hot Chocolate
Always order with whole milk. I don't even drink cows milk, I only use almond milk, but for hot chocolate you need a full fat base.
Angelina is a Parisian boutique that has a super rich hot chocolate made from a blend of African Cocoa from Niger, Ghana and Ivory Coast. It’s the one that Parisians queue for in the midst of winter. Its exceptional taste and distinctive character have made it Angelina’s signature.
Daily Provisions is a bakery famous for their Cruller donut! $6.48 It has seasonal flavors so I always like to try it when in town. They have a location across from the Peloton studios where I took a live class! Their hot chocolate marries foamed milk and rich ganache. It's already airy, but becomes especially buoyant when topped with a single large marshmallow (extra cost).
Levain is a famous NYC cookie shop. Their hot chocolate is made with French Valrhona chocolate, so its
bittersweet thus it pairs perfectly with their Dark Chocolate Peppermint cookie. I don't even like dark chocolate, but the cookie is gooey inside, it's so delicious and decadent! They also have peppermint hot chocolate which I haven't tried.
MarieBelle’s Soho boutique serves up hot chocolate made with cacao shavings—not chocolate powder—from its Cacao Bar. Choose from Aztec dark, milk hazelnut, spiced or white chocolate as a mix to recreate the hot chocolate experience at home.
Maman is a NYC based French bakery and their hot chocolate is made with Omanhene cocoa and dried lavender. Maman’s fragrant, floral hot chocolate is a subtle but surprising take on the favorite. Pick up one of their delicious pastries from the case to go with it. I think I've tried almost every pastry they make, I visit that often. lol The hot chocolate is so smooth and delicious!
Dominique Ansel Bakery Expect to wait a bit to enter the narrow cafe. First introduced in their Tokyo shop and immediately went viral, their Blossoming Hot Chocolate is a beautiful marshmallow flower that “blossoms” when it’s placed into a cup of our homemade Chef’s hot chocolate, revealing a chocolate bonbon surprise inside.
Viral Croissants
If you didn't know, fancy croissants are having a moment right now.
Dominique Ansel Bakery A bakery famous for their cronut (mix of a donut and croissant) but my favorite item there is the DKA (Dominique's Kouign Amann). The Cronut started the whole viral croissant boom back in 2013, when Soho bakery Dominique Ansel unveiled their croissant-donut hybrid. The flavors change monthly. Here's my box with both the DKA and a cronut.
Lafayette A french bakery that makes the Suprême, a circular pastry that is beautiful to look at but the spiraled pastries are heavy, and filled with a too-sweet pudding-esque substance, then topped with an icing that somehow manages to be even sweeter. One bite is more than enough. They are only available twice a day for a limited amount of time, expect a line.
Supermoon Bakehouse come in unique flavors like a spicy NYC croissant with Calabrian chile and Holiday Tri-Color Croissant (Raspberry Rose & Pistachio), as well as Eggnog Crème Brûlée Danish, a Fig, Honeycomb & Rosemary Danish, Spicy Vodka, Burrata, Campari Tomato & Calabrese Pesto Danish and a Ube Eclair. I made sure to get there right at opening, stood in line, to get my pick of flavors. It's a small bakery with no seating, take out only.
Librae bakery a Third Culture Bakery with Middle Eastern roots and Danish technique. They makes a delicious rose pistachio croissant! My favorite dessert in the city! They also have a Za’atar Labneh Morning Bun, Loomi Babka Bun, Feta Dill Scone, Spiced Carrot Pecan Scone, Honey Nut and Walnut Bread Pudding, Apple Cider Caramel Sticky Bun, Cranberry Cheesecake Danish, Halva Chocolate Croissant, and Tahini Chocolate Chip cookies.
Holiday Bars
I did a post on my
The Best Bars in Las Vegas so I should do a post of all my favorite rooftop bars in NYC but here are the best holiday bars. Ordering an espresso martini is part of the NYC starter pack!
Rolf’s German Restaurant - is the most famous but so hard to get a reservation! You won’t find a corner that's not covered in streamers or ornaments. I went on Nov 2 and was able to get a seat at the bar.
Snow Globe in the Sky at Ophelia Located on the 26th floor of the historic Beekman Tower Hotel is Ophelia, an Art Deco-inspired cocktail lounge. For the holiday season, they're going all out with the festive décor. If you want a glamorous place to go for a Christmas cocktail, this is the place.
Oscar wilde has one of the longest bars in NYC and goes all out with Christmas decorations but I haven't been there yet. They have an Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Competition!
Bathhouses
While no shortages of unique experiences in NYC, it's nice to relax and recharge at a bathhouse. I talk about the benefits of saunas in
this post.
Russian Turkish Baths When I was in college I was a regular here. Open since 1892, it's in a tiny townhouse and has 5 saunas and steam rooms, a cold plunge pool, a roof deck, and restaurant. You can get a Platza Oak Leaf treatment where someone beats you with broom made of fresh oak leaves, a massage, or a Dead Sea Salt Scrub Black Mud Treatment . When I used to go, one day a week for just for women but I don't see a mention of that on their website now.
AIRE Ancient Baths is an oasis of relaxation designed exclusively to balance mind and body. Located in a restored 1883 textile factory and has been open for 10 years now. If you do just the baths $175 includes 90 minutes of thermal baths with a DIY hydrating set that includes a scrub, a face mask and a refreshing wellness shot while you relax in baths at different temperatures. $140 if you book a 10pm time slot.
$60 or $40 after 10pm for a daypass gives you access to their thermal pools, saunas and steam rooms.
QC NY spaThis place I've been wanting to go for awhile! Located on Governors Island (reach by ferry), you can enjoy the spa outside overlooking the iconic city skyline. It has heated spa pools, an ice room, sauna and steam room. $98 on weekdays and $124 on the weekend. If you go with a friend on your birthday, your visit is free.
LinkNYC
In 2015 NYC replaced all the public phone booths with these kiosks. There's about 2000 of them mostly across Manhattan. You can connect your phone to it for free wifi. The screen on the kiosk lets you make free phone calls, use its map, find public restrooms, show you the weather or call 911. It has USB ports so you can charge your phone! There's a camera on the top of each kiosk's tablet. You can also find these in London as they replaced the iconic red telephone booths. I think this is great for foreigners who don't have service on their phone!
Free Tours
Big Apple Greeter is a free service. You will be matched with a volunteer who will show you the city from an insider’s perspective. Greeters are not professional tour guides. They are New Yorkers! Greeters do not accept tips.
Free Tours by Foot small-group New York walking tours, including food tours, night tours and holiday lights tours. Tips are expected. (I see it's no longer free but much cheaper than other tours).
Honsu creates personalized travel itineraries for you for $40.
Hop on Hop off bus tours I've done in both
Cartagena and
Cape Town but I wouldn't recommend it for NYC. First it's very much weather dependent in NYC. Second it just scratches the surface as NYC is a walking city. I would only recommend this tour for the elderly and people who have mobility issues. Part of going to NYC is engaging with local New Yorkers. I took bus across town and it had 5 police officers on it and we had a great conversation! Don't be afraid to strike up conversations with local New Yorkers, they might have great restaurant recommendations for you, but most are just extremely helpful for whatever you need.
The way I plan my trips is that I go to My Google Maps and over many years I've added every single interesting place I want to see to it. The map is full of things! When I write out my itinerary and know what hotel I'm staying in or what other sites I'm going to see, I look at the map to see what is nearby! I'm always shocked to see how that place I wanted to try is around the corner so it gets added to the itinerary!
Restaurants
I'm personally not a fan of food tours because the prices are $70+ when you can just walk there yourself and sample the food without the huge upcharge. You need to get yourself a
bagel when you go to NYC, that might involve standing in line for an hour. You may want to get the viral rainbow bagel, and while they are pretty to photograph they have no taste. I always get a pumpernickel bagel because those are hard to find at home and I wanted an authentic flavor, not just molasses coloring. I like
Ess-a-bagel which has multiple locations.
Russ & Daughters is also popular.
From Ess-a-bagel I got sundried tomato tofu cream cheese with avocado.
Via Carota the #5 top restaurant in the city, so you need a reservation. This Italian restaurant has the best Cacio e pepe albeit small serving. Their grilled artichokes are also popular.
Dirt Candy the top vegan restaurant, has a Michelin star, and only has a tasting menu for $110.
Beyond Sushi for vegan sushi, they have rolls that actually look like fish. I stop here every time I'm in NYC! It was rated the best vegan sushi spot in America by
Veg News.
Jajaja Mexicana for plant based Mexican, so rich and delicious food! De-freaking-lish!
Tayaki for Japanese fish-shaped ice cream cone and soufflé pancakes on the weekend.
Planta was rated the best vegan restaurant in America by
Veg News, they have two locations in NYC. It's one of my favorite restaurants.
La Lanterna makes 12 flavors of lasagna! But why pick one when you can have a lasagna flight?! For $26.50 you get 4 small lasagnas, meat or vegetarian. The Arrabbiata flavor was my favorite!
Everyone on tiktok is raving about the
Dubai Chocolate that the Nuts Factory is importing from Dubai, it has a decadent pistachio filling.
Scams to avoid
Pedicab rides - the central park ones have a flat rate. But the ones in the city, the pricing is written very vaguely on the side of the bike so you may not understand that you're being charged by the minute! They charge $9 per minute, per rider! They have a ridiculous and random pricing model (they basically charge whatever the hell they want). So many people complain about how shocked they were at the price ($100+) when they got off a short 15 minute bike ride. You will see these pedicab bikes a lot on 5th Avenue lit up like Christmas trees with obnoxious loud speakers blasting Christmas music or Alicia Keys Empire State of New York song. Maybe the driver will even be wearing a Santa suit. Remember you will be sitting outside in the cold with a cold breeze hitting your face! I don't even know what would happen if you got into a collision with a car. If you argue about the price they threaten and intimidate tourists into paying up. They always bring tourists back to the entrance where all the bikes congregate. I saw a cop driving a pedicab being followed by a police car and was confused by this then realized the cop had confiscated the pedicab and was driving it away with a safety escort behind him. lol
Carriage Rides in central park, I'm not a fan of these at all. There's been some bad stories out there about the suffering of the horses. It's $65 for 20 minutes plus tip.
Don't take pictures with anyone walking around in a Santa suit or characters in Times Square, they will ask for money afterwards, starting at $20! I saw a video of someone trying to give Santa $1 and he said "I'm not a stripper!" lol
Don't take a bracelet from a monk, it is not free! They are not real monks and there is no temple you are donating to.
Groups of rappers congregate in the Times Square area to try to hand their CDs to unsuspecting tourists. They say it's free, but ask for a donation once the CD is in unsuspecting tourists hand. They get aggressive if you try to hand the CD back. Who has a CD player at home anyway?
Hot Dog Vendor Upcharge - Don't order from one that doesn't have prices listed. People have reported outrageous prices for hot dogs and bottled water. A hot dog should cost $3 (not $10-20) and a water bottle should cost $2 (not $5). So always ask for the price of street food before you order it if its not listed.
Airport taxi. At the airport, don't accept rides from anyone looking for customers. They are not a real uber. There's an official taxi stand. This is a common scam all around the world. They won't open the trunk for you to get your suitcase at your destination until you pay their outrageous price. Story Taxicabs have a fixed price - $70 from JFK airport. This goes for any airport really, to catch an uber you have to go to an obscure location and search tirelessly for your driver who has to circle all around the airport. Just go to the taxicab line, there's a line of taxis already waiting.
If you don't mind taking stairs with your luggage, the Long Island Railroad from JFK to Penn Station is only $5 but you have to take the AirTrain $8 to get there. Again this requires a lot of walking with your luggage.
Takes taxis over ubers. In the last month I've seen numerous tiktoks from people who got an Uber in NYC and it said one price but when they arrived at their destination it was $100 more! Uber is doing some sort of congestion surcharge that they don't inform you of in advance of accepting the ride.
This is not a scam, but I read an interesting article from the NYPost from June 2024 called "Midtown Manhattan's '8th Ave. Corridor' plagued by junkies lying at tourists' feet, fighting in the streets". It explains how 8th avenue between Port Authority to Penn Station is surrounded by four needle exchanges and clinics and numerous homeless shelters thus it becomes a hotspot for crime. NYPD said the Midtown South Precinct (W35th street) has the highest drug arrest numbers in the city. Every time I saw an ambulance drive by on 8th Avenue there was a police car behind it. Something to consider when picking your hotel location.
Related posts:
December in Review 201836 Hours in New York City
Weekend in New York
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