Christmas in New York: A 3-Day Itinerary (and What's Open on December 25)
Our winter guide covers what is worth braving the cold for. This one puts the best of it in order: three days of New York at Christmas, built so the busiest places come at the calmest hours, with a note on how the city behaves on December 25 itself - because it is not quite the empty, closed-up place people expect.
Day 1: Midtown Lights
Start on Fifth Avenue in the morning, when the crowds are thin. St. Patrick's Cathedral faces Rockefeller Center across the street, so the two sit naturally together; the tree and the plaza are lovely by day, but save the main viewing for the evening. Walk uptown past Saks Fifth Avenue's façade show and the Bergdorf Goodman windows, then loop back down for dinner.
If you want a show, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular runs most of the season at Radio City Music Hall, a few steps from the tree. Book it ahead - popular dates sell out - and plan the tree itself for after the performance, when the plaza is at its most photogenic.
Day 2: Parks, Markets and Brooklyn Lights
Spend the morning in Central Park - a snow-dusted day here is one of the best of the season - with a stop at the Wollman Rink or Bryant Park's Winter Village in the afternoon. The Winter Village has free skating admission (you pay for rental) and a holiday market beside it, making it an easy place to do some gift shopping. Our Central Park guide has the routes and viewpoints.
After dark, take the subway to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, where a whole neighbourhood of private homes goes all-out on lights and inflatable displays. It is a residential area, so go early, walk quietly, and treat it as a stroll rather than a sightseeing stop.
Day 3: Downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge
Go downtown for a quieter, more reflective day. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is worth a half-day (see our visitor's guide), followed by a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, when the skyline lights come on and the cold keeps the pedestrian path less crowded than in summer. Finish with dinner in Dumbo or the West Village.
Christmas Day in NYC - What to Expect:
- Subways and buses run on a reduced holiday schedule - check the MTA before you head out
- Many shops and department stores close or shorten their hours
- Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park and Central Park stay open and are lively
- Many restaurants close, but plenty are open and book out early - reserve ahead
- Broadway schedules vary; confirm any show for the 24th, 25th or 26th in advance
When to Go and What to Book
The tree is lit in a televised ceremony in late November or early December and stays through the first week of January. Crowds are heaviest from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, so the weeks just before Christmas are the most atmospheric - and the most packed. For a calmer trip, early December delivers the lights without the peak-day crush.
Book Radio City, any dinners you care about and, if you need it, a hotel well ahead of time. Everything else on this list can be decided the morning of, depending on the weather.
Planning Christmas in New York? Email our Tour Concierge at [email protected] and we will help you build the days around your dates.
