My husband and I just came back from spending a few days in New York City visiting some really cool Christmas spots! If you’re planning on doing the same this holiday season I compiled this list of some of my favourite holiday things we did while in New York City!
Here’s a list of some of my favourite places to visit during the Christmas Season in New York City!
Visit Santa at the Largest Store in the US
Visit the Macy’s Herald Square on 34th Street, the largest store in the United States! Macy’s has tons of stunning Christmas decor. We rode the escalators all the way up and back down the 10 floors! This Macy’s location is over a million square feet and takes up a whole block! They also have the original wooden escalators located on the upper floors. These escalators are the oldest in the world!
Looking to meet Santa in Santaland? Be sure to reserve your spot at least 5 days in advance. Meeting Santa is free, but be prepared for this to take about two hours during busy days.
Walk Along 5th Avenue to View the Stores Window Displays
5th Avenue has tons of beautiful store displays. My favourite was the eye catching Louis Vuitton suitecases! Walk along 5th Avenue while on your way to Central Park or on a long walk down to Bryant park for these Christmas displays!
Visit the Rockefeller Tree
See the famous Rockefeller Tree! The lighting already took place on December 4th but you can still visit the tree until mid January. The tree is lit Sunday-Wednesday from 5 am to midnight and Thursday-Saturday from 5 am-1 am. If you’re visiting on Christmas day, the tree will be lit all day. We visited earlier in the day, at around 8:30 am on a Friday, it was still a little busy but nowhere near as busy as it gets later in the day.
Go Skating at Rockefeller Plaza
A super popular activity, skating at The Rink under the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The Rink is open 7:00am-midnight. You’ll need to buy tickets in advance. I recommend reserving your time slot as soon as you know you want to go as spots do sell out fast. it generally costs around $60 for adults, and skate rentals are an extra $12. While you’re at the plaza, get a coffee from the nearby Ralphs Coffee pop-up truck!
Go shopping at the Christmas Market at Bryant Park
Bryant Park offers one of the most popular Christmas Markets in New York, and they even have free ice skating! Visit Bryant Parks Winter Village website for more information on shops, ice skating and hours.
Bryant Park’s ice skating is open from 8 am – 10 pm, renting ice skates costs anywhere from $15-$50.
The holiday market is open Monday – Friday: 11 am-8 pm, Saturday & Sunday: 10 am-8 pm.
Visit Grand Central Station
Going to Grand Central Station during Christmas time is the perfect time to take in the stunning historic architecture and beautiful Christmas decor. We visited on our way back from Queens and got off the train at Grand Central Station for the full experience, but if you’re not planning on taking the subway you can totally just visit!
While you’re there check out the Christmas Market and the viral photo booth (heads up, if you’re looking to do the photo booth, you may want to show up right at opening, we were there around 5 pm and the line was out the door!)
Those were my favourite Christmas activities we did while in New York! Have you visited New York City during the Christmas season before? What was your favourite activity? And if you haven’t but are planning to, what are you most looking forward to?
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What a wonderful time to visit NYC! Hoping I can go next holiday season – it’s just so festive!