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Things to do in Midtown Manhattan

Our most recommended things to do in Midtown Manhattan

NYC: MoMA Before Hours Tour with Art Expert

1. NYC: MoMA Before Hours Tour with Art Expert

Experience the serenity of an exclusive before-opening-hours tour of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. Join your professional art historian guide on a relaxing stroll through the galleries. Connect on a deeper level with the works on display before it opens to the general public. Meet in the early morning at MoMA and benefit from 1 hour of exclusive access to the galleries via a private entrance. With your guide and a smaller group, take in the peace and tranquility to appreciate some of the works on display, including those that draw larger crowds of visitors. With a more intimate experience designed for art lovers, gain a deeper appreciation for some of the pieces on display. Learn some fascinating facts and anecdotes about the artists and their techniques. Afterward, explore the 6 floors of art galleries at your leisure. Discover an extensive range of modern and contemporary art, ranging from European painting and sculpture of the 1880s to contemporary film, design, and performance art. Admire famous works like Monet's Water Lilies, Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Matisse's Dance (I), and Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans. See contemporary pieces by Elizabeth Murray, Cindy Sherman, Ai Weiwei, and many others. As part of this experience, you will also receive additional admission to MoMA PS1, the contemporary art center in Long Island City, Queens. Discover the exhibitions that champion contemporary art scene's latest innovative and experimental works.

NYC: SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Experience Ticket

2. NYC: SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Experience Ticket

Visit SUMMIT, situated at the top of the iconic modern landmark One Vanderbilt. Discover a place which changes our relationship with cities, environment, and ourselves through immersive, multi-sensory experiences. Head off the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal, to learn the story behind its creation. Learn all about an attraction designed with the intention of transcending everyday existence, and engage with space in a fascinating new way. Begin with a sensory stimulating elevator ride to the 91st floor. Be transported into SUMMIT AIR, a new way to see and interact with space designed by Kenzo Digital. Layered with two floors of floor to ceiling mirrors, AIR offers a new perspective as the Manhattan skyline reflects all around you. Next, test your limits at SUMMIT LEVITATION and enjoy the rush of stepping out over the city on two glass ledges suspended 1,063 feet above Madison Avenue. Watch your image float in the clouds across a multi-media screen and get in touch with your playful side in the silver balloon AFFINITY room. Once you reach the 93rd floor, take in the sights and sounds of NYC from another vantage point on the outdoor observation deck. For a more intimate, adult-friendly evening experience, choose to visit SUMMIT during Air at Night. Guests can enjoy access to all areas of the attraction, an LED light show with accompanying vivacious music, and cocktails for purchase at the 93rd floor bar.

NYC: Empire State Building Tickets & Skip-the-Line

3. NYC: Empire State Building Tickets & Skip-the-Line

Choose between a General Admission ticket to the 86th floor outdoor observation deck or a Combination Ticket with access to the newly renovated 102nd floor, showcasing floor to ceiling windows. You can also upgrade your experience with an Express Ticket. The New Empire State Building Experience not only gives you access to the legendary New York City landmark, allowing you to soar 1,054 foot (320 meters) high and enjoy magnificent 360-degree open-air views of New York City and beyond. You'll also see Grand Staircase with a two-story architectural model of the building and newly renovated interactive galleries that take you on an incredible journey from the building’s construction to its current place in pop culture. Explore the site in the 1920s, Construction, Opening Day, Modern Marvel, Otis Elevators, World’s Most Famous Building, King Kong, and Celebrity exhibits. The 80th Floor also features a range of exciting art exhibits. Be sure to see the building's iconic Art Deco Fifth Avenue lobby. The Empire State Building's 86th Floor Observation Deck is the highest 360-degree open-air observatory in New York, outfitted with heaters to keep the cold at bay. The Empire State Building is more than a spectacular view - it is the most Instagrammed landmark in the USA. Your entrance also includes a downloadable multimedia experience, available in 9 languages. This app also includes videos, image galleries, quizzes, and maps showing nearby points of interest. Be sure to see the building's iconic Art Deco Fifth Avenue lobby as you exit this remarkable building.

NYC: Top of the Rock Observation Deck Ticket

4. NYC: Top of the Rock Observation Deck Ticket

Take in a 360-degree panorama of New York from 850 feet (260 m) in the air at the Top of the Rock. Explore 9,500 square feet of unobstructed outdoor viewing space, the most of any New York observatory. Take in the daytime scenery, see the sunset, or admire the city sparkle by night from new heights.  Upon arriving at 30 Rockefeller Center, take time to admire the stunning, shimmering Swarovski chandelier on your way to the mezzanine level. Here is an exhibit where you can see historic artifacts and a short film about Rockefeller Center’s construction during the Great Depression. Head up to the Top in less than 1 minute with a ride up 850 feet (260 m) on the Sky Shuttle. Explore 2 floors with expansive indoor and outdoor viewing areas. Finally top off your visit with breathtaking views of Central Park, Empire State Building, downtown Manhattan, One World Trade Center, and multiple bridges from the completely open-air deck on the 70th-floor.

New York: CityPASS® to Save 40% at 5 Top Attractions

5. New York: CityPASS® to Save 40% at 5 Top Attractions

Save 40% at 5 must-see attractions in New York City with the New York CityPASS® . Experience world-class art, fascinating science, important history, incredible views—from the sky and the sea, and more with your New York CityPASS® tickets. Save 40% on prepaid admission to 5 must-see attractions: • Empire State Building – General admission entry to the 86th floor observatory and admission to the 2nd floor museum, plus bonus same-night general admission • American Museum of Natural History – Admission to permanent museum halls, including over 40 galleries, plus a choice of one ticketed exhibition, giant-screen film, or the Hayden Planetarium Space Show. based on availability Plus your choice of admission to 3 of the following attractions: • Top of the Rock® Observation Deck – General Admission • Ferry Access to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island - Reserve ticket for one Statue City Cruises ferry ride to and from Liberty Island and Ellis Island, audio guides, and admission to the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Crown Tickets and Pedestal Access are not included • 9/11 Memorial and Museum – General Admission • Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises – One regularly scheduled Landmarks Cruise, Liberty Midtown Cruise, or Liberty Super Express Cruise. Check circleline.com for current schedules • Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum – General admission, including the Space Shuttle Pavilion, the submarine Growler, and the film Story of Intrepid • Guggenheim Museum - General admission to the Guggenheim’s collection and special exhibits, plus a free digital guide, accessed via your personal mobile device

NYC: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Timed-Entry Ticket

6. NYC: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Timed-Entry Ticket

Pre-book your timed admission and skip the ticket lines to New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), one of the world's most celebrated art museums. The Museum of Modern Art is a place that fuels creativity, challenges minds, and inspires. With extraordinary exhibitions and the world's finest collection of modern and contemporary art, MoMA is dedicated to the conversation between the past and the present, the established and the experimental. MoMA offers a panoramic overview of modern and contemporary art, from the innovative European painting and sculpture of the 1880s to today's film, design, and performance art. Six floors of art galleries in midtown Manhattan include highlights such as Monet's Water Lilies, Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Matisse's Dance (I), and Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans, as well as contemporary work by Elizabeth Murray, Cindy Sherman, Ai Weiwei, and many others. Enjoy exploring the traveling exhibits. From February 20 to July 2, visit the Project of Independence. This exhibition explores the ways modern architecture in the region gave shape and expression to idealist societal visions and emancipatory politics of the post-independence period. From March 13 to August 13, enjoy the Frédéric Bruly Bouabré exhibit, the first in-depth study in the US of this Ivorian artist who used drawing as a critical tool to invent a writing system. Henri Matisse: The Red Studio is available from May 1 to September 10 and focuses on the genesis and history of Matisse. From July 16 to January 2, 2023, visit Barara Kruger: Thing of You. I mean Me. I Mean You, a large-scale site-specific commission that will envelop the Donald and Catherine Marron Family Atrium. From October 30 to March 4, 2023, enjoy the Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition, the first transatlantic exhibition to survey this visionary Swiss artist's career. To help you enjoy the collection better, use the free MoMA app or mobile site to listen to free audio guides available for download to your mobile device. Free WiFi is available throughout the museum. The MoMA Stores offer a wide selection of books, design objects, jewelry, furniture, clothing, and more.

NYC: Edge Observation Deck Admission Ticket

7. NYC: Edge Observation Deck Admission Ticket

Get entry tickets to Edge, a marvel of architecture, engineering, and technology, suspended in mid-air over 1100 feet above the ground. Get the feeling of floating in the sky and take in the entire Manhattan skyline from Edge's unique vantage point on the western side of Midtown Manhattan. Begin your journey on Level 4 of The Shops at Hudson Yards, where you will enter into an immersive multimedia experience explaining the design, construction, and sustainability of Hudson Yards. Then, head up over 1100 feet to the Observation Deck, and then 80 feet out into the air on the Outdoor Sky Deck. Here, frameless glass panel walls are boldly angled outwards to allow you to feel the thrill of leaning out over the edge with the busy city below. Next, stand on the glass floor and look over 100 stories straight down to the city streets below your feet. At Edge's furthest point, The Eastern Point, there's space for one person to stand alone, surrounded by glass, air, and sky—you will never have had a picture quite like it. The upper level also features the Skyline Steps, where you can look out over the top of the glass panels and past the edge of the deck. Have a seat and hang out in the sky with your friends and family, or head indoors and sip champagne or a signature cocktail at the Champagne Bar. When you leave be sure to visit Hudson Yards' centerpiece, Vessel, or enjoy a bite to eat or a shopping experience at The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards.

New York City: Manhattan Helicopter Tour

8. New York City: Manhattan Helicopter Tour

Manhattan brings to mind grand skyscrapers, taxi cabs, and a world-class attitude all of its own. See all this and more as an expert pilot flies you over NYC on a 15 or 20-minute helicopter tour. Soar over the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Madison Square Garden, among other landmarks. After take-off from the Downtown Heliport, swing down over lower Manhattan to see the skyline and streets below. Swoop over Battery Park to glance at Wall Street and its labyrinth of streets. Then sail over to Governor's Island, an island once reserved only for the city's dignitaries that now hosts summer concerts and public art. Then, fly over Ellis Island and see Lady Liberty shining brightly in the distance. Cruise right up to her eye for a new perspective of the Statue of Liberty. Enjoy all this before heading up the Hudson past the piers of Chelsea and the lights of Broadway. On your way back to the pier, head around the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, and fly over Ground Zero where you can have a look at the exceptional work they're doing at the sight. Continue past Madison Square Garden and the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. See Central Park as your flight turns around to return to the heliport. Sights included in the 15-Minute tour: Statue of LibertyEllis IslandOne World Trade Center9/11 MemorialBrooklyn BridgeBattery ParkWall Street/Financial DistrictEmpire State BuildingChrysler BuildingMadison Square GardenTimes SquareU.S.S. Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space MuseumCentral Park Sights included in the 20-Minute tour: Brooklyn BridgeBattery ParkWall StreetStatue of LibertyEllis IslandOne World Trade Center9/11 Memorial SiteEmpire State BuildingChrysler BuildingMadison Square GardenU.S.S. Intrepid MuseumTimes SquareCentral ParkGrant’s TombGeorge Washington BridgeHarlem and Harlem RiverThe Bronx and Yankee StadiumPalisades CliffsSpuyten Duyvil Bridge

New York: Go City Explorer Pass with 95+ Tours & Attractions

9. New York: Go City Explorer Pass with 95+ Tours & Attractions

Go City offers a selection of over 90 must-see NYC attractions, museums, and tours for one low pre-paid price. Get great savings compared to buying separate attraction tickets, and see New York's most popular attractions with one easy-to-use digital pass. Options include the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Ferry, 9/11 Museum and Memorial, Empire State Building, Edge, MoMA, American Museum of Natural History, and many more. Pick between a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10-choice pass, browse the included digital guide to check entry requirements for each attraction, and plan your itinerary. Scanning your pass at the gate or ticket office of an attraction (or tour) for the first time will activate it. You can then take up to 60 days to use the remaining number of choices purchased. Your Explorer Pass also features special perks including gift shop discounts or a free audio guide at selected attractions, helping you make the most of your New York trip and save even more along the way. The New York attractions you can choose include:  Museums and Galleries • American Museum of Natural History • 9/11 Memorial and Museum • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) • Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and Space Shuttle • Guggenheim Museum • The Whitney Museum of American Art • Fotografiska New York • Museum of Sex • Museum of the City of New York • New York Botanical Garden • Brooklyn Museum and Botanical Garden Combo Experiences • Empire State Building • Top of the Rock • One World Observatory • Edge • Central Park Bike Rental • Rise NY • 9/11 Museum Workshop: Hands-on 9/11 Tour • SPYSCAPE • Escape Virtuality • Luna Park at Coney Island • Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience • Madame Tussauds + Marvel Universe 4D • Harlem Jazz Series • Harlem Bike Rental • The Beast Speedboat Ride (seasonal) • Clipper City Tall Ship: Daytime or Sunset Statue Sail (seasonal) • Surrey Bike Rental Governors Island • SEA Life Aquarium New Jersey • LEGOLAND Discovery Center New Jersey Tours & Cruises • Rockefeller Center Tour • Big Bus New York Hop-on Hop-off: 1-Day Classic Tour • Best of NYC Cruise: Circle Line Sightseeing • Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry • Harbor Lights Cruise: Circle Line Sightseeing • NYC Landmarks Cruise: Circle Line Sightseeing • Liberty Cruise: Circle Line Sightseeing • Central Park Bike Tour • Madison Square Garden All Access Tour • Radio City Stage Door Tour • Greenwhich Village at Night Walking Tour • NYC Slavery & Underground Railroad Walking Tour • Hamilton Tour • St Patrick's Cathedral Tour with Express Entry • Graffiti and Street Art Tour Walking Tour of Brooklyn • Secrets of the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Walking Tour • NYC Bus Tour of Bronx, Brooklyn & Queens • Holiday Markets & Christmas Lights Walking Tour (seasonal) • Soho - Little Italy - Chinatown Walking Tour • Broadway & Times Square Walking Tour • Central Park TV & Movies Walking Tour • Yankee Stadium Tour • How Money was Made - Wall Street Walking Tour • Catacombs by Candlelight • Pride Walking Tour • NYC TV & Movie Bus Tour • Top of the Highline and Hudson Yards Tour Food and Drinks • Food on Foot Tours • Perfect Picnic • Tastes of the Lower East Side Walking Tour • Spirits on Foot - Beer, Spirits & Wine Crawl

NYC: Manhattan Island Helicopter Tour All-Inclusive

10. NYC: Manhattan Island Helicopter Tour All-Inclusive

Experience the best views in New York City from inside a helicopter, complete with large floor-to-ceiling convex windows for your viewing pleasure. On your flight you will see the beautiful Central Park, Hudson River, and New York Harbor, including the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum. Cruise past the Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, the World Financial Center, and the Chrysler Building from up high, as well as the iconic Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Greenwich Village, South Street Seaport, and the Brooklyn Bridge, which dates all the way back to 1883. With tour narration and all heliport fees included, there is no better way to enjoy the dramatic and ever-evolving New York City skyline.

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Frequently asked questions about Midtown Manhattan

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What people are saying about Midtown Manhattan

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 46,017 reviews

My experience at the before hours program at MoMa this past Sunday (3/5/23) was a very special time spent at the museum. The fact that there were not many other visitors in the museum at the same time was a huge benefit that afforded participants to view and appreciate the artwork and stories told by the guide. I will say that our particular guide, while highly knowledgeable, was wearing a mask and was too soft spoken to really hear. Perhaps a microphone would be a useful addition for the audience. Also, while he was highly knowledgeable, he was not very engaging/enthusiastic with the group. Overall a five star experience and a great asset for visitors to MoMa. Thank you!

I can't recommend this pass highly enough. It is such a really useful pass that gave extra surprises on our visits including an evening visit to Empire State building. Overall, it was excellent value for money. Well worth the money and we have already recommended to others several times. Very glad we bought it. We got an evening admission to the Rockefeller observatory, spectacular views during golden hour, great photo opportunity. Additional exhibits in the Natural History museum were also covered. Having the pass also gave us structure for making sure we visited the attractions covered. Easy process to buy and use the pass.

Niko arrived on time and made us very welcome. He was super friendly and very knowledgable - he shared lots of facts about the park and New York as well as his own experiences. Jack was a great horse and full of character. Highly recommend. Was a lovely experience for my birthday.

A real, wonderful temple of sports and entertainment !!! Guides Mark i Lawrence (? not sure the name- sorry) fantastic - absolutely great knowledge conveyed expressively but not tiringly, big applause! Anyone who loves sports and concerts must come there.

Very nice Guide with lots of insides of street food. The food was very tasty. Don't eat before that tour. Would recommend this tour to everyone visiting New York. Thanks for that exceptional experience.