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United States · December

New York

Holiday windows, crisp air and a city that never pauses.
December is New York at its most festive. The Rockefeller Center tree is lit on Wednesday 2 December 2026, and Fifth Avenue’s windows glow all month. It’s cold — dress for it and duck into museums.
Currency
US dollar (USD)
Language
English
Airports
JFK, Newark (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA)
Getting around
Subway and buses; tap with OMNY
Contents
01
4 places

Neighbourhoods

Walk the grid; take the subway for distance.
01
Lower Manhattan
Neighbourhood · Downtown
Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial and ferries to the Statue of Liberty.
02
West Village
Neighbourhood · Downtown
Crooked streets, brownstones and small cafés.
03
Midtown
Neighbourhood · Centre
Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue windows and Times Square.
04
DUMBO & Williamsburg
Neighbourhood · Brooklyn
Warehouse streets with skyline views, markets and design shops.
02
4 places

See

World museums and famous open spaces.
01
The Met
Museum · Upper East Side
Five thousand years of art. Pick two or three galleries rather than trying to see it all.
02
Central Park
Park · Manhattan
Bethesda Terrace, the Mall and winter ice skating.
03
The High Line
Park · Chelsea
An elevated railway turned into a planted walkway above the West Side.
04
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
Landmark · New York Harbor
Ferries leave from Battery Park.
03
4 places

Eat

Deli classics, pizza by the slice and street carts.
01
Katz’s Delicatessen
Deli · Lower East Side
Hand-carved pastrami on rye, since 1888.
02
Russ & Daughters
Appetizing · Lower East Side
Smoked fish and bagels from a family shop opened in 1914.
03
Joe’s Pizza
Pizza · Greenwich Village
The classic New York slice, folded and eaten standing.
04
The Halal Guys
Street food · Midtown
The original cart at 53rd & 6th — chicken over rice with white sauce.
04
4 places

Architecture & Design

Icons of 20th- and 21st-century design.
01
Guggenheim Museum
Architecture · Upper East Side
Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiralling ramp of a museum.
02
The Oculus
Architecture · World Trade Center
Santiago Calatrava’s white winged transit hall.
03
Little Island
Park · Hudson River Park
Heatherwick Studio’s park on tulip-shaped concrete piles over the river.
04
MoMA
Museum · Midtown
Modern art and design, from Van Gogh to the design collection.
05
2 places

Day Trips

By train from Grand Central or Penn Station.
01
Dia Beacon
Day trip · ~1.5 hrs by Metro-North
Huge minimalist artworks in a former box factory on the Hudson.
02
Philadelphia
Day trip · ~1.5 hrs by train
Independence Hall, the Barnes Foundation and Reading Terminal Market.
06
Notes

Practical

Small things that make the trip easier.
01
Tap a contactless card or phone at subway gates with OMNY.
02
Tipping 18–20% at restaurants is standard.
03
Dress for freezing temperatures and wind between buildings.
04
Tree-lighting night (2 December) is extremely crowded — visit the tree on another evening.
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Dubai
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