MIDTOWN MANHATTAN WALKING TOUR, NEW YORK CITY

New York City is an incredibly walkable city. Here is our Midtown Manhattan Walking Tour to help you plan your visit around the city.

A midtown Manhattan Walking Tour is where the magic happens, with famous landmarks, fascinating museums, and shopping galore, it’s no wonder that this area is the most popular spot for tourists to stay. But how to get around it?! Here is our walking tour to see Midtown Manhattan in day – or two! This itinerary is perfect for those short on time, perhaps if you are looking to see New York in 4 days.

Midtown Manhattan Walking Tour

Good Morning:

From your hotel, get the 1, 2, 3, B, D, F, N, Q or R train to 34th street, the home of Macy’s. Take a look around the world’s largest department store and maybe grab some breakfast from one of the many food hubs in the store.

Next, head along 34th street towards the Empire State building; leave early in the morning in order to get into this queue before 10 if you can.

During school holidays or weekends, this place can get busy, fast, so it’s worth heading out early.

Creative Tip: If you are planning to see a few sights, get yourself the NYC pass. Not only do you save money but we found the pass helps us skip a lot of the queues at main attractions. 

From here, head north up 5th Avenue; browsing the shops at your leisure. There’s a Yankees Clubhouse store en route as well as many cafes and bars.

Six blocks up (approx. 7 minute walk) you will come across the New York Public Library and Bryant Park, a great spot to sit in the shade and read or browse the historic landmark; there are often free exhibitions on the ground floor of the museum.

Lunch

Take a right on 42nd street to visit Grand Central Station, another awesome thing to do in New York City. By this time in the day you may fancy some lunch, so check out the food court in Grand central; with Juniors restaurant being a great option for a slice of cake. Admire the beautiful interior and check out the whispering arch.

Afternoon

Once you have rejuvenated, head back out to E 42nd street and carry on east one more block until you get to the Chrysler Building; another popular art deco building in Manhattan.

From here, head north (left when looking at the Chrysler building with grand central behind you) up Lexington Avenue. Then take E45th Street back up to 5th Avenue. Take a right, heading north up 5th Avenue until you get to Rockefeller Center, where you can enjoy another great view from the building’s observation deck or check out the NBC studio store and tour.

It is worth checking out the Magnolia Bakery in Rockefeller Plaza – famous for a reason.

On exiting Rockefeller Center, head west on 50th St for one block to get to Radio City Music Hall. This iconic building is ideal for music and musical theatre lovers like me; backstage tours are available to book in advance. If you do love the theatre, make sure to buy Broadway tickets during your stay too!

Next, head north up 6th Avenue 3 blocks then take a right on W 53rd to visit The Museum of Modern Art. Great for art lovers, tickets are pricey at $25 per person with the museum open hours 10.30 am -5.30 pm most days.

Carry on East on West 53rd St then take a left, heading north up 5th Avenue. It is this route that you will find popular stores such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Tiffany and Co, all the famous designers as well as the golden Trump Tower.

Further up you will see the popular Apple store, which is worth a browse if you have the time. Cross the road from the Apple store to check out the famous Plaza Hotel.

By now you will be at the South East point of Central Park, one of the most famous and beautiful parks in the world. If you have taken this walking tour over two days then head into the park and explore! If you have managed to do this tour in one day, you may wish to get a horse and carriage around Central Park to avoid getting lost once the sun goes down.