Things to do During the Day in New York City

By Katie Sagal

So you’re planning a trip to NYC, and you’re all set to experience nightlife in the city that never sleeps. But what do you do while the sun’s still up and the clubs are still closed? Well, we hope you’ll consider checking out a few of these daytime New York attractions. Whether you’re a culture buff, an artsy sort, or just love nature, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in the Big Apple.

Save on Admission to Daytime Activities in NYC

If you want to save on things to do during the day on your New York City vacation, consider picking up a flexible New York City Explorer Pass®. Save up to 50% off your choice of more than 70 daytime options, versus paying admission directly at the gate - Learn more. If you’re looking for daytime activities in New York, check out a few of our favorites, including...

Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus Tour
Madame Tussauds
Empire State Building
Central Park Bike Tour
American Museum of Natural History
9/11 Memorial and Museum
The Met
And more!

Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus Tour

Image of City, Urban, Road, Street, Plant, Potted Plant, Neighborhood, Jar, Planter, Pottery, Vase, Downtown, Metropolis, Cityscape, Person, Bus, Vehicle, To get a true sense of the city during the day, a comprehensive bus tour seems in order. This hop-on hop-off option from Big Bus is a smart choice because it offers flexibility and freedom alongside entertainment. Choose from more than 25 stops across two popular routes, Downtown and Uptown. If you need anymore convincing, you’ll appreciate the fact that Big Bus is the highest rated bus tour company on TripAdvisor! Getting In: Big Bus New York tickets are included with the New York City Explorer Pass®.

Madame Tussauds

Image of Glove, Hospital, Adult, Male, Man, Person, Glasses, Female, Woman, Child, Girl, Box, Boy, Computer Hardware, Electronics, Hardware, Monitor, Screen, People, This perennially popular attraction is full of fun and playfulness and is among the top-visited daytime spots in the city. See exquisitely realistic wax replicas of famous people and characters from NYC and around the globe, and snap a selfie with your favorites. Due to its Times Square location, Madame Tussauds is also easy to fit into a broader NYC itinerary. Getting In: Madame Tussauds New York tickets are included with the New York City Explorer Pass®.

Empire State Building

Image of City, Urban, You can’t leave NYC without taking advantage of the opportunity to see the city from above on one of its most famous observation decks. (The view from the street is pretty cool, too!) The Empire State Building Observatory is located on the 86th floor and provides 360-degree views of Midtown Manhattan and beyond. There are also a number of informative exhibits that highlight the building’s history, its Art Deco architecture, and more. Getting In: Empire State Building tickets are included with the New York City Explorer Pass®.

Central Park Bike Tour

Image of Backpack, Bag, Adult, Male, Man, Person, Bicycle, Vehicle, Cycling, Shoe, Road, For those who love the great outdoors, you simply can’t miss out on exploring NYC’s very own slice of natural paradise – the inimitable Central Park. This massive urban greenspace contains so many attractions within, like Cherry Hill Fountain, the Strawberry Fields and Imagine Mosaic, the Shakespeare Garden, the Naumburg Bandshell, and more. Take a bike tour to explore these sites on two wheels. It’s easy, convenient, fun, and burns off some of those calories you consumed last night. Getting In: Central Park Bike Tour tickets are included with the New York City Explorer Pass®.

American Museum of Natural History

Image of One of the most enchanting museums in the entire country, the American Museum of Natural History is filled with exhibits, artifacts, and natural objects. Some of their most popular exhibits include their famous collection of dinosaur fossils, brilliant gems, and vivid animal dioramas. Visitors especially love the exhibits in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. Be sure to also check out the Museum store for some souvenirs that will prove you did more than party. Getting In: American Museum of Natural History tickets are included with the New York City Explorer Pass®.

9/11 Memorial and Museum

Image of City, Metropolis, Urban, Office Building, Condo, Housing, High Rise, Pool, Water, Nature, Outdoors, Pond, Hot Tub, Sink, To truly appreciate the history of this iconic global city, you’ll want to spend a little time honoring its past. A visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a somber but informative experience that allows you to explore archives, photographs, multimedia displays, and more. Don’t forget to scope out the exterior, with twin reflecting pools that contain the largest manmade waterfalls on the entire continent. Getting In: 9/11 Memorial and Museum tickets are included with the New York City Explorer Pass®.

The Met

Image of Indoors, Museum, Person, Handbag, Art lovers from around the globe flock to NYC to explore the impeccable collections of the Met. The seemingly endless galleries feature a wide variety of art objects, from Ancient Egypt to Modern and Contemporary Art. They’ve even got exhibits on Arms & Armor, Asian Art, and Musical Instruments. You can easily spend an entire day roaming these halls. Getting In: The Met tickets are included with the New York City Explorer Pass®.

NYC Shopping

Image of City, Road, Street, Urban, Neighborhood, Metropolis, Bag, Handbag, Adult, Female, Person, Woman, Shoe, Car, Vehicle, Bicycle, Light, Traffic Light, If you love a good afternoon spent shopping – whether or not an exchange of money and goods actually occurs – you’ll love roaming through the shops of New York City. Still the shopping capital of the U.S. in the age of online retail, NYC has a store to sell you just about anything you can think of. Visitors love to explore the pricier stores along Wall Street and across Lower Manhattan generally, as well as the more affordable options in SoHo and Union Square. The Macy’s in Herald Square and the Bloomies in Midtown are also popular spots. Getting In: New York City Explorer Pass® holders receive an extra discount at Bloomingdales and Macy’s.

Save on Admission to Daytime Activities in New York

If you’re interested in visiting a few of these top NYC attractions during the day on your vacation, check out the New York City Explorer Pass®. You can save up to 50% on combined admission prices and enjoy additional benefits, too. Think of it this way -- you'll have more money to spend on your evening excursions. Happy travels!

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CitySights NYC vs. Big Bus New York: Comparing the Differences Between the Two Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours

What's the best Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour in New York City? Depends on what you're looking for. There are several tour bus companies in New York City - we've compared the differences between the two most popular hop-on hop-off bus tours to highlight the differences and help you choose the one that's right for you. We'll show the major differences between two companies, Big Bus New York vs. City Sightseeing, so you can choose which bus tour to do in New York City depending on what you want to see and do - and a few other factors. The Basics & What's Included with Your Ticket Big Bus New York Tickets: Ranked #1 on TripAdvisor! Big Bus consistently ranks highest for customer satisfaction. Live narration: Big Bus is the only New York hop-on hop-off bus tour company with live, licensed tour guides on every bus who provide an interactive tour experience and point out all of the sights along the way, making sure you don't miss a thing. Languages available: All buses offer pre-recorded commentary in 10 languages. Trip-planning tools: All Big Bus hop-on hop-off tours come with access to a free mobile app that includes customizable maps, bus timetables, and information about the city's top sights. Ticket duration: Bus tour tickets are valid for one calendar day, unless activated after 3:00 pm, in which case they would be valid for a 24-hour period. Tour routes: Big Bus tours feature 3 routes with their standard tickets (Uptown, Downtown, and Midtown) with the opportunity to add the Brooklyn Tour or Night Tour at highly discounted rates. WiFi: Each bus features FREE WiFi onboard. Hours of operation: Buses run from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm every day. City Sightseeing Tickets: Languages available: All buses offer pre-recorded commentary in 12 languages. Ticket duration: Standard City Sightseeing tickets are valid for 48 hours. Tour routes: Standard City Sightseeing tours feature 3 routes with their standard tickets (Uptown, Downtown, and Brooklyn). Extras: Each ticket includes a free 90-minute night tour on the bus, access to a 4-stop hop-on hop-off ferry tour, and a ticket to your choice of either the NYC Museum or the New York Historic Society. Hours of operation: Buses run from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm every day. New York Bus Route Comparison Big Bus New York City Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Route: Big Bus: A Big Bus New York ticket gets you access to 3 routes Uptown: includes stops at Theater District, Columbus Circle, American Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center Plaza, Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, The Frick Museum, and more. Downtown: includes stops at Times Square, Fifth Avenue, Empire State Building, Flat Iron District, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, Lower East Side, United Nations, Rockefeller Plaza, Central Park, Battery Park (where you can get a ferry to the Statue of Liberty), and more. Midtown: includes stops at Times Square, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises in Hudson River Park, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central Terminal, and more. City Sightseeing: A City Sightseeing ticket gets you access to 3 routes (+ a nighttime tour): Uptown: includes stops at Hell's Kitchen, Theater District, Columbus Circle, American Museum of Natural History, Upper West Side, Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, and more. Downtown: includes stops at Times Square, Empire State Building, Flat Iron District, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown/Little Italy, Battery Park, Lower East Side, Rockefeller Plaza, Central Park, and more. Brooklyn: includes stops at Botanic Garden, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Antique Furniture District, Fulton Mall, The Brooklyn Museum, Grand Army Plaza, Cadman Plaza, The Brooklyn Public Library, and more. Night Tour: the night tour is not a hop-on hop-off tour but a way to see the sights at night. Let's Recap Our NYC Bus Tour Comparison: Overview: Both New York City hop-on hop-off bus tours provide an easy and convenient way to get a feel for the city, see some of the top sights, and learn a bit about the city's important history and culture. You'll get a comprehensive overview of the city and get a feel for the city layout. Both run on fairly frequent intervals, so hopping on or off is easy. Routes included: Big Bus includes a Midtown route, which covers Midtown Manhattan to the western side of the Manhattan peninsula, which City Sightseeing bus routes do not, while City Sightseeing bus routes include a route through Brooklyn, which Big Bus does not (though a Brooklyn route is available as an add-on at a significant discount for ticket holders). Hours of operation: City Sightseeing standard tickets allow you to hop-on and off for 48-hours while Big Bus standard tickets are 1 calendar day (unless you redeem your ticket after 3:00 pm, in which case it will be valid for 24-hours), but Big Bus' hours of operation are significantly longer than those of City Sightseeing's bus. Customer preference: Big Bus is the #1 ranked bus tour on both Viator and TripAdvisor. Ways to save on New York bus tour tickets: Both Big Bus and City Sightseeing New York bus tours are available attraction choices on New York sightseeing passes. Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour tickets are available on: New York Explorer Pass: a multi-attraction sightseeing pass that lets you choose how many attractions you want to visit from over 60 attraction options, including the Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour of New York City. The New York Pass: an all-inclusive pass that includes tickets to Big Bus York Hop-On Hop-Off Tours and admission to over 90 popular attractions. City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Tour tickets are available on: New York City SightSeeing Pass: an all-inclusive pass that includes tickets to the City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus tour and admission to other local attractions.

Casey Makovich

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Top 20 Things to Do in NYC for First Time Visitors

NYC is at the top of many a traveler's wish list - it's bursting with fascinating museums, top dining spots, and stunning viewpoints. Here are 20 of the very best.

Lindsay Eagan

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NYC Weekend with a NY Explorer Pass

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I took Monday off to spend three days exploring New York City. Of course, Evan and I each had a New York Explorer Pass (for 3 attractions) in hand, and we were psyched to use them. The week prior to our trip we’d made a rough draft list of places we’d like to visit, but we decided to keep our plans flexible, which is one of the greatest conveniences of the Explorer Pass—there’s no need to plan out every last detail in advance. Our list looked something like this: Top of the Rock Central Park bagels & pizza High Line park Museum of Modern Art Museum of Natural History Strand Book Store The Met Lower East Side Amazingly, we were able to do almost all of these things PLUS some extra activities we hadn’t planned for. As we were staying with my boyfriend’s parents on the Upper West Side, we had easy access to many New York attractions. We arrived around 11:00 PM on Friday night, surprisingly not hitting any traffic on the drive from Boston. In total, the trip took 3.5 hours. I definitely recommend for Bostonians and their fellow New Englanders to make the drive if they haven’t done much exploring in New York. It was much easier to drive in than I expected, and we found parking on the street right away. After spending our first night hanging out with my boyfriend’s five cats—yes, five—we went to bed so as to have energy for a full day of Manhattan adventures. Indeed, the next day was full of adventure. We started out with bagels and lox (well, just bagels for me, the vegetarian) from Zabars, a quintessential Upper West Side delicatessen. Shopping in this busy epicurean deli was an activity in itself, complete with several free tastings, including various olives and smoked mussels. My bagel, slathered with scallion cream cheese and topped with sliced tomatoes, was every bit as delicious as I'd hoped it would be. Public art and a view from the High Line. When our bellies were full, we set off to start our day at the High Line, an innovative public park built on an historic freight line. The entire park is elevated above Manhattan’s West Side, which offers a truly unique way to see the city. We started on the northern end of the park at 34th Street between 10th and 11th Avenue. I was surprised to find so many people on the park pathway, but it was a relatively warm Saturday, and the park was beautiful. Public art is abundant throughout and there are several viewing areas to stop and take in the city skyline and the grid of streets crowded with yellow cabs. The park ends in the Meatpacking District and that’s where we hopped back down to the street. We were just a few minutes walk from Chelsea Market, so we made our way there next. Although still full from breakfast, walking among the many artisan vendors serving up everything from locally brewed craft beer to international spices and teas made me wish I could take home one of everything for later! If you’ve never been to Chelsea Market, it’s worth a trip: Nearly 6 million visitors traverse through its halls annually. The holiday season is underway at the Rockefeller Center Ice Skating Rink. We spent the afternoon wandering around the city, which included a trip to Strand Book Store (a highlight for me!), known for its 18 miles of new and used books. We finally ended up at Rockefeller Center around 5 PM. The winter ice skating rink was in full swing, and the enormous Christmas Tree had just arrived the day before. We went inside the infamous 30 Rock building and found the ticketing office for the Top of the Rock. We didn’t have to wait in the same line as those who were purchasing tickets; instead we went in a separate line and were helped right away by a customer service representative. She swiped our passes and gave us tickets for the next available time slot. Minutes later we were flying up 70 stories to the observation decks. When we got to the top, the November sun had long sense set, and the city was illuminated with glittering lights. The view from the top was spectacular from every angle, and just as advertised, a 360-degree panorama lay before us. We started out on the lowest deck, which is partially indoors and enclosed on all sides by glass walls. While the view was stunning here, it only got better as we made our way up to the second and third levels. A professional Ah, my iPhone can't do this one justice. photographer was taking photographs of tourists with a backdrop of the Empire State Building. As a New Yorker, Evan was able to confirm that the view was just as good, if not better, than the view from the Empire State Building— partially because you get to see the Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock. On Sunday, we started the day with a trip through Central Park. We walked up to Belvedere’s Castle, one of Central Park’s most famous landmarks and took in the beautiful park views from the two castle decks. Outside the castle, park rangers had spotted a turtle relaxing on a rock in the pond below, which is aptly named Turtle Pond. The turtles are usually much more abundant, but it was starting to rain and the smarter turtles had already found shelter. The rain was short lived and we made our way through the Ramble, Central Park’s woodland area, and out to the East side of the park by 5th Avenue. This luxurious promenade was a sight to behold, but the real reason to be here was right in front of us: FAO Schwarz. As you may know, FAO Schwarz is the oldest toy store in the United States. We were greeted outside by one of the infamous real life toy soldiers that guard the doors. Inside, a children’s wonderland awaited us. Toys filled every area imaginable, while employees flew toy planes and kids danced on the BIG Piano. I was impressed by the stuffed animals of every size and species that lined the aisles and escalators. View of Turtle Pond on a cloudy Sunday. When we had our fill of childlike wonder, we were ready for some culture. It was time to pull out the Explorer Pass a second time for the Museum of Modern Art. The MoMA is home to many famous modern and contemporary works, such as Andy Warhol’s Gold Marilyn Monroe, Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and Paul Cézanne’s Still Life with Fruit. It was incredible to see such masterpieces up close, and even the works we were unfamiliar with were intriguing and inspiring. We started at the top floor and made our way down through the galleries, spending about two hours roaming the halls filled with innovative yet distinguished masterpieces. It was easy to see why this museum of one of the most renowned New York attractions. By the end of our tour of the MoMA, we’d worked up quite an appetite. It was time for pizza and beer. In search of some genuine New York-style pizza, we head to West Village and made our way to Bleecker Street Pizza, a small restaurant that receives a lot of hype for its size. Because I’d never had New York pizza before, I stuck with a couple slices of cheese so I could get the most quintessential experience. As could only be expected, the crust was crispy, flakey, and fresh. As a Bostonian, I have to admit that those New Yorkers do know how to make a pizza. After dinner, we trekked across Manhattan to the Lower East Side to catch some of New York City’s infamous nightlife scene. It was a Sunday evening, so many New Yorkers had made their way home for the night. I guess even New York City sleeps sometimes. However, there were still several people out and about and we ducked into a few bars before settling at a dive bar with strange clown décor, a pool table, some furniture that looked like it came out of someone’s garage storage unit, and a bathroom thoroughly adorned with graffiti. The drinks were cheap. Sadly, it was our last night in New York, and we still had one more attraction to visit, so we made our way home a bit early, checking out Chinatown on the way back to the 1 train and to the Upper West Side. Monday morning, we were up and out of the apartment by 10 AM (early for us) because we had one more “must see” on our list: The American Museum of Natural History. Once again, we employed the Explorer Passes to get in, using the third and final attraction. The AMNH is such a huge and comprehensive museum that you can see it many, many times and never get bored or run out of new things to discover. My favorite parts on this trip were the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, which features an enormous 94-foot-long blue whale model that suspends from the ceiling, and the Fossil Halls. It was amazing to see the drastic difference in size for various species of dinosaurs, from the 4-foot-long Psittacosaurus to the 4-foot-long jaw of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Another beautiful walk through Central Park on the way to AMNH. Our very last stop in New York City was a surprise to me—the very best kind of surprise. Before hitting the road back to Boston we got brunch at Popover Café. I’d never eaten a popover, and I was in for a huge treat, as these weren’t just popovers but the best popovers in New York and likely in the United States. (Admittedly, this is an impossible claim for me to make, as I just told you this was my first ever popover—but this thing was good). I had a veggie sandwich served on a popover, Evan ordered eggs over his, and Evan’s mother went classic—a plain popover with strawberry butter. With that, we were ready to leave New York City...at least for a while. Of course, I’ll be back to the city again soon, drawn by the infinite number of New York attractions, neighborhoods, shows, and restaurants to explore. For other ideas on how to spend a weekend in New York City, check out the Smart Destinations NYC Travel Itinerary page!

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