Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met is one of the most famous museums in the United States. The permanent collection contains more than two million works of art, spanning a period of 5,000 years. Although the museum has three sites, the centrepiece is The Met Fifth Avenue. Highlights of the collection include American decorative arts, arms and armor, costumes, Egyptian art, musical instruments, photographs, and much more. Exhibitions bring some of the world’s most famous works to the public.

American Museum of Natural History

Truly one of the world’s great natural history museums, the American Museum of Natural History spans four city blocks just across from Central Park. All aspects of the natural world are represented here, from a vast collection of taxidermy mammals, to depictions of the life of Native American tribes, to an entire hall dedicated to marine life—including a life-size model of a gigantic blue whale. The crowning jewel is the dinosaur floor, with an imposing Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton that dominates the room.

Fifth Avenue

One of the most famous shopping streets in America, Fifth Avenue is New York’s premier shopping area, where many top designers have their flagship stores. Cartier, Tiffany, Bergdorf-Goodman, the famous Apple Store Fifth Avenue, and of course Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as many others line this posh avenue. Even non-shoppers can enjoy a walk along Fifth Avenue. The best area runs from approximately the south end of Central Park to the New York Public Library, or more specifically, between 60th Street and 40th Street.

Macy’s

Spend an afternoon getting lost in the USA’s largest department store. Macy’s has 10 and a half floors of everything you could imagine, from fashion to food to furniture to wigs. International tourists should head straight to the visitor centre – show your passport to receive a 10% off discount card.

Dover Street Market New York

Dover Street is more than just a luxury department store; it’s a fashion-meets-art exhibition space. Featured designers configure their own display areas, allowing the shopper to interact with the clothes in a holistic manner that takes you inside the designer’s world—as opposed to just picking through dresses hanging on a metal rack.

The Strand Book Store

With its towering stacks, filled with more than 2.5 million titles, this 86-year-old bookstore is a globally recognized institution. This New York icon carries everything from brand-new fiction to gorgeous cookbooks to art tomes and rare antiques. A book nerd could easily spend an entire afternoon here, but if you’re looking for more of an in-and-out experience, just talk to one of the helpful staff members.

Brooklyn Flea

With 150 vendors selling everything from antiques and second-hand clothing, to pop culture paraphernalia like records and posters, this is New York’s biggest flea market. The market happens every Saturday and Sunday in Industrial City, an up-and-coming (and off-the-beaten-path) centre for arts and culture in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park.

By foot

The are plenty of options for walking tours and you can choose according to your preference from daily, weekly, guided, pay-what-you-like etc. walking tours of NYC.

By bus

For getting your bearings, seeing the sights, and learning a little history, there is no beating the traditional open-top sightseeing bus. Take a bus tour to cover all the top sights and save yourself a whole lot of walking, so you will still have some energy to spend on other activities.

By water

Take an island cruise to see the city skyline and city landmarks from the water, along with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.