Daily Itinerary – Uptown Manhattan and Central Park

Where will we explore? In Uptown Manhattan – the Upper East, Upper West, and Central Park

What are the itinerary paths? A daily path starting with the heavy-hitters museums of the Upper East Side and ending with all the fun of the Upper West Side

When is it best to tour? New York is the city that never sleeps; you can do this itinerary all year round (preferably when it's not raining or snowy)

Who is this trip suitable for? All ages and anyone who loves Manhattan's urban vibe (along with the particularly delightful greenery of Central Park)

What transportation will we use? Get your walking muscles ready (and here and there a bus if you want to cut down on walking)

What's the intensity level? A full-day tour in a route that includes all the museum treasures of the Upper East Side. If you want to visit all the museums, it's best to spread the tour over two days.

Trip Itinerary Information

The uptown tour focuses on the more upscale parts of Manhattan (which is already ridiculously expensive). The Upper East Side is the fanciest residential area in the city. On the western part of the district, right along Fifth Avenue at the edge of Central Park, lies an impressive row of some of the best museums in the world. The tour will include these museums, and it's worth going inside some of them (the Guggenheim and the Met are a must).

From the Upper East Side, we'll embark on a walking trail through Central Park, reaching all the park's main attractions. The route will start at the zoo, and through the park's beautiful pathways, we'll hit every must-see spot in the most famous urban park in the world. From Central Park, we'll head to the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side, wander the lively streets of the New York borough to the famous luxury towers, and the Lincoln Center cultural complex. We'll wrap up our day tour at Columbus Circle, in the upscale mall of the Time Warner Building.

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Where to Stay?

It's highly recommended to find accommodation within Manhattan itself. The island offers numerous lodging options, all of which are, without exception, not cheap. You can also stay in Brooklyn or Queens near a subway station.

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Expert Tip for Travelers in New York

• Although it's important to keep a presentable appearance, it's highly advisable to travel with comfortable clothes (according to the season) and especially with comfortable shoes!!!
• Since getting around the city is very easy and convenient by subway (and also by buses), there’s no problem reaching any neighborhood or borough in the city and you can even shorten walks by using public transportation
• The trip itinerary will include the Museum Mile in the Upper East Side, Central Park and the charming streets of the Upper West Side. For those skipping museums, you can combine a walk in Central Park and the Upper West Side with a northern midtown stroll, from Times Square heading north
• The Upper West and Upper East Sides are primarily residential areas. While the Upper East streets are pleasant, the Upper West Side streets are a blast for strolling and shopping
• The entire area around the Children's Museum of Manhattan, on West 82nd and Broadway, is a fun zone of shopping, restaurants, and New York life as seen through the lens of Seinfeld. That's where you'll find the famous Zabar's grocery store
• For fans of the Seinfeld series, you might also want to head north to Tom's Diner, which serves as the exterior of Monk's Café in the legendary show (and inspired Suzanne Vega's catchy song). The diner is located near Columbia University at West 112th and Broadway.

Map of the Uptown Manhattan and Central Park Tour Route

Detailed Itinerary for the Uptown Manhattan Tour

Let's start on the eastern side of Uptown Manhattan, the Upper East Side, a mix of upscale residential areas and important New York institutions. Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue is one of New York's must-see spots (you can't fit all the museums into one morning, so it's a good idea to choose which to visit based on your personal interests).

On the other side of Central Park, the Upper West Side of Manhattan is mainly a serene and upscale residential area. The Upper West has a variety of well-known skyscrapers (mostly residential), important museums, and plenty of everyday New Yorker shopping. In the middle, Central Park is a romantic and charming place filled with attractions, streams, sculptures, and simply wonderful atmosphere.

The Upper East Side

1. We'll start our day trip in the Upper East Side, the eastern part of Uptown Manhattan. We'll get off at the 86th Street station on the green line, right in the heart of the Upper East Side. From the station on Lexington Avenue, we'll walk west on East 86th Street until we reach Central Park.
2. Two blocks north, at East 88th Street and Fifth Avenue, you'll spot the iconic building of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Frank Lloyd Wright's unique structure is just the beginning of the museum's marvelous collection, featuring well-known paintings by great modern artists.
3. From the Guggenheim, we'll walk two more blocks north on Fifth Avenue to the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. This is a must-see for fans of design and fashion.
4. From Cooper Hewitt, we'll head two blocks further north to The Jewish Museum, a paradise for Judaica enthusiasts.
5. From The Jewish Museum, we'll head south on Fifth Avenue until we see the stunning neoclassical structure of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world's most important art institutions. The Met's collection includes some of the world's most significant paintings, from Flemish and Italian Renaissance to modernism. The museum also has a massive archaeological and ethnological collection.
6. From Mahmet (on East 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue), head south (you can take a bus) to the Frick Collection Museum. This is a museum of a small but extraordinarily high-quality private collection, with an especially exciting concentration of masterpieces from the Renaissance and Baroque greats.
7. From the Frick Collection, continue south on Fifth Avenue until you reach East 66th Street and admire the impressive facade of Temple Emanu-El.

Central Park

1. From the synagogue, enter Central Park. Right at the entrance, you'll see the gates of the Central Park Zoo, a fun place to visit with kids and the star of the Madagascar movies.
2. From the zoo, walk on 65th Street to The Dairy and the Wollman Rink ice-skating rink, iconic landmarks of the park. Continue west along the paths in the southern part of the park to arrive at Umpire Rock.
3. From the unique volcanic rock, we'll continue along the paths north to New York City's number 1 sunbathing spot – Sheep Meadow. On a sunny day, the lawns are filled with sunbathers and families having picnics.
4. We'll continue north from the meadow along the paths in the western part of the park and across from the famous Dakota Building, we'll reach Strawberry Fields, a memorial site for the building's most famous resident (who tragically lost his life at its entrance), John Lennon.
5. From Strawberry Fields, go east to The Lake and reach the Victorian fountain at Cherry Hill in what's known as The Mall and Literary Walk. We'll have views of the lake from the base of the terrace where Bethesda Fountain is located.
6. We'll circle the lake from the east and arrive at the well-known statue of Alice in Wonderland near the reservoir where small model boats are sailed.
7. From the Alice statue, we'll walk along the wooded paths heading northwest to Belvedere Castle. We'll stroll by the castle/scenic backdrop, see Turtle Pond and the Delacorte Theater.
8. We'll also pass through the Shakespeare Garden, where flowers and plants from the famous British playwright's works are featured, and head west from the park to the American Museum of Natural History in the Upper West Side.

The Upper West Side

1. We'll visit the American Museum of Natural History, which offers a spectacular and accurate display including the giant suspended model of a blue whale and dinosaur reconstructions based on paleontological excavations.
2. From the museum, we'll head south on Central Park West towards The San Remo, a vintage residential skyscraper known for its two stunning towers.
3. From The San Remo, we'll continue south along the avenue to get a close look at the luxurious The Dakota building.
4. From the Dakota building, we'll enter the district at West 72nd Street, walk along it until we reach Columbus Avenue, and then head south on foot until we reach Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
5. From Lincoln Center, head south on Broadway to Columbus Circle and enjoy shopping and a break at the Time Warner Center.