Luxury hotels in New York

New York guide

Central Park: how to spend a perfect morning

The first name on every New York list. A route from the Plaza to the Met, with the best hours and seasons.

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux from 1858, Central Park covers more than 840 acres in the middle of Manhattan, and it heads almost every list of things to do in New York. The morning is its best hour, when runners and dog walkers have it to themselves.

Start at the south-east corner near the Plaza, walk past the Pond and up the Mall, the elm-lined promenade, to Bethesda Terrace and its fountain. Cross the Bow Bridge into the Ramble, then follow the lake east to the Conservatory Water and leave at Fifth Avenue, right by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which opens at ten.

Every season changes the park: blossom in April and May, long green days in summer, the best foliage in late October and early November, and skating in December. A hotel on the Upper East Side or Central Park South keeps the park outside your door.

The Metropolitan Museum and MoMA

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on Fifth Avenue at the edge of Central Park, is one of the largest and most cited museums in the world, from the Temple of Dendur to the European paintings and the American Wing; its roof garden opens in the warmer months.

The Museum of Modern Art, in Midtown, holds Van Gogh's Starry Night, Monet's Water Lilies and Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon, and the Guggenheim's spiral by Frank Lloyd Wright is up the avenue. Early entry or a private tour avoids the crowds.

The High Line, Broadway and the skyline

The High Line, a park built on a disused elevated railway along the West Side, is one of New York's most cited walks, from the Meatpacking District and the Whitney Museum to Hudson Yards and the Edge observation deck. The Top of the Rock gives the classic view of the Empire State Building.

An evening on Broadway, with long-running musicals and new productions, is essential; the best seats should be booked ahead. The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial complete a first visit.