New York is the city that never sleeps, the American city par excellence, a metropolis in constant change, just like its skyline, which never stops evolving.

Strolling through the streets of Manhattan you will come across the symbols that most identify the Big Apple, such as Central Park, the largest park in the metropolis, the Empire State Building, the most famous skyscraper from which to admire the view, or the celebrated Times Square.

In these places, however, it is hard to breathe the truest atmosphere, the soul of those who really live New York, so here are a few tips for experiencing a different kind of emotion in the most famous city on the East Coast.

  1. Movie Night

From June to August the streets of New York have a special, very “cinematic” air about them. It is a summer tradition repeated every year: almost every evening you can find free open-air screenings on rooftops or in the parks, with a view of the iconic skyline that represents the city.

The reference point for New Yorkers is Bryant Park, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, where since 1992 films have been screened free of charge in the summer months, from the great classics to the latest box-office hits.

If you happen to pass between 40th and 42nd Street, do not forget your picnic basket and a blanket: you will not regret it!

  1. An alternative walk along the High Line

The High Line is slowly becoming a symbol of the Big Apple.

This elevated park in the heart of the city, running from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street, has given a boost to the regeneration of the neighbourhood in which it stands.

This space, born from an abandoned freight line demolished in 1960 and suspended more than ten metres above the bustle of New York, will give you a moment of peace in which to relax and enjoy the view, surrounded by no fewer than 210 species of plants.

  1. New York Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden, the first botanical garden in the United States, located in the Bronx, is considered an iconic place by New Yorkers.

Do not miss the chance to visit this oasis of pure beauty within the chaos of the metropolis.

It is a living museum which, with its 250 acres, will let you escape the smells and sounds of the city, leaving you open-mouthed at the vast number of plant species it hosts. This garden is, in fact, home to the world’s most important programme of plant conservation and research.

  1. Roosevelt Island

A cable-car ride will take you to visit “the city within the city”, just eight minutes from Manhattan.

On the East River lies Roosevelt Island, little known and therefore very peaceful, but with a unique and spectacular view of the city skyline.

The island is full of parks and green spaces; as you stroll along its streets, allow yourself a moment of relaxation at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park or at Lighthouse Park, where the old stone lighthouse from the 1800s still stands tall today.

  1. Once Upon a Time in America

New York is one of the most cinematic cities of all time: great actors have walked its streets while filming the greatest masterpieces of cinema.

Lose yourself in the neighbourhood of Brooklyn in search of the most famous view of all: the bridge framed between the two red-brick buildings. It was right here that one of the most beautiful scenes of Sergio Leone’s film “Once Upon a Time in America” was shot, in 1984.

  1. MoMA PS1

A branch of the more famous MoMA – Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, MoMA PS1 is a well-known art centre located in Long Island City, in Queens.

This museum is one of the largest art institutions in the United States and houses one of the most important collections of contemporary art.

Until 1963 the building housed the first school in Long Island City, before being restored and converted into an art centre.

If you are looking for innovation and provocation, the huge installations and performances at MoMA PS1 will not disappoint you.

Guiness Travel Tours

Guiness Travel has several tours planned in the “city that never sleeps” that will allow you to get to know and appreciate all the wonders that set it apart.

With tours by Guiness Travel you can book your trip and then relax, because Guiness Travel really does take care of every last organisational detail, so that all you have to do is enjoy the cultural atmosphere of the places you will visit.

For Guiness, travelling is an educational opportunity to be savoured in every pleasant moment, and it means being pampered with every kind of comfort; the only way to guarantee the well-being of participants and respect for the places visited is to open the tours only to a limited number of carefully selected participants.

All the itineraries in the catalogue are 100% independently planned and are carefully designed and tested, allowing the product to evolve constantly and reach a high, wide-ranging cultural level.

This is why we created the Exclusive Guiness Tour, a unique travel experience, attentive to sustainability, which will give you significant advantages:

  • organisation;
  • attention to detail;
  • carefully selected services on the ground (designed to give you maximum comfort, leaving you free to think of nothing but enjoying the moment).

Thanks to the Exclusive Guiness Tour you will return home with a bag full of new and wonderful memories, immersed in the beauties of the world, thanks also to the many UNESCO World Heritage sites included in all our programmes.

In fact, in all our itineraries you can see immediately how many and which UNESCO sites you will be able to visit, thanks to an intuitive user-friendly icon in the catalogue. This way, travellers know which UNESCO sites are included in their travel programme.

Discover Guiness Travel’s tours in New York

Team Guiness