How To Plan The Perfect Holiday Trip In New York City

As the point of entrance for many immigrants arriving to gain residency in the United States and one of the most diverse cities in this melting pot of a country, New York City is pretty much the perfect place to get away for a holiday trip. Not only does the Big Apple go all out for Christmas and New Years, but other cultural holidays like Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are also wonderful to experience in NYC. Visiting while the whole city is in celebration mode will infuse your whole stay with beautiful decorations and cheer, but you should have your stay planned out well before you step foot in the winter wonderland of New York City.

As our biggest holiday travel tip for the great NYC is to plan all your stops and accommodations ahead of time, it's important to actually know where the jolliest of memories can be made. While winter is considered the off season for the bustling metropolis, the holiday season is quite a busy, albeit joyous, time of year. Reservations or advance booking may be a good idea, if not absolutely necessary. Not to fear, though, because our guide to planning a New York City holiday trip has everything from room and board to sightseeing and extracurricular activities in mind for the ultimate festive experience.

Everybody's gotta eat, and New Yorkers are all about their food. While there are plenty of places to grab a bagel and lox or a pizza pie in New York City — you can pretty much walk down any block and grab some grub — there should be special consideration about where to eat during the holidays. To get the very best holiday experience, you'll want to check out some of the restaurants that go all out with decorating for Christmas. For fans of rooftop views, The Greens at Pier 17 and Serra By Birreria both offer an atmosphere that is surprisingly cozy for rooftop eating and beautifully decorated.

It's almost impossible to talk about Christmas in New York City without talking about Rolf's. Although the German restaurant is popular with tourists all year round thanks to their massive, permanent display of Christmas decorations, the holiday season is really its time to shine, with even more ornaments and lights getting pulled out for the season. With thousands upon thousands of vintage ornaments carefully crafted into their displays, Rolf's is one Christmas experience that visitors can't be without to really be able to say they did Christmas right in New York City.

The most important element of Christmas decor is the holiday tree, as it's the one thing the majority of households celebrating the holiday take part in.Over 90 million homes had at least one Christmas tree displayed in their house in 2021, according to the American Christmas Tree Association. For those wishing to dive into the Christmas spirit while in New York City, visiting one of the most famous Christmas trees in the world is a necessity, which is why you should plan for a stop in Rockefeller Plaza.

The live Norway spruce used at Rockefeller Plaza stands anywhere from 70 to 100 feet depending on the year, and with around 50,000 LED lights, a Swarovski crystal-encrusted star, and plenty of preparation, the huge holiday tree has been a part of Christmas traditions for nearly 90 years (via ABC7). The man who has scouted and selected each tree for the last three decades, Erik Pauze, takes upholding the tradition to heart, telling The Center Magazine, "All year, almost every day, I'm thinking about this year's tree, next year's tree, and maybe the tree after that."

All of Pauze's efforts lead to the grand lighting ceremony of Rockefeller Plaza's tree, which is not only a huge in-person event, but it's one that is also broadcasted live on TV. After the initial lighting, the tree stays lit for the majority of the day and night, a sight holiday visitors would be remiss in forgoing.

Christmas isn't the only thing visitors should observe while in the festive city of New York. Hanukkah begins on December 18 in 2022, and the seven-day holiday will be celebrated all throughout the world by Jewish people. New York City contains the second largest Jewish population in the world — second only to Tel Aviv in Israel — and has over double the number of residents than Jerusalem, according to the Jewish Virtual Library. It's only natural that the Hanukkah celebrations in NYC are some of the best, and the city is home to the largest menorah in the world, standing at a whopping 32 feet tall. The lighting of the menorah right outside of Central Park celebrates the beginning of the holiday every year.

In fact, there are plenty of menorah lightings that happen throughout the city, a lot of which are completely public and free. Hanukkah, which is also referred to as the Festival of Lights, is especially unique in New York City, with many celebrations being held right under the stars. The most prominent of these outdoor events is Chanukah on Ice, which takes place at Wollman Rink in Central Park and features a large menorah made completely out of ice.

While New York City itself is like its own winter wonderland, there are spots within the city where that feeling is even more concentrated. The Watermark at Pier 15 transforms into the North Pole during the holiday season, with Santa even making special appearances at brunch. The huge, outdoor installation is in honor of Disney's new, nostalgic series "The Santa Clauses." The installation features many different areas based on North Pole destinations, including Santa's workshop, his living room, and the ever-important sleigh.

The Bank of America Tower's front yard at Bryant Park turns into its own, massive winter village during the holidays, with so much to do it could be spread out throughout the season. Not only is there a Christmas tree lighting, but there's also a large ice skating rink and an open-air market that features local vendors and large companies for all your Christmas shopping needs. For children who may be a little too shy to step out on the ice rink, Bryant Park's Le Carrousel is open through the winter, even on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

New York is known as the city that never sleeps, and residents seem to be extra jolly at night. While Christmas lights are popular all over the world, NYC just might be a few steps above the rest in the festive lighting department, especially when it comes to a select few neighborhoods. Some of the very best areas to see Christmas light displays are not business districts or urban parks (although Shine Bright at Hudson Yards is pretty amazing). But residential neighborhoods like Dyker Heights and Whitestone take the cake for the best light shows at night. 

Whitestone in Queens is home to a number of Christmas-loving residents, whose homes you can see in one YouTuber couple's 2022 holiday video, but one tends to steal the show come the holidays. Kevin Lynch, whose home has been dubbed "Santa's Corner," completely covers his two-story home with lights every year, complete with a Christmas village and a number of moving and stationary figurines.

Dyker Heights, though, is probably the most well-known residential neighborhood in New York City to outdo themselves on Christmas lights. The neighborhood in Brooklyn even has bus tours that get led through the neighborhood, though you can walk on your own as well. For travelers with a love of extravagant, ultra-tacky Christmas lights, swinging by Dyker Heights would be a great addition to a holiday trip in NYC.

The world loves watching New York City celebrate holidays, and it is the place to be for New Year's Eve. Millions of people not only flock to Times Square to wait for the infamous New Year's Eve ball to drop, but even more people all over the world tune in to the events in the city on their TV screens every year. While you should certainly be prepared for a huge crowd if you're wanting to see the ball drop in person, spending New Year's in the city is a worthwhile experience that everyone should have on their bucket list.

If celebrating in a massive crowd at Times Square and potentially appearing on TV screens everywhere isn't quite your thing, there are plenty of other ways to spend New Year's Eve in New York City. An interesting but potentially thrilling way to start off the new year is to go for a run — the New York Road Runners' Midnight Run is a 4-mile run at Central Park with a midnight firework display acting as the starting bell. If you're not quite ready to start in on your fitness resolutions for the new year, another popular way to celebrate the holiday is by attending one of New York's many New Year's Eve parties.