Central Park

Central Park (Bethesda Terrace)

Four kilometres of woods, lakes and lawns in the middle of Manhattan

Hours

Daily 6am to 1am

Tickets

Free (bike and boat rental extra)

Address

Between 59th and 110th Streets, Fifth Avenue and Central Park West; the pin marks Bethesda Terrace in the middle of the park

The park is roughly 4 km long and 800 m wide, so forget about seeing all of it in a day. Walk in from 59th Street to Sheep Meadow, where people sprawl on the grass instead of sheep, then on to Bethesda Terrace with its tiled arcade and angel fountain, and the white cast-iron Bow Bridge over the Lake, and two hours have gone. Bagel picnics on the lawn, runners on the loop road and rowboats on the water look exactly like the films. The Met and the Natural History Museum sit on either flank, which makes it easy to pair with a museum day.