Broadway is one of the oldest and longest streets in New York City. It dates back to the days of New Amsterdam and stretches from the very southern tip of Manhattan to the Bronx and on into Westchester County. Its total length is a respectable 53 km and it is one of New York's few streets that breaks the city's exact rectangular street grid, but runs irregularly diagonally through the city.

Broadway is also intrinsically linked to the world's most famous musical and drama theatres.

Famous musicals and theatres

Broadway is one of the cultural hearts of not only New York City, but the entire United States. In particular, local musicals have given the world many famous shows that have had thousands upon thousands of performances and continue to grow in popularity.

The longest-running musical on Broadway is The Phantom of the Opera (continuously since 1987), although it opened in London. The world's most famous musical to premiere directly on Broadway is Jesus Christ Superstar.

Broadway classics include the jazz musical Chicago.

The most famous Broadway scenes

The musical and theatrical heart of Broadway can be found around Times Square roughly between 40th and 53rd Streets. The term "Broadway theatre" also refers to the collection of theatrical performances playing in 41 theatres with a capacity of more than 500 seats on Broadway Avenue, in addition to one specific theatre.

Along with London's West End, the Broadway Theatre is considered the most successful theatre chain in the world.

And what specific theatres and musicals will you visit here? We list just a few of the most famous venues that you should definitely not miss if you're a cultural enthusiast:

Gershwin Theatre - Broadway's biggest stage
Broadway Theatre - The 2nd largest stage and the only theatre that also uses the name of a street
Majestic Theatre - the main tourist attraction is the Phantom of the Opera, which has been performed here the longest
Ambassador Theatre - known for the famous adaptation of the musical Chicago.
Al Hirschfeld Theatre - most popular for the musical Moulin Rouge
New Amsterdam Theatre - the centerpiece of the theater here is the Disney musical Aladdin
Minskoff Theatre - the main work performed here is the musical The Lion King
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre - Tina, one of the most successful musicals of recent years.

For a complete list of Broadway venues, visit the official website ibdb.com.

Where to buy tickets for the show

Tickets are resold by many organizations and travel agencies, but we recommend buying through the official channels of the Broadway theatre organization, most often the ticketmaster website.

An overview website comparing all the current productions is the official website ibdb.com.

Prices range from 30 usd to 200 usd depending on the attractiveness of the show and the location of the theatre.

If you don't want to plan ahead, we recommend stopping by the TKTS booth directly at Times Squarewhere same day tickets are offered at up to 50% off.

Sights and attractions on Broadway

In addition to the aforementioned theater district, Broadway boasts other tourist attractions. How could it not when it measures over 50 km, 21 km of which are in Manhattan alone.

The theater district is always the busiest around Times Squarewhere thousands of neon and LED lights, signs and banners shine out day and night. This part of the city was developed before 1916, when building regulations came into force, requiring skyscrapers to be built with tapering tops to let more light into the streets. As a result, the middle part of Broadway is a canyon of skyscrapers where the sun penetrates rather casually, adding to the lively atmosphere of the illuminated advertisements.

Other attractions you shouldn't miss while walking along Broadway:

Flatiron Building
Charging Bull
Wall Street (perpendicular to Broadway at its southern end)
Central Park
Macy's Department Store

Hotels on Broadway

Broadway is one of the most famous streets in the world, so it makes sense that hotel prices here would be the highest in New York City. Directly on Broadway, expect prices for a 1-night stay in a 2-bed room between 6,500 and 550 eur.

Hotels in the "theater district" around Times Square:

Hotels in the southern section around the financial district:

Residence Inn by Marriott NY Downtown ****

Transportation to Broadway

The alignment of Broadway is followed in its southern part by the yellow R and W subway lines, which are briefly joined by the express N line. At the Times Sq-42 St station, the red lines 1, 2 and 3 take up the "baton", with the 2 and 3 disconnecting at the Central Park mid-level and only the 1 continuing north on Broadway.

In a west-east direction, most of the other subway lines cross Broadway at various points.

For more on getting around New York City, see Transportation and Subways.