The most famous urban park in the world is located in the upper half of Manhattan from 59th to 110th. Street and is a green paradise in the midst of a skyscraper development that has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963.

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Although it ranks as the 5th largest park within New York City in terms of size, Central Park is by far the most visited and most photographed place in the world, according to long-running statistics from photo banks.

The park has been featured in several movies, with scenes from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York surely sticking in all our minds.

Central Park was built between 1857 and 1876.

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Dimensions and size of the park

Central Park measures over 4 km north-south and less than a kilometre wide. In total, it covers an area of 341 hectares and is exactly rectangular when viewed on a map.

The main circular route around Central Park is over 10 km long and is connected by dozens of kilometres of secondary tarmac and nature trails.

In total, there are 21 playgrounds and many outdoor gyms in the park. Trees are complemented by large grassy areas, rocks and nearly 10 lakes.

Activities in Central Park

A plethora of trails, whether wide asphalt paths or narrow forest paths, encourage long walks, running, skating or jogging. Hundreds of runners, cyclists and skaters can be found here year-round. In winter, sledging on the small hills is no exception.

Lovers of small game will be in for a treat, with reportedly up to 500 different species of animals, most notably birds and the ubiquitous cheeky, fearless squirrels.

Sportsmen in particular will find a wide range of opportunities. In addition to running, skating or cycling, which you can do anywhere in the park, there are also several public sports facilities:

• The Wollman Rink ice skating oval (wollmanrinknyc.com) in the southern part of the park
• The Lasker Rink ice skating rink (nycgovparks.org/iceskating) in the northern part of the park
• Baseball fields (nycgovparks.org/baseball) - reservations required
• Basketball arena (nycgovparks.org/basketball) - reservations required
• Tennis courts (nycgovparks.org/tennis) - season pass required

On the largest lake, named simply as "The Lake", you can rent a boat at the Loeb Restaurant on the east side, prices are around 20 usd per hour, cash only, see details on the rental website: thecentralparkboathouse.com.

What to see in Central Park

Apart from the sports venues, you will discover many other attractions or famous film locations in Central Park.

• Bethesda Terrace and Fountain - The park's most visited site, with its monumental terrace and fountain on the lake shore, was built in the late 19th century and has served as a model for many films (such as Home Alone 2, The Avengers) or TV series (Gossip Girl or Sex and the City).

• Umpire Rock - The famous stones that give a divine view of Billionaire's Row

• Central Park Carousel - the popular children's carousel with a prize 4 usd per ride (see official website)

• Cherry Hill - a plaza with a fountain strikingly reminiscent of the opening scene of Friends, although the real fountain is in the studios in California

• Bow Bridge - a stone bridge over "The Lake" with a touch of romance, especially during autumn days when the surrounding trees are beautifully coloured

• Gapstow Bridge - the "movie" bridge over the pond in the southern part of the park with a spectacular view of the Plaza Hotel

• Belvedere Castle - the 1867 mansion combines imitation Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles and is a popular tourist destination

Central Park Zoo

In the southern part of the park, visit a small zoo specialising mainly in smaller animals. The most popular here are definitely the sea lions and penguins, and you can admire dozens of species of birds, as well as monkeys and raccoons.

• Official website, ticket prices, opening hours: centralparkzoo.com

But the Central Park Zoo is certainly not the main one in New York City. The two much larger gardens are the Bronx Zoo and the Queens Zoo outside Manhattan.

A rickshaw or fiacre ride

All of Central Park and the surrounding area is filled with fiacres and rickshaws that you can ride for any length of time.

Payment is usually cash only, and prices are quite high - you'll pay about 73 usd for a 30-minute ride in a fiacre, while a 30-minute rickshaw ride will cost about 45 usd.

Attractions along Central Park

Close to or even right on the edge of the park, you will then come across other top New York attractions that are not to be missed:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) - 5th Avenue, located right in the central part of the park.
• The Plaza Hotel - 59th Street, on the southern edge of the park
• Guggenheim Museum - 5th Avenue, near the central part of the park
• American Museum of Natural History - located on the western edge of the park
• 111 West 57th Street - the thinnest and one of the most interesting skyscrapers in New York City

Accommodation near Central Park

Central Park is located in upper Manhattan, one of the best neighborhoods in New York City. It's a little quieter than the bustling commercial South Side, but you're still right in the middle of the action, with a huge green space under your windows.

The cheapest accommodations in the area include a decent little bed and breakfast The Central Park North on the northern edge of the park in a quiet area further away from the action. Prices here start at 124 eur per night.

Popular budget New York hotels include Belnord Hotel *** about a mile west of Central Park with prices around 165 eur per night.

The southern edge of Central Park and West 59th Street are lined with famous luxury hotels, some of the best in the world. If you're not so concerned about money and don't mind prices between 494 eur and 1030 eur per night, then choose from these hotels:

• Park Lane New York ***** - one of the cheapest 5* hotels in Manhattan.
• Trump International Hotel ***** - a luxury hotel without compromise with a great location
• The Plaza ***** - iconic hotel on the southeast corner of Central Park, famous for movies like Home Alone 2
  • Tip: we stayed at the Plaza. How was it? Find out in our review.

Practical information

Official park hours are 6am-1am, however Central Park is not fenced in any way.

There are many free public toilets across the park.

Likewise, you can also find free public wi-fi hotspots at several places in the park.

You definitely won't go hungry in Central Park. You can find up to dozens of restaurants, snack bars or sugar almond vendors.

• Central Park Conservancy - a private organization that runs the park
• NYC Parks - a department of city hall that manages all public parks

Our tip: luggage storage and showers for runners

Central Park is a popular place for running, jogging or just taking long walks.

Unless you're staying at one of the nearby hotels (like we did at The Plaza), it's pretty impractical to travel across New York City in sweaty clothes.

For these occasions, the general public can use the free luggage and clothing lockers and showers at the NYRR Runcenter store.

You don't have to be a member of NYRR Runcenter, everyone can use the lockers and showers.

NYRR Runcenter is located in the Southwest near Columbus Circle, the main entrance is off West 57th Street (see exact location on map).

It is open at the following times:

• Weekdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• Official website: nyrr.org/runcenter

Central Park Attractions Map

To make it easier for you to find your way around, we've created a map of the places in and near Central Park that we've visited.

How to get there?

Central Park is best reached by several subway lines.

• A, B, D - you can use 59th St./Columbus Circle, 72nd St., 81st St./Museum of Natural History, 86th St., 103rd St., Cathedral Parkway
• 1, 3 - 59th St./Columbus Circle in the south of the park and Central Park North in the north of the park
• F - 57th St. on the south edge
• N, W, Q, R - 57th St. on the south edge
• N, W, R - 5th Ave/579th Str. on the south edge

It's also easy to get here by bus, which you'll use especially to get to the eastern edge of Central Park, which is flanked by the M1, M2, M3, and M4 lines, the western edge by the M10, and the southern edge by the M5, M7, M20, and M104.

Central Park is also crossed at three points by the M79, M86, M96 and M106 lines.

The map below shows all the lines passing closely around Central Park. Click in the top left corner to see a list of lines and stations, which will be highlighted on the map when you click on them further.

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in New York.