If you’re planning a trip to New York City, probably one of the first questions on your mind is what to book in advance.
Generally speaking, the Statue of Liberty is a must (since it’s the most popular attraction in NYC), while other things like museums, observatories, and restaurants will depend a bit on the situation.
This travel guide will give some tips for how far in advance you should reserve your NYC activities. It’s based on my own experience!
Summary: What & When To Book
Here’s a quick summary of when you may want to book ahead for things in NYC:
- Statue Of Liberty & Ellis Island — Reservation needed (1-2 weeks in advance)
- Statue Of Liberty Pedestal / Crown — Reservation needed (1-3 months in advance)
- Observatories — Reservation needed (1 week in advance)
- Broadway Shows — Reservation needed (1-3 months in advance)
- Restaurants (Fine Dining) — Reservation needed
- The FRIENDS Experience — Reservation needed
- Tenement Museum — Reservation needed
- 9/11 Museum — Optional
- American Museum of Natural History — Optional
- Guggenheim Museum — Optional
- Metropolitan Museum of Art — Optional
- Museum of Modern Art — Optional
- Brooklyn Bridge — No reservation needed (free)
- Intrepid Museum — No reservation needed
- Madame Tussauds — No reservation needed
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral — No reservation needed (free)
- Vessel — No reservation needed
Note: This is just general guidance, and things can change a bit depending on the hour, day, week, and month you go.
New York City is busiest in the summer (June to August) and the winter holidays (November to December), so you may want to book earlier if you’re traveling at those times, especially for weekends or peak hours.
The hotel where we stayed — M Social Hotel in Times Square
Things You DO Need To Book In Advance
• Statue Of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is one of America’s most famous landmarks, so it’s also one of the most visited spots in New York City.
The only way to visit Liberty Island is by ferry, and a reservation is required. Normal tickets are practically unlimited, but the tickets for the pedestal are somewhat limited, and the crown tickets are very limited.
If you plan to go inside the crown, you need to book that several months in advance. Personally, I don’t think the crown and pedestal are such a big deal. The general admission lets you see the best highlights.
You can book the general tickets here, or the crown and pedestal tickets here.
If you have a CityPass, you can use that for general admission to the Statue of Liberty, but not the pedestal or crown.
If possible, I’d recommend booking the first ferry of the day (8 or 9 AM), that way you can enjoy the island before the biggest crowds get there.
Ignore any fake ticket sellers you may encounter near the harbor; they’re scammers!
Book Now: Statue Tickets / Crown Tickets
Ferry at Liberty Island
• NYC Observatories
The rooftop observatories in New York City are very popular, so if you plan to visit one and you have a specific entry time in mind, you should make a booking around one week in advance.
Some observatories have weather policies so you can rebook if the visibility is bad. However, if you’d rather wait and choose a day with good weather, it’s okay to book a few days in advance; you just won’t be able to be as picky about the entry time.
For example, we booked Summit One Vanderbilt the day before we went, but we had to enter at 3 PM because the later times were already sold out for people wanting to see the sunset.
Sunset is especially popular at the NYC observatories, and the hours leading up to it usually sell out easily, so if you’re wanting one of those premium entry times, I’d make a booking well in advance.
If you have a CityPass, that includes admission to the Empire State Building, and you can also use it for the Top of the Rock.
Otherwise, you can book any of the NYC observatories in the links below.
Book Now:
Summit One Vanderbilt
• Broadway Shows
If there’s a hit show at Broadway that’s important to you, or you have specific seating in mind, then it’s highly recommended to buy tickets in advance.
Sometimes that means booking 1 to 3 months early, because the big shows can sell out closer to the time.
Otherwise, if you’re open to a number of shows and want to try your luck, you can go to whatever is being offered when you arrive in NYC. There are always tickets to something available.
• Restaurants (Fine Dining)
If you plan to eat at a fancy or popular restaurant in New York City, you’ll need to make a booking.
This is only needed for higher end restaurants though. NYC has loads of restaurants for every budget, so you usually don’t need to worry about reservations if you’re planning to eat at cheaper places.
• The FRIENDS Experience
You can buy tickets for the FRIENDS Experience at the door, but it’s cheaper and safer to buy your tickets online, because sometimes they sell out.
You can keep an eye on the booking calendar to see what’s available, but if you have a specific entry time in mind, I’d definitely reserve it online.
Book Now: FRIENDS Experience Tickets
• Tenement Museum
It’s definitely a good idea to book ahead for the Tenement Museum. You might be able to walk up and buy tickets if you’re lucky, but in general I wouldn’t risk it.
It’s different from other museums, because the only way you can visit it is with a tour. These can sell out up to a week in advance.
Book Now: Tenement Museum Tickets
Things You MAY Need To Book In Advance
• 9/11 Museum
It may be a good idea to buy tickets in advance for the 9/11 Museum if you have a specific entry time in mind.
Otherwise, if your schedule is flexible, you can just show up and buy tickets on the spot. That’s what we did. You may have to wait in line, but it’s usually not too bad.
The 9/11 Memorial pools are located outside of the museum and they’re free to visit, so you don’t need to book anything for that; you only need tickets for the museum.
If you have a CityPass, you can use that for general admission to the museum.
Book Now: 9/11 Museum Tickets / Guided Tour
9/11 Memorial pools
9/11 Museum
• American Museum Of Natural History
You can go to AMNH and buy your tickets on the spot, but you may have to wait in line longer. I’d recommend booking in advance.
Even if your plans change, it’s free and easy to change the date on your tickets. That’s what happened to me, and it was no problem at all.
Because of conflicts in my schedule, I had to ask them to change the date on my ticket to one day later. It was quick and easy, even though I only emailed them a few days in advance.
If you have a CityPass, that includes admission to the museum and one special exhibit.
Book Now: AMNH Museum Tickets
American Museum of Natural History
• Guggenheim Museum
A reservation isn’t required for the Guggenheim Museum, but it can save time at the entrance.
Personally, I’d probably book it the day before just for convenience sake, but it’s not very important either way.
Book Now: Guggenheim Tickets
• Metropolitan Museum Of Art (The Met)
The Met is pretty flexible, but an online booking is still a good idea to save time waiting in line.
I booked my tickets one day in advance (for a weekday), and that was fine. Weekends are busier, but you can still buy tickets on the spot if you don’t mind the possibility of waiting longer in line.
If you prefer a guided tour of the museum, then you’ll need to book that in advance.
Book Now: The Met Tickets / Guided Tour
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Museum Of Modern Art (MoMA)
The MoMA is another place that’s pretty flexible.
Generally you don’t have to book tickets in advance, but it’s still recommended so you can save time at the entrance.
If you’re going on a holiday or when there’s a special exhibit, then a booking would be a good idea. Guided tours should also be booked at least 1-2 weeks in advance.
Book Now: MoMA Tickets / Guided Tour
Museum of Modern Art
Things You DON’T Need To Book In Advance
• Brooklyn Bridge
There’s no charge to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and you don’t need to buy any kind of tickets to do that.
Even if you use the quick ferry ride to cross from Manhattan to the DUMBO neighborhood, and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from there, you still don’t need to book anything in advance because the tickets for that ferry don’t sell out.
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
• Intrepid Museum
Generally there’s no need to pre-book tickets for the Intrepid Museum. You can just turn up there and buy your tickets at the door. That’s what most people do.
If you have a CityPass, you can use that for general admission to the museum as well.
Otherwise, the only time it may be worth buying tickets in advance is if you’re going there on a busy week or weekend.
Book Now: Intrepid Museum Tickets
• Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
An advance booking isn’t needed for Madame Tussauds, although I still think it’s a good idea because the online price is about $10 cheaper than buying tickets in person.
We bought our tickets on the spot, but if I had known about the online prices being cheaper, I would’ve done that to save a bit of money.
Book Now: Madame Tussauds Tickets
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
This Roman Catholic cathedral is free to enter, and you don’t need to make a reservation to visit or go inside.
Tickets aren’t required to attend masses either, with some exceptions: Midnight Mass on December 25, Easter Sunday 10:15 AM, St. Patrick’s Day 8:30 AM and Columbus Day Mass.
You can find out more on their official website.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• Vessel
This tourist attraction in Hudson Yards is usually not very busy, and the tickets don’t sell out. You don’t need to book Vessel in advance.
I bought my tickets on the spot, and that’s what I’d recommend doing. The line to get in only took a few seconds! If you still prefer to buy tickets online, you can do that as well.
Book Now: Vessel Tickets
More NYC Travel Guides
Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed these tips about what to book in advance for New York City.
Remember to check back on my blog for more NYC travel guides coming soon!
See Also
