Times Square has been New York’s beating, blinking heart since electric billboards first lit up the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue over a century ago. Today it’s a sensory overload of digital screens, honking cabs, costumed characters, and crowds moving in every direction at once, and it’s exactly that chaotic energy that keeps millions of visitors coming back every year.

The square takes its name from the New York Times, which moved its headquarters to the area in 1904 and convinced the city to run a subway line there, a decision that turned a formerly modest intersection into the commercial hub it is today. The famous New Year’s Eve ball drop tradition began not long after, in 1907, and has continued almost every year since, cementing the square’s identity as a place built around spectacle.

Best Things to Do in Times Square

Stand at the Crossroads After Dark

Nothing quite prepares you for the sheer brightness of Times Square at night, when every surface seems to glow. Find a spot near 44th Street looking north for the classic postcard view of the billboards stacking up the block.

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Score Same-Day Broadway Tickets

The TKTS discount booth at Duffy Square sells same-day tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows at reduced prices, and the red glass steps above it double as a great people-watching perch.

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Visit Madame Tussauds Times Square

Wax figures of everyone from historical icons to current pop stars fill several floors, offering an air-conditioned break from the street-level chaos with plenty of photo ops built in.

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Take a Photo with a Costumed Character

Superheroes, cartoon mascots, and the occasional Naked Cowboy pose for photos throughout the square. It’s a quintessential Times Square moment, though a small tip is customary and expected.

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Escape to Bryant Park

A short walk from the square, Bryant Park offers a genuine patch of green space with a carousel, reading room, and seasonal markets, a welcome contrast to the intensity of Times Square itself.

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Best Time to Visit

Early morning is dramatically quieter and easier to photograph, while evening brings the full light show but also the heaviest foot traffic. New Year’s Eve draws massive crowds and requires arriving hours in advance if you want a spot near the ball drop.

How to Get There

The Times Square-42nd Street subway station is one of the busiest transit hubs in the city, served by nearly a dozen train lines, making it one of the easiest places in Manhattan to reach.

Good to Know

Keep a close eye on your belongings in the densest crowds, and be aware that costumed characters and CD vendors often expect payment after interacting with you, even if they approached first. Sidewalks can feel overwhelming during peak hours, so plan for slower-than-expected walking between destinations. Restaurants directly on the square tend to charge a premium for the view, so wandering a block or two off the main intersection usually turns up better value for a meal. Public restrooms are scarce in the immediate area, so it helps to plan around a café or a nearby hotel lobby.

Love it or find it overwhelming, Times Square is unavoidable on most New York itineraries, and a short visit is usually enough to get the full effect before moving on to quieter corners of the city. Give yourself permission to simply stand still for a few minutes and take in the scale of it, since Times Square rewards a slower look more than a rushed walk-through ever does.