Christmas in New York is available once a year in the first or second week of December.
2010 Dates
December 5 - 12
Sunday
Arrival and welcome meeting at JFK airport in New York; transfer by chauffeured mini van to hotel in the elegant Upper East Side of Manhattan, selected for its prime location and upscale service
Free time until 6:00 PM
6:00 PM group dinner at traditional NYC restaurant known for its lavish Christmas decorations and menu
Monday
After breakfast in the hotel we will stroll down Fifth Avenue, the epicenter of holiday celebrations in New York. During the 'Season', this main Manhattan thoroughfare becomes a show of lights, colors and sounds; it is when the major department stores display their most creative windows. We have selected the places you should not miss.
Lunch on Fifth Avenue, on our way to the Empire State Building, now covered with green and red lights for the holidays. Its special lighting effects are a major part of Christmas tradition in New York.
Free time after Empire State Building visit
We meet again in the hotel at 6:00 PM
Dinner at a restaurant in Brooklyn, which we have selected for its grand view of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. A favorite movie location, during the Holiday Season it becomes a feast for the eyes; its menu and wine list are among the most refined in New York.
Tuesday
After breakfast, we head downtown to visit the New York Stock Exchange, the nervous center of Wall Street and of the American economy. No Christmas decorations here, just a fascinating pulse beat, an off-the-beaten-track insiders’ view into the heart of NYC.
Lunch in one of our favorite Wall Street area restaurants, a hangout of power brokers and high-end financial executives of ‘the street’. You cannot leave New York without seeing it - even in times of so-called recession, Wall Street is a world onto itself.
After lunch we will stop at Battery Park, the southernmost point of Manhattan, with the Statue of Liberty in full view. From there we head to Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center, destroyed by an terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Ground Zero has become both a place of reflection and the symbol of this city’s resilience and strength.
Back to the hotel, free time
Dinner at your leisure
Wednesday
Morning visit to a jewel-like museum housed in a majestic Fifth Avenue mansion facing Central Park. Built by one of America’s most successful industrialists, it evokes the splendor of a time gone by, and testifies to how great art collections can still inspire viewers today. The museum owns a superb collection of 18th-century French furniture, rare porcelains, Limoges enamels, unique Oriental rugs and top-quality works of art which will please the most discerning connaisseurs.
Lunch on Madison Avenue, one of the more fashionable parts of NYC
After lunch, free time to stroll Madison Avenue, home to the most exclusive boutiques in New York. Blocks and blocks of pure luxury...
We meet again in the hotel at 6:00 PM.
Tonight we will attend a Christmas show that has dazzled and inspired over 65 million people for 75 years and continues to create memories that last a lifetime. You will see the famous Rockettes in their precisely choreographed dances, probably the most famous Christmas show in the world.
Late dinner at a restaurant in the Rockefeller Center area, near the skating rink which is the center of the Christmas festivities in New York
Thursday
After breakfast, free morning to pursue your special interests
Lunch at your leisure
We will meet again in the hotel at 1:00 PM to visit Soho, the trendy downtown neighborhood of young and chic New Yorkers. Art galleries, innovative boutiques, lively restaurants and bars - this is a part of town you cannot miss. In Soho we will have a private visit to an eclectic art gallery where you will meet the owner/artist to get an insider’s view of the local arts scene.
Free time after art gallery
We will meet again for dinner at 7.30 PM in our favorite Soho restaurant, one of our many well-kept secrets, an exclusive place right in the middle of the Soho scene, yet quite removed from the tourists' route.
Friday
Morning visit to Central Park, the heart of NYC and its most celebrated location. We will ride in the famous horse carriages, still the best way to have an idea of the Park’s layout and a front-row view of its most elegant residences.
Lunch at your leisure; free time in the afternoon
We will meet again at the hotel at 6:00 PM, to attend a holiday show in the city’s premier music hall. Known worldwide for its impeccable acoustics, this is NYC most famous concert house and the stage where major international orchestras perform when visiting the city.
Saturday
Today you will enjoy a free day - for shopping, for visiting museums and art galleries, or for whatever suits your fancy. We will help you with specific addresses matching your interests.
We meet again in the hotel at 6.30 PM. Tonight we will have our farewell group dinner ‘on top of the world’, followed by dance in an exclusive night-club.
Sunday
Afetr breakfast, check out at the hotel by noon. You may leave your luggage in the concierge until your departure time later.
Free time
Back to the hotel at 5:00 PM for mini van transfer to the airport for departures.
Farewell and end of tour
