New York City Hall

The basics

Sitting within the triangular City Hall Park, just north of the Manhattan end of Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Hall features on many Lower Manhattan tours. Tours typically stop by multiple local attractions, including Wall Street and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Options include private tours, group history walks, or self-guided tours. Some New York hop-on hop-off buses also stop at City Hall Park, making it easy to visit the park and view the hall’s exterior when sightseeing independently. A number of Brooklyn Bridge walking and bike tours also incorporate hall views as they enter or exit the bridge. Guided interior tours of select rooms are also operated in-house by the hall.

Things to know before you go

• New York City Hall will interest history, politics, and architecture aficionados.
• In-house tours take about an hour and require prior reservation via the hall website.
• Tour participants must show photo ID and pass through security screening.
• City Hall Park is wheelchair-accessible, as are all interiors visited by the in-house tour.
• Restrooms are located inside the hall.

How to get there

City Hall is well served by public transit. If travelling by subway, you can take the R train to City Hall station, the A and C trains to Chambers Street, or the 2 and 3 trains to Park Place. The M5, M9, M22 and M103 buses stop near the Broadway and Park Row entrances to City Hall Park, as do hop-on hop-off buses. Another way here is via Brooklyn Bridge—its pedestrian pathway links to neighboring Centre Street.

When to get there

Free in-house hall tours are available at fixed times on select weekdays—you’ll need to book ahead if you’d like to join one. Alternatively, take in the hall’s facade from the various viewpoints in City Hall Park. The park opens daily from early to late, and is a popular picnic spot for locals: it’s usually at its busiest midday to mid-afternoon on weekdays and Saturdays, especially in summer.

Highlights of New York City Hall

One of the most beautiful of US city halls, New York City Hall is more than worth seeing inside. On an interior tour, you’ll admire its crowning glory: a soaring rotunda topped by a dome and encircled by a marble staircase—the body of President Abraham Lincoln lay in state at the top of its stairs in 1865. Other highlights include the art-filled Governor’s Room, home to a desk used by George Washington.