Rockefeller Center Christmas Walk: The Tree, the Windows and Fifth Avenue
Follow Midtown’s holiday glow from Bryant Park to the Plaza, past wreath-wearing lions and the Rockefeller Center skating rink.
Holidays
Christmas walking tours: lights, windows and markets
Self-guided walks for the season: the tree at Rockefeller Center, the houses of Dyker Heights, the Magnificent Mile, St. Augustine in its Nights of Lights, Colonial Williamsburg and the River Walk. Go when you like and stop for cocoa.
6 walks for the season
Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Walking Tour
Walk the glowing streets where neighbors turned Christmas decorating into a Brooklyn tradition.
Chicago Christmas Walk: Magnificent Mile Lights to the Christkindlmarket
Follow Michigan Avenue’s holiday lights past landmarks that span Chicago’s history, then turn toward State Street’s festive windows.
St. Augustine Walking Tour: Nights of Lights and the Old City
Walk from the Spanish fort through the old colonial town to the grand hotels that made St. Augustine a winter destination.
Colonial Williamsburg Walking Tour: Duke of Gloucester Street
Walk from the college to the Capitol through the heart of Virginia’s colonial capital.
San Antonio River Walk Tour: The Alamo to Main Plaza
Walk from the Alamo down to the river and into the heart of Spanish San Antonio.
Christmas walks: questions people ask
When are the Christmas lights up?
Roughly from Thanksgiving to New Year. The Rockefeller Center tree is usually lit in early December and stays up into January; most Dyker Heights houses light up around Thanksgiving; St. Augustine's Nights of Lights runs from mid-November through January; Chicago's Magnificent Mile Lights Festival opens the weekend before Thanksgiving. Check the official sites for this year's dates.
What time is best for a Christmas lights walk?
Just after dark, from about 5 p.m., when the lights are on and the crowds are still thin. Weeknights are quieter than weekends.
Are these walks free?
The streets are free to walk. Each Stories tour plays its first stop free; the whole walk is $4.99 for your group, on up to 4 phones.
Can I give a Christmas walk as a gift?
Yes. Pick the walk, type their email and a note, and schedule it for Christmas morning.