Forget the North Pole – New York is perhaps the most Christmassy place on earth. Yes, it’s as commercial as can be, but a visit to the Big Apple in the run up to what they call the holiday season can be a wondrous experience for both shopping and sights. We’ve already given you some tips on how to get there. Now, here’s some advice on what to do when you arrive, with our New York Christmas Shopping Guide.
New York Christmas Shopping guide
Dazzling department stores
Some of New York’s top department stores are household names, even for those who’ve never been there. No shopping trip to NYC would be complete without calling in to at least a couple of them.
Maybe king of them all is Macy’s on 34th Street – the inspiration for the beloved film ‘Miracle on 34th Street’. One of the stores’s famous Christmas window displays recreates scenes from the film each year, while you can spend a long time just enjoying the other displays too. And the store itself is so huge, you could spend an entire day there!
Many other huge downtown department stores shouldn’t be missed, though. Take your choice of impressive window displays and impressive shopping selections of Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s New York, Lord and Taylor, and many more.
Just one warning, though. It’s easy to burn through all your cash or max out your credit card there, so keep an eye on your total spend!
Magical Christmas Markets
Another thing New York does brilliantly is Christmas Markets, in the style of the top European ones.
Check out Bryant Park, the Union Square Holiday Market, or the city’s only indoor market at The Grand Central Holiday Fair, which fills the 12,000 sq. ft. Vanderbilt Hall with toys, jewellery, and crafts.
All the markets have a fine selection of food and drink options, as well as gift ideas galore. Give yourself a couple of hours to browse one or more of them properly!
Brilliant bargains
No New York shopping trip would be complete without a hunt for brilliant bargains at a designer outlet centre. The problem is, when time is short, many of these are out of town. So instead, try Century 21. It’s got several branches in the city, including downtown at Cortlandt Street and also on Broadway at Lincoln Square. For even greater savings, head for the New Jersey branch, to avoid New York’s 8% sales tax!
A well-kept ‘almost secret’ is Gabay’s at 195 Avenue A on the Lower East Side. It offers massive discounts of up to 90% on surplus stock from such big names as Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Yves St. Laurent. Think TK Maxx times a thousand!
If you’re heading to the Big Apple, we hope you find our New York Christmas shopping guide useful. And here’s another tip: remember that one of the most important purchases you can make is travel insurance before your trip.
Travel insurance is particularly important for the USA because of the high cost of healthcare there, should you become ill or suffer an accident. Remember too that your new purchases will also be covered in the event of lost luggage on your way home.
Choose single trip travel insurance if your trip is likely to be your only travelling of the year, or go for annual multi-trip travel insurance if you’re likely to do more travelling during the year too.
Whatever policy you choose with Insure My Holiday, you are assured of a high standard of cover at a low price.
Key benefits of our Gold Plan travel insurance
- Medical Expenses Cover of €5 Million
- Personal Luggage Cover of €2,000
- Personal Money and Documents Cover of €1,600
- Delayed Departure Cover of €200
- Cancellation or Curtailment Cover of €4,000
- Abandonment Cover of €4,000
- Missed Departure Cover of €500
- Personal Accident Cover of €55,000
- Personal Liability Cover of €2,000,000
- Third Party Supplier Insolvency Cover of €2,000
- Schedule Airline Failure Cover of €1,000
- Legal Expenses Cover of €10,000
- Hijack Cover of €1,000
- Catastrophe Cover of €750
- Credit or Cash Card Fraud Cover of €300
Key benefits of our Platinum Plan travel insurance
- Medical Expenses Cover of €10 Million
- Personal Luggage Cover of €3,000
- Personal Money and Documents Cover of €2,000
- Delayed Departure Cover of €400
- Cancellation or Curtailment Cover of €6,000
- Abandonment Cover of €6,000
- Missed Departure Cover of €600
- Personal Accident Cover of €95,000
- Personal Liability Cover of €2,000,000
- Third Party Supplier Insolvency Cover of €2,000
- Schedule Airline Failure Cover of €2,000
- Legal Expenses Cover of €20,000
- Hijack Cover of €2,000
- Catastrophe Cover of €1,000
- Credit or Cash Card Fraud Cover of €500
All are as generous or more generous as you will find with any other travel insurance provider, so it all adds up to even more great reasons to choose Insuremyholiday.ie for all your travel insurance needs.
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