Central Park spans 843 acres of paths, meadows, water and landmarks, and getting oriented before you arrive makes a real difference. Pick the right gate, take the right train, and park somewhere that isn’t a twenty-minute circuit of 59th Street.
Two questions. We'll tell you which entrance you actually want.
Acres to navigate
North to south
Numbered lampposts
To enter, always
An interactive map covering all 843 acres. Locate landmarks, attractions and nearby eventscin any part of the park, then plan a route between them.
Easily reached from almost anywhere in the city. Get routes to the gate you actually want,
not to a park with entrances on four different sides.
Street parking, metered bays and garages on all four sides. Discounted garage rates when
you book ahead — worth doing before you drive in.
Everything you need to arrive at the right corner of the park rather than the nearest one.
Entrances ring all four sides. Walking in at the wrong one can add twenty-five minutes before you’ve seen anything.
W 59th at Columbus Circle
Best for Columbus Circle, the south-west corner and bike rental
Central Park S at Sixth Ave
Best for Wollman Rink and the Pond
Central Park S at Sixth Ave
Best for The Zoo, the Carousel and Gapstow Bridge
Fifth Ave at 64th
Best for The Zoo and the Chess & Checkers House
Fifth Ave at 72nd
Best for Bethesda Terrace, the Lake and Bow Bridge
Fifth Ave at 79th
Best for The Met, the Obelisk and the Great Lawn
Fifth Ave at 90th
Best for The Reservoir running track
Fifth Ave at 96th
Best for The north Reservoir path and tennis
Fifth Ave at 110th
Best for Conservatory Garden and Harlem Meer
110th at Adam Clayton Powell
Best for The Meer, Lasker Rink and the North Woods
Central Park West at 106th
Best for The North Woods, the Loch and the Ravine
Central Park West at 100th
Best for North Meadow ballfields
Central Park West at 85th
Best for The Great Lawn and Belvedere Castle
Central Park West at 81st
Best for The Delacorte, Shakespeare Garden and the Castle
Central Park West at 72nd
Best for Strawberry Fields and the Dakota
Central Park S at Seventh Ave
Best for Heckscher ballfields and Umpire Rock
W 59th at Columbus Circle
Best for Columbus Circle, the south-west corner and bike rental
Central Park S at Sixth Ave
Best for Wollman Rink and the Pond
Central Park S at Sixth Ave
Best for The Zoo, the Carousel and Gapstow Bridge
Fifth Ave at 64th
Best for Heckscher ballfields and Umpire Rock
Fifth Ave at 64th
Best for The Zoo and the Chess & Checkers House
Central Park S at Sixth AveFifth Ave at 72nd
Best for Bethesda Terrace, the Lake and Bow Bridge
Fifth Ave at 79th
Best for The Met, the Obelisk and the Great Lawn
Fifth Ave at 90th
Best for The Reservoir running track
Fifth Ave at 96th
Best for The north Reservoir path and tennis
Central Park West at 106th
Best for The North Woods, the Loch and the Ravine
Central Park West at 100th
Best for North Meadow ballfields
Best for The Great Lawn and Belvedere Castle
Best for The Great Lawn and Belvedere Castle
Central Park West at 81st
Best for The Delacorte, Shakespeare Garden and the Castle
Central Park West at 72nd
Best for Strawberry Fields and the Dakota
Central Park West at 106th
Best for The North Woods, the Loch and the Ravine
Central Park West at 100th
Best for North Meadow ballfields
Whichever you choose, decide the gate first and work backwards. It saves more time than anything else on this page.
The A, B, C, D and 1 serve Columbus Circle at the south-west. The N, R and W reach Fifth Avenue at 59th. The B and C run the whole west side; the 4, 5 and 6 the east.
Crosstown routes run along 66th, 79th, 86th and 96th, dropping you at a transverse road entrance. Avenue routes run the length of Fifth and Central Park West.
If you’re in Midtown you’re closer than you think — the southern gates are a ten-minute walk from most of the theatre district. The park is free and open from 6am to 1am.
There is no parking inside the park — the drives have been closed to cars since 2018. You’re looking at garages, meters or street parking on the four sides.
The architectural heart of the park — the Angel of the Waters and the tiled arcade.
None of them is inside the park. Garages are the reliable option, meters the cheap one, and free street parking the gamble.
Covered, guaranteed and available on all four sides of the park. Book a space before you set off and you’ll pay less than the drive-up rate.
Bays along the avenues and cross streets around the park. Cheaper than a garage and fine for a short visit, if you find one free.
It exists on residential side streets a few blocks out. It also comes with alternate-side rules that catch visitors out constantly.
Whichever is nearest what you actually came to see. Entrances ring all four sides and walking from the wrong one can add twenty-five minutes. For Bethesda Terrace come in at 72nd; for the Zoo and the Pond, Fifth Avenue and 59th; for the Reservoir, 90th.
It depends on the corner. Columbus Circle serves the south-west, Fifth Avenue and 59th the south-east, 72nd Street both sides, and 110th the north end. Pick your gate first and the station follows from it.
Yes. The interactive map covers all 843 acres including landmarks, attractions and events happening nearby, and costs nothing to use. Worth opening before you travel rather than once you're already inside and disoriented.
6:00 AM to 1:00 AM, every day of the year, and there is no admission charge. Some individual attractions inside keep their own shorter hours.
No. The park drives have been closed to cars since 2018, so parking means a garage, a metered bay or street parking on one of the four sides. Garages are the reliable choice.
Yes, and it's worth doing. Pre-booking a space at a garage around the park gets you a discounted rate against the drive-up price, and guarantees somewhere to leave the car rather than circling for twenty minutes.
Each lamppost has a numbered plate. The first two or three digits are the nearest cross street; the last digit is even on the east side and odd on the west. Post 7803 is 78th Street, west side. Try the decoder above.
Largely. The main drives and the Reservoir path are paved and flat, and most major landmarks have step-free approaches. The Ramble and North Woods are unpaved, uneven and hilly in places, so plan those around what suits you.
Tell us what you came to see and where you're staying. We'll tell you which entrance to use, which train to take, and whether it's worth driving at all.
