Hi friends, welcome back! If you want the most bang for your buck when it comes to NYC Christmas decorations, Fifth Avenue is the place for you. From the Plaza on 59th Street to Saks and Rockefeller of 50th, you can see about 70% of the holiday decorations in the city. This year Fifth Avenue partnered with NEST New York, a luxury candle company, to provide a uniquely scent-tacular experience. The street is lined from 46th to 61st with real evergreen trees spritzed with NEST’s Holiday scent. I’m not used to Fifth Avenue smelling good, but it truly smells like walking through a Christmas tree farm.
Whenever I go to Fifth Avenue, I typically start at 59th Street and make my way south through the crowds. The first stop of this tour is Dior.
The Plaza Hotel always has a beautiful display in the lobby.
Pulitzer Fountain and a massive Menorah.
I then peruse the intricate Bergdorf Goodman windows located on both sides of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.
The beautiful UNICEF Snowflake shines bright on 57th Street.
Louis Vuitton on 57th Street.
Chanel on 57th Street has a classy display.
The Peninsula Hotel on 55th Street is always one of my favorite spots. I go in the morning and have the display mostly to myself.
I love the garland storefronts along Fifth Avenue, especially when they sparkle at night.
I think I prefer the big bow on Cartier that they had in prior years.
The Lego store always has fun windows that are pure chaos. I think these displays would make a good I Spy book!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
We’re taking a quick detour off Fifth Avenue one avenue east to Madison Avenue to see Lotte Palace New York, right across the street from St. Patrick’s. I think this tree is one of the prettiest in the city. They also have an incredible gingerbread house display.
At this point in the walk the crowds are starting to grow because you’ve reached the Fifth Avenue finale, Saks & Rockefeller.
I hope you enjoyed this Fifth Avenue Christmas walking tour! What was your favorite stop along the way?
I can see why the Peninsula Hotel is your favorite! Also, I wanna know how long it took to build those Lego setups. They’re so intricate!
I wonder how long the Lego takes too, although that would be a fun job!
Another beautiful post Lyssy. 5th Avenue (where the big money is) shines and is well worth seeing. We are staying near the “5th Avenue” of Vancouver right now and hope to get out once more to look at the Christmas lights. Happy Wednesday. Allan
I am glad they allocate some of those big profits to the Christmas decorations! Hope you get to see all the Vancouver lights, it is fun being in a bigger city around Christmas.
You started with the Dior store and it was all downhill from there, Lyssy (or does Fifth Avenue actually slope downhill? 🙂 ) Seriously, all of the displays look great but Dior is my favorite. They should leave it up all year round. The interiors of the Peninsula look very classy (helps to have a classy hotel as your canvas). We’ve stayed at the Palace twice and it’s a special experience and a wonderful location. I can still picture the amazing bakery case in the ground floor patisserie.
At first I thought you meant you only liked Dior and I thought tough crowd this year 🙂 There might be a slight downhill, I know further uptown has a few tiny slopes. There are a lot of nice hotels around Fifth Avenue, I’d love staying in any of them. I used to work across the street from the Palace and it was so hard getting to work during UN week because a lot of ambassadors stayed there and security was so tight.
Wow, this is simply stunning, Lyssy, New York City sparkles during the holiday season. I love how cheerful and festive it all is especially the Peninsula Hotel. Looking at your photos, it is quite clear that nobody does Christmas quite like the Big Apple. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
NYC really goes all out during the holidays, and I absolutely love it! The Peninsula is such a beautiful hotel. I am glad all these places participate in the festive decorating 🙂
It’s all so beautiful!
So fun to walk down and see all the decorations!
It’s not just the dazzling sights, but also the wonderful smell which really offers that immersive, Christmas experience. The decorations inside The Peninsula were my favorite– truly decked out in Christmas décor from top to bottom! If I ever return to NYC during the holiday season, I’ll definitely need to stop by there! Thanks for sharing this wonderful display of Christmas lights, Lyssy. 🙂
The scent is a nice touch! It was so different than normal NYC smells. The Peninsula is such a beautiful display and hotel. Hope you make it back to NYC around Christmas soon 🙂
Love love love the Lego store, and The Peninsula Hotel (I think that’s where the photos are inside of the lobby). Gorgeous 🙂
I knew you’d love the Lego store! I love the chaos of the display, but it’s so fun. The Peninsula Hotel is so beautiful!
New York City definitely puts on the glitz and I’ve enjoyed each and every one of your Christmas posts Lyssy.
So glad to hear that 🙂 NYC really does go all out at Christmas.
Hard to choose a favorite as they’re all fabulous. Thank you, Lyssy.
I agree, they are all so fabulous!
It all looks so beautiful! I’ve been to NYC a few times, but never around Christmas time, and every year I tell myself I should plan a trip at this time of the year. Maybe next year! 🙂
NYC is extra special at Christmas. My mom and sisters stayed one night this week and were able to see everything in about 36 hours.
New York is overflowing with the Christmas spirit. The scent is a great idea. It is a great time to live in Manhattan. Maybe I could get out of the airport and see the sights one day.
The scent was a nice touch, I’d never experienced anything like it. I am glad I live here so I can see a little bit every day before getting overwhelmed by the crowds. You can see everything in about 36 hours if you want to make a quick trip of it.
I’ll see if I can work that out next year.
It’s funny to see the same decorations in New York and Paris for Dior and Louis Vuitton.
That is funny, I suppose it makes the marketing departments job easier!
You had the most perfect timing on this article- I saw it on my train into NYC and ended up seeing the Lotte Tree and the Peninsula Hotel based on your suggestions alone, and they were stunning!
Oh yay!! those two hotels have the most beautiful displays! My mom and sisters tried to go to the Plaza yesterday but they’re only allowing guests in now.
Fifth Avenue looks so magical, and I love how all of the buildings really go all out for the holidays!
Amazing! Loved the Peninsula and the church!
Wow! Just… wow! I can see why The Peninsula Hotel is one of your favourite spots. 🙂
Oh – do I have to pick!!! Maybe the Chanel store? And I could look at that Lego all day!!
Good choice! The lego store windows are pretty incredible and so fun!
I’m loving all the bright twinkling lights and Christmas decorations. Fifth Avenue looks so sparkly and spectacular around the holidays.