'Tis the season to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones (or yourself!), and New York has no shortage of shopping destinations to help you out. Luckily, you can take the stress out of your holiday season shopping with these festive spots — they are right off subway, bus, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North lines, so you don’t have to worry about traffic or parking. Have fun shopping, or just gather with friends and family around an array of dining options and free events.
NEW YORK CITY
Atlantic Terminal & Center
Head to Atlantic Terminal and Atlantic Center for all of your holiday shopping needs. Atlantic Terminal & Center is in the epicenter of Downtown Brooklyn, the borough's preeminent destination for shopping, dining and leisure. The Holidays at Atlantic Terminal include a robust calendar of programming all throughout the month of December, including Santa Land, live holiday music and caroling, two weekends of curated holiday markets, holiday events and more! Join us in celebrating the holiday season, the Brooklyn way, at Atlantic Terminal and Atlantic Center. All the stores are stocked and ready, with great deals happening all season long!
Atlantic Terminal and Atlantic Center holiday events run throughout December. And you can book your Santa Land appointments in advance.
Grand Central Holiday Fair
The Grand Central Holiday Fair is back! This year, 36 local vendors and small businesses offer a variety of products, all focused on quality craftsmanship and produced in New York or in the United States. Located in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, visitors can find items including clothing and accessories for both men and women, original artwork, jewelry, and, of course, holiday keepsakes and ornaments (find a map of vendors here). Be sure to check out the 60+ other stores inside Grand Central Terminal, too, including the New York Transit Museum Store.
Grand Central Holiday Fair runs through Saturday, December 24, 2022.
Subway
Or, take the subway to Grand Central - 42 Street and walk upstairs to the Main Concourse
Union Square Holiday Market
Over 180 vendors are at the Union Square Holiday Market, which is celebrating its 29th year. Not only are there loads of gift ideas from artisans — like handmade ceramics, ethically created dolls, luxurious candles, and much more — but there's also food! Pierogis from Veselka, locally-sourced cookies, inventive babkas, and so much more to keep you energized during your holiday jaunts (map of vendors).
The Union Square Holiday Market runs through Saturday, December 24, 2022.
The Shops at Winter Village - Bryant Park
The Shops at Winter Village - Bryant Park feature dozens of shops lining the perimeter of the Midtown park. The vendors, in “jewel box” kiosks, range from clothing to self-care, jewelry to handcrafted sweets (map of vendors). The food vendors abound! Choose baked Raclette cheese or bao sandwiches, for sustenance. And don’t forget, there’s the skating rink at the center of it all.
The Shops at Winter Village-Bryant Park run through January 2, 2022. Some shops are open on Christmas Day.
Columbus Circle Holiday Market
Nestled at the southwestern corner of Central Park is the Columbus Circle Holiday Market. About 130 vendors are offering items for pretty much everyone on your gift list: Eco-friendly clothing, home goods, handcrafted knitwear, artisan wood decorations, and more (map of vendors).
The Columbus Circle Holiday Market runs through December 24, 2022.
Empire Outlets
Steps from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on Staten Island are the Empire Outlets, where shoppers can buy holiday gifts and bring their pets for holiday portraits. Besides finding bargains at stores like Nordstrom Rack and the Nike Factory Store and those stunning views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, you can get photos with Santa too.
Empire Outlets has holiday hours through January 2, 2023 (closed on December 25th).
Take the subway to the Staten Island Ferry in Manhattan to go to the St. George Terminal on Staten Island.
The Makers Show at CityPoint
The Makers Show at CityPoint has returned to the Brooklyn mall and, after its success last year, doubled in size. Created to help invest in local communities and support women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other underrepresented groups, The Makers Show has vendors showcasing arts and crafts, hand-screened sweatshirts and tees, and handmade jewelry. Plus CityPoint has holiday disco dance parties from Lola Starr.
The Makers Show at City Point is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through December 18, 2022.
LONG ISLAND
Tanger Outlets
Tanger Outlets offers an open-air shopping experience, where you can browse your favorite designer brands comfortably and confidently. When your shopping bags are full, enjoy a lunch break at one of the cafés or catch a movie at the center's 16-screen theater. And skip the traffic by taking the LIRR — check out our MTA Away deal that makes it easy!
Tanger Outlets is located at 152 The Arches Circle in Deer Park, NY; find more details and hours here.
Roosevelt Field
Love shopping and dining? How about a rain-or-shine day trip designed just for you? Let LIRR take you to Roosevelt Field! It’s the largest indoor shopping mall on Long Island, offering more than 250 stores and 40 eateries. All this, and it’s conveniently located just 2.5 miles bus transfer from the Mineola Station. Here’s our MTA Away deal to help get you there and back smoothly.
Roosevelt Field is located at 630 Old Country Road in Garden City, NY; find more details and hours here.
LIRR
Port Jefferson
Ronkonkoma
Take LIRR to Mineola, then a quick NICE Bus ride to Roosevelt Field
HUDSON VALLEY
Palisades Center
Palisades Center is a four-level shopping center offering “the best of the best, all under one roof.” You’ll find a combination of shopping, entertainment, and recreation that boasts 148 retail stores, 30 dining options, and 16 entertainment options, an NHL-size ice skating rink, Lucky Strike bowling alley, the world’s tallest indoor ropes course, comedy club, and more. There’s also a movie theater with a state-of-the-art IMAX theater. And you don’t need a car to get there — here’s our MTA Away deal to help you make your trip stress-free.
Palisades Center is located at 1000 Palisades Center Drive in West Nyack, NY; find more details and hours here.
Metro-North
Hudson
Harlem
Board the Hudson Link bus at either Tarrytown station or White Plains station
