Top 10 Holiday Movies to Watch Before Your Trip to NYC

In celebration of our new NYC holiday routes which we’ve created in partnership with the Plaza Hotel, we’re taking a closer look at some of the magical movie moments we have crafted these routes around.

Whether you’re headed to the Big Apple with the whole family or as a romantic holiday trip for two, our holiday routes were created so you can relive the magic of your favourite movie moments. From classics like Home Alone to newer favourites like Elf, we’ve included iconic NYC spots which played pivotal roles in some of the most cherished holiday movie moments and a few that are a little more off-the-wall.

 

1. Elf
Rewatch Buddy’s (played by Will Farrell) epic snowball fight skills and pay close attention because you may find yourself being lobbed with snowballs in Central Park on the 60-minute Christmas in the Park route or the 90-minute Holiday Magic in Central Park route. If you’re feeling romantic, discover the magical spot where Buddy and Jovie share their first kiss at the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink, and create your own romantic memories during the 60-minute Dreaming of a White Christmas route or the 90-minute Rock Around the Christmas Tree route.

 

2. Home Alone 2
As if getting separated from his family over the holidays wasn’t enough the first time around, Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin) and the crew are back at it in Home Alone 2 when Kevin mistakenly gets separated from his father at the airport and boards a flight to New York City, while the rest of the fam is off to Florida. But don’t worry, Kevin can handle himself. He cons his way into a room at the Plaza Hotel and gets to work fighting the Sticky Bandits once again. Head to Gapstow Bridge, the iconic spot where Kevin befriends the Pigeon Lady on our Central Park routes, or follow our Dreaming of a White Christmas route, where you’ll stop at Radio City Music Hall and the Rockefeller Center, where Kevin and his family are finally reunited. For even more Home Alone goodness, book our 90-minute Rock Around the Christmas Tree route and visit Carnegie Hall, where the Pigeon Lady and Kevin share a magical moment together, and 57th Street Subway Station, where the Sticky Bandits get into some trouble.

 

3. Serendipity
What is it about the holidays that makes spending the night watching a cheesy rom-com seem like such a good idea? Get your charmingly cheesy fix with a rewatch of Serendipity, starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, who could have cut to the chase upon their first meeting in Bloomingdale’s by, you know, exchanging numbers like normal people, but instead decide to leave their future up to fate.

 

4. Eloise at Christmastime
Take one very privileged six-year-old girl named Eloise who lives in the penthouse suite at the Plaza, add a penchant for spying and matchmaking, and you’ve got Eloise at Christmastime, in which a six-year-old child single-handedly catches a criminal, stops a loveless marriage from happening, rekindles true love, and prevents an eviction. Is there anything Eloise can’t do? To celebrate this miraculous child prodigy, every single one of our holiday routes includes a stop at the Plaza. 

 

5. Miracle on 34th Street
The most classic of Christmas movies, Miracle on 34th Street is one of the most iconic feel-good movies of the season. Seriously…this movie has intoxicated department store Santas, plus the real Kris Kringle being carted off to court to defend his sanity! This timeless classic was filmed all over the streets of New York City.

 

6. You’ve Got Mail
One of the must-have moments for any romantic comedy worth its salt is a gratuitous, unnecessarily dramatic Christmas scene and You’ve Got Mail delivers. Meg Ryan staring through a window while decorating a Christmas tree alone? Check. Grab a hot beverage at Tom Hanks’ and Meg Ryan’s favourite Starbucks in the film at 2252 Broadway while you’re out hunting for more film locations.

 

7. When Harry Met Sally
Everyone knows that famous scene, the one in Katz’s Delicatessen, the one that produced the now classic line, “I’ll have what she’s having.” A sign hanging in Katz’s still marks that infamous spot where Harry met Sally and it’s not a bad idea to include it on your own New York City itinerary.

 

8. Scrooged
A late ’80s update of the classic Charles Dickens’ tale, A Christmas Carol, Scrooged stars Bill Murray as a not-so-nice television executive visited by the ghosts of Christmas, who attempt to inspire him to change his ways. The film is set around Manhattan, features the signature over-the-top comedy style of the era, and tried (but mostly failed) to piggyback off of Murray’s success with ghosts in Ghostbusters.

 

9. Love Actually
2003 was a good year for Christmas movies, as well as those more vaguely related to Christmas. Elf, Bad Santa, Eloise at Christmastime, and what is now known as possibly the best example of a Christmas-themed romantic comedy ever, Love Actually, were all released in 2003. Hello, all-star cast. Seriously, who isn’t in this movie? The film stars Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Billy Bob Thornton, and the list goes on and on. Love Actually is basically the We Are the World of romantic comedies. Check your local Netflix listings – the company has added Love Actually in some countries just in time for the holiday season.

 

10. Die Hard
Ok, maybe Die Hard isn’t on your top list of must-see movies during the holiday season, but perhaps it should be. Think about it: NYPD Detective John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) is just trying to reconcile with his estranged wife on Christmas Eve when Hans Gruber ruins the whole plan. In case you’re not convinced Die Hard should join the ranks of holiday classics like Miracle on 34th Street, a new illustrated children’s book, A Die Hard Christmas: The Illustrated Holiday Classic, has recently been published featuring the soon-to-be classic story of ol’ John McClane and his fight for Holly.

 

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