New York Public Library: What to See and How to Visit Free

The New York Public Library is one of the city's most important and best loved buildings. It's the main branch of the NYC library system.

You have to walk through its grand halls and get a photo with the lions on the front steps. Otherwise, did you even go to New York?

What to see inside the library

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, a Beaux-Arts landmark that opened in 1911, is one of the most visited public buildings in the city.

Thanks to a renovation project that started in 2020, the library has become even more welcoming and accessible to everyone.

You'll see plenty of people reading newspapers, magazines and books, or working online in comfort and quiet (it's one of the best free wifi spots in New York).

Here are the highlights so you don't miss them, though if you do the tour with the free audio guides you'll see them all (more on how to get one below).

Treasures of the New York Public Library

One newer addition waiting for you at the New York Public Library is the Polonsky Exhibition in Gottesman Hall, a rare chance to get up close to some of the library's treasures.

The exhibition, which has already drawn more than a million visitors, displays on rotation more than 1,000 items that used to be kept in storage.

Among them is one of the first Gutenberg Bibles and the letter from Christopher Columbus telling King Ferdinand of Castile and Aragon that he had reached the Indies… ahem, America XD

You can also see Charles Dickens's desk and six first editions of the complete works of Shakespeare.

As with everything at the library, admission is free. You can check more details about the exhibition and the times for the free guided tours on the official site.

New library entrance and visitor center

After the renovation, you can enter the library through a new access point on 40th Street. But I'd recommend going in via the monumental staircase on Fifth Avenue, the main entrance.

The good thing about entering on 40th Street is that next to the lobby there's a visitor center with a detailed model of the building and interactive screens covering the history and the collections of the New York Public Library.

Astor Hall

This is the main entrance lobby, framed by two monumental staircases leading to the upper floors.

Rose Main Reading Room

On the third floor, this is the main reading room, and it's the size of a football field.

McGraw Rotunda

A classic New York Public Library space crowned by soaring arches and mural decorations. It's the entrance hall to several reading rooms, including the Rose Main Reading Room.

A copy of the famous Gutenberg Bible (the first book in history to be printed) used to be displayed in the center of the room, but it has since been moved to the Treasures exhibition in Gottesman Hall.

DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room

This beautiful room on the first floor has chandeliers, murals and lots of wood. You'll find same day newspapers from around the world, plus the historical collections.

Map Division

This room, also on the first floor, holds one of the largest map collections in the world.

Winnie-the-Pooh children's room

If you're traveling with kids, they'll be fascinated by this room. It holds the original stuffed animals that inspired the author to write the story of the famous bear Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

There are other fascinating pieces too, like the umbrella of P. L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins, which, as you'll see, is Mary Poppins's umbrella 😉

Both pieces, along with other objects that used to be in the Children's Reading Room, are currently part of the Treasures exhibition. So if you want to see them, remember to book your free ticket to the exhibition online in advance.

The New York Public Library lions

The marble lions on the steps of the main entrance have names: Patience and Fortitude. Patience guards the library's treasures from the south side and Fortitude from the north.

During a speech in the 1930s, a mayor said this pair of statues represented the best virtues New Yorkers needed to survive the Depression, patience and fortitude, and the names stuck.

They get photographed thousands of times a day by tourists from all over the world (you'll need some patience to get your own photo).

They're so beloved that they get dressed up whenever there's something to celebrate. It's common to see them in Columbia or NYU caps and gowns, or wearing Mets and Yankees caps.

They also get decked out for the holidays, with wreaths at Christmas like you see in the photo.

This pair of lions is a symbol of New York, just like this much loved library.

Free guided tour of the New York Public Library

You can explore this magnificent building and discover its halls and secrets with the help of free audio guides in Spanish.

You go at your own pace, but the tour usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. Remember to keep quiet as you go, since there are people working and concentrating hard.

Ask for the audio guides at the information desks in the main lobby (Astor Hall).

For more background on the history and collections of the New York Public Library, watch the documentary Inside the New York Public Library in the Cour Sur room on the first floor. It screens every hour and a half.

The New York Public Library in pop culture

One of the most fun appearances of the New York Public Library on screen is in Ghostbusters.

The story begins in the main reading room of the New York Public Library, when a librarian is reshelving books and strange paranormal things start to happen…

Remember the movie The Day After Tomorrow? The one where the world freezes over in a cold wave caused by climate change.

The main characters took shelter inside the New York Public Library.

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Address
476 Fifth Avenue (at 42nd Street), Manhattan

Getting there
Closest subway:
Line 7, Fifth Avenue station

Hours
Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 am to 6 pm
Tuesday and Wednesday 10 am to 8 pm
Sundays 1 pm to 5 pm (closed Sundays in July and August)

Closed on all US public holidays

Prices
Free admission