22 Best Photo Spots In Central Park, NYC

Last Updated on 8th August 2024

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Are you planning a Central Park photoshoot in New York City but you’re not sure where to start when it comes to finding the most iconic Central Park locations for photos? This ultimate guide to the best Central Park photo spots has got you covered!

Central Park is one of the most photographed places in NYC. Covering a whopping 843 acres, Central Park is home to so many beautiful and iconic locations such as Bow Bridge, The Mall, Bethesda Terrace and many more that all make truly stunning photo backdrops.

In the guide below, I’ve compiled a list of the best photo spots in Central Park, so whether you’re looking for a romantic spot for a wedding photoshoot in NYC or you just want to snap some pictures of the most iconic Central Park locations, this post is for you!

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Best photo spots in Central Park – summary

Wollman Rink
Bethesda Terrace/Fountain
Bow Bridge
The Lake
Belvedere Castle
Gapstow Bridge
Ramble Rustic Bridges
The Pond
The Great Lawn
The Mall
Strawberry Fields

Central Park photo spots map

As you can see from the map above, all the photo locations featured throughout this post are spread out all across Central Park!

It’s possible to see all the best photo spots in Central Park in just one day, especially if you dedicate a good few hours to ticking them all off!

You can also check out the full interactive map here of the best Central Park photo spots!

The best Central Park photography tours

Best Photo Spots In Central Park, New York City

Check out this list of the best Central Park photography tours to ensure that you find the best locations inside the park!

What is the most Instagrammable spot in Central Park?

There are so many Instagrammable spots in Central Park, including Bow Bridge, Gapstow Bridge, Wollman Rink and many more!

Check out the list below for the top places to take pictures in Central Park!

1. Wollman Rink – best photo spots in Central Park

Wollman Rink is one of the best Central Park photo spots, especially in the winter months when it hosts the park’s world-famous ice skating rink from October to April.

Whether you snap a picture from the ice itself or you get a shot of the ice rink with The Plaza Hotel and various other buildings on Fifth Avenue in the background, it’s safe to say that this picturesque spot deserves a place on this list of the top Central Park photo locations!

2. Bethesda Terrace

Bethesda Terrace is one of the most photographed parts of Central Park and for good reason; it’s one of the most beautiful places in the whole park!

It’s also an incredibly iconic filming location, featured in TV shows and films such as Gossip Girl, Sex and the City and Friends with Benefits, so if you want to check out one of the most iconic Central Park locations, Bethesda Terrace is the place to be!

3. Bethesda Fountain

As well as Bethesda Terrace, the nearby Bethesda Fountain is also one of the best places to take pictures in Central Park.

Often mistaken for the Friends fountain from the opening credits of the hit TV show (which was unfortunately filmed in a studio!), Bethesda Fountain might not be quite as famous as you’d hope, but it’s still one of the most beautiful photo spots in Central Park.

4. Bow Bridge – best photo spots in Central Park

Bow Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most romantic places in NYC, never mind in Central Park, and you’ll often find people taking pictures of proposals, engagements and weddings on the bridge.

With the backdrop of the city and its position over the water, Bow Bridge is definitely one of the best places to take engagement pictures in NYC!

5. The Lake

The Lake is one of the best Central Park photo spots all year round!

In the winter months, The Lake looks like a postcard, with parts of the water frozen, as well as the bare trees in the background.

However, it’s arguably even more photogenic in the spring/summer months when you can hire boats from Loeb Boathouse and gently glide across the water. Whether you’re looking to recreate a scene from The Notebook, or you just want to visit one of the best Central Park photo spots, The Lake and The Boathouse should definitely be on your itinerary!

6. Belvedere Castle

Belvedere Castle is one of the most iconic and beautiful parts of Central Park and the entire castle complex makes it one of the best places in Central Park for pictures.

It was completed in 1872 and the name “Belvedere” roughly translates to “beautiful view” in Italian; from its many vantage points throughout the complex, it’s easy to see why it was named as such!

From its position on Vista Rock, Belvedere Castle offers dramatic views of Turtle Pond, the Great Lawn and the Ramble, as well as the New York City skyline in the background.

7. Umpire Rock – best photo spots in Central Park NYC

For gorgeous views of both the city skyline and the park itself, head to Umpire Rock in the southwest corner of Central Park.

Umpire Rock itself is a playground for both children and adults as it makes for a great climbing spot, but it’s also one of the best Central Park photography spots thanks to its elevated vantage point.

8. Gapstow Bridge

Along with Bow Bridge, Gapstow Bridge is another one of the most romantic Central Park photo spots!

Gapstow Bridge provides a walkway over a narrow part of The Pond in the southeast corner of Central Park, not too far from Wollman Rink and Grand Army Plaza.

The bridge looks particularly beautiful during the winter months, especially when The Pond freezes over as it’s like a scene straight from a postcard!

9. The Plaza Hotel

The Plaza Hotel technically isn’t inside Central Park, but it sits on the corner of West 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, just next to the southeast entrance to Central Park and as it’s one of my favourite buildings in the world, I thought it deserved a place on this list of the best Central Park photo locations!

The picture above doesn’t quite do The Plaza justice as it was undergoing reconstruction work at the time of the photo, but without all the scaffolding, it really is one of the most beautiful buildings in Manhattan.

The inside of The Plaza Hotel is also an Instagrammer’s dream, with the gorgeous afternoon tea served inside The Palm Court, as well as the extravagant Christmas Tree that decorates the lobby during the festive season, The Plaza Hotel really is such a photogenic location!

10. Ramble Rustic Bridges – Central Park best photo spots

During my one-month stay in NYC in 2021/2022, we came across The Ramble completely by accident on Christmas Eve, as it was a place that I hadn’t even heard of up until that point!

Covering an area of 36 acres, The Ramble is one of three woodland landscapes in Central Park and it includes various trails, trees, bridges and viewpoints, such as the ones found at the Ramble Rustic Bridges.

The Ramble is conveniently positioned close to Belvedere Castle, The Lake and Bow Bridge, so it’s a great spot to have on your Central Park itinerary as you can see so many other surrounding photo spots too!

11. The Pond

I’ve already mentioned The Pond in the section about Gapstow Bridge above, but I think that it’s such a photogenic spot, that it deserves its own place on this list.

The Pond is just a stone’s throw from the southeast corner of Central Park and thanks to its close proximity to the 59th Street and Fifth Avenue entrances to the park, it’s one of the first places that many people see when they visit Central Park.

It provides such a stunning backdrop for photos, particularly when it’s been snowing as it looks like a scene from a magical winter wonderland!

12. The Great Lawn

The Great Lawn is located in the geographical centre of the park, which makes it one of the best Central Park photo spots as it offers spectacular views of the surrounding city skyline.

It’s a picturesque place all year round as it’s idyllic for a picnic or a game of tennis, cricket or softball in the summer months and it’s also the perfect spot for frolicking in the snow during the winter months when the lawn is covered in a fresh blanket of snow.

To the south of the Great Lawn, you’ll find Turtle Pond and Belvedere Castle, The Met to the east, the American Museum of Natural History to the west and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir to the north, so it’s in a great location for exploring many of Central Park’s top photography spots.

13. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located on the east side of Central Park between 79th and 84th Street and is one of the top Central Park photo locations as the famous Met Steps were a recurring feature in the hit TV show Gossip Girl.

Even if you’re not an avid Gossip Girl fan, you might still want to add The Met to your Central Park photoshoot itinerary as it’s a gorgeous building both inside and out!

The exterior of The Met building is a dream to photograph, as are the many collections of paintings, sculptures and exhibits that can be found inside.

14. The Mall & Literary Walk – best photo spots in Central Park

The Mall is another notable place in Central Park that makes an appearance in many New York-based TV shows and movies and thanks to its stunning American elm tree-lined avenue, it makes for one of the most beautiful photo locations in Central Park.

It’s a gorgeous place to visit all year round as it looks completely different in every season thanks to the ever-changing colours of the leaves on the trees.

15. Sheep Meadow

Along with the Great Lawn, Sheep Meadow is another one of the top spots in Central Park for hanging out all year round.

It’s not quite as big as the Great Lawn, covering an area of just 15 acres, but it is one of the most popular and important landscapes in Central Park thanks to its placement which offers sprawling views of the vast Manhattan skyline.

16. Strawberry Fields – best photo spots in Central Park

The photo above is not an accurate representation of Strawberry Fields.

Located on the west side of Central Park, just opposite the West 72nd Street entrance to the park, Strawberry Fields is a memorial and dedication to the late Beatles singer, John Lennon.

Strawberry Fields is located opposite the Dakota Building where John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, lived before his untimely death.

If you want to see the famous “Imagine” mosaic while paying your respects to the late singer and activist, make sure to have Strawberry Fields on your itinerary.

17. The American Museum of Natural History

Similarly to The Met, the American Museum of Natural History is another New York museum with a Central Park postcode, this time on the Upper West Side between West 77th and West 81st Streets.

While the museum technically isn’t inside the park as such, it is situated right next to Central Park West, so I think it deserves a spot on this list of the best places to take pictures in Central Park as it’s a truly photogenic building, both inside and out.

18. Turtle Pond – best photo spots in Central Park

Turtle Pond is located between the Great Lawn and The Ramble and it’s just a stone’s throw from Belvedere Castle, so it can easily be seen on a walking tour of the best Central Park Instagram spots.

It’s arguably best enjoyed from the vantage point of Belvedere Castle, but it’s also worth getting up close to the shores of the pond to spot turtles frolicking in the water or sunbathing on the banks of Vista Rock.

19. The Shakespeare Garden

The photo above is not an accurate representation of the Shakespeare Garden.

The Shakespeare Garden can be found just below Belvedere Castle and it’s a stunning photography spot in Central Park, particularly in the spring/summer months when the flowers are in full bloom.

Throughout the garden, you’ll see various plants, trees, flowers, and herbs that are regularly mentioned in William Shakespeare’s plays and poems, making it reminiscent of a typical English garden.

It’s a truly charming part of Central Park and one that makes for an excellent photoshoot backdrop.

20. Central Park Zoo

If you’re a fan of taking pictures of animals, you’ll definitely want to pay a visit to the Central Park Zoo!

Home to numerous animals such as leopards, sea lions, monkeys, penguins and more, Central Park Zoo is a great photo spot if you want to include various animals in your pictures.

21. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir

At the time of its construction between 1858 and 1862, it was the world’s largest man-made body of water and even though it’s now decommissioned, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir is still the largest body of water in Central Park.

You can walk/run around the entire circumference of the Reservoir on the 1.58-mile track where you can enjoy scenic views of both the water and the Manhattan skyline.

22. Columbus Circle – best photo spots in Central Park

Located at the intersection of Broadway, Central Park West, Eighth Avenue, and 59th Street, Columbus Circle is another one of the best places to take pictures in Central Park as it offers a unique angle of the bustling traffic of the city, as well as the picturesque peace that can be found in the park.

Columbus Circle is named as such after the monument of Christopher Columbus that takes pride of place in the middle of the traffic junction.

If you’re visiting New York at Christmas, be sure to snap some pictures of the stalls at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market with the park and the city skyline as your backdrop.

Best photo spots in Central Park – conclusion

And there you have it; the ultimate guide to the best Central Park photo spots! Whether you’re planning a spectacular wedding photo shoot in Central Park or you just want some inspiration for the best Instagram locations in Central Park, I really hope this post has been useful and inspirational!

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Do you have any more photo locations to add to this list of the best photography spots in Central Park? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.