An Elf Christmas in New York

Buddy's New York, at your own pace: the snowball-fight arch in Central Park, the finale corner on Central Park South, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building lobby, the 'Gimbels' facade on Fifth Avenue and the crosswalk he hops by the Flatiron.

Distance: ~5.3 km (3.3 mi)
Time: about 4 hrs
Stops: 9
Effort: moderate

Distance and timing are editorial estimates along the suggested streets, not a live routing calculation — treat them as a generous guide.

The Empire State Building lit red and green over Midtown at night — Amar.raavi · CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why pay for a tour? Buddy took on New York with nothing but a map from the North Pole, and you can follow him with even less. Elf filmed its street scenes in Manhattan in December 2002, often with real New Yorkers walking through the shot, and almost all of them sit on one long, easy line down the middle of Midtown: from the Central Park arch where Buddy wins a snowball fight, past Rockefeller Center and Grand Central, to the Empire State Building where his dad works and the Fifth Avenue building that played Gimbels.

A little movie magic to know before you go: the North Pole, the Gimbels toy department, Walter's office and the 'World's Best Cup of Coffee' diner were all shot in and around Vancouver, so don't go looking for them here. Most of the exact New York spots below were pinned down by film sleuths matching frames to the streets, and the sleigh flying down Sixth Avenue owes a lot to computer graphics. Everything on this walk is a real place you can stand on, and in December it is dressed for the season just as it was on screen.

1
Pinebank Arch, Central Park~10 min
Start inside the park near Central Park West and 62nd Street, at the cast-iron arch over the bridle path. This is where Buddy flattens a pack of kids in his one-elf snowball fight. It's a quiet corner of the park, so take a minute on the bridge.
Pablo Costa Tirado · CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
2
Central Park South & Sixth Avenue~10 min
Walk out to Central Park South. Buddy skips past the wooden soldiers in front of 110 Central Park South, and the park entrance at Sixth Avenue is where the crowd sings Santa's sleigh into the sky for the finale (with plenty of computer help).
Jay Dobkin · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
3
Sixth & Seventh Avenues at 48th–49th Streets~15 min
Head down Sixth Avenue. The Christmas-tree lobby Buddy wanders through is 1221 Sixth Avenue, on the 49th Street side, and one block west, at 729 Seventh Avenue, is the gift shop where he grabs a stack of flyers. Both are just quick looks from the sidewalk.
4
Rockefeller Center~30 min
Cut through to the plaza, where Buddy and Jovie's date brings them to the rink under the tree and the gilded Prometheus. The 2026 tree is lit on December 2; skate here or at Bryant Park if you want your own scene.
See the tree on a weekday morning, nearly alone with the lights and the Channel Gardens angels.
JJonahJackalope · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5
Saks Fifth Avenue~20 min
Out on Fifth Avenue, in front of Saks at 611 Fifth, Buddy crosses the street carrying a Christmas tree. Stay for the store's holiday windows and the light show on its facade after dark, facing the Rockefeller tree.
sabeen19 · CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
6
Grand Central, 42nd Street entrance~30 min
Walk east along 48th Street to Park Avenue, the corner where Buddy cheerfully waves back at a man hailing a cab, then south to Grand Central. Buddy's shoe shine was filmed outside the 42nd Street entrance, just west of the Grand Hyatt. Go in for the main concourse and the Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall.
A backwards zodiac, an opal clock, and the landmark fight that saved the city's face.
dibrova
7
The Empire State Building~25 min
Walk down Fifth Avenue to 34th Street. Buddy strides through the real Art Deco lobby on his way to his dad's office (the office itself was a set in Canada), naps in a store window at 16 West 34th Street and gets stuck going round and round in the revolving door at 10 West 33rd Street. The real Gimbels stood two blocks west on Herald Square until 1986; the building is now Manhattan Mall.
Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
8
'Gimbels', 295 Fifth Avenue~10 min
Continue to 30th Street. The Textile Building, a 1920s office tower, played the outside of Gimbels with some digital help, and on the block just south, around 275 Fifth Avenue, Buddy turns and sees the Empire State Building for the first time. Look back up Fifth for the same view.
Tdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
9
Broadway & 23rd Street, by the Flatiron~20 min
Finish at the Flatiron Building. On the south crosswalk of 23rd and Broadway Buddy hops from stripe to stripe, by the subway entrance on the northeast corner he finds his 'free candy' gum, and along 23rd Street he mistakes a street Santa for the real one. Madison Square Park across the street is a good place to end.
wirestock

Beyond the walk

For another evening

Bethesda Terrace, Central Park
A few of the sleigh shots in the finale were filmed around the terrace and fountain, with plenty of computer magic added. It's a lovely winter walk on its own.
Enter at 72nd Street from either side of the park
The Queensboro Bridge path
Buddy spots Santa's sleigh from the bridge's pedestrian path. The bridge is real; the sleigh, the reindeer and much of the snow were added later. Walk or bike it for the East River view.
Path entrance on East 60th Street near First Avenue; N/R/W to Lexington Av/59 St

Practical tips

It's a long, flat walk of about 3.3 miles; the B/D/F/M under Sixth Avenue or the 6 under Park Avenue can skip a stretch if little legs get tired.
Most stops are building fronts and street corners: stay on the sidewalk and keep doorways clear, since these are working offices and shops.
Weekday afternoons are far calmer than weekends around Rockefeller Center, Saks and Grand Central.
Bring the movie's spirit: singing loud for all to hear is optional.

Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 27, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.