Times Square has everything: giant screens, costumed characters, someone selling comedy show tickets. What it doesn't really have is public bathrooms.
So here's a walk that keeps you a few minutes from a free restroom all the way from Times Square to Central Park. About 2.5 miles (4 km), with plenty of reasons to stop anyway.
The walk
1Bryant Park restrooms Free
42nd St between 5th and 6th Ave · 5 minutes from Times Square
Probably the most famous public restroom in the city, behind the library, with attendants and fresh flowers. Open from morning to evening. Start here.
2New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) Free
5th Ave and 42nd St
The library with the stone lions, right next to the park. Free to enter, restrooms inside, and the Rose Main Reading Room is worth a look.
3Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library Free
455 5th Ave · across the street
The modern library opposite the lions. Restrooms, and a free rooftop terrace with a view of the old library.
4Grand Central Terminal Free
89 E 42nd St · Dining Concourse, one level down
Look up at the ceiling in the main hall, then go downstairs. The restrooms are on the Dining Concourse.
5Rockefeller Center Concourse Free
Underground, below 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Walk up 5th Avenue past the shop windows. Under the plaza there is a concourse with restrooms. The skating rink or the Top of the Rock are right above.
6Central Park: Heckscher Playground restrooms Free
Enter at Central Park South and 6th Ave
The first restrooms inside the park from the south. The Dairy Visitor Center is a short walk away too.
7The Shops at Columbus Circle Free
10 Columbus Circle · southwest corner of the park
A good last stop if you leave the park on the west side. Restrooms inside the mall.
Good to know
As of September 2026, all the stops above are free. Midtown cafés and many coffee chains usually keep restrooms for paying customers, so don't count on them. Parks and libraries close at night; Grand Central stays open late.
Lost somewhere between two avenues? Open the map below to see the nearest restroom and walk there.