The 9 Best New York City Stores in Uptown and Midtown to Shop

Take it from someone who shops for a living: When it comes to shopping during the holidays, there is no better place than uptown New York. Yes, I’ve shopped in both Paris and London this time of year, and no, neither came close to strolling from Bergdorf Goodman to Louis Vuitton, stopping for lunch at a Madison Avenue café or bistro, and then heading north to Toteme, The Row, and Manolo Blahnik. Oh, and you have to pop into Zitomer, the best old-fashioned pharmacy north of 10th Street. (If you’re downtown, C.O. Bigelow is a must, but that’s a shopping destination for another day.)

What makes shopping uptown so elite this time of year is the festiveness of it all. Every elegant uptown hotel, from the Plaza to the Carlyle, is decorated for the holidays. The windows at Bergdorf’s have been transformed, transporting passersby into an extravagant fantasy. One store or another is always handing out gourmet hot chocolate, and if they aren’t, you can probably receive a complimentary glass of champagne inside if you do a little bit of shopping.

Unlike walking up Broadway in SoHo, the streets and stores on Madison and Fifth are never jam-packed, even on the busiest of holiday shopping days. Plus, you can always find a reprieve in Central Park or Bemelmans Bar. As cheesy as it sounds, shopping uptown toward the tail end of the year is pretty magical and something that no visitor or local should miss out on. To ensure that you hit all the best stops, I created the must-visit store guide below. Now, you have no excuse but to head uptown between now and January 1.

Nothing compares to walking into Bergdorf Goodman during the holidays and being met by organized and somehow chic chaos. Even though the store’s tight corridors are filled from open to close with guests trying to find the perfect gift or holiday outfit, the energy is never overwhelming inside. Rather, I find myself wanting to stay for hours, perusing the end-of-season shoe sales, popping into designated boutiques, and watching other people shop to see what they’re drawn to from the luxurious selection. Sometimes, if I feel like treating myself, I’ll stop into BG for a light bite and a coffee or tea with a view of Central Park. Café Ginori also just opened in the iconic department store downstairs on the beauty level, and the tableware alone is worth checking out.

If you’re in New York this holiday season, you’d be remiss not to stop into the city’s most talked-about store: Louis Vuitton. Which one? Well, I’d argue both. If you’re in the area, you’ll likely spot dozens of people taking photos outside of the French house’s viral trunk-wrapped flagship, which is currently undergoing a multiyear renovation and has an eye-catching exterior. Once you’ve seen it for yourself (photos really don’t do it justice), you’re free to pop across the street to the just-opened temporary store on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Trust me. After perusing as many square inches of the place as I could gain access to on the morning of its big unveiling—including its two dining options in Le Café Louis Vuitton and Le Chocolat Maxime Frédéric, both of which are opening stateside for the first time—I can tell you with certainty that it hardly has temporary energy. Then again, the largest fashion house there was never going to open just any store, even if it will likely only live on 57th Street for a few years. Did I mention that there’s a very exclusive New York City–inspired collection that you can only buy there? Run.

Toteme’s SoHo store might be bigger, but if you’re not the type to wait in a line outside on a Saturday afternoon, I highly recommend heading to its uptown location instead. Located on Madison Avenue and 69th Street, the quaint boutique is nothing if not extremely chic. When you walk in, you’re met with only a few sparse racks of beautiful clothing, a wall of It handbags, and a spiral staircase that you’ll almost certainly want to take a photo of.

If you like shoes, stepping foot into the Manolo Blahnik flagship store on Madison Avenue for the first time will be a transcendent experience. Everywhere you look is a gorgeously constructed pair of pumps, boots, or flats, from the Maysale to the Hangisi, all of which are available in a kaleidoscope of colors. The space was designed by interior decorator David Thomas and inspired by the glamour of the Hollywood Regency. Think grand columns and black-and-white marble flooring.