The fifth star of 'Sex': New York City

— -- As in the Sex and the City TV series, Manhattan plays a starring role in the film version, which opens nationwide May 30.

"There could be no better advertising campaign for New York City," says Chris Heywood of NYC & Company, the city's tourism arm.

Sex and the City: The Movie promotes the city's attractions "without costing us anything," Heywood says. It even rates a special spot on NYC & Company's website, nycvisit.com/sexandthecity.

The HBO series had fans swarming to the city's Jimmy Choo shoe boutiques to totter on the pricey stilettos coveted by heroine Carrie Bradshaw. It brought aficionados to the Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village for melt-in-your-mouth cupcakes and to trendy bar/restaurants such as Tao New York for the series' signature Cosmopolitans.

The movie adds new locales. Without giving away key plot points, they include:

•Hotel Giraffe at 365 Park Ave. South at East 26th Street. Its Piano Suite events area was converted into Mr. Big's apartment.

•Diane von Furstenberg clothing boutique at 874 Washington St. in the Meatpacking District.

•New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, site of wedding festivities.

•Lumi Italian restaurant, 963 Lexington Ave. at East 70th Street, where Charlotte runs into Mr. Big.

•Bryant Park, where Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha attend Fashion Week.

•Hot Asian restaurant Buddakan, 75 Ninth Ave. at West 16th Street.

Some movie sites have been added to the 7-year-old excursions run by On Location Tours. On Location (212-209-3370; screentours.com) also plans a special May 30 tour, private screening of the film and after-party for $130 a person.

"We've added about four" locales to the $40 tour and will put on more after the movie's release, On Location marketing director Cathy Epstein says. Then, the significance of the sites can be revealed, and the suspense won't be spoiled for those wondering how Carrie and Big's story ends, she says.

Until the movie is out and fans have had a chance to see it, "we're not giving away the plot."

Some sexy hotel packages:

Hotels know a fabulous marketing opportunity when they see one, and Sex and the City already is spawning gal getaways at many a New York lodging. The only hitch: You have to be as loaded as Sex's Charlotte York to take advantage of many. A sampling (start and finish dates vary):

•A stylish suite, personal driver for a tour of Sex and the City filming locales, breakfast in bed, massages and two Cosmopolitans are part of The Muse Hotel's package. "We are offering our guests the chance to … become their favorite Sex and the City character for the day," general manager Thomas Mathes says. Kimpton's Muse, near Fifth Avenue shopping, also gives package purchasers gifts tailored to their personalities. "Carries" can get a subscription to Vogue; "Charlottes" receive How to Marry a Multi-millionaire: The Ultimate Guide to High Net Worth Dating; "Samanthas" score Dirty Girl bath products; and "Mirandas" go home with finance guru's Suze Orman's Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Own Destiny. The weekend package starts at $475 a night per person, plus tax. Information: 877-692-6873; themusehotel.com.

•The historic Algonquin Hotel offers a "Girls and the City" promotion with two nights' lodging, tickets for On Location's Sex and the City tour, plus two seats at the Broadway show Legally Blonde and an appointment with a personal shopper. The package can be customized. Rates typically start at $699 a person, plus tax. Information: 866-406-5341; algonquinhotel.com

•A $200 gift card at the Henri Bendel department store — a Carrie Bradshaw fave — is included in the Mandarin Oriental, New York's "Sex and the City Celebration Package." Guests also get a chauffeured tour of Sex and the City hotspots. At Henri Bendel, a gift from jet-set lingerie designer Cosabella awaits (it premiered a "Sex and the City" collection). Later, gals can dish and people-watch at the luxurious Mandarin over cocktails such as the Carrie Cosmo, Mr. Big Apple Martini, Miranda's Manhattan and the Samantha Flirtini. The one-night package also includes a trivia game that tests fans on TV-series minutia. Rates start at a soaring $2,000 for two in a Hudson River-view room. Tax is extra. Information: 866-801-8880 or 212-805-8800.

•More within reach of working-girl wallets is the "Sex and the City" package from Affinia Hotels' four Manhattan outposts, including accommodations, a split of Champagne, cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery and the On Location tour. Rates start at $389 for two, plus tax, in a studio suite. Information: 866-233-4642; affinia.com.

•You don't have to be super-rich to snare the "Sex and the City" weekend package from The Westin New York at Times Square. Starting at $434 per room a night, plus tax, it offers fans two tickets to the movie, Cosmos and a concierge-provided list of Sex hot spots. Information: 888-627-7149; westinny.com.

Fans who crave the first peek at the film can jet to London, where — angering some New Yorkers — it's due to premiere next week, two weeks before the U.S. opening (due to scheduling issues, New Line Cinema has said).

•The Berkeley in Knightsbridge is stirring up a weekend "Sex & The City" package, with the omnipresent Cosmos, plus in-room manicures, viewing of DVDs of the TV series, plus cookies shaped like Jimmy Choo spike-heel boots and other fashionista accessories. Rates start at 415 pounds (about $810) for two, including tax. Information: 011-44-207-950-5490 ; www.theberkeleyhotellondon.com.