New York City Travel Guide

Everything you need to plan a trip to New York, from when to come to how to get around once you are here. If you have a specific question, jump to the section you need.

First time in NYC?

Start with the places every first-time visitor should know. Give yourself three or four days, group sights by area, and accept that you will not see everything. A sensible first trip looks like this:

1. Day one, Midtown: Grand Central, the Empire State Building, Times Square, an evening Broadway show.
2. Day two, the harbor and Downtown: a Statue of Liberty cruise, the 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, then the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset.
3. Day three, parks and museums: Central Park in the morning, the Met after lunch, dinner on the Upper West Side.
4. Day four, Brooklyn: DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights Promenade and Williamsburg.

Looking for something different?

Once the headline sights are done, the city opens up. Ride the Roosevelt Island tramway for a cable-car view of the East River. Eat your way through Flushing or Jackson Heights. Spend a morning at the Cloisters, a medieval monastery rebuilt above the Hudson. Take the free Staten Island Ferry at night. Catch a jazz set in a basement in the Village, or a gospel service in Harlem on a Sunday morning.

Have limited time?

With one day, pick one area and one big view. A 50-minute harbor cruise plus a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge gives you the statue, the skyline and the bridges in half a day. With one evening, do an observation deck at dusk and dinner after. Skip the taxi, take the subway, and do not try to cross town at 5pm.

When to visit

Spring and autumn have the best weather. Summer is hot and humid but full of free outdoor events. Winter is cold, cheaper, and looks the way New York does in films, especially in December. Hotel rates drop hard in January and February.

Getting around

The subway runs 24 hours and costs the same no matter how far you go. Tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile. Buses are slower but good for crosstown trips. Walking is often fastest in Midtown. Taxis and rideshares make sense late at night or with luggage.

Where to stay

Midtown for convenience, Chelsea and the Village for restaurants and walkability, the Financial District for value and harbor access, Long Island City or Downtown Brooklyn for more room at a lower price with a short subway ride in.

Budgeting

Book shows and observation decks ahead, eat lunch from delis and food halls, and use the free sights to fill gaps: the bridges, the parks, the High Line, the memorial pools and the Staten Island Ferry. Tipping is expected in restaurants and bars, normally 18 to 20 percent.

Practical tips

• Walk on the right, stand on the right on escalators, and step out of the sidewalk flow to check your phone.
• Arrive 30 minutes early for cruises and timed tickets.
• Carry layers. Buildings are heavily air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter.
• Avenue numbers rise going west, street numbers rise going north. Once that clicks, Manhattan is hard to get lost in.

Ready to plan the fun part? Browse things to do, things to see and places to visit.