I've been to New York three times: in July 2009, July 2014 and October 2026. After the second trip I put together a 7-day itinerary, and ever since I've been emailing it to everyone who asked me for advice about their trip to the Big Apple. When I went back this autumn and read that document again, I realised half of it was out of date: the MetroCard is gone, several of the restaurants have closed and some things that used to be free now cost money. The city itself felt different too: emptier, less crowded than before, and I was struck by how many people were smoking weed on the street. So I rewrote it from scratch for 2026. For each stop I give the time I'd recommend arriving, how to get to the next one, the price, the opening hours and a map.
These are the 9 tips in one line each. The full version of every tip is further down:
- Book the timed tickets you don't want to miss first: sunset at Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty crown, a Saturday musical.
- Tip 18 to 22% in restaurants and pack a type A/B plug adapter if you're coming from abroad.
- Pay for the subway with OMNY: tap your card and you never pay more than $35 a week.
- Get Broadway tickets for up to 50% off at the TKTS booth or on TodayTix.
- Skip the New York Pass if you follow this route: the paid tickets add up to about $190.
- Use Fifth Avenue to get your bearings: it splits the streets into east and west.
- Install an eSIM before you fly if your phone plan is European.
- Lean on the free sights: the Staten Island Ferry, the Brooklyn Bridge, the High Line.
- Don't fill every hour: you'll walk more than 15 km (9 miles) a day.
How this 7-day itinerary works
Each day covers one part of the city, so you spend your time seeing things instead of sitting on the subway. The stops are in walking order, with a suggested arrival time and, between each one, how to get there and how long it takes. Every day also has a button that opens the full route in Google Maps, so you can follow it on your phone.
For every stop I give you the price of an adult ticket in 2026 and the opening hours. Almost every attraction uses dynamic pricing, so read it as a starting price: a Saturday at sunset always costs more than a Tuesday morning. Also, add 8.875% sales tax to everything you buy in New York, because it isn't included in the price you see. For the restaurants I add the Tripadvisor rating and what people mention most in their reviews.
| Day | Area | Highlights | Tickets approx. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midtown | Grand Central, the library and sunset from Top of the Rock | $42 |
| 2 | Lower Manhattan | Statue of Liberty, Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial | $26 to $62 |
| 3 | Central Park and Upper West Side | Natural History Museum, Central Park by bike and the tramway | $55 to $80 |
| 4 | Chelsea and Hudson Yards | Little Island, the High Line, the Intrepid and a musical | from $80 |
| 5 | Brooklyn | Brooklyn Bridge, DUMBO and Williamsburg | $5 to $10 |
| 6 | Downtown | Flatiron, the Village, SoHo, Chinatown and the Empire State at night | $46 |
| 7 | Your choice | Governors Island, Coney Island or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden | $0 to $25 |
For food, budget around $60 to $90 per person per day if you mix pizza slices, delis and one sit-down dinner. Transport tops out at $35 a week (I explain how in tip 3). And if you haven't decided when to go yet, check what each season has to offer: the weather, the prices and what's on change a lot.
The whole route fits on a single sheet. The "Print the route" button opens your browser's print window, where you can choose "Save as PDF" and keep it on your phone for when you're offline.
New York in 7 days - the day-by-day route
Full guide, with maps and prices: michieldas.com/en/tips-tricks-new-york/
Tick what you've already seen: it stays saved in this browser.
How much money do you need for a week in New York?
New York is very expensive, and the price you see is not what you pay: sales tax is never included in the price you see (it's 8.875% on top at the till) and in restaurants the tip adds another 18 to 22%. A $50 dinner on the menu ends up costing around $63 to $65.
Not counting flights or the hotel, which vary most with the season and the neighbourhood, this is what a week costs per person if you follow this itinerary:
| Expense | One week | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets | $250 to $350 | The 7 days in the table above added up (more if you pick an expensive musical) |
| Food | $420 to $630 | About $60 to $90 a day, mixing pizza slices, delis and one sit-down dinner |
| Transport | $35 at most | The weekly OMNY fare cap on the subway and buses |
| ESTA | $40.62 | Only if you travel on the Visa Waiver Program, as Europeans do. Valid for two years |
| Total | about $750 to $1,050 | Without flights or the hotel |
Add 8.875% sales tax to everything you buy, because it isn't in the price, and the tip in restaurants (I explain how much in tip 2). So is $1,000 enough for 3 days? Without the hotel, yes: the three days I'd pick (below) come to roughly $310 to $450 in tickets, food and subway. And $2,000 for a week leaves you $950 to $1,250 for the hotel, the biggest cost of the trip. If you want to cut costs, the free sights save the most: my list is in tip 8.
What if you only have 3, 4 or 5 days?
Since each day of the itinerary is one area, you can keep the ones that interest you most. This is the combination I'd go for:
- 3 days: day 1 (Midtown), day 2 (Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty) and day 6 (Downtown and the Empire State at night). They're the essentials of a first visit.
- 4 days: add day 5, Brooklyn, with the bridge on foot and the views from DUMBO.
- 5 days: add day 3, Central Park and the Natural History Museum.
- 6 days: with day 4 (the High Line, Hudson Yards and a musical) you have the whole route, minus the free day.
Day 1: Midtown, from Times Square to sunset at Top of the Rock
- On foot
- ~6 km
- Subway
- Not needed
- Tickets
- $42Top of the Rock
- Fixed time
- Sunsetat Top of the Rock
Book Top of the Rock at sunset several days ahead: the whole day is planned around that visit.
Day one is Midtown: the skyscrapers, the postcards and most of the hotels. Everything is within a 15-minute walk, so you won't need the subway once. The day is built around one fixed time: sunset at Top of the Rock, which you need to book in advance (around 8:30pm in summer, 6:30pm in autumn and before 5pm in winter). If you're going in winter, move Fifth Avenue earlier and go up sooner.
All on foot, about 6 km. Tickets: $42 (Top of the Rock).
Open the day's route in Google Maps7-minute walk: head down Sixth Avenue to 47th Street and turn right towards Broadway.
8-minute walk: head down Sixth Avenue to 42nd Street and enter Bryant Park, right behind the library.
6-minute walk: carry on east along 42nd Street and enter the station from Vanderbilt Avenue.
2-minute walk: leave by the Lexington Avenue exit and cross to the corner of 43rd Street.
15-minute walk: head up Lexington Avenue to 50th Street and walk west, across Park and Madison, to Fifth Avenue.
When you come out, head north up Fifth Avenue: the shops start at the door.
10-minute walk: back down Fifth Avenue and into Rockefeller Center through the Channel Gardens at 50th Street.
5-minute walk: out onto Sixth Avenue, up to 51st Street, and left to Broadway.
When you leave the diner, Times Square is five minutes away, and at night, with all the screens on, it's at its busiest.
Which observation deck to pick: Top of the Rock, Empire State, Edge, SUMMIT or One World
I'm a big fan of Top of the Rock. The views beat the Empire State's for two reasons: from up there the Empire State is in your photo, and the Empire State's own deck has metal fencing that makes photos almost impossible. If you only go up one, make it this one. These are the five decks, with the cheapest price on their official websites in October 2026 (prices are dynamic and go up at the best times):
| Deck | From | Best time | What you see |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the Rock | $42[31] | half an hour before sunset | all of Central Park to the north and the Empire State straight ahead to the south |
| Empire State (86th floor) | $46, $81 with the 102nd floor[13] | at night | the whole city, but through the fencing, and without the Empire State in your photo |
| Edge (Hudson Yards) | $42[10] | at sunset, over the Hudson | the Hudson River and Midtown from the west, with a glass floor |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | $39[32] | at sunset | mirrored rooms, with the Chrysler and the Empire State very close |
| One World Observatory | $39[33] | a clear day | Lower Manhattan, the bridges and the harbour with the Statue of Liberty, behind glass |
On this itinerary you go up Top of the Rock on day 1 and the Empire State at night on day 6. If you want to save, pick just one.
Book before you go: Top of the Rock at sunset, several days ahead. The library's free guided tour: tickets are released on Sunday for the whole week.
Day 2: Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street and 9/11
- Subway
- Line 1then the R or W to dinner
- Tickets
- $26Statue; 9/11 Museum extra
- Statue
- 4-5 hwith Ellis Island
- Fixed time
- First ferryaround 9am
Book the first ferry of the morning with Statue City Cruises, and the crown or pedestal weeks ahead.
On day two you head to the southern tip of Manhattan, where the city began. Take the first ferry to the Statue of Liberty, because from mid-morning the security queues get long. Then walk back via Wall Street to the World Trade Center, and finish at the Memorial as night falls.
Getting there: subway 1 to South Ferry or 4 and 5 to Bowling Green. Then all on foot, except the ferry to the islands. Tickets: $26 (Statue) and from $24 if you visit the 9/11 Museum.
Open the day's route in Google Maps3-minute walk through the park to Castle Clinton, the round fort where the ticket office and boarding are.
Back in Battery Park, a 5-minute walk north to Bowling Green, where Broadway begins.
4-minute walk: up Broadway and right onto Wall Street.
12-minute walk: along Wall Street to Broadway, up to Liberty Street and west towards the river to Brookfield Place.
5-minute walk: cross West Street by the footbridge or the lights at Liberty Street and you're at the Memorial.
When you leave the museum, a 2-minute walk to the Oculus, on the east side of the plaza.
Subway R or W from Cortlandt St to Canal St (two stops) and an 8-minute walk east along Canal Street. On foot it's about 25 minutes.
Book before you go: the Statue City Cruises ferry for the first boat of the morning, and the crown or pedestal weeks ahead. The 9/11 Museum, with a timed ticket (free on Mondays, with tickets released that same day at 7am).
Day 3: Central Park, a museum and the Roosevelt Island Tramway
- Subway
- B or Cto 81 St
- Tickets
- $37Natural History Museum
- Bike
- $25Citi Bike day pass
- Fixed time
- Sunsettramway, $3
Buy the museum ticket online and arrive when it opens at 10am, before the school groups.
A day of park and museum on the west side of Central Park. Pick one of the two big museums, because two of them in one day is too much, and save the afternoon for riding around the park by bike. The day ends crossing the East River on the Roosevelt Island Tramway, which is public transport and costs the same as a subway ride.
Getting there: subway B or C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History. Then on foot or by bike through the park. Tickets: $37 (museum), about $25 for the bike and $3 for the tramway.
Open the day's route in Google Maps
3-minute walk: out through the Columbus Avenue exit and down to 77th Street.
8-minute walk to the 72nd Street entrance, next to the Dakota building. There are Citi Bike stations and rental shops right there.
Return the bike at the south-east corner of the park (59th Street and Fifth Avenue) and walk 15 minutes east along 59th Street to Second Avenue.
Book before you go: the museum ticket on its website, so you walk in at opening time without queuing at the ticket office. No need to book the bike or the tramway.
Day 4: Chelsea, Little Island, the High Line, the Intrepid and a Broadway show
- On foot
- ~8 km
- Subway
- C or Eto 23 St
- Tickets
- from $80the show, with TKTS
- Fixed time
- Broadwayat 7pm or 8pm
If you have a specific musical in mind, buy it weeks ahead on the theatre's website: the famous ones almost never come up at TKTS.
This is the longest day of the itinerary, about 8 km on foot. You walk the west side of Manhattan from south to north, almost always along the Hudson River: a floating park, a railway turned into a garden, the city's newest neighbourhood and an aircraft carrier. In the evening, Broadway.
Getting there: subway C or E to 23 St. Then all on foot, about 8 km. Tickets: free until the show (from about $80 with TKTS). Another $42 if you go up the Edge.
Open the day's route in Google Maps10-minute walk down Ninth Avenue to 15th Street.
8-minute walk: out onto Tenth Avenue, down to 13th Street and across the West Side Highway at the lights to the river.
3-minute walk to the Gansevoort Street stairs, the southern start of the High Line.
The High Line ends right in Hudson Yards, at 30th Street.
20-minute walk north along the Hudson River Greenway, the riverside path, to Pier 86 (46th Street).
20-minute walk east along 46th Street to Times Square.
10-minute walk to Ninth Avenue, in Hell's Kitchen, the neighbourhood of pre-theatre restaurants.
Book before you go: if you have a specific musical in mind, buy it on the theatre's website weeks ahead, because the famous ones almost never come up at TKTS. The Edge, only if you're going up, at sunset.
Day 5: Brooklyn, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Williamsburg
- Subway
- 4, 5 or 6to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall
- Ferry
- $5NYC Ferry to Williamsburg
- Tickets
- Freethe carousel is extra
- Fixed time
- Before 9amon the bridge
Cross the bridge before 9am and be at Juliana's at 11:30am, when it opens. Book dinner at Birds of a Feather.
Brooklyn gets a whole day. You walk across the bridge first thing, spend the morning in DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights, eat the best pizza of the trip and in the afternoon take the ferry up to Williamsburg, with its record shops, thrift stores and riverside park.
Getting there: subway 4, 5 or 6 to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. On foot to Juliana's, then the ferry to Williamsburg ($5).
Open the day's route in Google MapsWhen you come off the bridge, take the first exit towards DUMBO and walk 10 minutes along Washington Street towards the river.
15-minute walk up Old Fulton Street and Columbia Heights, between 19th-century houses.
15-minute walk down to the water through the piers of Brooklyn Bridge Park, old cargo piers turned into parks.
2-minute walk to Old Fulton Street.
5-minute walk to the DUMBO/Fulton Ferry pier and the NYC Ferry East River route to North Williamsburg: about 13 minutes, with views of all three bridges. Boats every 15 to 30 minutes.
Book before you go: dinner at Birds of a Feather, which fills up at night. Nothing else on this day needs booking.
Day 6: Flatiron, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown and the Empire State at night
- On foot
- ~7 km
- Subway
- R or Wand the F to the Empire State
- Tickets
- $46Empire State
- Fixed time
- 8pmthe Empire State at night
Book your Empire State entry time: it's required even at night.
A day of neighbourhoods, with no queues or tickets until the evening. You walk down from the Flatiron to Chinatown through the liveliest parts of the city, and finish by going up the Empire State, which stays open late and is much quieter at night.
Getting there: subway R or W to 23 St. All on foot, about 7 km, and the F train up to the Empire State. Tickets: $46 (Empire State).
Open the day's route in Google Maps10-minute walk down Broadway to 14th Street.
8-minute walk down University Place to the north entrance of Washington Square.
10-minute walk west along Bleecker Street to Carmine Street.
15-minute walk: down Sixth Avenue, across Houston Street and east along Prince Street to Broadway.
5-minute walk east along Spring Street.
2-minute walk to Mulberry Street, then south.
15-minute walk north-east along Grand Street and Allen Street, through the Lower East Side, to Houston Street.
F train from 2 Av to 34 St-Herald Sq (five stops) and a 5-minute walk east along 34th Street.
Book before you go: your Empire State entry time, which you have to book even at night.
Day 7: a free day depending on the season
- Options
- 3
- Length
- Half a dayeach
- Bookings
- None
- Tickets
- From freeferry $5, garden $22
Nothing to book: decide that same morning based on the weather and your flight time.
I leave the last day open, because it depends on when you go and what time your flight leaves. These are the three options I recommend most, each for half a day.
Book before you go: nothing. You can pick any of the three free-day options that same morning.
Where to eat: every place on the itinerary
These are all the places to eat that come up on the route, in order of the days. The day link takes you to the place's card, with the opening hours, the Tripadvisor rating and the map. Prices are the ones on each card, before tip and tax.
| Place | Day | What to order | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnolia Bakery | Day 1, breakfast | the banana pudding | $5-10 |
| Ellen's Stardust Diner | Day 1, dinner | you go for the singing waiters, not the food | $25-40 |
| Wafels & Dinges | Day 2, breakfast | a Belgian waffle (speculoos is the best known) | $8-12 |
| Hudson Eats | Day 2, lunch | a food hall: pick a stall | $15-20 |
| Joe's Shanghai | Day 2, dinner | the xiao long bao, soup dumplings | $25-35 |
| Shake Shack | Day 3, lunch | the ShackBurger and a shake | $15-20 |
| Sullivan Street Bakery | Day 4, breakfast | a bomboloni or pizza bianca | $8-12 |
| Chelsea Market | Day 4, mid-morning | the tacos at Los Tacos No. 1 | free to enter |
| Pure Thai Cookhouse | Day 4, dinner before the show | the homemade noodles | $20-30 |
| Juliana's Pizza | Day 5, lunch | a large coal-oven pizza, enough for two | $30 per pizza |
| Birds of a Feather | Day 5, dinner | the dan dan noodles or kung pao chicken (spicy Sichuan) | $25-35 |
| Joe's Pizza | Day 6, lunch | one cheese slice and one pepperoni | $4-5 a slice |
| Rice to Riches | Day 6, afternoon snack | rice pudding, in about twenty flavours | $11 |
| Katz's Delicatessen | Day 6, dinner | the pastrami sandwich, enough for two | $30 a sandwich |
What's worth buying in New York
The best deal is clothing and footwear: in New York City, clothes and shoes under $110 are exempt from sales tax[40], so you skip the 8.875% added to everything else. Above $110 per item, you pay the full tax.
- Macy's in Herald Square, on 34th Street, to find everything in one building (day 7).
- SoHo, on Broadway between Houston and Canal Street, for the brand stores (day 6).
- The Woodbury Common outlets, an hour away by bus, if you're after lower prices and don't mind giving it the whole day.
- Used books at the Strand, with $1 and $2 shelves out on the street (day 6).
Best time to visit NYC: what each season is like
Any season works, but the weather, the prices and what's on change a lot. The dates are for this year and next.
Spring (April and May)
Temperatures of 17 to 22°C and the city coming out of winter. The cherry trees in Central Park are usually at their best between 10 and 20 April, and those in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in late April. Outdoor terraces reopen, Smorgasburg starts its season in early April, and on Easter Sunday (28 March in 2027) Fifth Avenue fills with outrageous hats at the free Easter Parade. The downside: it rains often and hotels go up around Easter.
Summer (June to August)
The city is green and full of free things outdoors: SummerStage concerts in Central Park and other parks (June to September), Shakespeare in the Park (free tickets through a lottery on the TodayTix app), Monday movie nights in Bryant Park (mid-July to mid-September) and the Macy's fireworks over the East River on 4 July. The beaches have lifeguards from late May to mid-September, and Coney Island is in full swing. The downside: around 29°C on average with lots of humidity, expensive hotels, and in August many New Yorkers leave on holiday.
Autumn (September to November)
The most pleasant season: September is around 24°C and October 18°C, with clear days. The trees in Central Park change colour mostly in early to mid-November. There are three big dates: the Village Halloween Parade (31 October, along Sixth Avenue), the New York City Marathon (the first Sunday of November; 1 November in 2026) and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (26 November 2026, its 100th edition). In mid-October, the Open House New York weekend opens buildings for free that you can't visit the rest of the year. The downside: Luna Park and the Coney Island rides close at the end of October.
Winter (December to February)
It's properly cold (in January the average high is 4°C and it drops below freezing at night), but it's the season of the Christmas tree, the ice rinks and the decorated shop windows. The Rockefeller Center rink is open from 10 October to 27 March (closed on 1 and 2 December for the tree lighting), from about $22, and the Christmas tree is lit on 2 December 2026[34]. At the Bryant Park Winter Village you skate for free if you bring your own skates (rental from about $19), and from mid-November to early January the windows at Macy's, Saks and Bergdorf Goodman are decorated for Christmas. All the Christmas highlights, with their 2026 dates, are in New York at Christmas. In January and February hotels are at their cheapest of the year, and that's also when Restaurant Week (set menus at good restaurants) and Broadway Week (two-for-one musical tickets) take place. The downside: short days, Luna Park closed, the High Line closes at 8pm and Jane's Carousel only opens Thursday to Sunday.
The cheapest month to visit New York
January and February. Once the holidays are over, hotels are at their cheapest of the year, and that's when Restaurant Week (set menus at good restaurants) and Broadway Week (two-for-one musical tickets) take place. The trade-off is the cold, with highs of about 4°C (39°F), and short days.
New York at Christmas and in December
I haven't been to New York at Christmas: the 2026 dates of what turns up in every holiday plan come from the official websites. If you're going in December, book your hotel and shows early.
- The Rockefeller Center tree arrives on the plaza on 7 November and is lit at the ceremony on 2 December 2026[34]. The plaza is packed on lighting night: to see it in peace, go any other day.
- The Rockefeller Center ice rink, under the tree, with a paid, timed ticket (the dates are in winter).
- The Bryant Park Winter Village, from 28 October 2026 to 28 February 2027: a rink that's free if you bring your own skates, surrounded by gift and food stalls[35].
- The Grand Central Holiday Fair, from 9 November to 24 December 2026, with craft stalls inside the station[36].
- The Union Square and Columbus Circle holiday markets, outdoors. As I write this, their 2026 dates haven't been announced: check before you go.
- The Fifth Avenue windows at Saks, Bergdorf Goodman and Macy's, free to see from mid-November to early January (they fit into day 1).
- The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Rockettes show, from 4 November 2026 to 4 January 2027[37]. Buy tickets in advance.
- The Dyker Heights lights, in Brooklyn: houses decorated top to bottom between 11th and 13th Avenues and 83rd and 86th Streets[38]. Walk around after dark, for free.
- New Year's Eve in Times Square: it's free with no ticket, first come, first served. The pens open at 3pm, there are no toilets and if you leave your spot you can't get back in[39]. If nine hours standing in the cold isn't for you, watch the ball drop on TV and head out afterwards.
How to fly to New York: direct flight, airline and airport
My first tip is always the same: book a direct flight. A layover adds several hours to the trip and gives you more chances of missing a connection or losing your bag. From Barcelona, United's nonstop to Newark takes about 8 hours 40 minutes on the way out and about 7 and a half hours on the way back[24], because the wind helps on the return.
United vs American Airlines: which one to fly
I've crossed the Atlantic with United and with American Airlines, and I've flown both within the US too. In 2009 I recommended American; today I pick United, for four reasons:
- Newer planes. From Barcelona, United flies to Newark on the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner[24], and you notice it in the entertainment: there are many more films and series to choose from.
- Better food. The difference was huge. On American I got the typical heavily processed airline meal.
- A much more intuitive app for checking in, changing your seat or tracking your bag.
- Free WhatsApp on board. On all my United flights, domestic ones included, you could use messaging for free on the plane's wifi: text only, no browsing, photos or voice notes[25]. American had no free messaging and its paid wifi was expensive. Since 2026, American gives free wifi to members of its AAdvantage programme on most flights within the US, but on almost none of its long-haul planes[26].
So on a domestic flight, if you're an AAdvantage member, wifi is no longer a reason to pick one or the other. Across the Atlantic it still is.
One thing to keep in mind: United lands at Newark, in New Jersey, not at JFK. It's just as well connected to Manhattan, and I explain how in how to get from Newark to Manhattan.
How to make the most of your miles
- United is part of Star Alliance, the same alliance as Lufthansa, Swiss and Brussels Airlines[27]. You can credit the miles from your flights to Miles & More, the Lufthansa Group programme[28], and spend them later on flights around Europe.
- American is part of oneworld, with Iberia and British Airways[29], and has nothing to do with Miles & More. If you live in Europe, my advice is not to leave your miles in AAdvantage. Collect them as Avios in Iberia Club (formerly Iberia Plus), which you can move to Vueling Club without losing value[30], and use them on Vueling flights around Europe.
From the airport to Manhattan: skip the taxi
If you land at JFK, don't take a cab: there's almost always heavy traffic and the ride drags on. The AirTrain with the subway or the commuter train gets you there sooner and costs much less. The three options from JFK, with prices, are in how to get from JFK to Manhattan, along with the one from Newark.
Where to stay in New York on a first visit
In New York the hotel takes the biggest bite out of your budget, and rooms are small even when you pay a lot. On a first visit, what matters most is staying near a subway station served by several lines: this itinerary changes area every day, and that way you don't lose half the morning getting there. This is how I see the neighbourhoods:
| Area | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Midtown | All of day 1 on foot, the most hotels and a subway on every corner | Noise and crowds around Times Square, and restaurants aimed at tourists |
| Chelsea | The High Line and Chelsea Market on your doorstep, and more of a local feel | Fewer hotels than Midtown |
| Lower Manhattan | Next to the Statue of Liberty ferry and the 9/11 Memorial | Far from Central Park, and quieter outside office hours |
| Greenwich Village or SoHo | The prettiest neighbourhoods for walking and dinner | Few hotels, and none of them cheap |
| Brooklyn (Williamsburg, DUMBO) | Cheaper, with a neighbourhood feel | You cross the river by subway for most of the itinerary |
| Long Island City (Queens) | Cheaper, and 10 to 15 minutes by subway from Midtown | Not much to do in the area itself at night |
I stayed at the Life Hotel, at 19 West 31st Street, between Broadway and Fifth Avenue, and I recommend it for the location: it's central and three blocks from the Empire State, so you can walk to a good part of day 1 and day 6. You can check prices on Booking.com. If you're thinking of a holiday rental, read tip 2 first: renting a whole apartment for less than 30 days is banned.
If the Life Hotel is full on your dates or over your budget, look at these three hotels in the same part of Manhattan. They score very well on Booking.com, with more than a thousand reviews each. I haven't stayed at any of the three.
- Pod Times Square, on 42nd Street at Ninth Avenue, is the cheapest of the three. Reviewers say the rooms are tiny, so it works if you travel light and only need a bed. The 42 St-Port Authority subway station (A, C and E lines) is next door, Times Square is five minutes on foot and Hudson Yards, from day 4, is a short walk away.
- citizenM New York Times Square, on 50th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, is mid-priced and has a rooftop bar. The rooms are small here too. Times Square is two or three minutes away, the 50th Street subway is on the corner and the south end of Central Park is about ten minutes on foot.
- Archer Hotel, on 38th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, is the most expensive. It's a block from Bryant Park and four blocks from the Empire State, so you're almost as close to day 1 as at the Life Hotel, and its rooftop bar looks out on the Empire State.
Before you book: the ESTA and your passport
If you're a European citizen travelling as a tourist for less than 90 days, you don't need a visa. Apart from your plane ticket, you only need two things:
- An electronic passport (with the chip, which comes as standard on recent Spanish and Dutch passports)[16]. Your national ID card won't work, and neither will a residence card. Even if you use them to travel all over Europe, to enter the United States you'll be asked for a passport, including at check-in at your departure airport.
- An approved ESTA. This is the electronic travel authorisation for countries in the Visa Waiver Program, which includes Spain and the Netherlands. Since 16 October 2026 it costs $40.62 (before that, $40.27 from 1 January 2026; until September 2025 it was $21)[17] and it's valid for two years, or until your passport expires if that comes first[18]. You can enter as many times as you like during those two years.
You can do the whole application on your phone with the official ESTA Mobile app from CBP, the US border agency, free on the App Store and Google Play (search for "ESTA Mobile" and check it's published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection). The app scans your passport page, reads the chip via NFC and asks for a selfie, and you're done in about fifteen minutes. You can also apply on the official website, esta.cbp.dhs.gov.
Apply as soon as you've booked your flights (CBP itself recommends doing it as soon as you start planning the trip)[18]: without an approved ESTA the airline won't let you board. You usually get an answer within minutes. One more thing: CBP has proposed making it mandatory to list your social media accounts from the past five years, so don't be surprised if the form asks for more details than you remember.
1. Book what you don't want to miss in advance
In New York this matters more than in most cities, because almost everything now works with timed tickets, and the good slots sell out. Sunset at Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty crown or a specific musical on a Saturday night need to be booked days or weeks in advance. Use the itinerary above as a base, mark what you really don't want to miss and book that first. Everything else can be improvised.
2. Tipping, plugs, hotels, cannabis and opening hours
If you've been to the US before, you'll know the general differences with Europe. If not, pack a plug adapter (the US uses flat-pin type A and B plugs at 110 volts) and get used to the idea of tipping: in New York it isn't optional, because waiters' wages depend on it. In a restaurant you leave 18 to 22% of the bill, 15 to 20% in a taxi, and a dollar or two per drink in a bar. A trick to work it out: double the tax on the receipt (8.875%) and you get almost 18%. A few more things worth knowing:
- Manhattan has more than 25,000 people per square kilometre and living there is extremely expensive, so don't expect a big hotel room in Manhattan, however much you pay. On a tight budget, look in Brooklyn or Long Island City (Queens), 10 to 15 minutes by subway from Midtown (I compare the areas in where to stay). Be careful with holiday rentals: New York bans renting out a whole apartment for less than 30 days, and since September 2023 the city has been enforcing it in earnest and requires hosts to register[19], so on Airbnb you'll mostly find rooms in people's homes.
- New Yorkers are always in a hurry: they have a coffee and a bagel on the go for breakfast and eat lunch on the street or at a deli. At night it all changes, because they love going out for dinner. If you want to eat at a well-known restaurant, book ahead (most use Resy or OpenTable) and keep in mind that many kitchens close at 10pm.
- Cannabis is legal and you'll smell it. On my last trip, in October 2026, what surprised me most was how many people were smoking weed right on the street. Since 2021 New York State has allowed adults over 21 to use it, and on many streets the smell of weed is constant. You can smoke it wherever you can smoke tobacco, but not in parks, on beaches, in restaurants or in cars. If you buy, do it at a licensed dispensary: they display a sticker with a QR code from the state's cannabis office in the window[20], and many of the smoke shops you'll see everywhere are illegal. And don't take it to the airport: for the federal government recreational cannabis is still illegal, and trouble with it at the border can cost you your ESTA.
- Shops stay open late, usually until 8 or 9pm, and department stores open on Sundays too. Macy's used to give tourists a 10% discount when they showed their passport; ask at customer service, because the information centre where you used to get it has closed.
- The weather changes a lot from season to season (I go through it in when to go), and you can go from rain to clear skies in the same day, so dress in layers.
3. The subway: paying with OMNY and getting in from JFK or Newark
If you want to see the city in a few days, you need to waste as little time as possible getting around. Yellow cabs are great for the photo, but you'll spend half the ride in traffic. The subway runs 24 hours a day and is by far the fastest option.
What has changed most since my first trip is how you pay. The MetroCard is finished: since January 2026 it can no longer be bought or topped up. The system is now called OMNY and it's much easier: you tap your contactless credit or debit card, or your phone with Apple Pay or Google Pay, on the reader at the turnstile, and that's it. European cards work. Each ride costs $3, and once you've paid for 12 rides in 7 days, the rest of the week is free. In other words, you'll never pay more than $35 a week for subway and bus, without having to buy a pass in advance. The condition is that you always pay with the same card or the same phone (and if you're travelling as a group, each person with their own). The details are on the MTA website[6].
Local or express. On many lines two trains share the same route: the local stops at every station and the express only at the main ones. On the official subway map, a white dot marks stations where all trains stop, local and express, and a black dot stations with local service only[44]. On the platform, signs tell you which track is local and which is express, and the train shows it on the sign at the front and on the sides. If you get on an express by mistake and it skips your stop, get off at the next one and come back on the local. One thing to watch late at night: some express lines switch to making all stops (the N, for example, runs local in Manhattan overnight[45]), so check your line's timetable on the MTA website. And before you go down the stairs, read the sign over the entrance: many stations have one entrance for trains heading north (Uptown) and another for trains heading south (Downtown), and if you pick the wrong one you have to go back out to the street and pay again.
Three rules New Yorkers take seriously:
- Let people off before you get on, and step away from the doors instead of standing in front of them.
- Don't stop on the stairs or right after the turnstile to check your phone: move on, step to one side and look at the map there.
- In a crowded car, take your backpack off and hold it in your hand or between your feet; on your back it takes up someone else's space.
How to get from JFK to Manhattan
There are three ways to get into Manhattan from JFK airport:
- Yellow cab: a $70 flat fare to Manhattan, plus surcharges and tip. Count on $90 to $110 in total[21], and you'll almost always hit traffic, so it isn't the fastest option. Always take the cab from the official taxi line at the terminal and never with the people offering you rides inside the airport.
- AirTrain + subway: the AirTrain takes you to Jamaica or Howard Beach station ($8.75) and from there you continue by subway ($3). That's $11.75[22] and between an hour and an hour and a quarter to Midtown.
- AirTrain + LIRR train: from Jamaica, the commuter train gets you to Penn Station or Grand Central in about 20 minutes. Around $15 in total, and it's the one I recommend if you're not carrying much luggage.
How to get from Newark to Manhattan
Newark Liberty is in New Jersey, and it's where United's flights from Europe land. The easiest way into Manhattan is the AirTrain to the airport's rail station and then the NJ Transit train to Penn Station: $17.25 in total[23]. Penn Station is on 34th Street, in Midtown, so from there you're one subway ride or a short walk from most hotels. A taxi from Newark has the same problem as one from JFK: the traffic.
4. Cheaper Broadway tickets
A ticket for a Broadway musical costs between $80 and $200, more for the most famous ones. That's a lot of money if you're travelling as a family. Luckily there are two ways to pay quite a bit less:
- The TKTS booths, run by the non-profit TDF, sell official same-day tickets at 20 to 50% off. Only two are left today: the one in Times Square, under the red steps in Duffy Square (Broadway and 47th Street), open 3pm to 8pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and 11am to 8pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; and the one at Lincoln Center (61 West 62nd Street), Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 6pm. The South Street Seaport and Brooklyn booths from my old guide have closed. The TKTS app shows you in real time what's available before you join the queue.
- The TodayTix app, with two systems: rush, which releases cheap tickets on the morning of the show to whoever gets there first, and the lottery, where you enter and, if you win, buy tickets at the lowest price, sometimes for $40 or $50.
If you know exactly which musical you want to see and you're going at the weekend, buy it directly from the theatre's official website well in advance: the most popular shows rarely come up at a discount. And if you're going in January or February, check Broadway Week, with two-for-one tickets.
5. Is the New York Pass worth it? Skipping the lines
In 2014 my top tip was to buy the New York Pass, a pass that includes entry to dozens of attractions (Top of the Rock, the Empire State, the Statue of Liberty ferry, the 9/11 Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Intrepid, bike rental in Central Park, Madame Tussauds…). Today it's sold by Go City and comes in two versions:
- All-Inclusive: visit as much as you like during a set number of days. From $169 for one day and around $400 for seven.
- Explorer: choose a number of attractions and you have 60 days to use them. From $89 for two attractions up to around $230 for seven.
I did the maths with this itinerary, and the paid tickets add up to about $190 (Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Museum, Natural History and the Empire State). At this pace the pass doesn't pay off: you don't have time to get your money's worth, and much of this route is free. It only makes sense if you like going from attraction to attraction and add things like the Edge, the full Intrepid museum or Madame Tussauds. Check the prices before you decide, because Go City runs discounts very often.
What has improved is the queuing: almost every observation deck and museum sells timed tickets on its website, so by buying online you skip the ticket office anyway.
6. Getting your bearings: Fifth Avenue splits east from west
At first sight, finding your way around New York can look complicated, but it's very logical once you know where Fifth Avenue is. Except for the south of Manhattan, the streets form an almost perfect grid, and it's easy to get your bearings when you remember these tricks:
- The streets running north to south through Manhattan are called avenues and are numbered from east to west, starting with First Avenue by the East River. The ones crossing it from east to west are called streets and are numbered from south to north, starting just above Houston Street.
- Fifth Avenue is the dividing line: it's the avenue that runs along the east side of Central Park and down to Washington Square.
- Streets to the right (east) of Fifth Avenue have an "E" before the number, and those to the left a "W" (I'll let you guess what they stand for ;-)). That tells you straight away which side to head to: 20 W 34th Street, the Empire State, is very close to Fifth, on its west side.
- If a street has no number, you're almost certainly in the south of Manhattan. The exception is Broadway, the old Lenape trail, which cuts diagonally across the grid from one end of the island to the other.
- On your phone, Google Maps works well for the subway: it tells you which line to take, in which direction (Uptown is north and Downtown is south) and whether the train is express or local.
7. Your phone: eSIM and free wifi on the street
In New York you'll use your phone all the time: Google Maps for the subway, tickets with QR codes, restaurant bookings and the TodayTix app. With a European plan, roaming in the US is very expensive, and in my 2014 guide I recommended buying a prepaid SIM card on arrival, which you no longer need to do: the easiest option now is an eSIM: a virtual SIM you buy online and install on your phone before leaving home, by scanning a QR code. When you land, you switch it on in your settings and have data straight away, without looking for a shop or removing your usual SIM (which you can keep active to receive calls and texts from your bank).
The two I recommend, depending on how you use your phone:
- Holafly: unlimited data by the day, around $27.50 a week. It's the easy option if you use your phone a lot (maps, social media, video calls) and don't want to keep an eye on your usage. The downside is you can only share 1 GB a day with other devices.
- Roamless: you pay per gigabyte used, around $2 per GB in the US, and any credit you don't use never expires, so you can spend it on your next trip. It's cheaper if you mostly use maps and WhatsApp.
Both are data only, with no American number, so you make calls via WhatsApp or FaceTime. Before you buy, check that your phone supports eSIM (almost all phones from the last five years do).
And if you run out of data, New York still has free wifi in lots of places. The more than 2,000 LinkNYC kiosks on the pavements, which replaced the old phone booths, offer free wifi and have a socket to charge your phone, and there's wifi in Bryant Park, parts of Central Park and other parks too (full list here).
8. Free things to do in NYC
New York has a reputation as one of the most expensive cities in the world, and it is, but many of its sights cost nothing. This is my list of what you can do for free, most of it included in the itinerary above:
- The Staten Island Ferry, to see the Statue of Liberty for free (day 2).
- Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and strolling through DUMBO and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade (day 5).
- The High Line and Little Island, the two parks on Manhattan's west side (day 4).
- The Intrepid's Pier 86, which you can walk along without paying for the museum (day 4).
- The 9/11 Memorial and the Oculus. The museum is free on Mondays from 5:30 to 7pm (day 2).
- The Whispering Gallery at Grand Central and the guided tours of the Public Library (day 1).
- Central Park, Washington Square Park and the Union Square Greenmarket (days 3 and 6).
- Governors Island, with the free ferry at weekends before 11am (day 7).
- The Brooklyn Museum, free on the evening of the first Saturday of some months, with registration.
- Summer outdoor concerts, theatre and films: SummerStage, Shakespeare in the Park and Monday movie nights in Bryant Park.
And if you'd like to see the city with a local, the Big Apple Greeter volunteers will show you their neighbourhood on a two- to four-hour walk, free and with no tipping. You need to request it three or four weeks in advance and stay at least two nights in the city.
9. Don't fill every hour of the day
Seven days in New York are more tiring than they look (you'll walk more than 15 km a day), so don't fill every hour. The times in the itinerary are a guide: leave gaps to sit on a bench in Central Park or on the steps in Times Square and watch people go by.
And if after a week of city you feel like the opposite, slow travel on foot by the sea, here's how I walked the Camino Portuguese Coastal Route from Baiona to Santiago in six stages.
What not to do in New York as a tourist
After three trips, these are the mistakes I see most often:
- Getting around by cab. I made this mistake myself: with the traffic, the subway works much better and is faster, and from JFK the AirTrain gets you there sooner for a fraction of the price (from JFK to Manhattan).
- Flying with a layover to save a little. A direct flight saves you several hours (how to fly).
- Paying for the ESTA on an unofficial website. They charge double for the same form.
- Forgetting to tip. In a restaurant, 18 to 22%: it isn't optional.
- Going up the Empire State for the skyline photo. The fencing on the deck gets in the way, and the Empire State itself isn't in the shot: for that, go up Top of the Rock.
- Buying the New York Pass without doing the maths. With this itinerary it doesn't pay off.
- Taking cannabis to the airport. It's legal in the city but not for the federal government, and it can cost you your ESTA.
- Filling every hour of the day. You'll walk more than 15 km a day: leave gaps to rest.
Is NYC safe for tourists?
Yes, with the same care you would take in any big city. The New York Police Department (NYPD) figures point the same way: from January to September 2026 the city recorded 203 murders and 489 shootings, the lowest figures on record, and major crime fell 6.6% on the year before[41]. The exception is the subway, where crime has not gone down (0.9% up)[41], so that's where it pays to stay alert.
What I would keep in mind:
- On the subway at night, follow the MTA's own advice: outside rush hour, wait for the train in the marked area of the platform rather than at an empty end, ride in the conductor's car, in the middle of the train, and avoid empty cars[42].
- Pickpockets: wherever there are crowds (Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, the subway at rush hour), keep your wallet in a front pocket and your backpack in front of you or zipped.
- The scam you'll see most is the sellers in Battery Park offering Statue of Liberty tickets: they sell cruises that don't stop at the island. The only official ferry is Statue City Cruises[2] (more on that in day 2). The other one is the websites that charge more for the ESTA: the official one ends in .dhs.gov.
- Parks close at night. Central Park is open from 6am to 1am[43]: in the small hours it's closed.
There is no official list of neighborhoods to avoid, and I'm not going to make one up: every area on this itinerary is busy at almost any hour. At night the rule that works anywhere is the usual one: streets with people and light, and if a platform or a subway car is empty, move. For an emergency, the number is 911.
Frequently asked questions about visiting New York
How many days do you need in New York?
With 7 days you see the main sights without rushing: the itinerary gives each day to a single area (Midtown, Lower Manhattan, Central Park and the Upper West Side, Chelsea, Brooklyn and Downtown) and leaves the seventh free. If you have less time, keep the days for the areas you care about most: each one works on its own.
When is the best time to visit New York?
For me, autumn: September is around 24 degrees and October around 18, with clear days. Spring brings 17 to 22 degrees and the cherry blossoms, summer is around 29 degrees but has free outdoor concerts, and winter is cold (highs of about 4 degrees) but has the cheapest hotels.
Do I need a visa or an ESTA to travel to New York?
If you're a European citizen travelling as a tourist for less than 90 days, you don't need a visa, but you do need an electronic passport[16] (your national ID card won't work) and an approved ESTA. It costs $40.62 since 16 October 2026[17], it's valid for two years[18] and you apply in the official ESTA Mobile app or at esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Without it, the airline won't let you board.
How do you pay for the New York subway?
With OMNY: you tap your contactless card or your phone at the turnstile. Each ride costs $3 and, once you've paid for 12 rides in 7 days, the rest of the week is free, so you never pay more than $35 a week[6]. The MetroCard has not been sold since January 2026.
How much does a week in New York cost, not counting the hotel?
Tickets go from $5 to $10 on the Brooklyn day to more than $80 on the Broadway day, food comes to around $60 to $90 per person per day and transport to $35 a week at most. Add 8.875% sales tax to everything you buy, because it isn't included in the price you see.
How much money do I need for a week in New York?
Not counting flights or the hotel, budget about $750 to $1,050 per person: $250 to $350 in tickets for the whole itinerary, $420 to $630 for food ($60 to $90 a day), $35 at most for transport[6] and $40.62 for the ESTA[17] if you come from a Visa Waiver country. On top of that, add 8.875% sales tax to everything you buy and the tip in restaurants. The breakdown is in how much money you need.
Which airline is better for flying to New York, United or American?
I've flown both, across the Atlantic and within the US, and today I pick United: from Barcelona it flies to Newark on the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner[24], the entertainment and the food are much better, its app is easier to use and on its flights you can use WhatsApp for free, text only[25]. American now gives free wifi to AAdvantage members on most domestic flights, but on almost none of its long-haul planes[26]. I compare them in how to fly to New York.
How long is the flight from Barcelona to New York?
United's nonstop from Barcelona to Newark takes about 8 hours 40 minutes on the way out and about 7 and a half hours on the way back[24], because the wind helps on the return. With a layover the trip gets several hours longer, which is why I always recommend the direct flight.
What is the cheapest month to go to New York?
January and February: hotels are at their cheapest of the year, and that's when Restaurant Week and Broadway Week take place, with set menus and two-for-one musical tickets. The trade-off is the cold, with highs of about 4°C (around 39°F).
Is it rude not to tip in NYC?
Yes. In New York tipping isn't optional, because waiters' wages depend on it. In a restaurant you leave 18 to 22% of the bill, 15 to 20% in a taxi and a dollar or two per drink in a bar. A quick trick: double the 8.875% tax on the receipt and you get almost 18%.
Is NYC safe for tourists?
Yes, with the same care you would take in any big city. According to the NYPD, from January to September 2026 the city recorded 203 murders and 489 shootings, the lowest figures on record[41]. On the subway at night, wait in the marked area of the platform and ride in the conductor's car, in the middle of the train[42]; in crowded places watch out for pickpockets, and don't buy Statue of Liberty tickets from the sellers in Battery Park. More in is NYC safe.
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The hotel (Booking.com) and GetYourGuide links in this guide are affiliate links: if you book through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The official websites are still linked next to them.
Thanks for the article. I found it quite helpful for my lessons. Greetings from Barcelona too
Thanks for the feedback Camilo, really appreciate it :)!