City guide

New York

April to June and September to November for mild weather and manageable crowds; August is humid and sticky, and January to February is cold with grey skies, though hotel prices drop thenBest time

United StatesRegion

New York never quite settles: yellow cabs cut through steam vents on Seventh Avenue while a block over a violinist busks outside a bodega that's been there since 1974. It's the five boroughs' worth of contradictions packed into one skyline — Wall Street suits and Bushwick muralists riding the same subway car. Every neighbourhood is its own small city, from the Dominican bakeries of Washington Heights to the sample sales of SoHo, and the whole thing runs on a 24-hour subway that never quite stops moving.

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About New York

Country: United StatesTime zone: UTC-5

New YorkSee what's on

The vibe & who it suits

Best forfirst-time visitors chasing the classic skyline-and-Broadway experience, and repeat visitors digging into borough neighbourhoods

When to goApril to June and September to November for mild weather and manageable crowds; August is humid and sticky, and January to February is cold with grey skies, though hotel prices drop then

Getting aroundthe subway runs 24/7 and is by far the cheapest way to cover ground, though it's crowded, occasionally delayed, and stations can be hot and dated; walking is realistic within Manhattan neighbourhoods; yellow cabs and rideshare cover the gaps, especially late at night or to the outer boroughs

Where to stayGreenwich Village for tree-lined, walkable charm with easy A/C/E subway access; Williamsburg in Brooklyn for a cheaper, younger base with quick L-train hops into Manhattan; Upper West Side for a quieter, residential feel near Central Park and the museums

Maybe skip ifbudget travellers — hotels, food and tickets add up fast, and the subway can be genuinely grim in summer heat or after midnight

Top things to do in New York

The most popular sights, with 2026 entrance fees. Prices are adult admission — cheapest at the gate. Many of the best things are free.

Attraction	Entrance	Time	Why go
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island	$26	3-4 hours including both islands	Neoclassical copper statue on Liberty Island gifted by France in 1886, paired with the Ellis Island immigration museum reached by the same ferry; both sites were the arrival point for over 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954.
Times Square	Free	1 hour	Neon-lit commercial intersection at Broadway and 7th Avenue that anchors the Theater District, known for large advertising screens and the annual New Year's Eve ball drop.
Central Park	Free	2-4 hours	843-acre landscaped park in the middle of Manhattan, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1858, containing lakes, walking paths, a zoo, and several small museums.
Empire State Building	$44	1-1.5 hours	102-story Art Deco skyscraper completed in 1931 with indoor and outdoor observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors overlooking Manhattan.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art	$30	2-3 hours	Encyclopedic art museum on Fifth Avenue with a permanent collection exceeding two million works spanning 5,000 years, including the Temple of Dendur and an arms-and-armor collection.
9/11 Memorial & Museum	Varies	2-3 hours	Twin reflecting pools set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers, paired with an underground museum documenting the September 11, 2001 and 1993 World Trade Center attacks.
Brooklyn Bridge	Free	1-1.5 hours one-way on foot	Hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge completed in 1883 connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, with a pedestrian promenade offering views of the East River and Lower Manhattan skyline.
Top of the Rock Observation Deck	Varies	1 hour	Three-tiered observation deck atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza with unobstructed views that include the Empire State Building and Central Park.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)	$30	2-3 hours	Modern and contemporary art museum in Midtown holding works including Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.