Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.01 Day in New York City: The Icons in One Packed Day
One packed day across New York City's essential icons: the Statue of Liberty in the morning, the 9/11 Memorial and Wall Street at midday, Midtown's observatories and Grand Central in the afternoon, Central Park, and Times Square after dark. The plan re-plans itself around your style, pace, and budget.
Pick a style, a budget and a pace — the route and days below re-plan themselves.
3 stops · 2 meals · 1 hotelThis is the editor’s pick.
Art Deco icon with open-air 86th-floor and glass 102nd-floor observatories. Open 365 days, 9am to midnight, with 360-degree views.
- Tickets start at $44 — book online in advance to skip the line.
Beaux-Arts train station with a celestial ceiling, whispering gallery, and dining concourse. Free to wander; come at midday when light hits the concourse.
Times Square's best slice: big, foldable, cheap. The 1975 original done right.
The 'Crossroads of the World': towering billboards, Broadway theaters, round-the-clock crowds. Come after dark when the lights blaze — and keep moving.
- Grab same-day discounted Broadway tickets at the TKTS booth at 47th & Broadway.
Lidia Bastianich's Theater District Italian. The three-pasta Sinfonia di Paste is a great deal.
Compact micro-hotel in Times Square with a rooftop bar. Small rooms, great location for a one-night stay.
Where to stay in New York City
Ranked for first-timer travelers on a comfortable budget. The places this plan sleeps in come first.
Pod Times Square
Compact micro-hotel in Times Square with a rooftop bar. Small rooms, great location for a one-night stay.
The Jane Hotel
1908 sailors' hotel with tiny cabin rooms in the West Village.
The Lucerne
Upper West Side boutique near the Museum of Natural History, steps from the 79th St subway.
Flights to New York City
Fly into JFK (JFK)
Flight results via Travelpayouts — we may earn a commission on bookings.
Getting around New York City
How to actually move around the city — transit, rideshare, bikes, and taxis.
Public transit
The subway runs 24/7 and is the fastest way across town; buses fill the gaps. Tap to pay with OMNY.
- OMNY tap-to-go on the subway
Subway and local buses cost $3.00 per ride; tap a contactless card, phone, or OMNY card at the turnstile. Transfers between subway and bus are free. After 12 paid rides within 7 days using the same payment method, the rest of the week's rides are free (7-day fare cap, $35).
Tip: Use the same card or phone every tap so the 12-ride fare cap tracks you; single-ride tickets cost $3.50 and don't count.
- JFK AirTrain
From JFK, the AirTrain ($8.75) connects all terminals to Jamaica station (E/J/Z trains and LIRR to Penn Station or Grand Central) and to Howard Beach (A train). Pay with any contactless card, phone, or OMNY card; the subway leg onward costs $3.00.
Tip: For the fastest airport-to-Manhattan trip, take the AirTrain to Jamaica and switch to the LIRR (about 20 minutes to Grand Central).
- LaGuardia via the free Q70 bus
LaGuardia has no rail link; the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus runs free between all LGA terminals and the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av subway station (7/E/F/M/R), about 30-45 minutes to Midtown for one $3.00 subway fare.
Tip: The planned AirTrain to LaGuardia was cancelled, so plan on the Q70 + subway; it's luggage-rack equipped.
Rideshare
App-based cars are everywhere and usually faster than a cab outside Manhattan. Expect surge pricing at rush hour and late nights.
- Uber
Uber operates citywide across all five boroughs with upfront pricing shown before you book. Expect surge pricing at rush hour and late nights, when the subway is usually cheaper for short hops.
Tip: Tipping 15-20% in the app is the expected norm; drivers rate riders, and cash isn't needed.
- Lyft
Lyft operates citywide across all five boroughs with upfront pricing, and its app can also hail yellow taxis through the Curb partnership. Like Uber, prices rise at peak times.
Tip: You can hail a yellow cab inside the Lyft app via its Curb partnership and still get Lyft's upfront pricing and in-app tipping.
Bikes
The city is flat and the densest sights sit within a few miles; bikeshare beats a cab for short hops below Central Park.
- Citi Bike
Lyft-operated bikeshare with stations across all five boroughs, 24/7. A day pass ($25) buys unlimited 30-minute classic-bike rides for 24 hours; e-bikes cost extra per minute (27 cents/min for members, more for pass holders). Get the pass in the Citi Bike or Lyft app.
Tip: E-bike overage racks up fast: dock within 30 minutes or grab another bike.
Taxis
Iconic and plentiful in Manhattan; elsewhere you'll usually wait less for an app car.
- Yellow cabs and the Curb app
Yellow cabs are the only cars allowed to pick up street hails anywhere in the city; hail by raising a hand or book through the Curb app for upfront pricing. Street hails run on the meter. Green boro taxis serve northern Manhattan and the outer boroughs at the same metered fares.
Tip: Tip 15-20% on the metered fare at the back-seat touchscreen; cards are accepted in every cab.
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