Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.03 Days in New York City with Kids: Parks, Museums & Big-Apple Classics
Three days in New York with the family: day one on the Midtown classics — Times Square, the Empire State Building, and a Broadway show; day two downtown for Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty ferry; day three in Queens for the Panorama museum, a $12 Indian buffet lunch, and the Saturday night market. The plan re-plans itself around how your family travels — swap museums for playgrounds or matinees for ballgames without breaking the day.
Pick a style, a budget and a pace — the route and days below re-plan themselves.
6 stops · 6 meals · 1 hotelThis is the editor’s pick.
3 days
Each day takes one part of New York City, kept close so you walk more than you ride. The map shows the whole route — pick a day to zoom in.
A bustling taco counter with handmade tortillas — a Times Square standout. Order the adobada pork taco, the signature, and keep everyone moving; this is fast, cheap, and excellent.
The one place every kid wants to see. Go early, before the crowds thicken — and swing by the TKTS booth at 47th & Broadway for same-day discounted show tickets. Come back after dark, when the billboards burn brightest; it's free either way.
- Come after dark, when the billboards are brightest — and it's free to visit.
- Tacos between the billboards and the show: the adobada counter is three minutes from the TKTS booth.
An Art Deco giant with an open-air 86th-floor deck and a glass 102nd-floor observatory. It runs 9am to midnight, 365 days a year, with tickets from $44 — book online in advance so nobody queues with tired legs. On clear days you can see six states.
- Book tickets online in advance; they start at $44.
Family-style Italian in giant portions — two to three per plate — a pre-theater favorite. Reserve ahead; it fills with show crowds.
A compact micro-hotel in Times Square with a rooftop bar. Small rooms — fine for a crash pad, tight for a family. The rooftop has Times Square views.
The Times Square outpost of the 1975 original: classic foldable New York slices. Big enough to fold, priced for a family — the perfect pre-show fuel.
Manhattan's tip: harbor views, the SeaGlass Carousel, and the ferry terminal for the Statue of Liberty. Build in buffer time — ferries to Liberty Island depart from here, and the carousel is the perfect post-ferry treat.
- Ferries to the Statue of Liberty depart from here — arrive early.
The ferry from Battery Park to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, with crown and museum access. Crown tickets sell out months ahead — book the moment you know your dates. Go in the morning to beat the crowds.
- Crown tickets sell out months ahead; book early, and go in the morning.
- Ferries to Liberty Island leave from Battery Park — arrive early, then reward the kids with the SeaGlass Carousel on return.
An American brasserie with a huge menu and late hours. Good for groups and indecisive eaters; the menu covers every craving.
Stay put: ~33 min by subway back from the Statue of Liberty tonight, ~55 min by subway to the Queens Night Market in the morning.
A Jackson Heights Indian institution since 1980. The $12 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet — about 20 dishes — is the family value play. Open 11-9:30.
An open-air Saturday night market behind the New York Hall of Science: 100+ food, art and merchandise vendors from dozens of countries. Free admission; arrive between 4 and 6pm for the shortest lines. Seasonal — runs mid-April through October, pausing for the US Open.
Home of the Panorama of the City of New York — a 9,335-square-foot scale model of all five boroughs built for the 1964 World's Fair. Kids spend an hour finding their hotel. Open Wed-Sun 11-5; children 18 and under are free.
Jackson Heights Nepali spot, four-time winner of the Queens Momo Crawl. The jhol momo is the signature; sel roti is a $1.50 snack. Open 8am-11pm.
Stay put: ~59 min by subway back from the Queens Museum tonight, ~55 min by subway to the Queens Night Market in the morning.
Where to stay in New York City
Ranked for family travelers on a comfortable budget. The places this plan sleeps in come first.
Pod Times Square
A compact micro-hotel in Times Square with a rooftop bar. Small rooms — fine for a crash pad, tight for a family. The rooftop has Times Square views.
Hotel Beacon
Upper West Side hotel with kitchenettes in every room, near Central Park. The family pick: cook breakfast, walk to the museum and the park.
The Lucerne
An Upper West Side boutique near the Natural History Museum — steps from the 79th St subway and the park. The museum-trip base.
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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- Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.05 days
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