Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.05 Days in New York City: Icons, Brooklyn & a Queens Food Crawl
Five days in New York City covers the icons first — the Statue of Liberty ferry, the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial and the museums of Museum Mile — then crosses the river for a full Brooklyn day, from the bridge walk to Williamsburg. The finale is a Queens food crawl through Flushing's soup dumplings and hand-pulled noodles, Jackson Heights' momos and tacos, and Astoria's tavernas, ending at the Saturday Night Market. The plan re-plans itself around how you travel — your style, pace and budget.
Pick a style, a budget and a pace — the route and days below re-plan themselves.
14 stops · 10 meals · 1 hotelThis is the editor’s pick.
5 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.
- Day 1Midtown Manhattan: The Empire State Building & Grand Central Terminal
- Day 2Lower Manhattan: The Statue of Liberty ferry & the 9/11 Memorial
- Day 3Central Park and the Upper East Side: The Met & Bethesda Terrace
- Day 4Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Bridge walk & the Brooklyn Heights Promenade
- Day 5Queens: The Queens Museum & the Queens Night Market
The Art Deco icon: open-air 86th-floor deck and glass 102nd-floor observatory, open 365 days. On clear days you can see six states.
- Book online in advance; the deck runs 9am to midnight, 365 days a year.
Classic foldable New York slices at the Times Square location of the 1975 original.
- Cash and card; slices are big enough to fold.
The lion-guarded Beaux-Arts library with the stunning Rose Main Reading Room.
- Free entry — the Rose Reading Room is the must-see.
A Beaux-Arts cathedral of a train station: the celestial ceiling, the whispering gallery, the dining concourse. Free to enter.
- Stand in the whispering gallery and have someone whisper across the arches.
- Two Beaux-Arts icons seven minutes apart: the whispering gallery at Grand Central, then the Rose Reading Room.
Build-your-own meatball bowls, heroes, and sliders.
- Pick a ball, a sauce, and a base.
A 1908 sailors' hotel in the West Village with tiny cabin rooms. Confirm it's still operating before you book.
The 100th–102nd floor decks of One World Trade Center, with panoramic harbor views and a 47-second Sky Pod ride up.
- Book timed tickets; ride the Sky Pod — 102 floors in 47 seconds.
Twin reflecting pools set in the tower footprints, with a museum chronicling September 11 beneath them. Heavy, essential, done right.
- The memorial is free; the museum needs timed tickets.
- The memorial pools and the observatory share the plaza — do the memorial first, then ride the Sky Pod up 102 floors in 47 seconds.
The 1762 tavern where Washington bid farewell to his officers — now a restaurant and museum.
- The upstairs museum covers Revolutionary War history.
The ferry from Battery Park to Liberty Island and Ellis Island: the crown, the museum, the harbor.
- Crown tickets sell out months ahead — book early and go in the morning.
Italian food hall at the World Trade Center: restaurants, markets, a rooftop with harbor views.
- Multiple counters — the rooftop has harbor views.
Stay put: ~22 min by subway back from the Statue of Liberty ferry tonight, ~27 min by subway to Bethesda Terrace in the morning.
The park's heart: Bethesda Fountain, the tiled terrace, the rowboat lake, and cast-iron Bow Bridge.
- Rowboats rent by the hour at the Loeb Boathouse — mornings are best.
A stretch
Iconic lakeside restaurant on Central Park's Lake at E 72nd, with an outdoor patio and rowboat dock.
- Sunday brunch is popular; reservations open 21 days ahead.
5,000 years of art from Egyptian temples to the American Wing, plus a seasonal rooftop with park views.
- The rooftop opens seasonally; NY residents pay what they wish.
Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral: six stories of modern and contemporary art.
- Start at the top of the ramp and walk down.
New England seafood at 75th and Columbus: lobster rolls, oysters, daily happy hour.
- Happy hour 4:30–6pm daily — famed lobster rolls and oysters.
Stay put: ~33 min by subway back from the Guggenheim tonight, ~21 min by subway to the Brooklyn Bridge walk in the morning.
The 1883 bridge's pedestrian path from Manhattan to Brooklyn, with unbeatable skyline views.
- Walk Manhattan to Brooklyn in the morning for the light — stay on the pedestrian side.
Maine-style seafood shack in the historic Smokestack Building beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, with an East River patio.
- Walk-ins only, open daily 11am–8pm; voted New York's best lobster roll.
Cobblestone streets under the Manhattan Bridge, with 85 acres of waterfront park along the East River.
- The Washington Street bridge view is the classic photo.
The cliffside esplanade with the definitive Manhattan skyline panorama.
- Come at sunset, when the skyline lights up.
- DUMBO's bridge views by day, the Promenade's sunset panorama across the river — one waterfront evening.
Mexican in DUMBO next to Grimaldi's: tacos, guacamole, margaritas, and a bridge-view garden.
- The garden has Brooklyn Bridge views in warmer months.
Stay put: ~25 min by subway back from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade tonight, ~62 min by subway to the Queens Night Market in the morning.
Corona tortilla factory and cafe grinding its own nixtamal — featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
- Tacos al pastor and pozole; about a 10-minute walk from the Queens Museum.
Saturday nights behind the New York Hall of Science: 100+ food, art and merch vendors from dozens of countries.
- Free admission — arrive between 4 and 6pm; crowds peak after sunset.
- Do the Corona pair in one outing: tacos at the tortilla factory, then the Night Market for grazing. The market runs Saturdays only, 4pm–midnight, mid-April through October.
In the 1964 World's Fair's New York City Building, home to the Panorama: a 9,335-square-foot model of all five boroughs.
- The 1:1,200 Panorama of the five boroughs was built for the 1964 World's Fair.
Beloved Woodside Thai restaurant with a huge regional menu and garden patio.
- Khao soi and the crispy watercress salad — expect a line at peak times.
Stay put: ~64 min by subway back from the Queens Museum tonight, ~62 min by subway to the Queens Night Market in the morning.
Where to stay in New York City
Ranked for first-timer travelers on a comfortable budget. The places this plan sleeps in come first.
The Jane Hotel
A 1908 sailors' hotel in the West Village with tiny cabin rooms. Confirm it's still operating before you book.
The Lucerne
Upper West Side boutique hotel near the Museum of Natural History.
Hotel Wales
Carnegie Hill boutique hotel near the Met. Confirm it's still operating before you book.
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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