New York City
Price $99
Min age 0
Rating 4.75 / 5 [10937 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Bucket list destination:
New York City, New York, United States of America (USA)
Tourists call it the Big Apple, New Yorkers call it the Capital of the World and that audacity, energy, wealth, power, humour and cosmopolitan pizzazz makes the ‘city that never sleeps’ one of the most exciting destinations on Earth. Few places rival its skyline views, culture and dynamism.
Relieved of much of its previous street crime, New York now inspires city-loving travellers of all ages and tastes, who thrill to its sights, sounds, museums, arts scene, and shopping. It’s unique in the sheer density of skyscrapers crammed into Manhattan and its heritage as a magnet for ambitious immigrants.
Manhattan is the heart of New York and where most visitors spend all their time. It supports spectacular skyscrapers where geologically feasible and distinctive, often-beautiful lower-rise buildings elsewhere.
The city centre is on a grid system with numbered streets running East-West, avenues North-South, making navigation easy. The three main sections are uptown, midtown and downtown, encompassing contrasting ‘neighbourhoods’ linked by the ubiquitous Subway system. The West Village and Lower Manhattan evolved as labyrinths before the grid.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this destination, plus helpful tickets and transfers
New York City
Price $99
Min age 0
Rating 4.75 / 5 [10937 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
New York City
Price $89
Min age 4
Rating 4.89 / 5 [1560 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
New York City
Price $66
Min age 18
Rating 4.52 / 5 [1204 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
New York City
Price $89
Min age 0
Rating 4.59 / 5 [631 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
New York City
Price $39
Min age 0
Rating 4.83 / 5 [556 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Most of New York’s draws – world-class theatre, food, nightlife, and museums – are available all year around of course (and are mainly based inside), but New York has extreme weather that it will still have an impact on your stay and experience.
January and February’s winter weather is brutal, with freezing winds blowing up New York’s avenues, while July and August are unbearably hot and crowded. Come in winter or summer and you’ll spend your entire visit indoors.
May, September and October are glorious times to visit; pleasant sunshine, fewer crowds – it’s when New York’s rooftop bars and sidewalk tables come alive.
New York has three primary airports: John F Kennedy and Newark for international arrivals, LaGuardia for domestic. Fixed taxi fare from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan is about $50, with a tip of 15% and up expected. Other fares not fixed, expect about $70 from Newark, $30 from LaGuardia plus extras. From JFK it’s easy to take the Air Train monorail, linking up with the subway into Manhattan – more walking, takes longer but about $10.
Manhattan is surprisingly easy to navigate, being laid out on a grid system. ‘Avenues’ run north to south, starting with 1st Avenue on the eastern edge, to 10th Avenue on the western edge. 5th Avenue runs down the centre. ‘Streets’ run east to west, starting with 10th Street on the southern, up to 218th street in the far northern tip of the island.
Walking the quickest way to get around – and to discover its many secrets. The subway is cheap, safe and efficient if you don’t want to walk, while the ubiquitous famous yellow taxis are fast, easy to flag (except sometimes rush hour/rain/wee hours), although more expensive.
The subway is efficient and fairly easy to understand too. The hardest part is exiting. It’s often hard to tell, which direction is east, west, uptown or downtown amid the skyscrapers. New Yorkers love giving directions – do ask.
Where you should stay in NYC depends on the experiences you are seeking. For hip and cool restaurants, nightlife and shopping, head to Soho or Meatpacking, both of which are central to most of the best attractions. For an edgier, alternative scene, plum for the East Village. For Central Park and 5th Avenue shopping, the Upper West side, home to the city’s young professionals, or Midtown East are your best bets.
Avoid anywhere near Times Square, and even better centrally between 26th and 46th streets. These are horrid parts: dark, dirty, noisy and crammed with bad restaurants and cramped hotels.