Home › New York › How many days
How many days in New York? 5 days, borough by borough
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Give New York five days. Manhattan alone has four distinct days in it, from the harbour to Harlem, and the fifth belongs to Brooklyn. Plan by neighbourhood from south to north: the subway is fast north-south and slow east-west, so a day that crosses the island twice wastes an hour underground.
Short answer
Three days covers Lower Manhattan, Midtown and Central Park with one museum. Five days adds the West Side, Brooklyn and an evening at a Broadway show without rushing.
The 5-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Lower Manhattan and the harbour
Morning. Take the first Statue Cruises ferry from Battery Park (around 8:30-9:00; about $25, with Ellis Island included). Pedestal and crown access sell out weeks ahead. Allow 4-5 hours for both islands.
Afternoon. Walk 15 minutes to the 9/11 Memorial pools (free) and the 9/11 Museum (about $33, timed). Then walk past Wall Street and the Charging Bull to the Oculus transport hub.
Evening. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset: 2 km and about 35 minutes from City Hall, with the skyline behind you. Get pizza in DUMBO under the bridge and take the ferry or subway back.
The Staten Island Ferry is free, runs 24 hours from Whitehall terminal and passes the Statue of Liberty. It is the best free view in the city if you do not need to land on Liberty Island.
Day 2: Midtown: Grand Central to Times Square
Morning. Start at Grand Central Terminal (free), with its painted ceiling of the zodiac and the whispering gallery outside the Oyster Bar. Walk 10 minutes to the New York Public Library and Bryant Park, then up Fifth Avenue to St Patrick's Cathedral.
Afternoon. Visit MoMA on 53rd Street (about $30) for Van Gogh's Starry Night and Warhol's soup cans; allow 2-3 hours. Then go up Top of the Rock (about $40), whose view includes the Empire State Building, or one of the newer decks: Edge or Summit One Vanderbilt.
Evening. Buy same-day Broadway tickets at the TKTS booth in Times Square, often 30-50% off, or enter digital lotteries in the morning. See Times Square once, lit up, and eat in Hell's Kitchen on Ninth Avenue rather than on the square.
Sit-down restaurants expect a tip of 18-20% of the pre-tax bill; it is part of the waiter's wage, not optional.
Day 3: Central Park and the Met
Morning. Enter Central Park at 59th Street and walk north past the Pond, the Mall and Bethesda Terrace to Bow Bridge, about 45 minutes at a stroll. Rent a rowing boat at the Loeb Boathouse in season.
Afternoon. The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street charges about $30 for visitors from outside New York State. Do not try to see it all: the Egyptian Temple of Dendur, the European paintings and the roof garden in summer take 3 hours.
Evening. Walk across the park to the Upper West Side, or take the subway to Harlem for soul food and live jazz at Minton's Playhouse or Smoke on Broadway.
The Met and the Guggenheim are a 6-minute walk apart on Museum Mile; the Guggenheim's spiral is worth seeing even if you only go in for an hour.
Day 4: The West Side: High Line, Chelsea and the Village
Morning. Walk the High Line, a park on a disused freight railway 9 metres above the street, from Hudson Yards down to Gansevoort Street (2.3 km, about 45 minutes, free). Stop at the Vessel from outside.
Afternoon. Lunch at Chelsea Market (tacos, lobster rolls, Thai), then walk 15 minutes into the West Village: Bleecker Street, the brownstones of Grove Street, and Washington Square Park.
Evening. Dinner in the Village or the Lower East Side. Katz's Delicatessen on East Houston Street has served pastrami since 1888; a sandwich is about $30 and big enough for two.
The High Line opens at 7:00. Go before 10:00 on weekends; by noon it moves at a shuffle.
Day 5: Brooklyn
Morning. Take the subway to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (cherry blossom in late April), then the Brooklyn Museum next door.
Afternoon. Ride the L train to Williamsburg for vintage shops on Bedford Avenue and, on Saturdays from April to October, the Smorgasburg food market by the East River.
Evening. Watch the sunset over Manhattan from Domino Park or the East River State Park in Williamsburg, then take the NYC Ferry back to Manhattan ($4.50) for the skyline at night.
OMNY lets you tap the same card or phone on subways and buses; after 12 paid rides in 7 days, the rest of the week is free.
Only have 3 days?
With 3 days, do Day 1, then Midtown in the morning of Day 2 with Central Park in the afternoon, and use Day 3 for the Met and the High Line. You lose Brooklyn and MoMA.
Got extra days?
Extra days can go to the Bronx (the New York Botanical Garden, Arthur Avenue's Italian food), Coney Island in summer, or a train up the Hudson to Dia Beacon, about 1h30 from Grand Central.
Where to stay in New York
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Long Island City (Queens) | One subway stop from Midtown, skyline views, much cheaper hotels. | $180-260 |
| Mid-range | Midtown West / Hell's Kitchen | Walk to Times Square, Broadway and Central Park, many subway lines. | $260-400 |
| Mid-range | Lower East Side / Williamsburg | Nightlife and food, quick trains to Lower Manhattan. | $240-380 |
| Comfort | SoHo / Greenwich Village | The best-looking streets in Manhattan, boutique hotels. | $450-800 |
Getting around
Tap a contactless card or phone with OMNY at subway gates and on buses: about $2.90 a ride, and after 12 rides in a week the rest is free. Avenues are long: walking between avenues takes 4-5 minutes per block, but north-south streets go by in about 1 minute each. From JFK, the AirTrain plus subway costs about $11 and takes about an hour; yellow cabs charge a flat fare of about $70 to Manhattan plus tolls and tip.
Best time to visit
April to June and September to early November are best, with highs of 16-26°C; autumn leaves peak in Central Park in late October and early November. July and August are hot and humid (around 29-30°C). December has Christmas windows and the Rockefeller Center tree but is the most expensive month; January and February are cold and cheapest.
Month-by-month weather for New York →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | $100 | $170 | $330 |
| Food & drink (with tips) | $45 | $90 | $180 |
| Sights & tickets | $25 | $50 | $90 |
| Local transport | $6 | $9 | $40 |
| Total per person, per day | about $175 | about $320 | about $640 |
Approximate 2026 prices in US dollars. Hotel prices exclude New York's hotel taxes of roughly 15% plus a fixed charge per room per night; prices in shops and restaurants exclude sales tax.
Before you go
Common questions
Is a CityPASS or Go City pass worth it?
For 5 days with MoMA, the Met, the 9/11 Museum and an observation deck, a 4-5 attraction pass usually saves 30-40%. Check which version includes the specific attractions you want.
How much should I tip?
18-20% at sit-down restaurants, $1-2 a drink in bars, 15-20% for taxis, and a few dollars a night for hotel housekeeping.
Is the subway safe?
It carries millions of people a day and is generally safe. Late at night, ride in the conductor's car in the middle of the train and stay in busy stations.
Which observation deck is best?
Top of the Rock for the classic view including the Empire State Building, Summit One Vanderbilt for mirrored rooms, Edge for its glass floor. One is enough.
How this guide was made
Written by hand, without AI, from experience planning New York trips. Prices are approximate for 2026 in US dollars; confirm on the official Statue City Cruises, 9/11 Memorial, Met, MoMA and MTA websites before booking.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan may earn a commission; the price you pay is the same. How we make money.