• Broadway Shows and Times Square

  Tickets are typically steep, but you won’t regret it; the talent on stage is astonishing. Broadway theaters thread through Times Square, its crowded pedestrian plazas another galaxy of entertainment. Try to linger among the bright lights until 11:57 p.m. for Midnight Moment, when more than 90 electronic billboards blossom into art for three minutes.

  Tip: There are no extra fees if you buy tickets in person at the box office. For discounts, consult Playbill’s online guide to rush, lottery and standing-room offers. Or try the TKTS booth in Times Square, where discounted tickets come with a $8 fee.

• Museum Mile

  The Met museum’s 1.5 million objects span 5,000 years of human creativity. Stroll north on Fifth Avenue to the architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, the gracefully spiraling Guggenheim. Farther up is the Cooper Hewitt, a trove of design; the Jewish Museum, devoted to Jewish art and culture; the marvelous Museum of the City of New York; and El Museo del Barrio, a pageant of Latino talent.

  Tip: Avoid the Met’s long front-step lines by using the ground-level entrance near East 81st Street. Closed Wednesdays.

• Ferries and Cruises

  A free, misty ride on the Staten Island Ferry sails past the Statue of Liberty, even more pleasurable with a beer from the recently reopened bars. The NYC Ferry zips to all five boroughs for $4.50 per ride. Circle Line cruises also offer exceptional views.

  Tip: If you’re feeling adventurous once you disembark on Staten Island, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, an 83-acre haven established in the 1800s for “aged, decrepit and worn-out sailors,” is a 14-minute bus ride or a 43-minute walk from the ferry terminal.

• Central Park

  This 843-acre sanctuary, bordered by Manhattan skyscrapers, feels like a lovely green island. Pick your al fresco endeavor, from looping around the Reservoir to picnicking in the Sheep Meadow. Rent a boat at the Lake, or explore the Ramble’s wooded paths. Pedicab tours are available for those with mobility needs. For guided tours, outdoor concerts and theater, view the event calendar.

• Harlem

  In the heart of Black America’s cultural capital, the Studio Museum in Harlem champions works by Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett and others. Join a walking tour to the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church and Apollo Theater. For Sunday gospel, the downstairs venue at the chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem features a buffet of comfort food and a choir. Combos often perform in the vibrant main dining room.

• Jackson Heights Food Tour

  Bagels are a New York classic and so are empanadas, dosas and dumplings. Get a taste of them in Jackson Heights, Queens, a polyglot neighborhood where it’s said 160 languages are spoken within one square mile. Eat Your World’s three-hour walking tour, led by a local food expert, guides you to the most intoxicating Indian, Bangladeshi, Tibetan, Nepali and Colombian specialties ($80).

• Chelsea Circuit

  The High Line is a West Side knockout, an elevated, walkable greenway that once carried freight trains. Near its southern entrance is the magical Little Island, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the enticing Chelsea Market and the Standard Biergarten, with communal tables. Contemporary art galleries lace the neighborhood. Heading north on the High Line leads to the chef José Andrés’s excellent Mercado Little Spain.

• Observation decks

  The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock in Midtown are classics. Something more cutting-edge? One World Observatory, in Lower Manhattan, has a 47-second SkyPod elevator to the 102nd floor. In Hudson Yards, Edge NYC’s protruding, glass-floored deck is thrilling. SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, by Grand Central Terminal, is an immersive experience.

• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

  Showcasing music, theater, film, opera and dance, this world-renowned arts hub on the Upper West Side of Manhattan lures the best artists on the planet. Even its fountain in the plaza performs water shows. Outdoor summertime events are free or choose-what-you-pay.

• New York Botanical Garden

  This 250-acre haven in the Bronx is a riot of flowers and rare species. Meander through the verdant conservatory and outdoor paths that reveal captivating waterfalls and old-growth forest. The spring Orchid Show and the wintry Holiday Train Show are annual spectacles.

• Museum of Modern Art

  Trailblazing shows shimmer every season, and the Sculpture Garden is a restful retreat to digest the visual feast of art and elements of design on display. All-stars (Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso) and on-the-rise artists are often in rotation, making each visit feel fresh. Open daily.

• The Frick Collection

  This Gilded Age mansion’s Old Master art collection includes breathtaking paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, Velázquez and Holbein, among others. Its yearslong renovation opened up the previously off-limits second-floor family rooms reached via a baronial staircase. Children under 10 are not admitted. Closed Tuesdays.

• Sports

  Considering the season and your budget, buy tickets for the Knicks, the Yankees, the Brooklyn Nets, the Liberty, the Giants or the U.S. Open. No luck? Fans throng umpteen bars, including FancyFree, in Brooklyn, where Spike Lee and Mayor Zohran Mamdani often root for Arsenal.

• Brooklyn Bridge

  Manhattan’s downtown skyline dazzles from this 1.1-mile suspension bridge spanning the East River. Workaday pedestrians and cyclists make it a teeming crossroads. Take the F line to Brooklyn’s York Street or the A/C to High Street, and walk back. Off-peak hours are best.

• Grand Central Terminal

  This Beaux-Arts masterwork, with its zodiac ceiling of gold-leaf constellations, is a beauty. Tell a secret in the whispering gallery, savor shellfish pan roast at the Oyster Bar and knock back a cocktail in the elegant Campbell bar. There’s also a lower-level food court.

• 9/11 Memorial & Museum

  Within the footprint of where terrorists brought down the World Trade Center and nearly 3,000 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, this sobering memorial promotes understanding of that day through heart-rending artifacts, documentary videos and first-person testimony.

• Pizza

  You don’t have to like pizza to visit New York, but it helps. Many Brooklynites revere the crunchy Sicilian-style squares at L&B Spumoni Gardens. Roberta’s, another Brooklyn-based darling, helped jumpstart a craze for innovative toppings. Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria, in Astoria, Queens, has to-die-for clam pie. For more, The Times compiled a mouthwatering list.

How to Walk Like a New Yorker

This is a walking city, so follow some basic rules to join the flow. New Yorkers in a hurry grumble at obstacles that slow them down — people on the sidewalk ambling three abreast or stopping dead in their tracks to look at their devices or snap a photo. At the top or bottom of the subway stairs, step to the right. Jaywalking is common, but be sure to look both ways because cyclists and delivery workers often speed the wrong way to save time.

• Williamsburg, Brooklyn

  Brand-name stores and banks have invaded eclectic Williamsburg, but pockets of funkiness prevail in its low-slung, sun-splashed buildings. Bedford Avenue, Driggs Avenue and their arteries are freckled with graffiti, vintage stores, record shops, independent cafes and bars. Snazzy hotels with rooftop bars are mostly on the fringe.

  Best for: food lovers, shopping mavens, college students, tech travelers
  Where to stay: The Penny ($$), Wythe Hotel ($$$)
  Things to do: Artists & Fleas Market, The City Reliquary, Brooklyn Bowl, McCarren Park
  Where to eat and drink: The Four Horsemen ($$), Laser Wolf ($$$), Maison Premiere ($$), sister restaurants Lilia ($$$) and Misi ($$)

• Flushing, Queens

  English is infrequently spoken on downtown sidewalks, save for the chatter of visitors on the hunt for exciting Asian eats. Spots featuring the foods of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Vietnam, Korea and Taiwan are honeycombed around Main Street and Prince Street. It’s a fascinating, cacophonous experience. The Mets play at nearby Citi Field.

  Best for: gastronomes, anime enthusiasts and Mets fans
  Where to stay: Renaissance New York Flushing Hotel at Tangram ($$)
  Things to do: Tangram mall, vast and glossy, with a food court, retail shops, a cinema and Kokoro Cat Cafe, if you want to play with cats
  Where to eat and drink: JuQi ($$), Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao ($$), Bao’s Pastry ($), Rainbow Bakery ($)

• West Village, Manhattan

  Its leafy tangle of streets, enchanting townhouses and brownstones make you fantasize about relocating, or rewatching “Sex and the City” to glimpse the fictional exterior of Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment at 66 Perry Street. The Stonewall Inn and Julius’ Bar remain stalwarts of gay culture. Off-Broadway venues — Lucille Lortel, Minetta Lane, Cherry Lane — mount compelling theater. Cute restaurants, shops and bars are around practically every corner.

  Best for: bon vivants, romantics, creatives, L.G.B.T.Q.
  Where to stay: The Marlton ($$$), The Walker ($$$)
  Things to do: Comedy Cellar, Marie’s Crisis Café, Three Lives & Company Booksellers
  Where to eat and drink: Minetta Tavern ($$$), Pommes Frites ($), sister restaurants Via Carota ($$$) and I Sodi ($$$), The Clam ($$), Little Branch ($$)

• Dumbo, Brooklyn

  The warehouse facades of this cobblestoned enclave endure, the interiors rehabbed into offices, luxury apartments and attention-grabbing markets. If you must post on social media, strike a pose at the popular Washington and Water intersection to capture the Manhattan Bridge framing the Empire State Building. Nearby is Brooklyn Bridge Park, where formerly industrial piers are now home to bucolic green spaces and sports of all sorts.

  Best for: outdoorsy types, influencers, urban explorers
  Where to stay: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge ($$$)
  Things to do: St. Ann’s Warehouse, Powerhouse Arena
  Where to eat and drink: Time Out Market New York ($), Barbuto Brooklyn ($$$), Jacques Torres Chocolate ($), Juliana’s Pizza ($$)

• Lower East Side/Chinatown, Manhattan

  What would immigrant families of the past, crammed into narrow tenements, think of the Lower East Side today? Maybe that things change. It’s party central for young people, though old-school residents hold fast, cultivating community gardens and maintaining mom-and-pop businesses. The Bowery, one of the city’s oldest thoroughfares, and other lively streets bleed into Little Italy and Chinatown, resulting in a fusion of tantalizing foods.

  Best for: nightlife seekers, food lovers, college students
  Where to stay: Public hotel ($$$), Moxy Lower East Side ($$)
  Things to do: New Museum, Economy Candy, Di Palo’s, Metrograph cinema
  Where to eat and drink: Kisa ($$), Bar Contra ($$), Wu’s Wonton King ($), Subject ($$), 169 Bar ($)

• SoHo, Manhattan

  The cast-iron buildings of SoHo (south of Houston — HOW-stun — not like the city in Texas) cradle some surviving contemporary art galleries, but now it’s more stores galore. High-end chains, famous designers and bespoke craftspeople brighten West Broadway, Mercer, Greene, Wooster, Prince and Spring Streets, where you’ll also find many tempting restaurants and cafes.

  Best for: fashionistas, food lovers, business travelers
  Where to stay: SoHo Grand Hotel ($$$)
  Things to do: Walter De Maria’s The Broken Kilometer and The New York Earth Room (free), The Drawing Center (free)
  Where to eat and drink: Balthazar ($$$), Raoul’s ($$$), Dominique Ansel Bakery ($$), Milady’s ($$), Fanelli Café ($)

Four Million People Ride the Subway Daily, and You Can Too

The city’s extensive subway system costs $3, covering 665 miles of track and 472 stations. It runs 24 hours a day, a rarity in the world. It is the speediest way to get around, though not always perfect, and it’s statistically safe; the police reported that 2025 had the lowest overall crime rate since 2009 (excluding the pandemic years). As in other large American cities, there are often homeless people on the trains or platforms. Locals generally give them some space or sometimes spare change. Numbered and lettered subway routes are color-coded. It’s key to know if you want to go uptown or downtown or take a local or express train. Download the MTA app for service updates.

• The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum

  This Queens museum and sculpture garden spotlights minimalist art and meditative spaces. The museum is dedicated to Isamu Noguchi, one of the most successful 20th-century artists, and his influence across sculpture, public art, design and architecture is felt both indoors and out.

• Tenement Museum

  Book ahead for guided apartment tours or Lower East Side walking tours (which often sell out) to learn the poignant, heartbreaking, inspiring, true stories of immigrants seeking new lives in New York City from the 1860s on.

• Rockaway Beach

  Immortalized by the Ramones, this Queens peninsula is a surfer and sunbather hub. Take the A train or L.I.R.R., but the NYC Ferry offers a scenic alternative. Enjoy Mexican bites at Tacoway Beach and drink margaritas at the year-round waterfront spot Bungalow.

  Tip: On summer weekends, $12 reserve tickets for the ferry are available two weeks early; otherwise, it is $4.50 first come first served.

• The Morgan Library & Museum

  Impassioned by literature, history, classical music, art or design? Visit the Morgan, once the home of J. Pierpont Morgan, a Gilded Age financier and robber baron. There are gorgeously appointed rooms, a Gutenberg Bible, illuminated Renaissance manuscripts and compositions by Bach and Mozart on display.

• Roosevelt Island Tram

  The aerial commute ($3) from Midtown East to Roosevelt Island, a community with a small-town vibe and great Manhattan skyline views, bestows a few minutes of bliss high above the East River. An island highlight is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park.

• Brooklyn Museum and Botanic Garden

  The Beaux-Arts building is rich with American, African, Asian and feminist art, particularly Judy Chicago’s seminal installation, “The Dinner Party.” The encyclopedic collection of ancient Egyptian art is another draw. The adjacent Botanic Garden flourishes with horticultural marvels and gets love-bombed in cherry blossom season.

• Auction Houses

  Sotheby’s, on the Upper East Side, and Christie’s, at Rockefeller Center, freely open their galleries before auctions. Catch staggering works of art and precious memorabilia before they’re whisked away to a bidder. Sotheby’s new home, a Brutalist fortress designed by Marcel Breuer, was once the Whitney.

• American Museum of Natural History

  There’s nothing fusty here about the dinosaur fossils and other finds from the natural world. Live leafcutter ants and the 80 species of fluttering butterflies are mesmerizing. Rare gems, the huge blue whale model suspended from the ceiling, and the Rose Center for Earth and Space are likewise awe-inspiring.

• The Green-Wood Cemetery

  For a cemetery, Green-Wood is more alive than you’d think, with classical concerts and opera in the catacombs. The hilly Brooklyn landscape, stippled with ornate monuments and touching sculptures — a Civil War drummer boy here, a beloved family dog there — also propels pilgrimages to the graves of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Leonard Bernstein.

• Live Music

  Smalls Jazz Club, in the West Village, charges no cover for afternoon jam sessions. In the same neighborhood, the Red Lion has no cover Monday through Thursday. In Brooklyn, check out Ornithology Jazz Club, Elsewhere and Music Hall of Williamsburg, which won’t break the bank.

• Bushwick Street Art

  This Brooklyn neighborhood brims with youthful energy, coffee bars and dynamic murals created by local and global artists and organized by the Bushwick Collective. The eye-grabbing works are splashy, multiracial and often political. Rove around Troutman and Jefferson Streets, and you’ll get the picture.

Is a City Pass Worth It?

There is no one-size-fits-all. Which paid attractions are important to you? How’s your stamina? New York CityPASS, for example, offers a pass to five for $164 (plus a $2 processing fee), valid for nine days. Focus on the higher-value, available observation decks and Circle Line cruises for a savings of perhaps $100, compared with buying individual tickets. The New York Pass, operated by a different company, has a wider list of attractions (more than 100). Its two-day $219 all-inclusive pass, for instance, could also save you $100 if you can manage at least three high-value attractions per day. Also, check the websites for sales and coupons.

• Do I need a visa?

  The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens or nationals of 42 designated countries to visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, except for those who have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Cuba and elsewhere. Visitors who don’t require a visa must still obtain an Electronic System for Travel Authorization before departure for the U.S. (Canadian citizens are exempt). The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website shows which passports must be valid for six months past the period of an intended stay.

• What is the best time of year to visit?

  You don’t come to the city for the weather, but enduring songs like “Autumn in New York” and “Spring in Manhattan” are hints that those seasons can be pretty sweet. Dress in layers. From mid-November through New Year’s Eve, tourists mob the city’s most festive attractions.

• Are all kinds of payment accepted?

  A minimum purchase might be required to use a credit card. Some businesses are cash-only; others offer a discount for using cash. Smartphone and smart watch payment apps, such as Google Pay and Apple Pay, are sometimes accepted.

• Do I need an adapter?

  Type A and B power plugs and outlets are standard. Voltage is 120V at a frequency of 60Hz. Depending on your home country, you may need a power plug adapter, power converter or transformer.

• Is tipping required? How much for taxis, restaurants, hotel housekeeping?

  You will be assailed with tipping requests. Handing over a premade sandwich — no tip. For cabs, ride-shares, restaurants and bars, the standard is 20 percent, but it’s also acceptable to double the nearly 9 percent sales tax. If a service charge is added, more isn’t necessary. For a bellhop carrying your luggage, $2 to $5; the same goes for daily housekeeping.

• Is it safe to drink the tap water?

  Yes. Tap water is high quality, often considered among the best in the country. A majority of it flows from the protected Catskill and Delaware watersheds upstate.

• What airports serve the city?

  LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is mostly for domestic flights. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) serve domestic and international travelers.

• How do I get from the airport to Midtown Manhattan?

  Fake Uber drivers or taxi hustlers who will scam you operate inside the airport, accosting you outside of baggage claim and claiming to be legitimate. Find your passenger pick-up point for a ride-share service or get in the line for official yellow taxis. Either option is expensive, but ride-shares can go up even more when surge pricing is in effect.

  LaGuardia has a free bus shuttle, the Q70, at Terminals B and C, connecting to public transit ($3). The M60 bus ($3) links to many subways and other buses. You can pay by credit card, debit card, smartphone or by buying a reloadable OMNY card at an M.T.A. vending machine. The metered taxi fare is about $70 with surcharges and tip.

  From Kennedy, the AirTrain is $8.75 and connects with two Manhattan-bound subway lines, the E and the A (another $3), and also with the Long Island Rail Road at the Jamaica station. Jamaica is a major transit hub on the Long Island Rail Road, connecting to Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal. Tickets into Manhattan, including AirTrain fare, vary from $14 to $16 depending on peak and off-peak hours. The flat taxi rate is $70, plus surcharges and tip.

  From Newark, taxis and ride-share services can push above $100 with surcharges and tolls. The AirTrain is free between terminals but costs $8.75 to access the Newark Airport Rail Station. Construction upgrades may cause disruptions. To reach Manhattan, buy a NJ Transit ticket ($17.50, which includes the AirTrain fare) at an airport kiosk or via the app to New York Penn Station (do not get off at Newark Penn Station!). An express bus to Midtown from Newark airport is around $23.50.

• Do I need to rent a car? How easy is it to take public transportation?

  No. The subway is fastest and costs $3, with one free transfer between subways and buses within two hours of paying your fare via an OMNY card, credit card, debit card or smartphone. All 281 underground subway stations offer free WiFi, but it’s sometimes spotty. City buses are great for crosstown connections and north and south routes in Manhattan, aboveground views and anyone with accessibility issues. Citi Bike costs $4.99 for a single 30-minute ride or $25 for a day pass (locals generally pay a yearly membership fee).

• What are the local ride-hailing options?

  Uber and Lyft are ubiquitous. To hail an available yellow taxi on the street, look for the number on top to be illuminated, or schedule a pick-up via the Curb app.

• Is there a dress code for restaurants, museums and other sites?

  Business casual is acceptable pretty much everywhere.

• Are the streets safe at night?

  Generally, yes. Stick to well-lit streets where you see open businesses and people congregating. After midnight, the subway remains fairly efficient, though you may want to be a bit more aware. Listen for service changes and stand among young revelers, people clutching theater programs and weary late-shift workers on their way home.