The city that never sleeps — hotels, Broadway, neighbourhoods and skylines, arranged for you.
New York City is one of the world's great travel experiences — a city of extraordinary energy, cultural depth and neighbourhood-level character that no amount of research quite prepares you for until you're standing on a Manhattan street corner watching it happen.
New York has the world's finest concentration of museums — the Met, MoMA, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the American Museum of Natural History. It has Broadway. It has Central Park. It has the High Line, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial. And beyond the landmarks, it has hundreds of neighbourhoods each with their own distinct character, food scene and reason to linger.
Midtown Manhattan puts you within walking distance of most landmarks and Broadway. The Upper West Side is quieter and residential, close to Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. Brooklyn — particularly Williamsburg and DUMBO — offers great hotels at lower prices with excellent transport links into Manhattan.
Spring (April–June) and autumn (September–November) offer the most pleasant weather for walking the city. Summer is hot and humid but the energy is extraordinary. December brings Christmas lights, ice skating at Rockefeller Center and a magical atmosphere — but also peak prices and cold temperatures.
Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island each reward exploration. We include day trip suggestions to the Hamptons, upstate New York and Washington D.C. for those spending a week or more.
5 nights gives you enough time to cover the main neighbourhoods and sights without rushing. A week is ideal. Three nights is possible but leaves you feeling like you've only scratched the surface.
New York is much safer than its reputation suggests. The tourist areas of Manhattan — Midtown, the Upper East and West Sides, the Village, Brooklyn — are very safe. Standard urban precautions apply.
Yes. Tipping is expected and important — 20% at restaurants is standard, $1–2 per drink at bars, $2–5 per night for hotel housekeeping.