Stop #: Guggenheim Museum
Welcome to the work of art filled with works of art!
The fabulous, swirling white helix of a building it totally unique in it surroundings of townhouses on the Upper East Side, and within its walls you’ll discover even more treasures. Home to the works of Cézanne, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Picasso, Pissarro, Renoir, and more, its an impressionist-enthusiast’s dream and hosts the finest temporary exhibitions too.
Viewing priceless art always stirs up an appetite, and happily there is the fabulous Café 3 within the museum that has stunning views over central park to enjoy while you break for coffee and cake.
Getting in:Guggenheim Museum tickets are included with the Go New York pass.
Have Lunch At Smorgasburg Food Market
One of the best weekend markets in New York is the famous Smorgasburg Food Market in Williamsburg, which takes place every Saturday from 11:00 am 6:00 pm from April through October . On Saturdays, Smorgasburg is located at East River State Park and on Sundays at Prospect Parks Breeze Hill . What makes Smorgasburg one of the most famous open-air markets in the United States is the stunning scenery and dozens of food stalls from 100 local vendors. In East River State Park youll get to see Manhattans skyline while Prospect Park offers the best setting for a leisurely weekend picnic. Our best advice is to come hungry and sample as much food as you can.
So what did we eat? . We tried some delicious dumplings at Destination Dumplings, a vegan burger from Chickpea & Olive, a unique hamburger that is served between ramen buns at Ramen Burger, the best lobster roll weve ever had at Red Hook Lobster and for dessert Asian style souffle pancakes at Fluffys NYC. Check out all the food stalls at Smorgasburg Food Market.
Location and Hours:Summer : Saturdays at East River State Park / Sundays at Prospect Parks Breeze Hill, Opening Hours: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Winter: Saturdays and Sundays the Brooklyn Flea & Smorgasburg Market takes place at 25 Kent Ave. on the 8th floor.
How To Get To New York
New York has 3 airports . JFK is the best connected to the city.
Getting from JFK to Manhattan
There are various ways of getting from JFK to Manhattan as outlined below.
TAXI: Quick, easy and no advanced booking required. It costs $52 and you will have to pay the tolls and a $4.50 surcharge during peak hours . Its perfect if you are traveling with friends. UBER Same overall costs as taxis, but you need the app to book it.
SHUTTLE: Prices start at $20 USD and it can be booked online beforehand.
AIRTRAIN: For only $8 it takes you all the way to Manhattan. There are 3 different lines.
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New York City Itinerary: Day 3
The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Tenement Museum & a Food Tour
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
If its your first time in New York, the Statue of Liberty is a must see. You can visit just the Statue of Liberty or you can visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island together as a round trip excursion from Manhattan.
At the Statue of Liberty, you can climb the base of the statue or go all of the way to the crown. Both of these options require advance tickets, and they do sell out, so make sure you book your tickets well in advance.
Ellis Island was an immigrant inspection station and approximately 12 million immigrants were processed here between 1905 and 1954.
Liberty Island and Ellis Island are connected by ferry with Battery Park .
The entire visit, from Battery Park to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, and then back to Battery Park, takes about 4 hours.You will take a ferry from Battery Park to Liberty Island. After seeing the Statue of Liberty, catch the next ferry to Ellis Island and tour this island. Then take a ferry back to Battery Park.
PRO TRAVEL TIP: Tickets tend to sell out in advance. As soon as you know your travel dates, consider booking your Statue of Libery tickets.
Cost: $23.50 Adults, $12 children 4 12 years for the Crown Reserve TicketHours: Ferries depart from Battery Park from 9:30 am to 3:30 pmWebsite: Book your tickets in advance on www.statuecruises.com
Tenement Museum
Take a Food Tour in Manhattan
Take In Sweeping Skyline Views
In Manhattan, it’s all about those jaw-dropping skyline views. Get up to vertigo-inducing heights to gain perspective on the city’s unique island terrain and skyscraping architecture. There are a trio of dedicated observatories that propose just such primo perches: The classic Empire State Building, of course, has indoor and outdoor observation decks on both the 86th and 102nd floors the multilevel decks at Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock and the newest downtown addition at the One World Observatory, which straddles the 100th, 101st, and 102nd stories atop the Western hemisphere’s tallest building.
You can nab a sweet view for free, too, by wandering out onto the 19th-century span of the Brooklyn Bridge or grab a drink at one of the city’s high-altitude watering holes. Try The Roof at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, overlooking Central Park, Bar 54, the city’s highest rooftop bar, set in the heart of Times Square, or Bar SixtyFive, in classy Rockefeller Center.
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Nyc On Budget: Subway And Shoes
Our suggested itinerary for New York covers some ground ! In order to keep up, you will need two things: comfortable travel shoes and a MetroCard for the New York City Subway. An unlimited weekly MetroCard costs $33 USD, plus $1 for the card. More info about using the subways and the MetroCard are included at the end of the post.
What To Do In Nyc: Day 4
Visit the Museum of Modern Art Head over to the MoMA for lots of beautiful modern art and some vivid impressionist art. I dislike modern art. I just dont get it. How is shovel on a wall art? While Im not a fan, this museum does have Van Goghs Starry Night as well as other post-impressionist art so I cant hate it completely. If you love modern and contemporary art, this is one of the best in the world.
18 W. 54th Street, Midtown, +1 212 708 9400, moma.org. Open daily from 10:30am-5:30pm . Admission is $25 USD. The MoMAs Sculpture Garden is free of charge to the public daily from 9:30am10:15am.
See the Frick CollectionThis collection features paintings by major European artists as well as 18th-century French furniture and Oriental rugs. You have to really love Dutch artists to want to spend time here but be sure to visit their website because they host a lot of wonderful temporary exhibits featuring famous works of art.
1 East 70th Street, +1 212-288-0700, frick.org. Open Thursday-Sunday from 10am-6pm. Admission is $22 USD. The museum is currently closed, however, you can still see many of its items at the temporary Frick Madison .
Wander the Guggenheim MuseumThis museum is home to a renowned collection of impressionist, post-impressionist, early modern, and contemporary art. The cylindrical museum is considered one of the 20th centurys most important architectural designs. Its one of my favorite buildings in the city.
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Stop : Commemorate The 9/11 Memorial
Just outside of the Oculus you will find the 9/11 Memorial. This site honors those who lost their lives on 9/11. This is an emotional place to experience, but the city has turned it into a beautiful memorial.
You can book a guided tour of the area with admission to the museum here for a closer look at what happened to 9/11.
Map For Your New York City In A Day Itinerary
Below you can find a customized map that includes all the locations youre going to visit on this New York City itinerary.
I marked each time of the day with different colors I used blue for the morning, green for the afternoon, and red for the evening, so you can easily see which places youre going to visit during your one day in New York City.
If you open up this post on your phone and you click on the bracket in the upper right corner of the map, it will open up in your Google Maps app so you can always have it with you. Super convenient, right?
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About This New York City Itinerary
New York City is massive and the list of places to visit is long. We have been visiting New York City on a regular basis for the past 22 years. I went to graduate school in New Jersey and Tim and I would frequently day trip into the city. Since then, we try to visit New York City once a year, simply because we love this city. In fact, we even started and ended our around the world trip right here. To me, New York feels more like home than Baltimore, the city where I was born and raised.
In general, I grouped sites together based on their location in order to save you time walking and using public transportation. This will keep you from spending unnecessary time on the subway and from backtracking through the city.
You can do these days in any order.
The provided walking distances are the amount of walking you will do to get between sites. These do not include the amount of walking you will do inside of museums, art galleries, etc.
Note: Sights in New York City are open, although several sights have reduced hours of operation or require a reservation in advance. I recommend getting updated hours on the official websites for each sight as you plan your trip .
Also, New Yorkers and visitors over the age of 12 are required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for indoor activities such as visiting restaurants, bars, museums, concerts, etc. Learn more here.
One Day In New York: Afternoon
3 pm Another thing you cannot miss during one day in New York City is Times Square. More than 50 Million people visit Times Square annually with more than 60 Million passing through its highly frequented subway station Times Square / 42nd Street. Approximately 460,000 people, many of them tourists, pass through Times Square on its busiest days. See all the bright and shiny advertisements and take the typical picture everybody has from their last New York trip. For a great view over Times Square go up on the red stairs.
4:30 pm After having seen one of the busiest parts of Manhattan its time to take the Subway to Brooklyn to see another top New York City attraction: The famous Brooklyn Bridge! To get there, take the 2 or 3 train towards Brooklyn and get off at Clark Street. Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge is a must-do when you spend one day in New York City. We particularly love walking over the bridge towards Manhattan, as this gives you amazing views on the Manhattan Skyline.
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Days In Nyc On A Budget
The choice of things to do in New York in 3 days is endless but we have designed the best 3 Day Itinerary NYC.
NYC Itinerary 3 Days
With 3 days in New York, use our NYC Itinerary 4 Days as a guide but switch around the days for the best sightseeing. For the best 3 Days in New York City Itinerary, follow our tips for Day 1 , then on the second day, use Day 3 . On the last day, combine Days 2 and 4 .
Best Ways To See New York In A Day
New York really is the city that never sleeps! Its got a huge mix of neighbourhoods, totally cool viewpoints and a mountain of amazing places to eat. Better still, even if youre short on time, you can still get a great feel and see New York in a day.
Now, the first thing youll realise as soon as you start planning what to see in New York in a day is that its far too little time to see and do everything.
Though, being totally honest, even spending a month in the city wont give you enough time. Weve visited New York countless times now and still havent managed to visit every single spot though, theres no harm in trying.
Although you might be short on time whilst in the big smoke, that doesnt mean that to see New York in a day needs to anything but exciting! Plus, theres a shed load of action-packed secret spots, doughnut places that are downright delicious .
Okay, so at this point, its probably worth noting that your feet will ache after going to see New York in a day! So, make sure to pop on some comfy shoes, get a good breakfast down you and get ready to have a taste of and see New York in a day.
Take a look, below, at the best ways to see New York in a day. Have the best trip!
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Eat A Classic New York Pizza
TripSavvy / Kelsea Watkins
Among other things New York is famous for, pizza is undoubtedly one of them. Is it the water? The flour? Generations of pizzaiolo knowledge passed down among families? Who knows, but it goes without saying that New York City pizza is a must-try for anyone’s first visit to the city. Among our favorites: Patsy’s, which has been slinging pies since the 1930s in Harlem, Lombardi’s, which calls itself America’s first pizzeria, and Prince Street Pizza, whose square slices are loaded up with the best pepperoni you’ve ever eaten,
Snap Some Photos Around Dumbo
Once you cross the Brooklyn Bridge, youll be deposited in Dumbo .
It wont take long, but since you just walked all the way to Brooklyn, its worth snapping some photos at some of NYCs most popular photo spots.
Visit Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pebble Beach, and Janes Carousel, which are all in the immediate area.
And of course, dont forget to stop by the intersection of Washington Street and Front Street, where you can capture the iconic Manhattan Bridge photo for yourselfbe sure to note the way that the Empire State Building is perfectly framed in the arch of the bridge.
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Using A New York Pass
A 24 hours New York Pass may be a good idea to enjoy discounts and skip the lines at many of the attractions mentioned in this post. Its actually super convenient because you can usually pick how many attractions you want to include, and it even comes with transportation. You can get yours here or here.
GOOD TO KNOW: You will need to book each attraction separately once you receive your pass.
Additional Travel Information For Your 2 Days In New York City Itinerary
With 2 days in NYC, weve just shared the cant-miss tourist landmarks along with some of the most popular places among New Yorkers. If this is your first time in the city, I hope you find it as cool and exciting as we locals do and end up coming back soon for a longer trip. If thats the case, we hope you find as useful some of the extra tips and recommendations we are sharing below:
Little Island
Little Island park is another of the newest additions to the city landscape. The uniquely designed green area and park is located in the skirts of the Hudson River and its abundant greenery and fresh river breeze make it the perfect destination to escape after a long morning or afternoon of exploration.
DUMBO
DUMBO is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Brooklyn. DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass and as such New York visitors love to explore the neighborhood while taking in the iconic views of Manhattan and the Bridges: the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridges. Photography aficionados and professionals flick the are everyday looking to get that perfect shot. Some other nearby destinations always worth visiting are the Brooklyn Bridge Park, River Cafe, Dumbos Flea, Janes Carousel and the 1 Brooklyn Hotel Bridge Parks rooftop.
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One Day In New York Itinerary
This one-day itinerary takes you to many of the locations and attractions that make New York City the exciting place that it is.
You will see historic buildings, beautiful parks, all while getting views of the amazing New York skyline from different vantage points.
We’ve included time for lunch, a snack, and dinner.
There is a section for night activities if you have enough energy to keep going!
If you are waiting for a flight or train later in the day, learn where you can store your bags for just $5.99/day.
See The Flatiron Building
The Flatiron Building is probably one of New Yorks most iconic buildings and one of the first skyscrapers in the world.
Now, it might look much smaller than some of the towering skyscrapers youll see in the city today, but its an iconic part of the cities heritage and architecture thats really easy to see.
Its best to see the Flatiron Building whilst heading to the Empire State building, too. After all, theyre only about a 15-minute stroll from each other.
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