There is just no place like New York City. If you are planning to visit NYC, you are going to have the trip of a lifetime. We’ve created these New York travel tips to help you save money and maximise your time.
There are endless attractions in New York, as well as great neighborhoods to explore, incredible food, and great coffee. Just wandering the streets and soaking up the atmosphere can be very memorable.
New York can be expensive, but there are plenty of ways you can see New York on a budget and reduce your travel costs.
We’re happy to share some NYC travel tips based upon extended travel in the city.
In this post we’ll share the following tips to save you money in New York:
It’s important to do a lot of research and have a good plan of action in place before you visit New York. There is just too much to do and see in NYC. You’ll waste a lot of time and money if you are not prepared.
Plan out what it is you want to see and do – your absolute must not misses – so you can find the best deals and organize your schedule so you do not waste time moving around the city.
We’re visiting NYC with my parents in May for five days and, even though we’ve been before and was quite unplanned, we are planning our trip to New York already. Our time will be short with my parents and, as it’s probably their one and only time in New York, we want to make it amazing and not waste time and money.
Make sure you monitor the weather and have a plan for whether it is rainy or snowing. You may need to shuffle a few things around on your schedule.
Relevant Reading: 15 Exciting Things to Do in NYC with Kids (or without)Visiting one or two areas of New York each day will save you money on subways, taxis and time moving from one end of Manhattan to the other.
Some of your cheaper, and more memorable experiences will be getting away from the tourist traps and exploring the smaller, local neighborhoods, like wandering the streets of Greenwich village or popping over to Brooklyn for the day.
Prospect Park is almost as big and exciting as Central Park, and you have plenty of local cafes and cool stores to discover.
Each neighborhood or region has so much to explore and discover and you might struggle trying to choose a favourite.
Christmas in New York is magical. So far, I think it’s the best place in the world to experience Christmas. However, the crowds are maddening. I realized just how bad it was when I visited New York again at the end of January and it felt like a ghost town.
If you visit NYC during the slower tourist months you will save money and a lot of time.
The winter months (Jan – March) and late summer (July – August) are the least crazy times (and cheaper) times to visit New York. I think the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the worst time to visit. I’ll be back in New York in March and May so will report back on my personal experience.
Relevant Reading: 13 Magical Things to Do in New York at Christmas with Kids
This is one of my favorite travel tips for making the most out of your travel experience. Waking up early allows you to watch the destination wake up, which is a wonderfully rich cultural experience. It’s a divine experience wherever you are.
One of my most memorable experiences road tripping around Australia was watching the billabong wake up in Kakadu National Park. It went from eerie golden silence to a flurry of activity from the bird life and snapping crocodiles. You can have the same energetic experience in the urban wilds as well.
New York is so painfully busy and crowded that you’ll relish being up early and having some of the streets to yourself.
Plus, the added benefit is you will be the first in line when the New York attractions open. We walked straight into the One World Observatory when it opened and when we left over an hour later there was a big queue. You won’t regret this NYC travel tip!
If you plan on seeing a lot of the New York attractions, then the New York Sightseeing Pass is a must. It will definitely save you money and can get you through some of those hectic queues with some fast passes.
We wrote an in-depth post with all the tips on how to get the most value of the Sightseeing pass here. We are visiting New York with my parents in May and the sightseeing pass is first strategy our list to travel to New York on a budget.
Check out these posts with more New York travel tips for sightseeing:The New York Subway is so easy to use. It pretty much follows the gridlines of the streets above. While I recommend walking around New York to take in the sights, it’s good to use the subway as well. It’s an efficient and cheap way to get around.
You can purchase tickets for one way fares, or load a set amount of money on it. Each time you pass through the turnstile to get on the subway, the fee is deducted from your card. The one way fee costs is $2.75
If you are staying in New York for a few days and intend on using the subway a lot, it’s worth your money to get a 7 day unlimited pass. It will cost you $32. So if you think you’ll use the subway more than 11 times, the unlimited pass is for you. You can even use it on the buses.
Savannah (6yrs old) didn’t need a subway pass, apparently it goes by size not age. If they can fit under the turnstile they won’t need a subway ticket.
Things to be aware of when riding the subway
One of the most thrilling experiences of my life was driving in New York City. I nearly got hit twice in the space of five minutes coming out of the tunnel from New Jersey.
Cars were swerving everywhere, bikes were coming form every direction and people just walk out whoever they like. It was intense and scary. I don’t recommend driving in New York. You don’t need to. But, if you have to, then be prepared for expensive parking.
Traffic in New York is a nightmare. Enough said. Hailing that yellow cab New York style sounds fun, but the excitement dies off very quickly when you realized you could have walked there and back already at a price of $0. The best times to take a cab are early in the morning or late at night.
Tips for parking in New York:
New York has three airports: LA Guardia, JFK and Newark (actually in New Jersey).
Where you fly into will depend on your budget, time, and also consider the location of where you are staying at in New York. If you stay on the west side of Manhattan, than Newark airport may be the better option.
The AirTrain is the cheapest way to get into Manhattan from JFK and Newark airports
From LaGuardia
You get the bus Q70 Limited to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave Subway Station and then take the subway for a cost of $2.75. It will take about 2 hours.
Also check out shared transport shuttle services. You prepay for your spot in a van that shuttles you to the door of your hotel (Manhattan only) It may involves some wait time but at prices starting at $19 it might be worth it. See more here.
If there are a few of you traveling, it might be cheaper to catch an Uber or check out Dial7 which was recommended to me as a excellent limousine pick up service to get too and from the airport. Rates start at
You will still have to pay toll fees and gratuities however. There are coupon codes available from $5 – 14. check out more here.
Hot Tip: The Sightseeing Pass includes a free shuttle trip to the airport from your hotel, which I think is an incredible inclusion and another reason why they are such a great deal for saving money when visiting New York. Find out more about the shuttle service inclusion here.
New York accommodation will be expensive. There is no getting away from it. Midtown – the tourist area – will be the most expensive.
We stayed in a Hilton Hampton Inn right near Times Square for one night (using points) for $198. It was smaller, dark and dingy and no where near as nice as our hotel in Chelsea at the INNSIDE New York Nomad.
We returned to stay at the INNSIDE last month for a business conference. It’s perfect for business travelers and families and we recommended it to everyone visiting New York. The rooms (At the time of visiting) was $167 a night. It’s an exceptional hotel as well. Read more reviews on Booking.com here.
You can’t go to New York without attending a show on Broadway –it’s New York baby!
I took the girls on a date to see the Lion King and it’s a memory that will be with them forever. They are asking if we can see it again with their Nan and Pop, but we might try a different show instead.
We completely messed up with getting our Broadway tickets and I almost paid for my tickets twice. Well, I actually did, but I got a refund. That was an almost $500 mistake! ouch.
To save money, Craig opted to go to the Top of the Rock instead of coming to the show as he wasn’t that excited for it and why pay that money if you aren’t. If you are traveling s a family or with a group and have the same situation, it’s okay for one of you to opt out and save money.
After researching online (such a minefield) for the best ticket prices for Lion King, I discovered Entertainment Link. I was just looking at the cheaper Broadway price and not focused on how they got you the tickets. You had to join a membership program which cost $30 a month, but you could cancel. Even with the $30 I was still getting the cheaper price for the night I wanted and the seats I chose.
So this site is like a concierge service. You submit your order and then they go ahead and try to get you those tickets. I thought when I put in the order I actually purchased the tickets. I got an email from them to say they couldn’t get the seats I wanted, but could get the following—giving me times and dates. It was then that I realized what the service was and regretted joining as I could have purchased tickets for a slightly more price, but at least I would have had them without the hassle.
I wasn’t paying attention to the dates on the email – in fact it was hard to see, and if you understand how your brain works it’s no wonder I didn’t notice a different date nestled between the name and show times. I saw the name Wednesday and the same time, just different seats, so I told them to go ahead and book them.
We arrive for the show and went to pick up the tickets. The gentlemen tells me there are no tickets for us. We then discover that our tickets are for the following Wednesday!!! We were all devastated. It was the girls first visit to the theater. They bought new fancy dresses and shoes for the occasion and they were on a date with their mamma.
The gentleman said they had space for tonight’s show and could sell me tickets. He was pretty sure I could resell my ones for the following week. He saw my distress, and because they hadn’t sold those seats yet, he gave me a discount. So I ended up paying less for the seats then I originally did through this “discount service”.
I took a gamble and bought them praying I could refund the tickets and asking the girls to have the best night ever to make the possible $1000 evening worth it. We needed up with incredible seats.
When I phoned the company the next day and explained what happened they would not refund the tickets as it was their policy. She told me a couple of things I could do so I rang Ticketmaster to find out.
Thankfully the wonderful man, worked out that we couldn’t refund or on sell the tickets for the following week, but because I had bought and attended the concert the evening before he could refund those tickets. I have no idea why. I think it was because I couldn’t make the show the following week but got their earlier.
It was super strange, but I was super happy. The refund came through in two days.
Always check your refund policies!
Tips for getting discounted Broadway tickets you can:
You can find food for any budget and taste in New York. From hot dog and bagel stands to chains, pubs and fine dining. I recommend bypassing the chains, or if you must, Hard Rock Café on Times square is the only one we go into. The food is good and decently priced for the location and I love seeing all the rock paraphernalia.
But food and drink in New York is so much better than that.
I’m not a shopper, but I did like doing a bit of shopping in New York. We arrived just after thanksgiving so still had some incredible sales.
I was surprised at the friendliness and kindness of New Yorkers. I wasn’t expecting it.
Sure they are in a hurry a lot of the time and focused on surviving a busy work day, but if you have the chance to interact you’ll discover great people. I was shocked by how many people got up to offer me and the girls their seats on the subway. Sadly, it was 90% women only who did this.
What’s that all about?
Just understand New Yorkers are busy people in a hectic city on missions to be places. Respect their time and space. Don’t dawdle or block the sidewalk or subway entrances and if you need help get straight to the point. No extra details or stories needed.
The police presence in New York was mind blowing. I didn’t know whether to feel safe or afraid. I wanted to walk up to the crowds of police officers walking around with their heavy guns and ask them if they knew something I didn’t.
It was quite shocking to see the difference to when we visited in 2004. I don’t remember seeing anything like that.
Despite that, and being slightly nervous due to the current state of the world we live in, I didn’t have any safety issues or concerns in New York.
Just use your common sense. You won’t have any problems walking around during the day time. Possibly not at night either as its so busy everywhere. But, if you are nervous after about 11pm when it gets quieter take a cab.
I do find New York to be a safe city.
Relevant:Accommodation in NYC
Flights to NYC
Tours of NYC
15 New York Travel Tips to Save Money and Maximize Time (epic guide)
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