There’s nowhere quite like New York City.

A global epicenter of art, culture, finance, fashion, entertainment, media, and more, it’s the home of nearly 9 million people. Many consider it THE city of the United States – and I would argue of the world.

I may be a bit biased, of course – I lived there for several years and continue to visit when I get the chance. New York certainly holds a special place in my heart.

With endless skyscrapers, thousands of things to see and do, hundreds of cultures you can discover, you can spend a lifetime there and still not see everything.

So where do you start if you only have one week in the greatest city in the world?

I’m glad you asked. Allow me to introduce you to my former home.

Here’s your 1 week New York itinerary!

Essential information before you go

Language: English

Currency: US Dollar

Time zone: Eastern Time (UTC – 4)

Emergency number: 911

Plug type: A / B

Electrical: 100-127 volts

Visa needed: Depends on your nationality. Many countries (including Canada, UK, and EU countries), no visa is required. If you are from a visa-free country, you will still need to complete an ESTA application.

Getting to New York City

New York City is served by numerous airports – the 3 main ones are:

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

All three airports are serviced by taxis, ride shares, and public transportation.

Taxis will likely be your most expensive, although most convenient option. You will have to contend with NYC traffic, which during rush hour is notoriously bad.

Ride shares will face similar issues as taxis.

New York’s subway system is convenient, albeit a little tricky to navigate for first-timers. It will be the cheapest option, however, and you wouldn’t risk getting stuck in NYC traffic. That being said, the subway or bus may not get you exactly where you need to go and can be extremely crowded during rush hour.

Note: I would only recommend taking public transportation from JFK and NOT from LaGuardia (which does not have subway access) or Newark (which is in New Jersey).

Here’s how I opt to get to Manhattan from each airport:

JFK: subway

EWR: ride share

LGA: taxi or ride share

Itinerary

Day 1

Morning:

Start your trip to New York City as did immigrants of old – seeing the iconic Statue of Liberty. Departing from either downtown Manhattan or New Jersey, you’ll also get an amazing view of New York from New York Harbor.

If you’re up for it (you’ll need a reasonable level of fitness to climb the winding stairs), I highly recommend booking a ticket to see the view from the Statue of Liberty’s Crown. Tickets are limited and sell out quickly, so be sure to book as far in advance as possible.

Afternoon:

After lunch on Liberty Island (there’s a café), head over to Ellis Island, where immigrants were once processed. If you’re into researching your family history, you can search ship manifests to find family members who came to the United States in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Evening:

You already saw it during the day, so why not the city at night? Take a Harbor Lights Tour for breathtaking views of the city lights – and of Lady Liberty herself. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

For a truly unique experience, sail around New York Harbor on a sail boat.

Day 2

Morning:

Grab a bagel and cream cheese (New Yorkers’ favorite breakfast), then head to New York’s premier museum – and one of the top museums in the world – the one and only Metropolitan Museum of Art. If pressed for time, focus on the Egyptian, Greek and Roman, and European Paintings sections.

Afternoon:

Make a stop at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The building is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as one of the buildings designed by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Next head over to nearby Central Park. There are several activities you can enjoy in the 843-acre park: strolling, running, bike riding, boating, picnicking, ice skating (in winter), visiting the Central Park Zoo, or catching a Shakespeare play at Delacorte Theater. A popular spot for photos? The Bethesda Fountain and Terrace.

Evening:

Times Square is the beating heart of New York City – and in my opinion, it’s best experienced at night, when the lights and sounds are showcased to their best and most overwhelming effect.

Don’t forget to watch a Broadway show, which together with London’s West End, is the epitome of musical theatre performance in the English-speaking world.

Day 3

Morning:

Head to that other of New York’s most iconic landmarks, the Empire State Building. Enjoy 360-degree views of the city from 86 floors up.

Late morning/Afternoon:

While you’re in the area, why not explore some of the many other sites Midtown Manhattan has to offer: the ever-bustling Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park, the Chrysler Building, the New York Public Library (NYPL), Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Madison Square Garden.

Choose to see them all or take your time delving into one or two sites in detail (my picks would be Grand Central Terminal, the NYPL, and the MoMA); it’s up to you!

Evening:

Top off the day at Rockefeller Center and head to Top of the Rock – one of my favorite nighttime views of New York City.

Day 4

Morning:

It’s no question that the 9/11 attacks changed New York – and the world – forever. Learn more about that fateful day and pay respects to the dead at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Next go to the nearby One World Observatory, located at One World Trade Center. From here, you’ll get stunning views of the city from the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

Afternoon:

Explore more of downtown, one of the most historic parts of New York. There’s The Battery (formerly Battery Park), site of an old fort; Wall Street, best-known as being home of the New York Stock Exchange; the Charging Bull, or Bull of Wall Street (touching its balls are said to bring wealth or good luck); and Trinity Church, where George Washington worshipped.

Evening:

You can’t visit New York without trying one of the city’s famous delis. I recommend Katz’s, a fixture of the city’s culinary history that has been open since 1888. Get the pastrami, another of New Yorkers’ favorite foods.

Day 5

Early morning:

Take in one of my favorite views of New York by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Start on the Brooklyn side, where you can take some Instagram-worthy photos from Brooklyn Bridge Park, then head over the bridge towards Manhattan.

Brooklyn Bridge does get busy, so I recommend heading there fairly early in the morning to avoid competing for space with hundreds of other people.

Mid-morning/Afternoon:

Make your way to the west side of Manhattan and saunter along the High Line, a park built on repurposed railway tracks. Soak in the art and architecture along the way.

The north side of the High Line leads to Hudson Yards, an area that has been redeveloped since 2012. Here you’ll find the Vessel, a mammoth 16-story structure of interconnected staircases.

Make sure you also visit the EDGE, one of New York’s top observation decks. If you’re feeling particularly daring, do the City Climb, where you ascend to a height of more than 1,200 feet and then…lean backwards (or forwards) into the city below.

Evening:

Cheer one of New York’s many sports teams at a home game. Among the teams you can watch in action are the legendary New York Yankees (baseball), New York Giants (American football), New York Knicks (basketball), and New York Rangers (hockey). (I apologize to any Mets, Jets, Nets, and Islanders fans if I left out your team.)

The US Open tennis grand slam tournament also takes place in New York City every year, typically at the end of August.

Day 6

Morning:

Spend the morning at the American Museum of Natural History, home to over 30 million specimens from the world’s natural and cultural history. It’s hard to single out a star section of this ever-popular museum, but I’ll go with the four large rooms of dinosaur fossils.

Afternoon:

Visit some of New York’s other impressive museums. Need some ideas? There’s the Intrepid Museum, set on a WWII-era aircraft carrier; the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, which describes the immigrant experience in New York; the South Street Seaport Museum, which includes historic ships; and the Morgan Library, formerly the private library of financier J. P. Morgan, to name a few.

Evening:

New York is full of talent in all areas, and standup comedy is one of them. End the night laughing away at one of the city’s comedy clubs. The most famous of them all? Comedy Cellar, located in Greenwich Village.

Alternatively, get tickets so some of the city’s famous late-night shows like Saturday Night Live or The Tonight Show.

Day 7

All day:

Why not go a little farther afield today?

There’s the world-renowned Bronx Zoo, the largest metropolitan zoo in the U.S. Nearby is the New York Botanical Garden, a National Historic Landmark and one of the world’s leading botanical gardens.

Or perhaps take a ferry to Governors Island, which is open year-round. Originally used by the Dutch when they arrived in the early 17^th century, the island was next used as the home of the governor (hence the name) after the British took over less than a century later.

You don’t even need to leave Manhattan if you don’t want to. You can head up to The Cloisters, a branch of the Met dedicated to medieval art, then relax at Fort Tryon Park with its magnificent views of the Hudson River.

Where to Stay

New York is huge, so it might be a bit overwhelming to choose a neighborhood – let alone a place – to stay.

Personally, I favor staying in Midtown. While I might be biased (I used to live there!), it also objective is the best homebase for visitors – especially first-time visitors. It’s close to a lot of attractions and public transportation options, so you can maximize your time getting around the city and seeing all the sights.

Unsure of where exactly to stay? From personal experience, I can recommend Henn na Hotel New York. It’s clean, comfortable, modern, with friendly staff, and has a T-Rex in the lobby. A Japanese chain, rooms are equipped with Japanese toilets, a small fridge, and a kettle for hot water. And the room size, especially by NYC standards, is large.

The hotel located right near Penn Station, so there are a ton of transportation options. Not that you have to hop on a train if you don’t want to. It’s also within walking distance of Herald Square, Macy’s, and the Empire State Building. Times Square is a 15-minute walk away.

A couple of other tips

You may want to get a city pass if you plan on visiting a lot of attractions.

New York is a great place to visit any time of year. Summer is my least favorite time to visit; it can get too hot and humid, it’s crowded, and the stench is at its worst. For a magical experience, visit around Christmas. The other best season? Fall, where if you’re lucky you can witness the beautiful fall foliage.

There you have it! A perfect week in NYC.

I hope you enjoy your trip!