DESTINATIONS
New York in four days: a first-timer's plan
Which airport, how the subway works and a four-day plan from Midtown to Brooklyn for a first visit to New York.
New York is several cities wearing one coat, and the only real mistake a first-timer can make is trying to see all of them in one rush. Four days is enough for a proper taste: the skyline, the harbor, one or two great museums, a bridge walk and a neighborhood that feels like somewhere real.
This plan groups the sights by geography, so you spend your time walking between them rather than commuting.
Getting in and getting around
New York is served by three airports: JFK and LaGuardia (LGA) in the city, and Newark (EWR), just over the state line in New Jersey. The AirTrain links JFK and Newark to rail connections into Manhattan, which avoids the road traffic.
Once you are in the city, the subway is the workhorse. It runs 24 hours a day, and you can tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile with OMNY, so there is no need to buy a card or work out fares in advance. The network reaches everywhere in this plan.
Midtown and Central Park
Midtown is the New York of postcards. Times Square, the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center sit within a walkable rectangle, and an hour of wandering between them is as much a sight as any of them. In busy seasons, book observation decks ahead, since the popular time slots go first.
Central Park begins a short walk north of Midtown. It is enormous, and there is no need to see all of it: pick a corner, and simply walk until you feel far from the traffic. The park is free, open every day, and changes completely with the seasons.
Four days won't show you all of New York. It will show you enough to want to come back.
Lower Manhattan and the harbor
Lower Manhattan is the city's oldest layer. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum stands at the World Trade Center site, and the twin reflecting pools outside are free to visit. From there, the Brooklyn Bridge walk carries you across the East River for one of the best skyline views in the city, and lands you in Brooklyn neighborhoods like DUMBO.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are reached only by ferry. Book with the official ferry operator, Statue City Cruises, and reserve ahead in busy seasons, since the boats and the statue's time slots fill up.
Museums, the High Line and Brooklyn
For art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art are both world-class, and either can fill half a day or more. The Met sits at the edge of Central Park, and MoMA in Midtown, so they slot easily into the days below. The High Line, a park built on an old elevated freight line, runs along the west side and pairs well with either museum.
Across the East River, Brooklyn neighborhoods like DUMBO reward a slower afternoon, with waterfront parks, old cobblestones and the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.
Passes and two ground rules
If you plan to visit several paid attractions, look at sightseeing passes, which bundle a number of them into one purchase. Check whether the included list matches your plans, since a pass only pays off when it fits the trip you actually want.
For sightseeing passes, Go City sells passes that bundle several attractions.
Two ground rules cover the rest. Book the observation decks and the Statue of Liberty ferry ahead in busy seasons, and walk a lot: the sights sit closer together than the map suggests, and the best discoveries happen on foot.
Four days in New York
Here is a day-by-day outline that follows the geography above.
Day 1: Midtown and the park
Start with Times Square early, when it is at its calmest, then the Empire State Building with a booked slot, Rockefeller Center, and an afternoon walk into Central Park. Finish the evening back in Midtown, where the lights do the entertaining.
Day 2: Lower Manhattan and the bridge
Visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in the morning, then walk the Brooklyn Bridge in the afternoon and spend the evening in DUMBO, with dinner facing the Manhattan skyline.
Day 3: the harbor and the High Line
Take a morning ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, booked ahead with Statue City Cruises, then walk the High Line in the late afternoon and end with MoMA or the neighborhood around it.
Day 4: museums and a slow goodbye
Spend the morning at the Met, keep the afternoon open for whatever you liked best, and walk a lot, since the city rewards it.
If you want to add guided tours or extra attraction tickets to this plan, companies such as Klook sell tours and attraction tickets.
