Looking for the best things to do in New York City? Locals point visitors to Central Park, the High Line, the Met and MoMA, a skyline view from the Top of the Rock, the 9/11 Memorial, the Brooklyn Bridge into DUMBO, and a Broadway show. NYC is endless — here’s how New Yorkers actually spend their time, by borough, by night, by budget, and by who you’re with.

Things to do in New York, by area

Midtown & the Icons

Central Park, Times Square, the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock, Broadway, and Grand Central.

Downtown Manhattan

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the High Line, Greenwich and the West Village, SoHo, Chinatown, and the Financial District.

Museum Mile & the Upper Side

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, and the American Museum of Natural History along Central Park.

Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Williamsburg, Prospect Park, and Coney Island.

Queens

Global food in Flushing and Astoria, plus MoMA PS1 in Long Island City.

Things to do in New York at night

Broadway and Times Square, rooftop bars, live jazz in the Village, the Lower East Side and Williamsburg scenes, and late-night eats in Chinatown and Koreatown.

Indoor & rainy-day things to do in New York

The Met, MoMA, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney, plus a Broadway matinee and Grand Central.

Free things to do in New York City

• Central Park and the High Line
• The Staten Island Ferry (Statue of Liberty views)
• Walking the Brooklyn Bridge
• Times Square
• Pay-what-you-wish hours at select museums

Things to do in New York for couples

Sunset from the Top of the Rock, a Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge Park stroll, a Broadway show, a West Village dinner, and rooftop cocktails.

Things to do in New York with kids

Family wins: the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park and its zoo, the Intrepid Museum, and Coney Island.

What New York locals actually recommend

Which shows and museums are worth it, where to eat off the tourist track, how to skip the lines — that comes from people who live here. On Neighborhood Nurturers’ New York community, real New Yorkers answer “what should I actually do this weekend?” Join your NYC neighbors free →

Where this fits in New York

The best days here mix the well-known spots with the places only locals frequent. The picks in this guide make the most sense once you know how New York is laid out. Central Park and the High Line sit at the center of where locals actually spend their time, so planning a full day out around one of them rarely goes wrong. When you want something calmer, the Staten Island Ferry pulls you away from the busiest blocks, and the Brooklyn Bridge walk is the kind of spot regulars mention but visitors miss. Anchor your plan to one of those and the rest of the day in New York tends to fall into place.

More New York guides

New York rewards people who dig a little deeper. These related guides map the same neighborhoods from different starting points: Free things to do in New York, Best restaurants in New York, undefined New York — enough to plan a whole day or two.

Ask a New York neighbor

The best tips never make the guidebooks — they come from neighbors who know which spot is worth it this week. That is what the New York community on Neighborhood Nurturers is for. Ask New York locals what they would do, or join free and get honest answers from people who actually know New York.

The free things that are actually the best things

New York’s most expensive attractions are rarely its best ones. These cost nothing or close to it, and all have verified details.

The High Line — Gansevoort St to 34th St

The High Line is a park on a 1.45-mile elevated rail structure running up the West Side. The first section opened in June 2009, it reached 30th Street in 2011, and the Rail Yards section opened in 2014. Entry is free, it holds more than 500 plant species, and it is open 7am to 10pm in warmer months and to 8pm in winter.

Walk it early or in the evening. Between 11am and 4pm at weekends it is congested and, being narrow by design, there is no way past a slow crowd.

The DUMBO bridge view — Washington St at Water St

Standing on Washington Street near Water Street in DUMBO, the Manhattan Bridge frames perfectly between two brick warehouses with the Empire State Building beneath it. Free, and best just after sunrise — before 7am it is nearly empty, and by mid-morning it is a scrum. It is a live street, so stay out of the road.

Brooklyn Bridge Park and the bridge walk

Brooklyn Bridge Park runs along the water beneath DUMBO with both bridges and the Lower Manhattan skyline in one view. From there you can walk the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan on foot. Starting in Brooklyn means finishing beside a subway rather than walking back.

Riverside Park

On the Upper West Side’s western edge, Riverside Park is the park locals use and visitors never find — quieter and longer than Central Park, and on the Hudson. For a walk where you are not sharing the path with the whole city, it wins easily.

The Chelsea galleries

The west 20s between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues hold the densest concentration of contemporary art galleries in the country. They are free and open to the public — nobody will ask you to buy anything. The catch is the hours: typically Tuesday to Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday, which is exactly when most visitors try.

Markets — the best value days in the city

Smorgasburg — Marsha P. Johnson State Park, 90 Kent Ave, Williamsburg

Smorgasburg Williamsburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in America, launched in May 2011. Williamsburg runs Saturdays 11am to 6pm on the waterfront, with the Manhattan skyline across the river. Free to enter. The park was formerly called East River State Park, which is why older listings send people looking for the wrong name.

Brooklyn Flea — the DUMBO Archway, 80 Pearl St

Brooklyn Flea DUMBO sets up beneath the Manhattan Bridge Archway, Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 5pm, April through December, with 40-plus vendors selling antiques, vintage clothing, jewellery and food. The archway is covered, so drizzle does not cancel it — but it does not run in winter.

Chelsea Market — 75 9th Ave

Chelsea Market occupies the 1890s National Biscuit Company factory where the Oreo was invented, and has been a food hall since 1997. Open 7am to 10pm daily, directly beside the High Line. Busiest at Saturday lunch, when the central corridor is close to impassable.

Time Out Market — Empire Stores, 55 Water St, DUMBO

Time Out Market New York holds 17 food stalls and two bars on the ground floor and four chef-driven kitchens, a bar and an outdoor terrace on the fifth. The terrace looks at both bridges and the skyline. Market open 8am; note the fifth floor does not open until 11am.

Things to do with children

Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park is a genuine 1922 carousel from Ohio, restored and installed in 2011 inside a glass pavilion designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Tickets are $3; one child under 42 inches shares an adult ticket. From 15 September it runs Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 5:50pm, closed Monday and Tuesday.

Brooklyn Bowl at 61 Wythe Ave, Williamsburg, opened 7 July 2009 in the former Hecla Iron Works Building — 16 bowling lanes, a 600-capacity music venue and a restaurant in one. Check the show calendar before planning to bowl.

The American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West at 79th Street is the obvious one, and it is obvious for good reason. Check hours and prices directly rather than trusting a third-party listing.

And the cheapest good idea in the city: buy lunch at Zabar’s, 2245 Broadway at 80th, and eat it on a bench in Central Park two blocks east.

Neighborhoods worth a whole day

The most rewarding way to see New York is to pick one neighborhood and walk it properly rather than sprinting between landmarks.

West Village — cobbled, low-rise, and the densest good eating and drinking in Manhattan. The grid breaks down here; West 4th Street crosses West 10th, 11th and 12th.

DUMBO — the bridge view, Jane’s Carousel, Brooklyn Flea and the waterfront in a handful of blocks. Half a day, or a full one with the bridge walk.

Williamsburg — Smorgasburg on Saturdays, Peter Luger since 1887, Bamonte’s since 1900, and rooftops that look at the skyline rather than sitting in it.

Chelsea — the High Line, Chelsea Market and the galleries, all within a few blocks.

Upper West Side — two parks, two great food counters, and the museum.

Getting around, and the mistake visitors make

The NYC Ferry is the most underrated transport in the city. It costs a normal fare, it runs to DUMBO and North Williamsburg, and it gives you the skyline from the water — a view people pay a great deal for on sightseeing cruises.

The bigger mistake is scheduling. Visitors routinely plan four landmarks in a day across three boroughs and spend the day underground. Two neighborhoods a day, walked properly, is a better trip — and it is how the city actually rewards you.

Crosstown blocks in Manhattan are roughly three times the length of north-south ones. A ten-block walk up an avenue is nothing; a three-block walk crosstown is a real distance. Plan around that and everything gets easier.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top things to do in New York City?

Locals send visitors to Central Park, the High Line, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA, the views from the Top of the Rock or Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into DUMBO, and a Broadway show — plus the free Staten Island Ferry for Statue of Liberty views.

What is there to do in NYC at night?

New York never sleeps: Broadway and Times Square, rooftop bars, live jazz in the Village, the Lower East Side and Williamsburg bar scenes, late-night eats in Chinatown and Koreatown, and skyline views from Brooklyn.

What can you do in New York when it rains?

World-class museums: the Met, MoMA, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney. Add a Broadway matinee, Grand Central, and the shops and food halls to stay dry.

What are free things to do in New York City?

Central Park, the High Line, the Staten Island Ferry (great Statue of Liberty views), walking the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, and pay-what-you-wish hours at some museums are all free.

What are the best things to do in NYC for couples?

Sunset from the Top of the Rock, a Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge Park stroll, a Broadway show, a West Village dinner, and rooftop cocktails with a skyline view.

What are fun things to do in New York with kids?

Family favorites: the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park and its zoo, the Intrepid Museum, Coney Island, and the interactive children’s museums.