Guide · First visit · New York City
A First Visit to New York: Three Days Built Around the Closed Days
Three days is enough to see the New York you already know from the movies, if you stop zigzagging. This plan gives each day one end of Manhattan. It's built around opening hours, the days things close and the tickets that sell out.
The order of the days is our opinion. The hours and prices aren't, and the small print under the plan links each source. Winter moves a few things around, so that gets its own section further down.
The three days, hour by hour
Each bar shows the day from 8am to 11pm, with a number for each stop. Prices are per adult. Move things around if you need to, but read the warning under each day first.
Day 1: The harbor and Lower Manhattan
- 8:30am1. Battery Park, then security
Airport-style screening before you board. Times change with the season, so book the first boat you can.
- 9:15am2. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island$26
Ferries from Battery Park stop at Liberty Island first, then Ellis. The operator says entry after 2pm won't leave time for both.
- 1:30pm3. Lunch downtown
Walk north from the Battery. The Financial District is full of office-lunch places.
- 2:30pm4. 9/11 Memorial and Museum$36
The pools are free. The museum's last entry is 5:30pm.
- 5pm5. Walk the Brooklyn BridgeFree
About 23 minutes end to end at an easy pace. In winter it's dark by now and the lights are on.
Don't make this a Tuesday: the 9/11 Museum is only open on select Tuesdays.
Day 2: Midtown and a Broadway show
- 10am1. Grand Central and Bryant ParkFree
Look up at the ceiling, then walk the 9 minutes west to the park.
- 11am2. Free tour of the Public LibraryFree
The library lists one-hour tours at 11am and 2pm, Monday to Saturday. Tickets are limited, so check NYPL first.
- 12pm3. Lunch
Skip the sit-down lunch. You'll want the time for the museum.
- 1pm4. MoMA, then Rockefeller Center$30
MoMA's on W 53rd St. The plaza and the rink are five minutes away.
- 3:30pm5. TKTS for tonight's show
Up to 50% off, and the board price already includes an $8 service charge per ticket. Show prices aren't in our total.
- 5pm6. Early dinner
Most evening shows start at 7pm on weeknights and 8pm on Saturday, and doors open 30 to 45 minutes before. Your ticket has the real time.
- 7pm7. Broadway
Then walk out into Times Square at its brightest. If you're up, the Midnight Moment art film starts at 11:57pm.
Works any day, but Monday, Tuesday and Friday the TKTS booth doesn't open until 3pm.
Day 3: Central Park, a big museum, the West Side
- 10am1. Central ParkFree
Open 6am to 1am every day. Walk to Bethesda Terrace, then east.
- 11:30am2. The Met$30
10am to 5pm most days, until 9pm on Friday and Saturday. Three hours barely covers it.
- 3pm3. The High LineFree
Take the train to 14th St, then walk north. It's free, and it ends at W 34th St.
- 4:30pm4. Edge at sunset$44
From $42 plus a $2 fee. Time it for your date: sunset is about 4:30pm in December and 8:30pm in June. Tickets are timed, so book it.
- 6pm5. Dinner on the West Side
You're on foot and already close to Hell's Kitchen.
Don't make this a Wednesday: The Met is closed.
Hours and prices: National Park Service, 9/11 Memorial, NYPL, MoMA, TDF, The Met and Edge, checked November 2026.
Who's closed when
This is what catches people out. A plan that works on Thursday can fall apart on Wednesday. None of this counts holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas close a lot of places, so check if you're here for either.
| Place | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Met Fifth Avenue | × | ||||||
| The Met Cloisters | × | ||||||
| Whitney | × | ||||||
| 9/11 MuseumOpen on select Tuesdays | × | ||||||
| Stonewall visitor center | × | ||||||
| New Museum | × | ||||||
| Studio Museum in Harlem | × | × | |||||
| The Frick | × | ||||||
| Guggenheim | |||||||
| Empire State Building | |||||||
| Intrepid MuseumClosed Thanksgiving, Christmas | |||||||
| Statue of Liberty ferryClosed Thanksgiving, Christmas | |||||||
| Cantina RooftopHoliday hours: call us | × |
From each place's own site, checked November 2026. Our row comes straight from our live hours.
What to book, and how far ahead
| What | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Statue crown or pedestal | As soon as you have dates | They need a separate reservation and often sell out months in advance. Crown visitors must be at least 42 inches tall. |
| Statue ferry | Days ahead | Statue City Cruises is the only authorized seller. The Park Service warns about sellers near The Battery who overcharge or sell fakes. |
| 9/11 Museum | Days ahead | Timed tickets, sold up to six months out. Free Monday tickets go online at 7am that day, first come. |
| Observation deck | A day or two | Tickets are timed, and the price depends on the date and hour. Sunset is what everyone wants. |
| Library tour | Check NYPL | Free, but tickets are limited. |
| Broadway | On the day, if you're flexible | TKTS has up to 50% off, with an $8 fee per ticket in the board price. If you want one particular show, buy it now. |
From the airport
Figures are from the airports and the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission, checked November 2026. Tip and tolls are extra on the taxis.
| Airport | Cheapest way | Taxi |
|---|---|---|
| JFK | AirTrain $8.75 to Jamaica or Howard Beach, then the subway $3.00: $11.75 | $70 flat fare, plus surcharges |
| LaGuardia | The Q70 LGA Link bus is free to the subway at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av, then $3.00 | Standard meter, plus a $5 surcharge |
| Newark | AirTrain and NJ Transit to Penn Station, about 30 minutes. One NJ Transit fare covers the AirTrain | Ask the airport's taxi dispatcher for the rate |
JFK AirTrain, LaGuardia, Newark, NYC TLC.
Getting around once you're here
- Tap and go. A subway or local bus ride is $3.00. Tap a contactless card or phone at the gate. After 12 paid rides in 7 days, the rest of the week is free, on the same card.
- Uptown and downtown are the easy trips. Avenues and most subway lines run the long way up the island. Going across is slower, and it usually means a transfer or a bus.
- The E is your friend on the West Side. It runs straight from Midtown to World Trade Center.
- On foot, count 20 minutes a mile, or about a minute a block going up or down and three to four minutes going across an avenue. That's how we time everything on this site.
What changes in winter
The plan still works, but the light moves. Sunset in December is around 4:30pm, so on Day 1 you'll cross the bridge in the dark, and on Day 3 you should reach Edge by about 4pm. The High Line closes at 8pm from December 1. On a normal January evening it's 36°F and it feels like 28°F with the wind, and our weather table has every month. Bring a real coat for the ferry deck.
In late November and December, Midtown is at its most crowded and its best. Rockefeller Center's tree is lit on December 2 and the rink at Bryant Park is free if you bring skates.
Five easy mistakes
- Buying ferry tickets on the street. Only Statue City Cruises sells the real thing, online or at Castle Clinton.
- Going to The Met on a Wednesday. It's closed. So is the Whitney on Tuesdays.
- Starting the Statue after lunch. The operator says entry after 2pm doesn't leave time for both islands.
- Spending all evening in Times Square. An hour is enough. Here's what to do with it.
- Planning on walking between neighborhoods. Manhattan's about 13 miles long. Walk inside a zone, ride between them. Our map of the island shows you the zones.
If you're on a budget
Take the free Staten Island Ferry instead of the $26 boat. Skip the deck, and watch the sunset from a pier. Go to the Whitney on a Friday from 5 to 10pm, or get a free Monday ticket for the 9/11 Museum at 7am that day. That takes the ticket total from $166 to almost nothing. The free guide has a list for every day of the week.
Dinner on Day 3
Day 3 ends at Hudson Yards, about 18 min on foot from Cantina Rooftop at 605 W 48th Street. We're noisy and casual, with a live DJ, and kids are welcome, with high chairs if you need one. If you're after a quiet last night, it isn't us.
Tuesday to Thursday 5pm to 11pm (last reservation 10pm), Friday 5pm to 3am, Saturday 12pm to 3am and Sunday 12pm to 9:30pm. Closed Mondays. Tables for 2 to 8 book online. Groups of 9 or more can send a group request and we'll email you within one business day.
First-visit questions
How many days do you need in New York for a first visit?
Three full days covers the big sights without rushing: one downtown, one in Midtown and one uptown. With two days, drop the third. With one, see the Statue from the free Staten Island Ferry, then walk Times Square at night.
What should you not miss in New York on a first visit?
The Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, one big museum, one Broadway show and one view from high up. That's what the plan above covers.
What do you need to book ahead?
The Statue of Liberty crown or pedestal first, because they often sell out months ahead. Then the ferry itself, the 9/11 Museum and any observation deck at sunset. Broadway can wait for the TKTS booth on the day if you aren't set on one show.
Is the Staten Island Ferry as good as going to the Statue of Liberty?
It's a different thing. The Staten Island Ferry is free and passes the Statue, but it doesn't stop there. The official ferry costs $26 for an adult and lets you walk around the island and visit Ellis Island. If you have half a day, take the official one. If you have an hour, take the free one.
How do you get from JFK to Manhattan?
The cheapest way is the AirTrain, $8.75, to Jamaica or Howard Beach, then the subway for $3.00. A yellow taxi is a $70 flat fare plus surcharges, tolls and tip.
How much does three days in New York cost?
The tickets in this plan come to $166 per adult, before a Broadway show, food and your hotel. Plenty of the plan is free.
Is New York expensive for a first visit?
The sights and hotels are. Getting around isn't: a subway ride is $3.00, and the Staten Island Ferry, the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park are free. Add about 29% to any restaurant price for 8.875% tax and a 20% tip.
