City guide · USA
New York
Michelin counters, MoMA masterpieces, and 3 a.m. pastrami
April–June & September–November
US Dollar (USD)
English
North America
The guides
The best of New York, by category
New York packs eight-plus million people, Broadway's 41 theaters, and more Michelin stars than any other American city onto a few dense islands. A single day can run from a Met masterpiece to a Greenwich Village jazz set to 2 a.m. pastrami on the Lower East Side.
The shortlist
If you only have time for the best
The single highest-rated picks across every category in New York.
Hotels
See all 6- 1
The Plaza
Midtown (Central Park South)
4.6★10,000+ reviews
- 2
The St. Regis New York
Midtown East
4.7★3,000+ reviews
- 3
Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown
Tribeca
4.7★2,000+ reviews
Restaurants
See all 6- 1
Le Bernardin
Midtown West
4.7★5,000+ reviews
- 2
Katz's Delicatessen
Lower East Side
4.5★50,000+ reviews
- 3
Peter Luger Steak House
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
4.5★25,000+ reviews
Bars
See all 6- 1
The Dead Rabbit
Financial District
4.6★5,000+ reviews - 2
Employees Only
West Village
4.5★3,000+ reviews - 3
Attaboy
Lower East Side
4.6★1,500+ reviews
Attractions
See all 6- 1
Central Park
Manhattan
4.8★250,000+ reviews - 2
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Upper East Side
4.8★150,000+ reviews
- 3
Empire State Building
Midtown
4.7★100,000+ reviews
Where to base yourself
New York neighborhoods, decoded
Pick your area first — it shapes everything else about the trip.
Greenwich Village
Bohemian brownstones and jazzWinding, tree-lined streets break Manhattan's grid around Washington Square Park's marble arch. The jazz clubs that hosted Coltrane and the folk haunts that launched Dylan still anchor MacDougal Street and Seventh Avenue South.
SoHo
Cast-iron shopping theaterThe world's densest collection of cast-iron architecture now houses flagship boutiques, galleries, and the city's most photographed cobblestones. Come before 11 a.m. for the light on Greene Street without the shopping crowds.
Williamsburg
Brooklyn's style capitalBedford Avenue runs through a neighborhood of vintage shops, natural-wine bars, and waterfront parks with full skyline views. Smorgasburg's Saturday food market and rooftop bars like Westlight pull Manhattanites across the bridge.
Harlem
Soul food and jazz historyThe capital of Black American culture serves gospel brunches, Sylvia's smothered chicken, and Apollo Theater amateur nights that once launched Ella Fitzgerald. Strivers' Row's 1890s townhouses reward an architecture walk.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the ride
Beacon & Dia Beacon
90 min by Metro-North trainA Hudson riverside factory town turned art destination, anchored by Dia Beacon's monumental Richard Serra and Donald Judd works inside a former Nabisco printing plant. Main Street's cafés and antique shops fill the rest of the day.
The Hamptons
2.5–3 hr by LIRR or JitneyLong Island's East End beach villages — Southampton estates, East Hampton boutiques, and Montauk's surf-town lighthouse finale.
Philadelphia
1.5 hr by AmtrakIndependence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Rocky steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are all reachable from 30th Street Station, with a roast pork sandwich at Reading Terminal Market in between.
Eat like a local
What to order in New York
Pastrami on rye
Hand-carved, peppery smoked beef piled high on rye with deli mustard — the definitive New York sandwich.
Try it at: Katz's Delicatessen, Lower East Side
New York slice
A thin, foldable triangle with a blistered crust, properly eaten standing on the sidewalk.
Try it at: Joe's Pizza, Greenwich Village
Bagel with lox
A hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagel layered with cream cheese, silky smoked salmon, tomato, onion, and capers.
Try it at: Russ & Daughters, Lower East Side
New York cheesecake
Dense, tangy, and built on cream cheese — no fruit required, no apologies given.
Try it at: Junior's, Downtown Brooklyn
Good to know
New York essentials, answered
Four to five days covers the essentials: one for Central Park and the Met, one for downtown and the Statue of Liberty, one for Midtown's icons and a Broadway show, and one for Brooklyn. Add a fifth for Harlem, more museums, or simply wandering neighborhoods.
Keep exploring
