I haven’t met a person in my life who loves to travel and either hasn’t visited or wouldn’t want to visit London and New York. This ultimate bucket list gets extended with Rome, Paris, Tokyo to name a few. However, London and New York share many similarities, yet they are both unique in their own ways. In this blog post we will contrast and compare London vs New York to see which city is better to visit, especially if this is your first time travelling to both destinations and you can’t decide which one to go with first.

Things we will take into consideration will be: culture, architecture, historical sights, food, parks, weather, public transport, budget, shopping and safety.

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Culture: London vs New York

When it comes to culture, both London and New York can really pride themselves about it. There are many museums, theatres, shows, and events you can see in both cities.

London

There are so many museums you can visit in London, such as The British Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery and Victoria & Albert Museum. The best part? They are all free! Imagine coming to London and being able to see some of the best art and history collections, from Ancient Egypt’s Rosetta Stone to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers without spending a penny for it! 🤩

On top of the free stuff, there are so many great exhibitions you can check, with my favourite ones being the immersive art experiences.

Apart from that London doesn’t lack great musicals, plays and other shows. My top tip for everyone is to see at least one West End Musical when in London. My favourite is Les Miserables.

New York

Similar to London, NYC has great museums too, from MET to MoMA with great collections too. However, unlike London museums in New York are not free to visit and often they cost quite a lot.

There are many cool exhibitions in the city, but what I really love about NYC is that wherever you walk, you’d feel like you’re in your favourite movie or tv show set. Surely, London doesn’t lack filming locations either, especially for Harry Potter, but NYC is definitely winning in terms of this.

Lastly, NYC is famous for its Broadway theatres, so same as for London, you have to see at least one musical when in NYC. My recommendation is The Great Gatsby.

Winner

The difference is really almost insignificant here if you ask me, but if I have to choose, my vote goes to London in this case simply because museums are free and London has a slightly better collection, especially if I’m comparing The British Museum vs MET Museum.

Architecture: London vs New York

This is going to be another tough one because both London and New York have amazing architecture, so let’s dive deeper to see which city is better to visit in terms of architecture.

London

London was heavily bombarded in WW2 which significantly changed its architecture. The city obviously kept its historical core with the most popular sights like Big Ben and Tower Bridge, but they are surrounded by modern skyscrapers. Especially the east centre of London where you will find The Shard, the highest skyscraper in Europe.

Some would love this mix, the others would oppose it. For me, London is exactly that: a perfect mix of historical and modern.

New York

New York’s skyline is defined by its skyscrapers and the best thing to do in NYC is to go to one of the skydecks and enjoy the views of Manhattan. My favourite is SUMMIT One Vanderbilt which I highly recommend.

The Empire State Building is such an icon that was shown and used in many movies and tv shows. It’s a symbol of NYC. And then you have other historical skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building or Flatiron Building. Also, the highest building in the Western Hemisphere is in New York: One World Trade Center, built close to where The Twins once stood.

NYC’s skyline is pretty impressive and I haven’t seen anything like it so far. For a reason they call it The Concrete Jungle.

Winner

While I love London’s architecture, there’s nothing quite like it as The Big Apple. Especially from the top it looks like a man-made Legoland. That’s why my vote goes to NYC in terms of architecture.

Historical Sights: London vs New York

While in terms of the history of London vs New York we may assume which city is better to visit, let’s dive deeper because both cities have a strong, yet different historical heritage.

London

London was founded in 43 AD by the Romans as Londinium, although there are some traces of inhabited land since the Bronze Age. Early Roman London occupied a relatively small area, roughly equivalent to the size of Hyde Park. In 1066 at the Battle of Hastings London was conquered by William The Conqueror who built the Tower of London as his royal residence. Westminster Abbey’s foundation was already started in 1042 under Edward the Confessor, the last king of the House of Wessex.

During the reign of Henry VII the City of Westminster began to take more definite shape around the court. In 1666 the Great Fire of London burned from September 2 to September 5 and consumed 5/6 of the city. St. Paul’s Cathedral (which was later rebuilt), 87 parish churches, and at least 13,000 dwellings were destroyed, but there were only a few human fatalities. Today you can find The Monument for the Great Fire near Pudding Lane, where the fire had started in the house of the king’s baker. 

In the 18th and 19th century London got its famous bridges alongside Trafalgar Square and Nelson Monument installed there to commemorate the victory over Napoleon. And as we’ve seen, the city was destroyed heavily during the WW2 bombings and was later rebuilt and reshaped with its historical-modern twist.

If you’re interested in learning more about London’s 2000 years old history, I recommend this Roman Ruins to Blitz Bombings Tour.

New York

The written history of New York City began with the first European explorer, the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. However, it was established as an European settlement in 1624 under Dutch rule.

💡Did you know that because of that New York’s first name was New Amsterdam?

British Armies occupied New York in 1664, renamed it from New Amsterdam to New York and kept it under them until 1783. The city served as the national capital under the Articles of Confederation from 1785 to 1789, and briefly served as the new nation’s capital in 1789–1790 under the United States Constitution. Under the new government, the city hosted the inauguration of George Washington as the First President of the United States, the drafting of the United States Bill of Rights, and the First Supreme Court of the United States. 

Modern New York traces its development to the consolidation of the five boroughs in 1898 and an economic and building boom following the Great Depression and World War II. Throughout its history, New York has served as a main port of entry for many immigrants who all left their remark on the city.

To learn more about NYC history, especially how the city was shaped by many immigrants, I highly recommend you to visit the Liberty & Ellis Islands.

Winner

While both London and NYC have interesting histories, we cannot ignore the fact that London’s story starts with ancient history to the modern times. If you’re a history buff (like I am), London is definitely a much better city to visit compared to New York and therefore my vote goes to London.

Food: London vs New York

Firstly, let me say that you won’t lack great food in any city, they are both foodie heavens, but let’s see which one is better to visit when it comes to the food scene.

London

London is such a multicultural city that many nations call its home. The best way to discover London’s diverse culinary scene is by visiting its street food markets. My favourites are: Spitalfields Market, Mercato Metropolitano and Southbank Food Centre. You can literally try anything there: from Italian pasta, arancini & cannoli, Spanish paella, Chinese dumplings, Pad Thai to Afghan, Indian, Ethiopian, Japanese, seriously, you name it.

We ofc cannot forget London’s pub scene with classics like fish & chips or Sunday roast.

Plus, there are so many upscale and Michelin restaurants. My favourites are Hakkasan Mayfair and Goodman City.

If you’re a big foodie like myself, I recommend this London Food Tour with several options available based on your personal preferences and interests.

New York

Firstly, let me say that the best pizza outside Italy is in New York! I’m dreaming of eating it again…

There are so many NYC classics that are so good, such as hot dog, banana pudding, bagel, pastrami sandwich, you name it.

And New York too has a diverse culinary scene because it’s a melting pot. Similar to London, you will find different options and choices at street food markets. My favourites are Chelsea Market and TimeOut Market.

Plus, there’s Little Italy and Chinatown famous for its food alongside some high-end restaurants such as Le Bernardin. I had the best steak in NYC at Gallagher’s Restaurant which I highly recommend.

In terms of NYC, I highly recommend this Guided Food Tour of Chinatown and Little Italy, the best neighbourhoods for us fellow foodies!

Winner

As I said already, both cities are really foodie heavens, however, I felt like NYC lacks options compared to London, especially at street food markets. Therefore, my vote goes to London in terms of food.

Parks: London vs New York

What is Hyde Park to London, that is Central Park to New York. But let’s see which city is actually better to visit if you love parks and green space.

London

Hyde Park is my favourite park in London where I probably spend most of my weekends during the year.

But what is really awesome about London is that there are many other great parks in the city centre: Green Park, St James’s Park, Regent’s Park to name a few. And not only that, there are so many little parks on corners, so pretty much every few metres (or feet), you will find a green space. So it’s easy to forget you’re in a multi-million city when there’s so much greenery around you.

New York

Central Park is approximately 2.5 times bigger than Hyde Park, but what makes it really special to me is that you’d really feel like you’re in a movie there. It is truly romantic to just be there. Plus, there are so many different things you can do, it’s a full day activity.

I also loved Bryant Park, and there’s Washington Square Park too. However, they are much smaller in size and this lack of green space also confirms that NYC is indeed a Concrete Jungle.

Winner

Because of the lack of greenery in NYC vs London, my vote for which city is better to visit in terms of parks goes to London.

Weather: London vs New York

This one may sound obvious, but let’s contrast and compare.

London

Firstly, let me just say this loud and clear: it does not rain all the time in London and when it does, mostly it’s just an annoying rain, so you won’t even need your umbrella.

With that said, yes, it still does rain quite a lot, but for me the worst are the constant grey skies, especially in winter, but sometimes it can even be grey for days in summer. However, your safest bet when visiting London would be from May to October + Christmas time because it’s just gorgeous then.

The worst time to visit London is in winter months from January to April because it is very cold, rainy, grey and windy then.

New York

New York has seasons compared to London. So, you can expect hot summers and freezing cold winters. But there’s also a beautiful spring and autumn time + Christmas in New York is the ultimate dream come true moment.

Similarly to London, the worst time to visit is from January to April because it is freezing cold then with often snow storms.

Winner

NYC has seasons, days, even months of constant sun and beautiful weather, that’s why my vote goes to New York.

Public Transport: London vs New York

Both London and New York have a great public transportation network, but let’s see which one is the winner here.

London

The London underground network is fast and efficient + it connects the city really well. However, I have still not been to a city that has such an expensive public transport (and I live here ouch!).

✅ A Local’s Tip: My preferred way of getting around London is with the contactless card, but if you’re travelling with kids or in a large group, it is highly recommended to get the Oyster or London Travelcard to save significant money.

Also, what is annoying is that a lot of underground, bus and train lines do not run past midnight making it often very complicated to go back to your hotel or home if you stayed out past those hours. Or when you’re trying to get to the airport to catch that super early morning flight, which means that often you’d have to pay Uber or taxi to drive you there which can ofc be expensive.

New York

Same as with London, New York’s subway system is very well organised, efficient and connects the city pretty well. The main difference: it is significantly way cheaper to use public transport in NYC than in London!

Unlike London, NYC is The City That Never Sleeps and therefore its subway runs all the time, even to the airports.

The only con of New York public transport is, well, the horror stories of people being on the train and doing some pretty morally questionable things. I had only but a positive experience, but I know of people who haven’t, so the one rule to follow is to never onboard a carriage that is empty, especially in the middle of the day!

Same as London, you can pay for the subway with contactless.

Winner

Despite some cons as explained above, the New York public system is much more affordable and more efficient than the London one, therefore, my vote goes to NYC.

Budget: London vs New York

Firstly, let me say that they are both expensive cities, but let’s see which one is LESS expensive.

London

As already mentioned, I’ve never seen anywhere else in the world that public transport can be THAT expensive.

The prices here are for Central London, I am not taking into consideration anything outside Zone 1 because if you’re visiting, you’d want to stay here and it’s my recommendation too.

On average a meal in a restaurant will cost you about £25 ($32) per person, but you can always find good food at street food markets starting from approximately £8 ($10).

On average a price for a hotel room per night is about £246 ($316).

🫶 My recommendation is Treehouse Hotel as you get the best value for price.

However, what’s great about London is that there are so many things to do there which are completely free to visit, and I am not talking about the parks or some nice views from the street.

Most museums (and main museums to be precise) are FREE for everyone! That includes the British Museum, National History Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern and Victoria & Albert Museum.

On top of that, there are many awesome skydecks totally free for the public. My favourite is Horizon 22, but Skygarden is another great option too.

Additionally, to save significant money on paid attractions like London Eye and Westminster Abbey, I recommend you to get a London City Pass.

New York

Spoiler alert: NYC is to this day the most expensive city I have ever been to!

The prices here are for Manhattan, I am not taking into consideration anything outside that because if you’re visiting, you’d want to stay here and it’s my recommendation too.

While it may look like the average restaurant prices are somewhat similar to London, there’s all this thing with taxes and tips that come to play. The price you see on the menu is not your final price. You need to tip about 18% at least (on average I was tipping about 20%) and then you pay VAT. So your meal of £25 ($32) is suddenly £38 ($50). This whole system in the US is a total mess if you ask me! The food is cheaper at street food markets, but still more expensive than in London.

On average a price for a hotel room per night is about £259 ($333), which is not significantly higher than London.

🫶 My recommendation is citizenM New York Times Square, with the best value for money.

The New York subway is much more affordable than the London underground.

But sadly compared to London, New York doesn’t have that many attractions that are free to visit and often they cost quite a lot!

That’s why I recommend NYC City Pass which is a huge money saver.

Winner

Even though both London and New York are quite expensive, my vote goes to London because it has many free attractions that you can visit and save significantly on your budget.

Shopping: London vs New York

Both cities have world-renowned fashion districts, but let’s see which city is better to visit based on the shopping criteria.

London

London’s main shopping streets are Oxford Street and Regent Street. Oxford Street is best known for high-street fashion whereas Regent Street offers luxury shops. Another luxury shopping street is the Bond and New Bond Street.

P. S. All these streets are so gorgeous during Christmas.

And then you have fashion department stores like Selfridges and Harrods.

New York

NYC is surely one of the fashion capitals. Whoever watched Friends, Devil Wears Prada or Sex & The City will know that.

The most famous shopping street is Fifth Avenue where you’ll find Saks.

Another gorgeous Christmas location.

And ofc we cannot forget about Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s.

The main difference between shopping in New York vs London are the sales. It is widely known that the best sales are happening in the US and sadly many brands will cost much more in London than in NYC even if we look into the average price (such as Levi’s, Guess or Ralph Lauren).

Winner

My vote goes to New York because the shopping experience is better there, prices are more competitive and in general New York is more of a fashion capital compared to London.

Safety: London vs New York

This probably deserves an article of its own, but while in general both cities are safe, there are things to be cautious of in both London and New York, so let’s dive into it and see which one is generally more safe to visit.

London

London generally experiences low levels of violent crimes (particularly knife crimes), though certain areas may have higher incidences. However, the tourist zone (the Central London) is actually pretty safe.

The most common crimes in the tourist areas are what is called the petty crimes like pickpocketing, especially in busy shopping streets, like Oxford Street.

A Local’s Tip: Don’t walk with your phone in your hand, pickpockets drive on bikes and steal the phones from your hand, so there’s no way of catching them because before you realise what’s going on, they’re long gone.

London is one of the most surveilled cities in the world, with extensive use of CCTV cameras across public spaces with tourist areas and public transport hubs having a strong police presence. Additional security measures are often implemented during large events and festivals.

It is very safe to walk around Central London during the night, but obviously use common sense and avoid less populated areas, especially if you’re alone.

In general, I feel very safe in London.

New York

New York’s crime history is not the brightest one, but there’s been a significant decline in crime rates over the past few decades, particularly in violent crime​. They now happen in areas which are outside the tourist zone.

Similar to London, petty crimes such as pickpocketing are happening in touristy areas, but unlike London, in NYC this will happen around the most popular places like Times Square and subways.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is the largest police force in the United States, with a robust presence throughout the city to make you feel safe. Subways are monitored with cameras like in London.

It is safe to walk around Manhattan at night, but you should also avoid less popular areas.

In general, I felt safe in New York.

Winner

While New York has come a long way since its brutal and violent crime history, the crimes are still more likely to happen there than in London. Pickpocketing is happening in both cities, but while in London this is mainly happening at shopping streets and not around major attractions or on the public transport, it is quite the opposite with New York. Therefore my vote goes to London in terms of general safety.

Final Conclusion

So, after all the comparisons, what is the final answer on London vs. New York: which city is better to visit?

Based on my rankings, London wins the battle. Both cities are bucket-list worthy and offer a ton of experiences, but London has a slight preference. From free museums to diverse street food markets, lush parks, and a safer overall vibe, London wins with 6/10. New York is amazing with its iconic skyline, Broadway shows, and buzzing energy, but if you’re deciding which one to visit first, I’d say start with London. It’s a city where you can dive into history, culture, and great food. Plus, those free museums and green spaces make it a perfect choice, especially for a first-time traveller.

However, I know your choice might also depend on where you’re currently based because it’s easier to visit London if you live in Europe or NYC if you’re in the States. So whichever city you decide to visit first, I am sure you will have a great time!

And if you’ve been to both: which city did you like more? I’d like to read about your answers in the comments. 😃

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