A Perfect NYC Itinerary for 5 Days: The Best of New York

I’ve never wanted to visit one place more than NYC! I grew up watching movies & tv shows that were filmed in New York and dreamed of visiting one day. Let me just say: The Big Apple didn’t disappoint at all and I can’t wait to be back. This NYC itinerary is perfect if you would love to see the best of New York in 5 days, especially if this is your first time visiting as it covers all the main sights and attractions.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

Heads up! Some links in this blog are affiliates. If you click and buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, I only recommend stuff I’ve tested or trust. You can read more about our affiliate disclaimer here.

📖 Read my 11 Dos and 11 Don’ts in NYC: Tips for First-Time Visitors blog post.

How to Get to NYC

There are 3 different airports in NYC. The main and most popular one is JFK which is where most of the international flights will land.

The second one in NYC is LaGuardia where you’ll often find low-budget domestic flights.

The 3rd one is actually in New Jersey and it’s the Newark Airport. While JFK is in the city of New York, Newark is better connected with public transport and less crowded, so something to keep in mind.

✅ Check the flight prices here.

How to Get from JFK Airport to Manhattan

By public transport: First option is to take the AirTrain from JFK Terminal 1, 4, 5, 7 or 8 to reach the Jamaica or Howard Beach subway station. From there, you can take the E train to midtown Manhattan or the A or J and Z trains to Brooklyn or lower Manhattan.

The second option is to take the Long Island Rail Road at Jamaica station towards Manhattan instead of the subway. This option is a little bit more expensive, but the LIRR trains are more comfy and less crowded than the subway. You need to purchase the train tickets at the station, and in terms of subway, you can pay with your contactless credit card, Apple Pay etc. You can expect to reach Manhattan within 80-90 minutes with one of these options.

By private transfer or Uber: If you’re tired from the long flight, have big luggages etc. (like me), you can always choose either the private transfer or Uber. The benefit of a private transfer over Uber is that you pre-ordered your ride, so they can’t increase the price on the spot like they can do with Uber rides if all of a sudden they have an increase of requests. Depending on the traffic and time of day, the ride will take from 30 to 60 minutes.

How to Get from LaGuardia Airport to Manhattan

By public transport: Take the free Q70 Bus (also known as the LaGuardia Link) to the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave Subway Station in Queens that runs every 8-10 minutes 24 hours a day. Once there, take one of the E, M, F, R subway lines that go into Manhattan. The total ride should be about 30-45 min, depending on the traffic.

A bit faster route is with the LIRR trains to Penn Station which are more expensive, but also more comfy than the subway. Simply, take the free Q70 Bus to the LIRR Woodside Station that goes directly into Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. You can use a contactless card to pay for the subway.

By private transfer or Uber: You can also order a private transfer or take Uber. You can be in Manhattan between 30 min to an hour, depending on the traffic.

How to Get from Newark Airport to Manhattan

By public transport: Take the AirTrain to NJ Transit and from there a train that goes directly to Penn Station in Manhattan (don’t make a mistake and purchase a ticket to NJ Penn Station!). The total ride will be between 30-40 minutes depending on your terminal and you can buy the tickets at the station.

If you’re staying in Lower Manhattan, then the better option is to take the AirTrain to NJ transit, but instead of going to the Penn Station in NY, get off at Newark Penn Station terminal. From there, take the PATH train towards Manhattan and get off at the World Trade Center stop. The total ride is approximately 40 minutes. You’ll first have to purchase an AirTrain/NJ Transit ticket and then once at the PATH, you’ll purchase another ticket specifically for the PATH train.

The third option is the bus, but depending on the traffic the ride can take up to 60 minutes.

By private transfer or Uber: Same as with other airports, you can also order a private transfer or take Uber. You can be in Manhattan between 30 min to an hour, depending on the traffic.

How to Get around NYC

If you’re staying in Manhattan, especially in Midtown, a lot of main sights will be in a close proximity to your hotel, so it would be easy to walk.

However, NYC is a huge city with about 8 million people. Manhattan is the most densely populated island out of 5 NYC boroughs (about 1.6 million people live in Manhattan!). Also, about 2.5 million people come to Manhattan EVERY DAY, either for work, they’re visiting or for some other reason.

Because of all of that, you will need to take a subway at some point (even if you’re doing 20k steps a day like me, you’d still need it eventually!). However, the subway is super logical and very affordable. You can use your contactless credit card which makes it even easier to use it as you just tap on and off.

You can also use yellow taxis, even if it’s only for the experience.

Where to Stay in NYC

I highly recommend staying in Manhattan (especially Midtown). Everything you probably want to see in New York is there, so you would save a significant amount of time & money by staying in Manhattan.

I would really opt out to stay in Brooklyn and Queens because it’s not worth it, even if the price is a bit lower compared to Manhattan. To me, nothing is better than waking up to Manhattan views every day and being able to reach some attraction as soon as I step from my hotel’s doorstep.

📖 Check my 11 Best NYC Hotels with Empire State Building Views blog post for more.

When to Visit NYC

I went there during summer time at the end of August and absolutely loved it. Yes, it can get really hot (more than 30 C or 86 F), but NYC is really a city that is meant to be explored outside. Yes, there are cool indoor museums you can visit (and I will include some on this itinerary), but even if you go to the top of skydecks or rooftop bars, most of them will be on the outside.

With that, you really want to visit NYC when it’s warm and with the nice weather to fully enjoy it. Spring and autumn are great options too, and despite the cold, it is magical to be there during Christmas.

I would really only avoid the winter months from January to March because of the snow storms and freezing temperatures that usually happen at this time of the year.

📖 Read my 14 Best Spring Break Destinations in the US blog post.

How Many Days in NYC is Ideal

The more, the better. However, 5 days in NYC is really the optimal amount to see the best of New York, especially if you’re visiting for the first time.

✅ If you plan on visiting multiple attractions in NYC, I highly recommend getting the NYC City Pass, as it saved me money personally.

You can choose between the Explores Pass (and how many attractions you’d like to cover with it, it starts from 2) and the All-Inclusive Pass (unlimited attractions for X many days you have).

Day 1 in NYC

On your first day in New York you will spend your time checking the main sites in Midtown.

✅ Consider taking this Architectural Tour of Midtown Manhattans Classic Landmarks walking tour.

Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall, nicknamed the The Showplace of the Nation, is an entertainment venue and theatre at the Rockefeller Center.

By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it primarily hosted concerts, including by leading pop and rock musicians, and live stage shows such as the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The Music Hall has also hosted televised events including the Grammy Awards, the Tony Awards, the Daytime Emmy Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards.

✅ If you’d like to have a sneak peek inside, learn about its secrets and go behind the scenes, you can join a guided tour.

Rockefeller Center

Obviously right there is the Rockefeller Center which gets particularly beautiful for Christmas with the big Christmas tree.

However, even during summer it was a cool place to be. There are many places to eat and have a drink there. It is here where we found the best pizza in NYC!

✅ If you’re interested in Art Deco style and would love to learn more about Rockefeller Center, I recommend taking this Rockefeller Center Architecture and Art Walking Tour.

St Patrick’s Cathedral

St Patrick’s Cathedral is really beautiful both on the outside and the inside.

Its main style is neo gothic. It is the largest gothic revival catholic cathedral in North America! Me being me, ofc I had to go inside, and I recommend you to do the same. It’s really gorgeous + it’s free.

Across the street from the cathedral is Ralph Lauren’s cafe that serves delicious coffee. Also recommending it.

Saks 5th Avenue

The ultimate shopping street! Definitely don’t miss it, especially if you’re here for Christmas.

New York Public Library

New York Public Library is mainly famous because it was used as a filming location for Sex & The City, Spiderman and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (to name a few).

It is free to visit.

Bryant Park

Literally next to the library, you will find Bryant Park which is such a nice place to just sit, relax and do some people watching.

There’s a restaurant and bar there, so you can eat/drink something too. After Central Park, this was my 2nd favourite green area in the city.

Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal is a train station and major commuter rail terminal in Midtown where approximately 750,000 passengers pass by daily!

It is another Home Alone 2 location not to be missed. Grand Central Terminal is definitely one of the most beautiful train stations I’ve seen.

✅ Did you know that the Grand Central Terminal keeps some secrets, i.e there’s a tennis court inside? If you’d like to find out this and other secrets, you can join this fun guided tour.

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt

If there’s only one skydeck you can visit in NYC, it must be SUMMIT One Vanderbilt!

It’s not only a skydeck with gorgeous views of Manhattan, it is an immersive experience.

There are 3 different floors, each offering something unique while enjoying the views. You will start on the 91st floor in a Transcendence 1 Room full of mirrors from floor to ceiling, which is followed by a Reflection room by Yayoi Kusama for meditation and finished with the Affinity Room where you’ll be surrounded by enormous floating orbs that you can play with.

On the 92nd floor you will find a Transcendence 2 Room which is another mirror glass room that overlooks the Transcendence 1. You will then get to the Levitation Room where you’ll find 2 glass sky boxes suspended 1,100 feet (335 m) above street level. To be able to go inside, you need to cover your shoes with a bag and the only downside is that the time inside is limited. The final room on the 92nd floor is the Unity Room, a digital immersive experience with clouds (make sure to look for your face!).

And lastly you’ll get to the 93rd floor with a large outdoor rooftop terrace (I loved it there so much!). If you paid extra for the Ascent, the world’s largest external glass lift, know it’s there. You will reach a height of 1210 (368 m) feet which is pretty cool, but also could be a very scary experience. I highly recommend it if you’re not chronically scared of heights.

💡As for the tickets, you need to buy them in advance because they get sold out and are timed. For now, SUMMIT is not included in the City Pass, so you need to buy it separately. My pro tip is to get your tickets just before the sunset if possible, so that you get to experience the views during the day, sunset and night. It’s what I always do to get the best out of my ticket.

📖 Read my Is SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Worth it? Full Guide with Tips & Photos blog post.

Times Square

And ofc you have to finish your first day in NYC at Times Square!

Formerly known as Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed in 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the then newly erected Times Building, now One Times Square. 

It is the site of the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop, which began on December 31, 1907, and continues to attract over a million visitors to Times Square every year!

📖 Coming to NYC for the NYE? Check out my 8 Best Hotel Rooftop Views of the Times Square Ball Drop in NYC blog post.

I loved the energy, but seeing it once was enough for me because it can be overwhelming. I mean, you will pass by some of its parts anyway and I recommend coming here in the morning too just to compare. It is exactly how our day 2 of this NYC itinerary started and you’ll see the difference.

✅ Fancy seeing yourself on a Times Square Billboard for 24h? You can book it here.

Day 2 in NYC

On your 2nd day in NYC, you will spend half a day in Midtown and then check Little Italy and go all the way to Greenwich Village.

Ellen’s Stardust Diner

Another one of these you can’t come to New York if, but really you have to eat at diner at least once when in NYC!

My husband found us the most touristy diner in the city, but I loved it a lot.

They literally asked who’s having birthday today and then the whole diner sang the birthday song. If I remember correctly, it was me and 2 other people celebrating our birthdays on that day!

Top of The Rock

Top of The Rock was one of the attractions I got to visit with my NYC City Pass. You can also buy the tickets separately. Because I went to SUMMIT the day before and experienced the NYC views during the day, sunset and night, I didn’t feel the need to do the same with the Top of The Rock.

If you ask me, the best time to visit Top of The Rock (especially if you’re into photography) is just as it opens. During our stay this was at 9 am, so not super early (we were anyway jet-lagged, so we woke up at 6 am already lol) and definitely not as crowded. You can really enjoy the views in peace while being able to take many great photos and videos without a million people in them.

There’s a little inside area where everyone snaps the photo from the window, but my favourite part was the outside ofc.

📸 To get that perfect photo as you see below, the person taking a photo of you should be at the upper deck and you down below.

MoMA Museum

I love modern art, so I knew I couldn’t miss MoMA.

You will find many great art works of famous painters. Some of my favourites were: Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Matisse’s The Dance I and Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

I had my ticket with NYC City Pass, but you can also buy it separately.

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is the icon of New York City.

It was the tallest building in the whole world from 1931 until 1970!

The Empire State Building has 102 floors. You can visit the 86th floor which is 1050 feet (320 m) high and the 102nd floor which is 1250 feet (381 m) high.

The Empire State Building can be visited with the NYC City Pass or bought separately.

The only minus: you actually don’t get to see the Empire State Building from it.

Washington Square Park

On your way from the Empire State Building to Washington Square Park, you will also pass by the Flatiron Building. Unfortunately it was in scaffolding when I was there, so it’s worth double checking if the renovation has finished, though from what I’m seeing, the works are still undergoing.

Little Italy

I’m quite sure you watched at least one Italian mafia movie set in NYC’s Little Italy, with the most popular one being Godfather!

Little Italy is nowadays a very different place than what we’ve seen in the movies. Some people would say it lost its authenticity, but I loved it a lot!

Friends Building in Greenwich Village

Any Friends fans out here?

If so, you gotta visit the building that was used as Monica’s and Rachel’s apartment! I was happy like a kiddo because not only have I watched Friends a million times already but also, I fell in love with NYC through them.

However, even if you’re not a Friends fan, Greenwich Village is such a nice local area with cute pubs. I definitely recommend including it to your NYC itinerary.

✅ I also recommend getting this Friends Experience Entry Ticket.

This is the exact address of the Friends building in NYC:

Gallagher’s Steakhouse

I really wanted to eat in one of those classic New York restaurants with red sofa and chairs. I also love a good steak.

If you’re like me, I cannot recommend Gallagher’s Steakhouse more. It is pricey, but the portions are really big and this was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had!

Day 3 in NYC

Day 3 of this NYC itinerary is reserved for a stroll through Central Park followed by MET Museum and finished with the nice Broadway show!

Central Park

The main green area of NYC! And the one that was used in many movies and tv shows.

Firstly, let me just say: Central Park is huge! You can easily just spend one full day here (and if you’d rather skip MET, you might as well make a picnic and chill).

Anyways, if you don’t have nor want to spend your whole day here, you need to plan your sightseeing strategically. I included the main sights and parts of Central Park.

✅ You can also rent a bike and explore the park that way.

MET Museum

MET Museum is the largest museum in the Americas and the 4th largest in the world! It has a great collection of Ancient Egypt, Near East & Americas to Greek & Roman Art. However, my favourite was the Islamic Art collection.

My top tip is to pick a few collections that interest you the most and go and see them. It’s not possible to see the whole museum in a day.

For some reason they removed MET Museum from the NYC City Pass, so you have to buy the tickets separately on their official website.

If you already know what you’re visiting and have a great knowledge about it, you can very easily explore on your own.

✅ However, if you’d like to really deepen your knowledge or even learn something new, I recommend a guided tour to really make the most of your visit to MET.

Broadway Show

You really can’t come to NYC and not see a Broadway show!

My choice was Phantom of the Opera which is sadly no longer running in NYC. I hope they will start playing it again because it was so good!

Day 4 in NYC

On your day 4 of this NYC itinerary you will go to Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan.

✅ Consider taking this best rated Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo Guided Walking Tour.

DUMBO

Which stands for the Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass is where you’ll start your day.

It is such an instagrammable place, so be patient and wait for your turn if you’d like to have a photo. During my visit there was a partial scaffolding over the Manhattan Bridge, but the photo still turned out nice. I love this location a lot!

Manhattan Bridge

Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge over the East River that connects Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn.

While you can cross it, the pedestrian walkway is on the side, so there are no good photo spots with the bridge while on the bridge, like with the Brooklyn one.

I preferred watching it from the river.

Pebble Beach

I loved Pebble Beach a lot! The views of Manhattan from there are amazing and it’s not as busy as at Pier 1.

Just sit, relax and enjoy the views.

TimeOut Market

TimeOut Market is a great spot for food and drinks. It was so hot on that day and we were still quite full from our breakfast, so we just had beers.

My mistake: not figuring out that there was another rooftop bar on the upper floor, so we could have enjoyed even better views of Manhattan, but it was still amazing!

Pier 1

Pier 1 is probably the best spot in NYC that offers gorgeous views over Lower Manhattan.

We spent almost an hour there just sitting on the bench, soaking up the views and taking very nice photos.

✅ If you don’t have anyone to take your photo or you’re maybe not great at it, you can always hire a professional photographer who would capture these moments for you.

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge is another icon of New York and one of its oldest landmarks. It’s a suspension bridge that’s connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn over the East River.

Brooklyn Bridge was opened on May 24th 1883.

💡Did you know that the citizens on NYC didn’t trust that the bridge can hold them while crossing, so to prove them wrong, the City of New York brought 21 elephants and 17 camels who then crossed it safely and successfully?

It will take you about 45 min to an hour to cross the bridge, depending on how many photo stops you make.

💡TIP: When I was researching how to get and cross the Brooklyn Bridge and which side is better, many were saying to start from Manhattan towards Brooklyn. But that means if you’d like to enjoy the Manhattan views from Brooklyn Bridge you’d either have to cross it again on the way back or turn back constantly while walking to snap good photos and admire nice views. Which doesn’t really make sense.

So my recommendation is to follow my exact route and start from the Brooklyn side while actually going back to Manhattan.

Financial District

Finish your day at the Financial District. While not my favourite part of the city, what’s visiting NYC without checking its famous Wall Street?!

Day 5 in NYC

And this is your final day of this 5 days NYC itinerary and it’s going to be a great one!

You will explore Liberty & Ellis Islands followed by World Trade Center and Chelsea neighbourhoods. You will finish your visit to NYC in the best possible way: seeing it once more from the top.

Liberty Island

I was debating between myself whether I should include the Liberty & Ellis Islands within the NYC City Pass or purchase it separately.

I decided to do the latter simply because the ticket to both Liberty & Ellis Island is not that expensive compared to skydecks and museums, so it didn’t make much financial sense to go with the Pass.

💡You will need to go through security before onboarding the ferry, so make sure you arrive early enough! The ticket is timed, but once at Liberty Island, you can stay as long as you like and onboard any ferry to Ellis Island. Same as going back from Ellis Island to Manhattan.

Liberty Island is famous because there you’ll find the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the US.

The Statue of Liberty was designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel (yes, the same guy who designed the Eiffel Tower!). The statue was dedicated on 28th October 1886 and is 305 feet (about 93m) in height from the ground to the tip of the flame (it was once the tallest structure in NYC).

I remember how our guide on the boat told us that the Statue of Liberty was the very first thing the immigrants coming from Europe would see. I transported myself in mind and thought how they must have been excited seeing this tall structure and it being the first sign of their American Dream.

As a Historian, both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Islands evoke melancholic feelings for these hard times. I really loved learning more about it and if you’re into history, don’t miss this place!

Many people would advise you to just see Liberty Island from the free ferry which doesn’t stop at the island, but drives next to it. While I think it must be a nice experience too, I would definitely recommend actually going to both islands to learn more about them.

✅ Consider taking this best rated Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Guided Tour.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island was the place where all the immigrants were undergoing inspections before they were allowed to enter the US.

From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey were processed there!

There’s a museum there now which is really interesting and great for learning more about the immigration history to the US!

I was even able to find some Croatians who migrated there, so it’s a fun game to play, especially if you know you had a family member who migrated.

One World Trade Center

Let’s just say that the first half of day 5 in NYC was quite emotional and had a lot to take in. But, travelling is not only about doing fun things. Often, we have to remind ourselves of terrible acts of the past that completely changed our lives today.

I will not go into 9/11 facts now, but I recommend you not to skip this part of the city only because it may be difficult to handle.

9/11 Memorial is at the place where Twins once stood with engraved names of everyone who lost their life on that doomed day. There’s also a 9/11 Museum you can visit if you’d like to learn more about it.

Apart from the memorial and museum, you can also visit One World Observatory Deck, the highest building in the Western Hemisphere. It is 1776 feet (541 m) tall!

Both One World and the 9/11 Museum are included in the NYC City Pass, but you can also buy tickets separately.

The Oculus

The Oculus is a train station, similar to the Grand Central Terminal, but a modern version.

I liked its architecture, so I definitely recommend checking it out, especially because it is right next to the One World Trade Center.

Chelsea Market

I love street food markets, which means I had to check the Chelsea Market.

I loved the interior, and there’s a cool outside area too, but if I compare it to some London street food markets, I didn’t think there were that many different choices from worldwide cuisines. But I still recommend it as a lunch stop.

High Line

What I love about NYC is that there are no wasted spaces. What was once a railway, now is a park.

You definitely have to take a stroll through the High Line, especially because it connects Chelsea Market with your next destination.

The Vessel

The Vessel is such a cool honeycomb-like structure at Hudson Yards (I loved this area of NYC!).

It is right opposite to The Edge which will be your final attraction of this NYC 5 days itinerary.

The Edge

The best way to end your NYC trip is at the skydeck.

I wanted to experience The Edge because it’s for now the only skydeck with the highest outdoor skydeck suspended in mid-air! The deck is 1100 feet (335 m) high!

In the middle of it, there’s also one block of the glass-floor, so you can sit or stand on it while looking down at NYC!

You can enter with your NYC City Pass or buy tickets separately.

Inside is a cocktail bar, which I recommend for drinks.

Is NYC worth Visiting

NYC is one of these cities that you can keep coming back to for the rest of your life.

The city is ever evolving and there are constantly new things to explore. Here you will find some of the most iconic sights in the world, pass by many filming locations and eat the greatest international food. NYC offers something for everyone and any kind of traveller.

Therefore, NYC is very much worth visiting!

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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