Hello cappuccini readers!
Today I bring you one of my favourite itineraries to discover New York! From the glittering lights of Times Square to the panoramic views at Top of the Rock, and the historic ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty, this 7-day itinerary brings together different amazing experiences. Let’s dive now into the vibrant heart of New York City!
Before visiting the US
Things to do before you arrive in New York:
- VISA or ESTA
- Travel and medical insurance
- Get a prepaid data plan from T-mobile. New York is full of wifi spots and you can easily survive without a SIM. However, for ease of mind, if you need internet connection at all times I suggest looking into a prepaid data plan starting from 10$.
- Make sure you have a credit card with you, instead of a debit card. Credit cards are accepted everywhere and allow you to make easier transactions than foreign debit cards in the US.
- Consider getting a New York Pass before arriving. Remember to bring your pass to tourist attractions. The pass has a QR code that will get you access to a variety of iconic attractions within the city. Most of the activities suggested in this article are included in this pass!
Day 1: Arrival in New York
Our 7-day itinerary in New York starts at Newark airport (EWR). At around 4 PM, we took the Airtrain to stop at Penn Station. Once we arrived at the station we hopped on Metro E to check-in La Quinta Long Island City, a good priced hotel in Queens.
When you get to a subway station, remeber to buy a 7-day metro card. They cost about 33 USD and can be bought on most subway stations. When this card runs out, you can get a a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard.
Here’s what you could do in your first free afternoon:
- Visit Times Square. (The square was around 25-30 min distance from the hotel we picked, used metro F and got off at 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr.).
- Wander around midtown Manhattan and Broadway.
Suggested Restaurants:
- Empanada mamma
- Times Square Diner & Grill
- Junior’s Restaurant and Bakery
- Ellen star dust diner (best before 6 PM)
*In New York, while there are plenty of pricy and “touristy” restaurants, don’t forget that there are more affordable alternatives such as fast-food joints or canteens/cafés situated near or within museums.
Iconic bars:
- Oscar wilde bar
- The Cauldron
Suggested hotels:
- La Quinta Long Island City.
*Hotels in New York city center were quite expensive for us so we looked for other options near metro stations. Queens was for us a great choice as the area was connected with the metro.
Day 2: Top of the Rock and Fun Activities!
After waking up in New York with a little bit of jet lag and having breakfast, we left the hotel and reached Metro F to get to Reckefeller Center. Once arrived we started visiting the city like pros. This is how I would break out the first day in New York:
Morning:
- Reckefeller center tour
- Top of the Rock. To buy tickets go to the ticket office of the tour and top of the rock/ observatory deck
o Top of the rock is located at W. 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. There’s a huge
red carpet leading up to the door. Check there for tickets and timings.
Afternoon/evening:
- St Patricks cathedral
- NYC Public Library
- RiseNY
- Madame Tussauds (The museum takes around 60-90 minutes to visit)
- Grand Central Station. Iconic movie set location where to take pictures!
Day 3: Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty
This day is dedicated to the visit of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! to get there you need to go through security and get on a ferry. I would for sure recommend allocating a trip of 4-6 hours.
We secured our visit through www.cityexperiences.com, and our meeting point was at Battery Park. Battery Park is in proximity to Wall Street and the famous Charging Bull. I would suggest taking a walk to have a look at area of wall street.
If time allows, you might also want to visit the World Trade Center, 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Be prepared, as it’s often a strong and moving experience for visitors.
Day 4: MoMa, Soho, Chinatown, little Italy and Night Cruise
Morning:
The morning of the fourth day of the itineray could be dedicated to the visit of a museum. New York is definitely full of museums, one in particular that I recomment is Moma, where you can see “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dalí, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” by Pablo Picasso and much more.
*Alternative activities could be the vessel, Intrepid museum, the world trade center, 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
Afternoon:
- tour in Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy – duration 2 hours (usually booked at 1 PM). This was booked via Get Your Guide at the following link.
o The tour starts at Spring street park (corner of 6th avenue and spring street). Remember to arrive 15 min before the tour and to book your experience in advance! We really enjoyed this walk as we endeded up dedicating 40 minutes each to Soho, Chinatown and Little Italy, experiencing a diversity of New York neighbourhoods. The tour we took ended at Columbus Park on Mulberry Street near Mosco Street. - Just before sunset, I highly recommend booking a ticket at the Empire State Building.
Evening:
If you have time in the evening I would recommend a relaxing night cruise with circle line. This is included within the New York city pass, or booked via Circle Line.
Day 5: American Natural Museum, Central Park and Rooftop tour
Morning:
Within the New York pass you’ll also find a bike tour which you can book early morning in Central Park. We found this experience to be really fun and would definitely recommend this to others. The tour lasted around 2 hours and had the opporunity to visit Strawberry Fields and the John Lennon Memorial, the scenic Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace for a lakeside view of the classic rowboats and more!
Here’s where you can book the Central Park bike ride.
After this healthy and exciting bike tour we headed to another iconic museum: the American Natural History Museum! Famous for the movie “Night at the Museum” with Ben Stiller, but of course also for its collection of about 35 million specimens of plants, animals, fungi, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts and more.
Afternoon:
In the afternoon we went Shopping and located some must-see stores. Depending on your taste, check out:
- Build a bear
- Hershey’s Chocolate World
- Harry potter store
Evening:
We dedicated our evening to the special activity of a rooftop tour. Unfortunaly this is not included in the New York pass, however I’m adding this pearl to the list as it turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences so far. The tour included a drink at 230 Fifth and Monarch. It usually starts at 6:45 PM and we booked via Viator at this link.
The best part of this experience was finding myself in these famous rooftops sipping frozen straberry margheritas and being surrounded by a panorama of skyscrapers and lights. Very suggestive and romantic at the same time!
Day 6: Brooklyn and Coney Island
Morning and Afternoon:
This day could be dedicated to a bus tour in Harlem, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. The best part is that this all-in-one tour is included in the New York Pass! Here’s more information. Our tour was in English with a lovely guide named Manuela. She also does different Italian tours in New York, for who’s interested here’s her website! One of my favourite parts of the guide was visiting Brooklyn’s bridge and Dumbo.
Late Afternoon:
- New York Aquarium in Coney Island (included in the New York Pass and located at a 1 hour distance with metro from Brooklyn!)
- Coney island beach and luna park. What an amazing way to finish off this amazing trip. Tipping your toes in the Atlantic ocean and seeing the iconic luna park. Unfortunately, when we went the park was temporarily closed, so remember to check the schedule adding this iconic attraction to your itinerary.
Day 7: Back Home!
The last day is dedicated to a slow morning with a nice breakfast. If you have time maybe take one last stroll in Times Square to say goodbye and head to the airport.
After this amazing journey we are ready to catch our flight and return home!
Special Activities and Experiences:
I’m adding below some extra activities not included in the above itinery. Depending on your interests please consider also:
- Registering for the Jimmy Fallon and Steven Colbert the late show. These experiences can be booked here.
- If you are not able to access the event you might want to try getting a standby card for tonight show by Jimmi Fallon. Standby cards are now available in
the Shop at NBC Studios, located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (via the 6th Avenue entrance between 49th & 50th st.). Standby cards are distributed from 10am – 3pm EST the morning of a show. To check-in on the day of taping, you and your guests should arrive at 30 Rockefeller Plaza using the 50 W 50th street entrance.
- If you are not able to access the event you might want to try getting a standby card for tonight show by Jimmi Fallon. Standby cards are now available in
- Musical in broadway. Musicals in Broadway can be very expensive so I suggest trying for the this lottery website, where you may find very cheap tickets to the Lion King show. .
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Recommended attactions included with the New York Pass
- Rockefeller Center tour
- Top of the Rock
- Madame Tussauds
- Statue of Liberty ferry & Ellis Island museum
- Intrepid museum
- RiseNY
- Vessel
- Luna park at Coney Island
- Harlem tour
- Empire State Building
- the Ride bus
- tour Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown town
- 9/11 memorial & museum
- MOMA
- Night cruise with circle line
- American Natural History museum
Conclusion
And that’s all! I hope you enjoyed this itinerary and found it useful. See you soon!