8 Easy Tips To Plan And See New York City

There are so many free things to do in New York, along with a heap of other cools things like; Central Park, The Guggenheim, The High line, the Empire State, Top Of The Rock and of-course Lady Liberty! That being said, it can be tough to plan and see New York City as it’s a massive place.

You see, the Buzz of New York is immense! There seems to be something to do on almost every street corner, which can sometimes be daunting if you are visiting the city for a few days or time-constrained or only visiting New York for a day trip.

Whether you are in New York for a weekend break or a whole month, it’s a great idea to plan the places that you want to visit. After all, New York won’t wait for you!

With that in mind, take a look at some of the best ways to plan and see New York City. Have the most epic trip!

1.) Prioritise what you want to see

Yeah, seems obvious right?

That being said, there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to see everything in New York. That’s when you come to realise the importance of prioritising certain places and events so you don’t miss the best of the city.

For instance, if you’re planning on visiting the Top Of The Rock (at sunset), it can sometimes be best to visit the ticket centre first thing in the morning.

This way, you can ensure you get an allocated time to head straight up to the top while also confirming what time Sunset will fall. Honestly, it’s one of the best ways to plan and see New York City and it’s all organised before your visit.

2.) Always schedule a Plan B

Yeah, it happens! You decide to visit The Statue Of Liberty only to get to Lower Manhattan when it’s raining and it’s no fun to be outside when you’ve spent so long to plan and see New York.

Now, that’s not saying that the rain can be bad (at some times) but if your looking for a ‘view’ then it might be best to postpone your visit until the rain subsides and perhaps opt for an indoors activity/sight.

3.) Set a realistic time frame

Setting a time to head to the next attraction can seem a little counter-intuitive to relaxing and/or enjoying the attraction itself but it’s important to remember that timings can become a necessity on a shorter trip to NYC.

This is especially true if you want to cram in as much as you can when you plan and see New York City.

4.) Sometimes it’s faster to walk

In some circumstances! Sometimes the best way to save time is by public transport, but in all honesty, why not walk.

If, for instance, you’re travelling from the Flatiron Building to The Empire State Building it’ll only take 25 minutes. Not only will this save you time but you will see much more that you’ve wanted to plan and see New York City.

Obviously, for much larger distances, or when your feet refuse to work – the subway, cab or Uber is a gem!

Use apps like CityMapper that will allow you to find multiple routes for walking, costings for subway journeys and even the price of a yellow cab.

5.) Save Money where you can

If you are planning on visiting multiple attractions, don’t forget to save yourself a whole load of dosh and get an NYC CityPass.

The City Pass will provide you with access to six attractions in the city at a much lower and discounted price. Usually, you end up saving around 40% off the overall costs of individual tickets.

Grab your pass online or at the attractions themselves. They even have (shorter) dedicated lines for CityPass customers. That’s a bonus right there especially when you’ve taken the time to plan and see New York City on a shorter trip.

Now, there are six attractions you can choose from. These are; The Empire State Building, American Museum of Natural History, MoMA, Top Of The Rock, Guggenheim Museum, Statue Of Liberty & Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial Museum to name just a few.

6.) Eat & Drink Well

Visiting New York can be a busy affair, don’t forget to stay hydrated and graze lots across the day.

I managed to forget this rule last time we visited and ended up being totally ‘hangry’ until I had a plate of pasta in front of my face. Honestly, staying stocked up with good food is the key when you plan and see New York City on a trip.

7.) Proximity Is Key

Try not to just choose the events/attractions you want to visit. Visit the ones that are next to each other and save on journey times across the city as this saves lots of time when you plan and see New York City.

For instance, if you want to visit The Statue of Liberty, why not include this with other places close-by like; the Freedom Tower, Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial.

After all, less travel time means more exploring time!

8.) Ask a local

No one knows everything on New York but the beauty of blogging is that we can all share our tips on what makes a successful trip to the Big Apple.

That being said, always check with a few locals when you’re on the ground in New York.

This way, you’ll get a totally local perspective of what’s going on and find a few gems, too. This is so important as you might have missed some of these when you plan and see New York City.