New York City Discovery Guide

New York City rewards walking more than any other American city: the density means that a few blocks change the language on the shopfronts, and the best of it is found at street level rather than at the top of a queue.

The friction is that the headline attractions are expensive, heavily booked and concentrated in the few square miles everyone else has also chosen. An observation deck, a major museum and a show can absorb $200 and most of a day before you have eaten.

The smart approach is to pay for one or two of them and build the rest of the trip around what costs nothing: the Staten Island Ferry sails past the Statue of Liberty for free, Central Park, the High Line and the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge charge nothing either, and the outer boroughs are where the food is both better and cheaper. Book the ticketed places in advance — arriving without a timed slot is what costs you hours.

If you travel slowly

Pick one neighbourhood a day and walk it end to end. The city is legible at that pace and incomprehensible at any faster one.

If you want to see the essentials

One great museum, one show, one high view, and a long walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at dusk. Four days is enough to do that without rushing.

If you seek local character

Eat where the trains take you: Jackson Heights for South Asian and Himalayan food, Sunset Park and Flushing for Chinese, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx for Italian. None of it is a tourist experience and all of it is better than the equivalent in Manhattan.

If you want to go beyond the obvious

The Cloisters at the top of the island, the Rockaways by subway in summer, and the free Staten Island Ferry at night, when the harbour is empty and lit.

Sidewalk and subway pace

New York moves fast, and the unwritten rules are mostly about not getting in the way of that. On sidewalks, keep to the right and step aside rather than stopping abruptly to check a phone or a map, especially near a subway entrance or busy corner. On subway escalators, stand on the right and walk on the left. When a train arrives, let riders exit before stepping on, and move toward the center of the car rather than blocking the doors.

Tipping

Tipping is expected, not optional, in most service settings. Budget 15-20% at sit-down restaurants, and around a dollar per drink at a bar. Many service workers rely on tips as a real part of their income, so skipping this is felt, not just noticed.

General courtesy

New Yorkers are generally happy to give directions if asked directly and briefly -- stopping to ask rather than blocking foot traffic while consulting a phone goes a long way. As in any major city, staying aware of surroundings and belongings in crowded tourist spots (Times Square, the subway, popular museum lines) is worth the small effort it takes.

October is the best month of the year: clear, mild, and the parks at their best.

April to early June and September to early November are the comfortable stretches, with a full calendar and manageable crowds. April brings sudden showers worth packing for.

July and August are hot and humid and the subway platforms are worse than the street — but this is also when the free outdoor programming runs, and hotel rates soften because business travel stops.

Late November to 1 January is the most expensive and most crowded period of the year, driven by the holiday displays and the markets. Book months ahead or avoid it deliberately.

January to March is cold and grey and by far the cheapest time to come. Broadway tickets and hotel rates are at their lowest, and the museums are empty.

What a day costs, by how you travel

Lodging is the line that dominates the budget — food and transport are cheap by comparison, and a great deal of the city costs nothing at all.

Note that the Metropolitan Museum's pay-what-you-wish admission applies to New York State residents only; everyone else pays the full price.