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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Manhattan
New York County
Base yourself in Manhattan for 4–5 nights: stay Midtown for first-trip sights, Downtown or the Village for food and nightlife. Skip a car.
Manhattan is one of New York City's five boroughs and the one most visitors mean by "New York": Central Park, Times Square, Broadway, the Empire State Building and the Met are all here. It is a long, thin island with a numbered grid north of Houston Street, so most trips work as a set of walking clusters linked by subway. Four to five nights covers the headline sights at a sane pace; a week lets you add neighbourhoods, museums and a day trip.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- New York County
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Dec
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold), Jul–Aug (hot and humid)
- Stay
- 4–5 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$90–150 excl. bed · Mid US$150–280 excl. bed · High US$280+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · NYC non-emergency 311
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | US$4–7 |
| Slice of pizza | US$4–6 |
| Deli sandwich | US$12–18 |
| Sit-down dinner, mid-range, before tax and tip | US$25–45 |
| Beer: bar draught / bodega can | US$8–12 / US$3–5 |
| Subway ride | US$3 |
| Taxi across Midtown | US$15–25 |
| Museum entry (the Met, American Museum of Natural History) | US$30–35 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- JFK · John F. Kennedy International
- AirTrain to Jamaica or Howard Beach, then subway or LIRR into Manhattan; allow 60–90 min to Midtown.
- LGA · LaGuardia
- No rail link; bus or taxi. Taxi to Midtown about 30–45 min outside rush hour.
- EWR · Newark Liberty International
- AirTrain to Newark Airport station, then NJ Transit or Amtrak to Penn Station; about 45–60 min.
Typical fares
- JFK → Midtown, AirTrain plus subway
- about US$11, 60–90 min (check)
- Subway ride
- US$3 flat, free transfers within the system
- Taxi JFK → Midtown
- flat fare plus tolls and tip (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The subway runs 24 hours and is the default: pay per ride with a contactless card or phone at the turnstile, or load a MetroCard. Buses are slower but useful crosstown. Walking is often fastest between nearby avenues — about 20 street blocks to a mile, seven avenues to a mile. Taxis and rideshare fill the gaps late at night. A car in Manhattan is a cost, not a help: parking is expensive and traffic is slow.
See and do
Known for
- Central Park
- Times Square and Broadway
- Empire State Building
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Wall Street and the Financial District
- Greenwich Village and SoHo
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Staten Island | Subway to Whitehall St or Bowling Green, then the free Staten Island Ferry from the Whitehall terminal | About 1 h each way |
| Brooklyn | Subway across the East River, or walk the Brooklyn Bridge from City Hall | 20–40 min |
| Queens | Subway lines 7, E, F, M, N, R, W to Queens | 20–45 min |
| Bronx | Metro-North from Grand Central to Yankees–E 153rd St, or the subway | 30–50 min |
Sleep
- Midtown (Theater District, Midtown East)
- Walk to Times Square, Broadway, the Empire State Building and Grand Central; best for a first trip and short stays.
- Financial District and TriBeCa
- Statue of Liberty ferries, Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial on foot; quieter at night, good subway links.
- Greenwich Village, SoHo and Chelsea
- Restaurants, bars and shopping; central but low-rise, so rooms are smaller and often pricier.
- Upper West Side and Upper East Side
- Central Park, the Met and the American Museum of Natural History; residential and calmer, 15–25 min by subway to Midtown.
- Lower East Side and East Village
- Nightlife and cheap eats; noisier at night, fewer big hotels.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the subway? | Where is the subway? |
| Check, please | Check, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Sales tax is added at the till; the shelf price is not the final price.
- Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, US$1–2 a drink, 15–20% in taxis.
- Ticket touts around Times Square sell overpriced or invalid Broadway seats; buy from the box office or an official seller.
- Subway platforms are hot in summer and some stations have no lift; check step-free access if you have bags or a stroller.
- Summer heat and humidity are real; carry water and plan indoor breaks in July and August.
Manhattan is busy and generally safe in the areas visitors use, but petty theft happens on packed subway cars and around Times Square: keep your phone and wallet out of sight, and use well-lit streets at night.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Manhattan yet. Suggested stay: 4–5 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Central Park
- Times Square and Broadway
- Empire State Building
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Wall Street and the Financial District
- Greenwich Village and SoHo
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- NYC official tourism site: www.nycgo.com/
- MTA — New York City subway and buses: www.mta.info/
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — airports: www.panynj.gov/airports/en/index.html
- Wikivoyage: Manhattan, revision 5243149 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5243149
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
ManhattanNew York County
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries have consulates in Manhattan; check your country's official site for the address and hours.
English is the working language; Spanish and many others are widely spoken.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/manhattan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.