3 days in New York City: itinerary

Build the three days around geography, not a list. Manhattan is long and narrow: a downtown day, a Midtown-plus-park day and one flexible day keeps you off the subway for hours at a time.

Day 1 — Lower Manhattan and the harbour. Start at Battery Park or the Staten Island Ferry (free, runs 24 h, about 25 min each way) for the skyline and the Statue of Liberty from the water. Walk the 9/11 Memorial, then Wall Street and Grand Central Terminal on the way north. Finish in the West Village or SoHo for dinner.

Day 2 — Midtown and Central Park. The Met in the morning (2–3 h is realistic), Central Park in the afternoon, then Times Square after dark. If you want an observation deck, Edge or Summit are the current picks; go at sunset only if the forecast is clear.

Day 3 — one neighbourhood or one day trip. Brooklyn (DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge walk, Prospect Park) is the lowest-effort choice. Otherwise pick a day trip: Washington, DC is about 3 h by train, Boston similar, and both work as a long day if you leave early.

Most headline sights are open daily; museums typically 10:00–17:00 and closed one weekday, so check the day before. Central Park is always open. The Staten Island Ferry runs 24 hours, roughly every 30 minutes.

A city pass only pays off if you do three or more paid attractions in a short window. Run the numbers against the list above before buying; the pass rarely beats paying individually on a three-day trip.

The subway is the fastest way to cover distance and runs 24 hours. Tap a contactless card or phone with OMNY; the weekly cap kicks in after 12 rides. Buses are slower but useful for short crosstown hops.

From JFK, the AirTrain plus subway is the cheapest route; a taxi is a flat metered fare plus tolls and tips, and can take an hour in traffic. From Newark, the airport train to Penn Station is the usual choice. LaGuardia has no rail link; use the bus or a taxi.

Do not rent a car for a three-day city trip. Parking in Manhattan is expensive and street parking is hard to find.

Book the Statue of Liberty ferry only from the official operator; third-party resellers add fees and sometimes sell tickets for the wrong departure. For Broadway, buy direct from the show or the official box office.

Tipping is expected: 18–20% at restaurants, US$1–2 per drink at a bar, US$2–5 per night for housekeeping. Sales tax is added at the till, so the shelf price is not the final price.

Pick a base near a subway line rather than near a single sight. Midtown is convenient but noisy and pricey; Downtown, the West Village and parts of Brooklyn give better value for three nights.

If you are flying in from another country, land in the morning if you can: an afternoon arrival eats day 1. Jet lag from Europe usually clears by day 2, which is why the museum day sits in the middle.