7 days in United States: itinerary

The route is a single line: New York down to Washington, DC, or New York up to Boston. Both legs are Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains, so you never need a car and you never need to fly inside the trip.

New York is the arrival point for most transatlantic and transpacific flights, which is why it opens the week. Washington and Boston both have large airports, so you can fly home from the second city instead of doubling back.

Day 1: land, drop bags, and walk your own neighbourhood rather than crossing town. Jet lag makes a big first day a waste.

Day 2: Lower Manhattan in the morning (Statue of Liberty ferry from the official seller only, or the free Staten Island ferry for the view), then Midtown for Grand Central and the Empire State area.

Day 3: one big museum, not three. The Met or the American Museum of Natural History, then Central Park on foot.

Day 4: a neighbourhood you have not seen, then a Broadway or Off-Broadway show. Book the show before you fly if a specific one matters.

Day 5: morning train to Washington. Afternoon on the National Mall: Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument grounds, and the memorials at the Tidal Basin.

Day 6: Smithsonian museums. Air and Space and African American History are the two that most often need free timed passes, so reserve online in advance.

Day 7: Capitol or Library of Congress in the morning, then the airport. Allow 50 minutes to reach Dulles and about 30 to Reagan National.

Amtrak runs New York to Washington in about 3 hours and New York to Boston in about 4. Book early for the lowest fares; walk-up prices can be several times higher.

Inside New York, the subway runs 24 hours and is the fastest way between boroughs. Inside Washington, the Metro covers the Mall and the airports. Both cities are walkable in the core, and neither rewards a rental car: parking costs more than the train.

In New York, stay in Manhattan near a subway line you will actually use. Midtown is convenient and expensive; Lower Manhattan, Chelsea and the Upper West Side are quieter and still well connected. Brooklyn around Downtown or Williamsburg trades a longer ride for lower rates.

In Washington, stay downtown or near Dupont Circle or Capitol Hill, all within walking or short Metro distance of the Mall. Arlington across the river is often cheaper and still on the Metro.

Book both cities before flights. Lodging is the cost that moves most, and the cheapest rooms in Manhattan sell out first.

A 7-day Northeast trip runs about US$1,600–3,200 per person excluding international flights, depending on hotel class and how many paid sights you add. Washington's free museums pull the second half of the week down.

The train is the cheapest intercity option if you book early. Food is the flexible line: a deli or market lunch costs a fraction of a sit-down dinner in either city.

Swap Washington for Boston: 4 nights New York, 3 nights Boston, about 4 hours by train. Boston is smaller and walkable, with colonial history and seafood.

Add a car and drop a city: 7 days is enough for a short park loop, but not for a coast-to-coast trip. Fly into Las Vegas or Phoenix and keep the loop tight, or fly into San Francisco and stay in California.

With more time, move to 10 days for a canyon loop or 14 days for the California coast. Both add a car and more hotel changes, which is why they do not fit a week.