New York itinerary in 7 days

New York is definitely a city to see at least once in a lifetime! It probably wouldn't take a month to discover it all, but a week is more than enough time to fall in love with it. There are so many things to see and do, and they are also so far apart, so if you only have 7 days, it becomes necessary to organise a detailed itinerary, which allows you to group the attractions closest to each other and avoid wasting precious time travelling!

Are you ready to go? Here are tips and info for visiting New York in 7 days!
SEE ALSO: What to see in New York

Day 1: Times Square and Midtown Manhattan

You cannot but start your visit to New York from the marvellous Times Square, one of the most famous squares in the world! Located in the heart of Midtown, it is surrounded by shops and clubs! Stroll down 6th Avenue (11 min) and reach MOMA, one of the world's best-known museums of contemporary art (daily 10.30am-5.30pm, $25.00/€21.50; online ticket purchase recommended). The visit takes all morning.

For lunch, stop at Dos Toros Taqueria ($10.00/€8.20) and then head to the nearby St Patrick's Cathedral (daily 6:30am-8:45pm, free), the largest Roman Catholic neo-Gothic cathedral in the country. Finally, head to nearby Rockefeller Center, where the big skating rink is set up for Christmas. Here you'll find the Top of the Rock (daily 8am-24pm, $38.00/€32.30, flexible date ticket purchase recommended), the big viewing platform with the best view of the Empire!

End the day with dinner at Chick-fil-A ($10.00/€8.20) and see Times Square at night!

Save on entrance fees: before you start exploring the city, don't forget to buy the NYC Explorer Pass, which gives you free entry to many of the attractions on the 7-day itinerary.

At a glance:

• Distance travelled: 2.7 km

• Places visited: Times Square (free), MOMA ($25.00/€21.50), St Patrick's Cathedral (free), Rockefeller Center (free), Top of The Rock ($38.00/€32.30)

• Daily expense: €70.00

• Where to Eat: Lunch at Dos Toros Taqueria(Get directions), Dinner at Chick-fil-A(Get directions)

Day 2: MET, Central Park and Surrounds

Start this second morning with another wonderful museum, the MET, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, one of the most important museums in the world, with one of the largest collections of ancient and contemporary artworks (Sun-Thu 10am-5:30pm, Fri-Sat 10am-9pm, $25.00/€21.50, priority ticket purchase recommended). The visit will take you all morning.

Once the tour is over, head into Central Park and stop for lunch at The Loeb Boathouse, with a beautiful view of the lake (also sandwiches and toast, $10.00/€8.20). And spend the whole afternoon exploring Central Park, New York's green lung! There are so many things to see and do, and to get around quickly, we recommend hiring a bike! If you're travelling with children, we recommend a visit to the Central Park Zoo (varying hours see official website, $17.95/€14.90).

For dinner, stop at McGee's pub, an Irish pub that inspired the famous TV series How I Met Your Mother ($20.00/€16.60). Here you can spend the evening and enjoy a drink (the house speciality is a drink named after one of the characters from the TV series)!

At a glance:

• Distance travelled: 3.1 km

• Places visited: MET ($25.00/€21.50), Central Park (free / bike rental from €6.22), Central Park Zoo ($17.95/€14.90)

• Daily fee: €65.00

• Recommended cards, tickets and tours: Metropolitan Museum of Art: priority ticket New York: bike rental in Central Park

• Where to eat: Lunch at The Loeb Boathouse(Get directions), Dinner at McGee's pub(Get directions)

Day 3: Harlem and Upper Manhattan

We remain in the northern part of the city, in Upper Manhattan, where we recommend exploring the quaint neighbourhood of Harlem. This is New York's African-American neighbourhood, the birthplace of jazz and gospel music, and the best way to explore it is to take part in a gospel walking tour (starts at 8.30am, duration 4 hours).

Once you've completed the tour, we recommend stopping for lunch at Sylvia 's ($15.00/€12.40), a real neighbourhood institution and soul food restaurant.
Then take the M2 bus from Adam C Powell Blvd and get off at Madison Av/E 89 St, a 3-minute walk from your next stop, the famous Guggenheim Museum in New York (daily 10.30am-5.30pm, Fri until 8pm, $25.00/€21.50,priority admission recommended)! Inside it houses works of modern and contemporary art, but its structure is a work of art in itself!

For dinner, we recommend you stop at the nearby Naruto Ramen ($10.00/€8.20), a Japanese restaurant specialising in ramen and a real institution in town!

At a glance:

• Distance travelled: 4.5 km

• Places visited: Harlem (free / gospel tour €53.90), Guggenheim Museum ($25.00/€21.50)

• Daily fee: €42.00 / with gospel tour in Harlem €96.00

• Recommended cards, tickets and tours: New York: 4-hour gospel tour of Harlem NYC: Priority entry to Guggenheim Museum

• Where to Eat: Lunch at Sylvia's(Get directions), Dinner at Naruto Ramen(Get directions)

Day 4: Architecture tour of skyscrapers and neighbourhoods

The morning of the fourth day is dedicated to discovering New York's architecture, with its famous skyscrapers! Then take a photo of the Chrysler Building, a historic Art Deco building completed in 1930. Then go up to the Empire State Building, symbol of New York: discover its history and enjoy the marvellous view (daily 8am-2pm, from $36.00/€30.60, purchase ofstandard and priority access recommended). Once you get off, take another photo of the world-famous Flatiron Building, immediately recognisable by its narrow, triangular shape!

Have a quick lunch with a bagel at Murray' s Bagels ($1.45/€1.20 a bagel) and spend the afternoon discovering New York's characteristic neighbourhoods!
Start with the nearest Soho, Manhattan's trendy neighbourhood, a shopper's paradise! Continue to nearby Little Italy, now reduced to a street but very characteristic, and finally lose yourself in the tastes and smells of Chinatown, home to one of the largest and oldest Chinese communities outside of Asia!

For dinner, we recommend you stop off right in Chinatown, at Joe's Shanghai ($15.00/€12.40).

In summary:

• Distance travelled: 6.3 km

• Places visited: Chrysler Building (exterior free), Empire State Building ($36.00/€30.60), Flatiron Building (exterior free), Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown (free)

• Daily fee: €45.00

• Recommended cards, tickets and tours: Empire State Building: standard and priority access Empire State Building: day or night admission Guided walking tour of SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown

• Where to Eat: Lunch at Murray's Bagels(Get directions), Dinner at Joe's Shanghai(Get directions)

Day 5: Wall Street and Lower Manhattan

It's time to discover Lower Manhattan, the financial heart of the city, where the Financial District and Wall Street are located. The best time to visit Wall Street is in the morning, as it is full of life and there is a bustle of people. Take a photo in front of the Charging Bull, the district's iconic bull! After that walk to Battery Park (8 min) where the ferries leave to get to the Statue of Liberty! Enjoy a one-hour cruise to one of the symbols of New York and the United States!

Once back in Battery Park, stop for lunch at Pier A Harbor House ($20.00/€16.60).
Finally, walk to the World Trade Center, an architectural complex where the Twin Towers once stood! Dedicate the whole afternoon to this area: first visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum (Sun-Thu 9am-8pm, Fri-Sat 9am-9pm, $26.00/€22.10, buy tickets online), take a photo at The Oculus, and at sunset climb the One World Trade Center observation deck (daily 9am-9pm, $38.00/€32.20, buy skip-the-line tickets).

End the day with a burger at Shake Shack ($10.00/€8.20).

Visit the Statue of Liberty: with only 7 days available, we opted out of the inside visit to the Statue of Liberty, but you could make it up on the seventh day, as an alternative to the Natural History Museum. You can visit both the pedestal and the crown (but for the latter you have to book months in advance), and you can also combine the visit with the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

At a glance:

• Distance travelled: 3.3 km / 42 min + one-hour cruise

• Places visited: Financial District and Wall Street (free / Financial District walking tour €20.69), Statue of Liberty(one-hour cruise €24.87), World Trade Center (free), 9/11 Memorial ($26.00/€22.10), One World Trade Center ($38.00/€32.20)

• Daily spending: €100.00

• Recommended cards, tickets and tours: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: 1-hour Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island cruise: ferry ticket options One World Observatory New York: Skip-the-line ticket

• Where to Eat: Lunch at Pier A Harbor House(Get directions), Dinner at Shake Shack(Get directions)

Day 6: Brooklyn

This day is best spent in Brooklyn, another New York borough. You have to start at the famous Brooklyn Bridge, the symbol of the city! We recommend arriving fairly early and crossing the whole thing on foot (about 15 minutes). Once on the opposite bank, stop at Dumbo - Manhattan Bridge View, where you can take the famous photo of the bridge, framed by the buildings! Then take advantage of the morning to explore the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood, with wonderful views of Manhattan.

Stop for lunch at Park Plaza, a typical American diner ($20.00/€16.60).
Then take the underground line 2 or 3 from Borough Hall to Franklin Av-Medgar Evers College (10 min) and head to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Garden (March-October 8am-6pm, November until 4.30pm, December-February 10am-4.30pm, $18.00/€14.90), the borough's green lung of Brooklyn, with 21 hectares and over 10,000 plant species. In the late afternoon, head to Williamsburg, Brooklyn's hipster and trendy neighbourhood.

We recommend stopping for dinner right here, at Mekelburg' s ($20.00/€16.60).

In summary:

• Distance travelled: 13 km

• Places visited: Brooklyn Bridge (free), Dumbo - Manhattan Bridge View (free), Brooklyn Heights (free), Brooklyn Botanic Garden ($18.00/€14.90), Williamsburg (free)

• Daily fee: €50.00

• Recommended cards, tickets and tours: Brooklyn: 3-hour, 30-minute Christmas tour from Manhattan Brooklyn: graffiti lesson The Best of Brooklyn: 2-hour walking tour of Williamsburg

• Where to Eat: Lunch at Park Plaza(Get directions), Dinner at Mekelburg's(Get directions)

Day 7: Museum of Natural History, The Vessel, High Lane

Photos by Epicgenius. Start this last day at the American Museum of Natural History (daily 10am-5:45pm, $23.00/€19.50), the natural history museum with the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the world! The visit will take you a morning and is also perfect for children!

Stop for lunch at the nearby Modern Bread and Bagel ($15.00/€12.50).
Then take the underground back to Midtown (direct line C, from Museum of Natural History to 34 St - Penn Station, 8 min), walk 11 min along W 34th St to The Vessel (daily 10am-9pm, free but to be booked on the official website), one of New York's newest attractions, opened in March 2019, with its distinctive honeycomb architecture! Lastly, admire the city and the sunset from the High Line (December-March 7am-7pm, April-May and October-November 7am-10pm, June-September 7am-11pm, free), a little-known site: an old elevated railway line transformed into a park with beautiful views of the city!

End your last evening near Time Square by dining at the iconic Ellen's Stardust Diner ($30.00/€24.60), where waiters sing and dance, entertaining guests!

In summary:

• Distance travelled: 8.2 km

• Places visited: American Museum of Natural History ($23.00/€19.50), The Vessel (free), High Line (free), Times Square (free)

• Daily expense: €60.00

• Recommended cards, tickets and tours: New York: NYC Explorer Pass for over 85 tours and attractions New York: Private helicopter tour for couples

• Where to eat: Lunch at Modern Bread and Bagel(Get directions), Dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner(Get directions)

How much does a week in New York cost

NB: The prices in the table above are per person.

New York, like the big American cities, is not a cheap destination. Although there are now numerous low-cost flights, one of the highest expenses will be accommodation, especially if you want to stay in Midtown, near Manhattan! If you book in good time you can still find great deals!

Despite the high cost of living, it's not impossible to save money: go for a quick lunch of bagels, hot dogs or street food, and for dinner you can stop off at a few bars; as you've seen, entrance fees to attractions are very expensive, so buy the NYC Explorer Pass to save money and also get the 7-day MetroCard Unlimited for unlimited underground travel ($33.00/€27.50).

Finally, if you want to get your bearings a little before exploring the city freely, consider a sightseeing bus tour, ideal for getting to the main attractions and getting familiar with the distances!

• Cheap flights: from €320.00 - see offers

• Where to stay: Hotels and B&Bs from €60.00 per room - see offers

• Card, tickets and recommended tours: NYC Explorer Pass for over 85 tours and attractions New York Pass for 3, 5 or 7 attractions Panoramic Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour

• Total cost for one week, including flights: from €1,180.00 per person

Before you go: useful tips

• When to visit New York: Any season is ideal. Summer for the many festivals, spring and autumn for the warmer temperatures and the beauty of Central Park. Winter for the magic of the Christmas and New Year festivities - find out more

• Getting there: served by 3 airports. John Fitzgerald Kennedy International Airport (the main one, Queens); Newark-Liberty International Airport (in Newark, New Jersey); Fiorello LaGuardia Airport (Queens). Shared transfer to Manhattan recommended - find out more

• Where to stay: Manhattan, the borough with the most attractions. Opt for accommodation near the underground for easy commuting. First trip prefer Midtown, as a family Upper Manhattan, to save money Lower Manhattan - find out more

• Gettingaround: in the individual districts on foot. In Manhattan and the other boroughs by underground, which is very efficient and punctual. Buses not recommended due to traffic - more

• Local currency: US dollar ($) / €1.00= $1.20

• Time zone: GMT-5 (-6h compared to Italy)

• Entry requirements: passport with expiry date after date of return to Italy and ESTA authorisation (cost $14.00, approx. €12.25). Health insurance strongly recommended

• Recommended cards and passes: we recommend purchasing the NYC Explorer Pass to get major discounts on attractions, tours and museums (from €53.40 - see details)

• Safety info: New York is very safe, especially the borough of Manhattan. Avoid the borough of The Bronx in the evenings and stick to the main tourist routes during the day. See the USA section on the Farnesina website