THE BEST 7-DAY ITINERARY IN NEW YORK (DAY-TO-DAY ROUTE)

Send

We already imagine the scene: you have the confirmation of the flights to New York in your email, and you are in the clouds because it will be your first time in the Big Apple. You always wanted to visit this amazing city and finally you will be able to fulfill one of your traveling dreams. But soon the doubts begin: surely you know by heart everything there is to see and do in New York, the problem is how to plan your stay, what to visit and when not to waste time. Do not worry, we are here to help you. You just wear comfortable shoes (we will travel a few km) and point this 7-day itinerary in New York, with a day to day route Recommended to make the most of your trip!

Do you have less time? Ains, what a shame! But nothing happens, here we tell you how to take advantage of the city on a 3-day route through New York

Before you start, we recommend you read our article on tips for traveling to New York (and not screw it up). We believe it can save you more than one headache. And of course the post of where to find cheap accommodation in New York (something difficult but not impossible).

Clarification: you can modify the order of the days according to your preferences (also keep in mind that the visit to Harlem has to be a Sunday, so you can attend the Mass Góspel), so go moving the days following your own calendar

Remember that if you want to enter the main attractions of New York, such as viewpoints, museums, etc., you should take a tourist pass. Here you can see what there is and reserve them.

Now, let's go with our 7-day itinerary in New York (day by day)

Day 1Midtown Manhattan

The first day is dedicated to the most iconic New York, the one you saw on your television screen a thousand and one times. We talk about Midtown, the heart of Manhattan, where emblematic places like Times Square, the St. Patrick's Cathedral, Bryant park, the New York Public Library, the Grand Central Terminal, or skyscrapers like the Empire State Building or the Rockefeller center (and its viewpoint Top of the Rock).

What to see and do in Midtown Manhattan

Tips:

Get a New York Explorer Pass tourist card
Buy the Metro Card, a card with unlimited metro / bus trips. The 7-day one costs $ 33
Go to the Top of the Rock at sunset to finish big that first day in New York. Here we tell you how to get on the Top of the Rock, and you can buy tickets without a queue here

Where to eat? Halal Guys cart, Ellen Stardust, Wholefoods of Bryant Park.

Day 2Hudson Yards, Meatpacking District, Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen and Broadway

Do not tease yourself in bed, because the day will be very complete. The first thing you will do, after a good breakfast, is to go to the new area of Hudson Yards and meet The Vessel, the monument shaped like a space basket that is driving New Yorkers crazy. Remember that you will have to request your tickets (free) in advance: in this post we explain where and how to do it.

The next destination is the High line, a curious elevated park that travels through the heights of New York on the route of an old urban train line. At the end of the High Line and after kicking its 2.4 km, you will find yourself in the neighborhood of Meatpacking District, once a fairly depressed area and today is one of the coolest in the entire city.

Take a stroll through Meatpacking and you will reach the neighborhood of Chelsea where you have an appointment with its famous market: the Chelsea Market. You can snack on their stalls and pause before moving on to Hell's Kitchen, an area full of bars and stores.

These districts do not have specific points to visit, but it is best to walk through them and wrap themselves in their environment and architecture. Just don't miss three of the best Kobra murals (Mount Rushmore, Gandhi and Mother Teresa, and We Love NY with Einstein) and take a pint at Rudy's Bar & Grill, where along with the beer they give you a hot dog (yes, it is free, although you have to ask that the Swedes are sometimes made XD).

The last stop of the day is ¡Broadway! What better than celebrating your stay in the city that never sleeps with a musical? We went to see the Lion King and it was one of the best experiences of the entire trip!

What to see and do in Meatpacking, Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen
Route through the murals of Kobra in New York
Buy your ticket for Broadway musicals here

Where to eat? Stalls at the Chelsea Market, puppy and beer at Rudy's.

Day 3West Village, Greenwich Village, Soho, Nolita, Little Italy and Chinatown

Today's is one of the routes we like most in New York: we will leave from the Madison Square Parkwhere is the curious building Flatiron. In addition to contemplating it (and of course, do a photo shoot), we like it because right in front of it there is a small square with tables and public chairs where we love to have breakfast (catch a bagel and a coffee in one of the hundreds of street carts) .

After taking strength we will begin to descend towards the West Village, a very charming and quite neighborhood with its typical red brick houses (yes, like Carrie's in the Sex series in New York that you can visit), then go through the Soho Y Nolita. Do not miss a visit to Washington Square, a place with a lot of atmosphere where we love to sit and gossip the dogs (ok, and their owners).

The next stop will be the mythical neighborhoods of Little italy Y Chinatown. Do not panic ahead of time, although today we go through lots of different districts, they really are next to each other and the distance will not be so much. The most interesting thing is to see how the picture changes dramatically when passing from one to the other, in this way the leg pain feels less;). In Chinatown the options for cheap eating are almost endless, but our favorite is that of Wah Fung Fast Food where for $ 4 you have super rich bbq rice with pork.

Take the opportunity to end the day drinking a beer in the Rooftop 93, the bar on the terrace of the Wyndham Garden Chinatown hotel, with stunning views of the city. From 5 to 8 pm there is happy hour and the beer costs $ 7 (try the Brooklyn Brewery). It is the rooftop bar that we all enjoy the most.

Tired? We understand: this is the craziest day of our 7-day itinerary in New York 🙂 But is it worth it?

What to see and do in West Village
What to see and do in Little Italy and Chinatown
These are the best rooftop bars in New York

Where to eat? Pizza popolare in Kesté, hamburger in Five Guys, pizza at $ 1 in 2 Bros. Pizza, Wah Fung Fast Food, Vanessa Dumpling.

Day 4Contrast + Dumbo Tour

Today is a day of excursion and a piece of excursion! We talk about contrast tour, which will give you a generic view of what New York is, beyond Manhattan. Did you know that the city is made up of 5 different neighborhoods? Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn Y Staten island. With the tour of contrasts you will discover corners of the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn (the latter is a pa-sa-da), which otherwise would be more complicated to know, than not impossible, eye.

At the end of the tour they will leave you in the area of DUMBO, north of Brooklyn, so you'll have time to explore it thoroughly before crossing the magnificent Brooklyn bridge and enjoy some of the best views of the city. It is also a good area to try what for some, is the best burger in New York: the chain Shake shack.

More information about the New York Contrast Tour The best excursions from New York
What to see and do in DUMBO

Where to eat? Dumbo Shake Shack burger, pizza at Juliana's or Grimaldi's, or a lobster roll at Luke's Lobster.

Day 5Lower Manhattan + Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

On day 5 we will dedicate it to explore the area of Lower manhattan, focusing on the Financial District. Go through the mythical Wall street and his two statues (that of the bull and that of the girl), the building of the NYSE, the Federal Hall with the statue of George Washington on his steps, the Trinity church, the National Museum of the American Indians, or the beautiful street of Stone Street.

Visit also the area of World trade center, where you will see some square fountains in the places where the Twin Towers were. If you want to know more about the sad event, there is the 11S Memorial and Museum. And two other interesting places are the One World Observatory (the tallest building in the United States, which by the way you can climb) and the subway station Oculus from Calatrava.

We will take advantage of the day to go to Battery park and take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty Y Ellis Island, the island that welcomed (or not) immigrants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and today takes advantage of these facilities as an interesting museum on immigration. Most tourist cards include the ferry, but if you do not have them you can buy tickets online or do it directly at the ticket office. You can also sign up for this tour in Spanish.

If you want to save a little money and settle for seeing the Statue of Liberty from afar, you have the option of getting on the free ferry that is going to Staten island.

What to see and do in Lower Manhattan More information about Ellis Island

Where to eat? Pisillo Italian Panini, Stone Street Tavern ...

Day 6Harlem and Central Park

Today is an alternative plan: let's explore the neighborhood of Harlem and we will witness a Mass Gospel (we went to the Bethel Gospel Assembley and we recommend it, even if you go to the first mass, the second one is usually filled more with tourists). We will also do a brunch based on fried chicken and waffles, before leaving the multicultural neighborhood and spending the afternoon in Centrto the park, exploring the most famous park in New York and getting to know its two star Museums: the MET and the Museum of Natural History.

Tips:

This itinerary has to take place on a Sunday since the gospel masses are done this day (some churches also have a Wednesday session but still Sunday is the best day).
If Harlem's visit doesn't motivate you much, you can go spend the morning in Coney Island.
Rent the bike from Central Park here and you will save yourself a pasture.

What to see and do in Harlem Tips for visiting Central Park

Where to eat? Brunch at Amy's Ruth, picnic at Wholefoods (Columbus Circle), hot dogs at Gray's Papaya.

Day 7Free - Bushwick, Williamsburg and Greenpoint

This day is free: some will have only half a day of time and others will have things to do: something that stayed in the inkwell, shopping in one of the New York outlets, like Century 21…. But if you have time and desire, our advice is to go further explore the neighborhood of Brooklyn. With half a day you can travel Bushwick, an area full of street art, where there are some interesting restaurants (including some Mexicans). And then the most hipster area of Williamsburg, known for being the orthodox Jewish quarter of New York. We recommend you approach upLee Avenue, the main artery of the neighborhood, and where life is concentrated.

And finally, the day ends in Greenpoint, a residential neighborhood and very little tourist, where you can really feel how people live in New York, many of them of Polish origin. But hide a surprise: the incredible views of Manhattan at sunset (you can go to one of these parks: WNYC Transmitter Park or East river state park). One of our favorite plans is to take a public ferry on one of the piers, and sail south on the East River. Here you have more info about the ferries.

What to do in Brooklyn in one day Urban art route in Bushwick
Visit to the Jewish quarter of New York (Williamsburg)

Where to eat? Tortilleria Mexicanas Los Hermanos, Arepera Guacuco, Roberta's, Rzeszowska Bakery, Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop.

Here is a map where we have indicated the itineraries for days to do on a 7-day trip to New York:

Of course there are things to see and do in New York (go to Coney Island, visit all the main Museums, learn more about Queens ...) but we believe that this itinerary 7 days in New York It is quite complete for a first visit. Of course we recommend adjusting it to your tastes and requirements, but after having visited the city 2 times (one of them for a month) we believe that it is a well thought out itinerary and nothing crazy. Of course, what we told you at the beginning of everything: wear good shoes because you're going to ride a lot hehe.