New York is, for me, the best city in the world, and four days is the absolute minimum I’d give it. My itinerary takes you from the Staten Island Ferry to the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and the High Line without any rushing. If you only have time for one gallery, make it the Guggenheim.
- How many days
- Four is the minimum, five is ideal; I wouldn’t stay more than six
- When to go
- April–May or September; avoid March and summer
- Airport to the centre
- From JFK, the AirTrain to Jamaica, then the E train to Manhattan, about 1 hr 30 mins; I prefer flying into JFK
- Where I stayed
- POD39 near Grand Central, in the middle of Manhattan, close to almost every subway line
- Watch out for
- Never stay in New Jersey; the subway card doesn’t work there, and you pay for every train ride separately
- Getting around
- Subway with OMNY, by contactless card or phone; $3 a ride, free after 12 rides in 7 days
Contents3 chaptersHideShow
- 014 days in New York: practical tips before you go
- Do you need a visa for New York? ESTA explained
- How many days to spend in New York
- How to get from New York’s airports to Manhattan
- When is the best time to visit New York?
- Where to stay in New York
- How to get around New York
- Do I need cash in New York, or is a card enough?
- 02Things to do in New York in 4 days: Milan Bez Mapy’s itinerary
- Day 1 in New York: arrival, the Staten Island Ferry, dinner in the Seaport, the Titanic Memorial and Times Square at night
- Day 2 in New York: the Plaza Hotel, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, lunch in Little Italy and dinner on Coney Island
- Day 3 in New York: DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge, Governors Island, Wall Street and the WTC, the Roosevelt Island Tram, the library, Bryant Park and sunset from Top of the Rock
- Day 4 in New York: the Vessel, a walk along the High Line, the Friends building and Carrie’s house, and a late-afternoon flight home
- 03Is New York worth visiting?
If you’re looking for more ideas beyond this four-day itinerary, have a look at my guide to what to see in New York.
Four days in New York is the absolute minimum I recommend. If you have less time than that, I’d postpone the trip. Come back when you can set aside more time for what is, to my mind, the best city in the world.
Over the past fifteen years I’ve been to New York more than twenty times, and I even moved here for a month. So I think I can safely say that I know New York like the back of my hand.
I put this itinerary together for my mum, who came to New York with me this summer to celebrate my birthday. She had a fixed number of days’ leave, which gave us exactly four days in New York City. Everything in it can be done in order, without rushing, exactly as written.
- Tip from Milan One really unusual way to travel to New York is by ship across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2, sailing from England along the Titanic’s route. The crossing takes a week, and it was one of the best trips of my life.
4 days in New York: practical tips before you go
Do you need a visa for New York? ESTA explained
Slovak passport holders can enter the USA without a visa. All you need is ESTA, the electronic travel authorisation: you fill it in once, and it’s valid for two years. This is the only official website for applications. Don’t click on any other site. Steer clear of agencies with lookalike websites too, unless you want to pay more than you need to or fall for a scam. Since 16 October 2026 the fee has been $40.62.
How many days to spend in New York
At least four, as I said above. Ideally, though, I’d recommend five days, so you can see everything at a relaxed pace. I wouldn’t stay more than six: by then you may have had a bit too much of New York. For a change of scene, though, you could add a weekend trip to Miami, just a three-hour flight south of New York. Spirit Airlines, which used to be the cheapest way to fly there, ceased operations in May 2026, so compare prices on a flight search site.
How to get from New York’s airports to Manhattan
If you land at JFK (Kennedy), take the AirTrain to the Jamaica subway station (Sutphin Blvd). From there the E train runs straight to Manhattan, and the whole journey takes about an hour and a half. If you land at Newark (EWR), take the train straight to Penn Station. Personally, I prefer flying into JFK because of the subway.
What’s a good price for a flight to New York?
Tip from Milan I’d recommend booking your accommodation as early as you can, because rooms in a good location at a fair price go first. Here you’ll find accommodation offers in the area valid today.
When is the best time to visit New York?
New York in spring
For me, spring is one of the two best times to visit New York. You’ll love it here in April and May, and there aren’t too many tourists yet. The only catch is that the Coney Island boardwalk may still be closed. Definitely avoid March: it’s cold, and there’s a fierce, biting wind.
New York in summer
You don’t want New York in summer. It’s the busiest it ever gets, and the heat is brutal. On top of that, you boil down in the subway stations, and the moment the train pulls in, you freeze in the air conditioning. New York in summer isn’t much fun if you hit a heatwave, which the concrete jungle makes even worse.
New York in autumn
Autumn in New York is a dream, as long as you don’t hit a rainy spell. Aim for September in particular, when it still feels more or less like summer but the crowds have gone. I wouldn’t go any later than the end of October, unless it’s a really fine, sunny autumn.
New York in winter and at Christmas
Just this winter I saw how packed New York gets before Christmas. Maybe it’s romantic, but the crowds are unbearable. I went to the Christmas markets in New York, so do read my article about them. In winter New York is an icy, windswept city. Frankly, you’re better off in Miami.
Where to stay in New York
Stay in the middle of Manhattan, so everything is about the same distance away. Trust me, if you stay at the southern end of the island, for example, the time you spend on the subway will start to get on your nerves after a while. I booked my mum and me into the POD39 hotel near Grand Central station, and it was great. Almost every subway line stops there, and it’s in the middle of the island, so getting to any part of the city took us about the same time.
You can also stay in Brooklyn, and I liked Astoria and Harlem too. If you do, though, expect to spend some time on the subway. So choose somewhere within walking distance of a subway station with a direct line into Manhattan, with no changes.
- Tip from Milan Don’t make the mistake I once made. Never stay in New Jersey. It may be close on the map, but the subway card doesn’t work there, so you’ll have to pay separately for every train ride into New York. With tickets at around $6 each way, that soon adds up.
How to get around New York
New York is completely foolproof. These days you pay for the subway and buses directly with a contactless card or your phone through the OMNY system. MetroCards haven’t been on sale since January 2026. A ride costs $3, and after 12 rides within 7 days, any more are free. Google Maps plans subway and bus journeys perfectly.
- Tip from Milan If you’re in Lower Manhattan, say, and want to go north, look for trains marked Uptown; trains going the other way are marked Downtown. That way you’ll never get on going the wrong way.
Do I need cash in New York, or is a card enough?
A bank card is all you need. On my last visit I carried $20 in cash in my wallet and took every cent of it home again. I recommend an embossed Visa card, but make sure it has your name printed on it.
You can find tickets and tours for New York here:
Things to do in New York in 4 days: Milan Bez Mapy’s itinerary
Day 1 in New York: arrival, the Staten Island Ferry, dinner in the Seaport, the Titanic Memorial and Times Square at night
After you land, head to your hotel, grab a Starbucks and take the subway down to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. From here a free orange ferry leaves for Staten Island every 15 to 30 minutes. I recommend this half-hour crossing as your first taste of the city: from the upper deck you’ll see the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. When you reach Staten Island, simply turn round and ride back to Manhattan.
From the ferry terminal, walk to the historic Seaport district. It used to be a fishing quarter, and today it’s full of romantic restaurants. It’s also where you’ll find the Titanic Memorial, which commemorates the victims of the Titanic. I like Osteria del Porto here, but there are plenty of great places around the ship at Pier 17 too. A trip to New York can be a real treat for food lovers.
- Tip from Milan Walk right to the end of Pier 17. There are benches there and an unusual view of Brooklyn Bridge.
After dinner, take the subway to Times Square for the evening: it has a great atmosphere after dark. This is the most famous square in the world, complete with its trademark clock.
Day 2 in New York: the Plaza Hotel, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, lunch in Little Italy and dinner on Coney Island
Good morning. Start the day at the famous Plaza Hotel, where Kevin from Home Alone stayed when he got lost in New York. You can go inside: there’s a lobby bar, though it has a dress code. At the very least, pop in for those crystal chandeliers. From the hotel it’s only a short hop to Central Park. For good photos with the skyscrapers, head to the well-known Gapstow Bridge and Bethesda Fountain.
Around lunchtime, take the boat from Battery Park to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. No visitor to New York should miss this, but remember to buy your tickets through this link a few days in advance.
If you manage to get tickets for the crown, you’re in luck. I’ve only made it up there once, and I’d bought those tickets about six months ahead. Allow about five hours for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; I’ve always enjoyed it. What I like most, even more than the statue, is the museum on Ellis Island about immigration to the USA. Every ship carrying immigrants headed here, and this is where it was decided whether they could start a new life in America or not.
- Tip from Milan If you buy your tickets well in advance, you can visit the crown of the Statue of Liberty too. I’ve written a whole article with tips on how to visit the Statue of Liberty crown, including a link to the official website.
Back in Manhattan, I recommend a late lunch in Little Italy, right next to Chinatown. I’ve never liked Chinatown myself. Lunella does good pizza, but honestly, just about every restaurant here is fine. For dinner, I recommend Coney Island, an amusement park a long way out of town. Luckily, the subway goes all the way there. Above all, look out for the Thunderbolt roller coaster, which was made in Slovakia.
- Tip from Milan Nathan’s is the place for a classic American dinner. It’s a small New York hot dog chain, and their hot dogs are seriously good. Grab a hot dog and stroll along the boardwalk, or hop on a ride.
Day 3 in New York: DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge, Governors Island, Wall Street and the WTC, the Roosevelt Island Tram, the library, Bryant Park and sunset from Top of the Rock
Today is a full one, so if you can, split it over two days. I recommend getting up early and taking the subway to York St in Brooklyn. From there it’s a short walk to the street with the famous DUMBO Manhattan Bridge view. You’ll know it from just about every film. Walk down the street towards the river to Pebble Beach, a stony beach with the best views of the city. From there you can walk all the way under Brooklyn Bridge, then cross it on foot back to Manhattan.
Visiting New York means a lot of walking: you’ll clock up 30,000 steps a day. Once you’re off the bridge in Manhattan, go and see Wall Street, the famous bull and the site where the Twin Towers stood. It’s all close together, within walking distance. I also recommend a stroll through the tiny churchyard at Trinity Church. If all that walking has worn you out, Ten Thousand Coffee is close by and serves great coffee by American standards.
- Tip from Milan If you’re after one brilliant New York-style pizza, nip into Stage Door Delicatessen on Vesey Street. Let’s not talk about calories, but the pizza here is outrageously good.
After lunch, carry on to the ferry terminal in Battery Park and take the boat to Governors Island. This is one of my favourite parts of the city, and for some reason tourists don’t come here, only locals. Governors Island is a small green island right next to Manhattan, with a former prison and beautiful historic houses that you can visit for free. If you’re in New York in winter, I recommend the QC NY spa, which has outdoor hot tubs with views of New York.
- Tip from Milan Back in Manhattan, head for the Roosevelt Island Tram before sunset. It’s a cable car, and this is where it leaves from. Try to time it so you’re in the cabin just before the sun goes down: the view is beautiful. You pay with OMNY, just as on the subway, so if you’ve already paid for 12 rides in 7 days, the ride costs you nothing.
Today’s highlight is the view of Manhattan from Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. On the way, stop off at the small but pretty Bryant Park and the New York Public Library right next to it. New York has several observation decks to choose from, but this one is my favourite, because you can see both Central Park and the Empire State Building from it. Buy your tickets a few days in advance.
- Tip from Milan As an alternative, you could try one of the newer observation decks, The Edge or SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. I haven’t been up either of them yet, so I can’t give you any advice on them.
Day 4 in New York: the Vessel, a walk along the High Line, the Friends building and Carrie’s house, and a late-afternoon flight home
In the morning, pack, leave your suitcase at hotel reception and take the 7 train to the end of the line at Hudson Yards. This is where the Vessel stands. It closed in 2021 after several suicides and reopened in October 2024 with safety netting. From there, carry straight on to the High Line, a former elevated railway turned into a park. You’d never guess you were in the middle of the city, would you? Walk the whole length of this linear park to the Friends building and Carrie’s house, which are next to each other. Then it’s straight back for your bags and off to the airport.
Is New York worth visiting?
Visiting New York is my favourite thing to do, and I’m already looking forward to going back. If time allows, I also recommend New York’s galleries and museums, but that’s a subject for another article. If you could visit only one gallery, I’d send you to the Guggenheim.
You might also like my article on the Friends building in New York.
Happy travels!
Milan Bez Mapy
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
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