The 3 Best Places to Stay in NYC
One of the questions we get most often from our community on Instagram (@Discover.n.y.c + @MyChristmasinNewYork) is the following one:
Where do you recommend I get a hotel in NYC?
As we always say, and this applies to everything (food, travel plan, hotel), there is no one rule that applies to everyone. The great thing about New York is that it offers so many solutions, perhaps more than any other city in the world, and is able to satisfy your every need.
There are however, in our opinion, 3 areas that we think are better than others for your hotel in NYC, especially if it is your first time in the city and you are not yet so familiar with it.
OPTION 1 – Times Square Area: the most touristic part of New York but definitely the most advantageous from the point of view of practicality: from here you can walk to many places in Manhattan, such as Central Park, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, 5th Avenue, Bryant Park, Flatiron Building, Madison Square Garden and many others.
Quality hotels (and we want to emphasize that when you choose a hotel in NYC quality is extremely important) in this area are quite expensive but you will save money in other aspects, such as transportation.
This area also offers plenty of places where to eat, from breakfast very early in the morning to dinner late at night. The restaurants right in Times Square are extremely touristy but you just need to go out a bit (for example to Hell’s Kitchen – less than 10 minutes walk) and you will find many typical American restaurants, but not only (Asian, Mexican, Brazilian, Italian).
We really think that a hotel in Times Square area is the best choice for anyone visiting NYC for the first time.
Times Square is also the area of NYC from which most of our AMAZING TOURS depart, such as:
- The best of Manhattan – Tour in 7 hours on mini-bus with transparent glass roof: the perfect way to discover the main landmarks of NYC (Central Park, Empire State Building, Flatiron, Wall Street, 9/11 Memorial, Statue of Liberty and many more) in a short time and in an extremely comfortable (dare we say luxury) way under the guidance of an experienced NYC tour guide. Use discount code NY15 for 15% OFF.Click HERE for all the info about our Manhattan by Day Luxury Tour
- Manhattan by night – also by mini-bus with transparent glass roof: the best way to see the millions of lights of the city.
Also includes the opportunity to purchase tickets to The Edge observatory at 15% OFF using our discount code NY15.Click HERE for all the info about our Manhattan by Night Luxury Tour
- Day trips to discover other cities not far from NYC such as Washington, Philadelphia, Boston but also the beautiful Niagara Falls.
Click HERE to learn more about our Niagara Falls Day Tour.
OPTION 2 – LOWER MANHATTAN: we are talking about the area around One World Trade Center, Wall Street, Battery Park.
Here you can find big chain hotels but with lower prices than in Times Square. Why? Because the area is less touristy and you will need to take the subway regularly if you want to move around and visit, for example, the Empire State Building or other landmarks in Midtown Manhattan.
In case you don’t mind taking the subway (click HERE for 5 things to know before taking the subway in NYC), we strongly recommend you to keep this location in mind for the simple fact that you will save enough money on your hotel room.
On the positive side, other famous landmarks that would be accessible only by subway if you stay in the Times Square area, are within walking distance.These include:
OPTION 3 – Long Island City (Queens): Moving outside Manhattan (especially for budget reasons) the best choice is in our opinion Long Island City in Queens. We are talking about an area that is on the other side of the East River and is super-efficiently connected to Midtown Manhattan: from Grand Central Terminal (near Bryant Park and a few minutes walk from Times Square) you only need to take the subway line number 7 for only one stop to get to Long Island City.
The biggest advice we can give you in case you choose a hotel outside Manhattan are two.
- The first one is to simulate on Google Maps how long it will take you to get to Manhattan by subway (take Times Square as a reference point): if it is more than 30 minutes then we suggest you to look for something closer because during rush hours the subway takes longer and longer.
- The second is to make sure that your hotel is close (maximum 10 minutes walk) to the subway stop that takes you directly to Midtown Manhattan: after a long day discovering New York you will be really tired and the last thing you want to do is to waste time walking too much to reach your hotel and changing subway several times.
We also suggest you to make a simulation on Google Map to understand which restaurants are close to your hotel: it is very important to have good places easily reachable in the evening, when you will be exhausted after a day of exploring the city.