Planning a trip always takes a bit of thought, but when you’re heading out on vacation to somewhere as iconic as New York City, a little extra preparation can make all the difference. For many travelers, NYC is a bucket-list destination filled with world-famous landmarks, museums, restaurants, and neighborhoods — and with so much to see, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. If you’re visiting from afar, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so making a plan helps ensure you don’t miss the moments that matter most. With that in mind, here’s how to start mapping out the perfect New York City getaway.
Do Your Research
The best NYC trips usually begin before you ever step on the plane. Doing a little research ahead of time helps you narrow down what you really want to see and experience. While spontaneous exploring can be fun, New York City offers so much that it’s easy to overlook incredible spots without a bit of planning. Start by thinking about what interests you most — whether that’s art museums, Broadway shows, food destinations, shopping, or simply wandering distinctive neighborhoods — and build your itinerary from there.
Choose the Right Time to Go
With your research underway, the next thing for you to do here is to make sure that you’re getting the planning process started. This will always involve choosing the right time of the year to visit. While there is no one set rule for when you should visit New York City, many people believe that the fall is a great time of year to go. But maybe you want to go for Christmas, or you even like the idea of going in the spring. Just decide what works best for you.
Decide What You Want to Do There
The next decision that you might want to make here is based on what you plan to do while you’re there. Do you want to see all of the sights and do every single tourist thing you can think of? Or would you rather live more like a local for the duration of your time? Again, everyone is different. But you should compile a list of what you’d like to do while you’re there and then figure how much you can fit in. This can help you to choose the ideal duration of your trip as well!
Find the Right Hotel
When it comes to firming up your plans, you need to make sure that you’re picking the right hotel. With options like the Carnegie Hotel NYC, you really are in for a treat when staying in the city. You may also want to choose your hotel based on its location and proximity to the kind of things you want to do, too!
Make Restaurant Reservations
With your hotel reservation in place, the next thing you may want to do is make any restaurant reservations in advance. Most days you may find that you want to grab lunch and breakfast on the go. However, if you are interested in dining at some of the city’s best restaurants, then you’ll likely need to book in advance to avoid any last minute disappointments at dinner time.
Books Tickets In Advance
Alongside that, you’re also going to want to make sure that you book any tickets for different sights and attractions in advance. While there may be some things that you can do on the day, most of the most popular attractions will book up early. So if you want to see the Statue of Liberty or you want to visit the Empire State Building, you’ll want to make sure that you get your tickets booked and ready for your trip!
Enjoy a Walking Tour
One of the next things that you could consider doing is a walking tour! Walking tours of New York City are incredibly popular and give you a unique way of seeing the city. You can either do walking tours of certain neighborhoods, or choose specialized, themed tours, such as foodie tours, historical tours, and music-themed tours.
Shop ‘Til You Drop
If you’re not done with walking the city just yet, your next option is to hit some of the best shopping spots in NYC. With luxury stores along Fifth Avenue, trendy boutiques in SoHo, and many vintage shops in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, you’re not short on choice. You can also think about heading to some of the most well-known department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, and Bergdorf Goodman. This can give you a true New York City experience!
Go to a Game
Another true NYC destination is to hit a game! Whether you’re heading to a basketball game and seeing the Knicks at Madison Square Garden or making your way to Yankee Stadium or to see the Mets at Citi Field, there’s a lot to experience. If you are from the States and you don’t support these teams, maybe you’re not too interested. But if you’re visiting the city from abroad, taking in a real New York City game is one of the best ways to experience the city.
See a Broadway Show!
Finally, are you really doing NYC properly if you don’t see a Broadway show? Again, you really don’t have to be a musical fan in order to enjoy this. In fact, you may find that there are so many different kinds of shows that you’ll find something to suit your tastes. While shows do change between seasons, some of the most popular that tend to be long-running blockbusters include The Lion King, Hamilton, Wicked, and Chicago. That way, you can enjoy an authentic night at a Broadway show and say that you’ve had a true New York City experience!