New York, New York. One of my favourite cities in the world. Every single time I’ve been to the city I’ve fallen a little bit more in love. And I’m always thinking of ways and times to go back. Many people think of New York as an expensive city. Yes it can be expensive if you make it. But there are ways to travel to New York on a budget and still getting a great experience.
A lot of these tips and tricks can be used for pretty much any holiday. But they’re one’s I’ve used specifically in New York.
New York on a budget: Go out of season
I’ve been to New York right across the year and the price differences in flights in crazy. During the summertime you can spend £700+ on a budget Norweigan flight which is a lot. But if you’re flexible and prepared to go when the weather isn’t as nice you can save a lot of money.
I always use Skyscanner to check out prices and Feb/ March tend to be a good bet. When I last went mid March we paid £99 for flights one way, and £149 for flights back. And that included checking in a bag. So for £248 you can get a return ticket to New York. To put it into perspective, I paid not much less than that to go to Prague in the summer. Even though it wasn’t as warm and we had a little snow in March we still had an amazing time. If you’re on the lookout for last-minute deals check out Travelscoop.
Pre-plan your accommodation (even before you’ve booked your flight)
Accommodation will be the most expensive part of your trip, but you can still go to New York on a budget and get a good hotel. While an Air B&B in Brooklyn might seem like a good idea if you’re going to spend most of your time in Manhattan you may end up spending just as much once you’ve added in train fare’s and ubers.
The biggest tip I can give is book your accommodation as early as you can. Booking.com is my favourite tool to look for hotels as you can see the locations easily. And there are lots of payment/ booking options. If you can afford to pay for it straight away do it as you’ll get the best deal. But what we did was booked it with a £0 deposit and free cancellation. We secured the price at that point but could cancel if we changed our mind. We opted for the New Yorker Hotel which I’ve stayed in twice now and we paid £350 for 4 nights which is pretty great considering it’s in the centre of Manhattan close to the Empire State and Macy’s.
Walk as much as you can
New York is a huge city and it may seem like the subway is the best way to get around but walk as much as you can. If you plan your trip to visit all the things on one area together you can get by just by walking. 30 blocks may seem like a long way looking at a map and they’re not as long as you think. I’ve done a lot of walking on all my New York trips as you see so much more.
Plus it’s another way to save money. Although the New York subway system is so cheap compared to the London Underground. When I went for 8 days I got a week travel pass for about $30 which was so cheap. This meant it was easy to travel further out to Queens for shopping, The Bronx for the Yankee Stadium and Brooklyn for pizza.
Do New York on a budget by buying a Citypass
If you’re planning to do some of the tourist attractions then buy a combination CityPass. By getting a CityPass you can get entrance to 6 of the cities top attractions for a lot cheaper than you’d pay individually. This includes the Empire State Building, Natural History Museum and the ferry across to the Statue of Liberty.
As you’ll have prepaid for the pass you won’t have to queue up and buy tickets. And the queue jump alone can be worth it at busy times of the year.
Eat from street vendors
Food prices can add up, but you don’t need to have sit down meals all the time. It’s tradition in New York to eat from street vendors including pretzels and hot dogs. Plus loads of places do slices of takeaway pizza for just a few dollars. These kinds of things are great as lunchtime snacks or for a quick dinner. Plus you can’t go wrong with a good old Shake Shack.
As you can see you can do a trip to New York on a budget without missing out. If you’re looking for inspiration check out my ultimate 4-day itinerary here.
