The place to Keep in New York Metropolis: A Neighborhood Information
We’ve stayed in New York Metropolis many instances now, throughout 5 Manhattan neighbourhoods plus an residence in Brooklyn. Our stays have ranged from a points-burn Occasions Sq. resort on my first ever go to (again earlier than Jess and I began travelling collectively), as much as a Fifth Avenue five-star reverse Central Park. We’ve performed budget-end, mid-range chain, four-star historic, five-star treat-yourself, and residence rental, and we’ve performed them in numerous components of the town in numerous seasons. So once we sat down to put in writing this information, we needed to place collectively the article we want we’d had on our first go to, and on our fifth.
The factor about New York is that choosing a neighbourhood issues greater than choosing a resort. Get the neighbourhood proper and a lot of the accommodations in the correct tier will work positive. Get it flawed and even one of the best resort appears like a slog. The explanation this text is structured by neighbourhood somewhat than by resort is that that is how the choice ought to go: which space first, which property second.
Jess has a factor for historic accommodations, particularly the high-end ones. That’s how we ended up at each the Warwick (constructed by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing magnate behind Hearst Castle) and at The Sherry Netherland on Fifth Avenue. We don’t keep on the five-star tier on each NYC journey, however sometimes we’ll deal with ourselves for an evening or two, and the Sherry has been our choose when we now have. The Warwick will get us into the identical period for a fraction of the worth.
A be aware on disclosure: none of our NYC stays have been press journeys. Every little thing under is paid stays or factors stays, and we’ll flag which is which the place it issues. We’ve additionally linked to accommodations via our Booking.com affiliate, which doesn’t change your worth however does assist help the location. Our standard rule applies: if we wouldn’t ebook it ourselves, we don’t hyperlink it.
NYC at a Look: The place to Keep Choice Shortcut
For those who’d somewhat skip the neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood walkthrough and choose one thing shortly, this desk is the quick model. Every row maps a visit sort to a neighbourhood and our choose inside it.
The remainder of the article unpacks every row.
Midtown Manhattan: The Default First-Timer Choose
If that is your first NYC journey, or if you wish to preserve strolling distances quick and tick off the famous-name sights effectively, Midtown is the place to base your self. It’s central, the subway strains all converge right here, and you’ll stroll to the Empire State Constructing, Occasions Sq., Rockefeller Centre, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, and Grand Central Terminal without having transit. We’ve lined the primary Midtown sights in our 2 day New York itinerary and our 3 day New York itinerary in case you’re planning a visit round them.
Professionals and cons of staying in Midtown
The professionals are apparent: it’s central, walkable to the headline sights, and the subway covers the remaining. There’s loads of meals at each worth level and the world is busy day and evening, which implies it feels protected strolling again to your resort after a Broadway present.
The cons are value flagging upfront. Midtown is loud, crowded, and tourist-heavy. The streets instantly round Occasions Sq. specifically are a slow-moving sea of individuals and digital billboards, and the meals on these blocks tends in direction of overpriced chain eating places somewhat than anyplace you’d really wish to eat. The repair is easy: keep a couple of blocks east or west of Occasions Sq. itself, the place the crowds skinny out and the costs come again to earth.
The place to remain in Midtown
For our high choose, we’d level you on the Warwick New York, a historic four-star resort constructed by William Randolph Hearst within the Nineteen Twenties. It sits on 54th Avenue and Sixth Avenue, which is much sufficient north of Occasions Sq. that it’s quiet, however nonetheless contained in the Midtown strolling radius. We’ve stayed right here greater than as soon as and it’s one in all my favorite accommodations within the metropolis. Spacious rooms (which is a giant deal in Manhattan, the place normal rooms can really feel like cabins), useful workers, a correct old-school foyer, and costs which might be very reasonable for what you’re getting. It’s not a five-star and doesn’t attempt to be, but it surely’s the type of mid-range historic resort Jess and I each like, and we’d fortunately return.
For one thing extra modern at an identical worth level, the Radisson Hotel New York Midtown sits 200 yards from Rockefeller Centre and is a strong four-star at honest costs. It’s a series so you realize what you’re getting, but it surely’s well-located.
For price range travellers who nonetheless desire a Manhattan deal with, Hotel 31 is a well-located two-star resort 650 yards from the Empire State Constructing. Some rooms have shared loos at decrease charges, which is a good commerce in case you’re spending most of your time exterior the room. Don’t count on frills.
Decrease Manhattan: Walkable Hub for Downtown Sights
Decrease Manhattan is the world south of Canal Avenue, and it has two distinct sub-neighbourhoods we’ve stayed in. They really feel totally different and serve totally different sorts of journey, so we’ll cowl them individually.
FiDi and Wall Avenue: quiet downtown with the financial-district really feel
The Monetary District sits on the southern tip of Manhattan and is walkable to a lot of the headline downtown sights: the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Statue of Liberty ferry from Battery Park, the Brooklyn Bridge stroll, and Wall Avenue itself. The world additionally has the Oculus, which is value a couple of minutes even in case you’re not catching a practice.
The professionals are walkability to downtown sights and surprisingly honest costs given how central it’s. The cons are the world’s character: FiDi is constructed round finance, which implies it goes quiet on weekends and after 6pm. If you’d like a buzzy night scene proper exterior your resort, this isn’t it. If you’d like to have the ability to stroll to the ferry terminal within the morning and have a quiet road to come back again to at evening, it’s precisely proper.
Our choose right here is Gild Hall, A Thompson Hotel. It’s a four-star resort on Gold Avenue, strolling distance to Wall Avenue and the Statue Cruises ferry. We loved our keep right here. The rooms are comfy, there’s an on-site restaurant, and the placement is an actual power for a downtown-heavy itinerary. It’s the type of resort the place the placement is the headline profit, and the room delivers precisely what you’d count on from a Thompson property.
Funds choices are skinny in FiDi. For those who’re on a good price range however wish to be downtown, the higher play is to take a look at Greenwich Village (lined under) or commute in from Brooklyn.
Decrease East Facet and Chinatown: meals, nightlife, downtown grit
A number of blocks east, the character adjustments fully. The Decrease East Facet and Chinatown sit proper subsequent to one another, and collectively they make up probably the most food-led, full of life, and characterful corners of Manhattan. Chinatown’s slender streets are dense with dim sum, hand-pulled noodles, and bakeries; the LES has the bars, eating places, and music venues that the Monetary District doesn’t. The Manhattan Bridge entrance is a brief stroll away if you wish to stroll over to Brooklyn, and the F, J, M, and Z trains all cease within the space.
The professionals: an actual meals scene, nightlife, and a way of being in a working neighbourhood somewhat than a vacationer district. The cons: the walks to the headline downtown sights are a contact longer than from FiDi, and the streets can really feel busy late at evening (extra full of life than unsafe, however if you would like quiet this isn’t it).
Our choose is the Fairfield Inn & Suites Manhattan/Downtown East at 95 Henry Avenue. It’s not an thrilling resort and we received’t faux in any other case, but it surely was reliably good. The rooms are clear and well-equipped, the included breakfast is an actual money-saver in NYC the place breakfast pricing in eating places is steep, and the placement places you a brief stroll from Chinatown’s meals, the LES nightlife, and the Brooklyn Bridge. That is the journey we did once we needed a no-stress mid-range chain keep in a neighbourhood we’d really wish to stroll round in, and it delivered.
It’s additionally value flagging that this a part of Manhattan is a structural blind spot for many NYC lodging guides, together with ours till now. We’ve lined Midtown and FiDi extensively in our present itinerary articles, however the LES and Chinatown aspect of downtown deserves extra consideration than it normally will get.
Greenwich Village and Chelsea: Cool Neighbourhood, Nice Meals
For those who’ve been to NYC earlier than and also you’re searching for someplace with extra character than Midtown, Greenwich Village and Chelsea are the apparent solutions. The streets are tree-lined, the structure is usually low-rise brownstones somewhat than skyscrapers, the Excessive Line runs alongside the western edge, and the meals and bar scene is nice somewhat than tourist-priced. It’s additionally a brief stroll to Washington Sq. Park, the West Village, and Chelsea Market.
The professionals: character, walkability, meals. The cons: resort choice is thinner right here than in Midtown (the world is usually residential), and what accommodations exist are typically both boutique-quirky or apartment-style. That is additionally a neighbourhood the place an residence rental may make extra sense than a resort, particularly for longer stays.
Our choose on the price range finish is The Jane Hotel, a unusual two-star resort in Greenwich Village with rooms styled like ship’s cabins (it was initially a sailors’ resort) and views over the Hudson River. The cabin rooms have shared loos which is the trade-off, however the charges are superb for Manhattan and the constructing has actual character. Price figuring out about in case you’ve been to NYC earlier than and need someplace totally different.
For mid-range and high-end choices right here, we’d recommend taking a look at residence leases by way of Vrbo or Plum Guide somewhat than accommodations. The character of the neighbourhood lends itself to staying in a brownstone or a transformed loft, and the stock on the apartment-rental tier right here is powerful. Extra on that within the flats part under.
Fifth Avenue and Central Park: Particular Event / Luxurious
For those who’re in NYC for a special day, an anniversary, or a treat-yourself journey and price range isn’t the constraint, the world alongside Fifth Avenue reverse Central Park is the place the grand-dame accommodations are. That is the New York of the postcards and the movies: Central Park views, the Plaza, Tiffany & Co flagship, the Apple dice, Saks Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower, and the lengthy stroll south down Fifth Avenue from the museum finish to the procuring finish.
The professionals: the placement is iconic, the rooms (in the correct accommodations) are big by Manhattan requirements, and the stroll into Central Park very first thing within the morning is an actual second. The cons: costs are critically excessive, mid-range choices are skinny (it’s largely five-stars and ultra-luxury), and the world itself goes quiet within the night as soon as the patrons depart (which could be a characteristic or a bug relying on what you need).
Jess has all the time had a factor for historic accommodations, and in the event that they occur to be high-end luxurious too, even higher. The Sherry Netherland suits each. The Sherry Netherland is a Fifth Avenue grande dame reverse Central Park, the type of resort the place you’ll be able to really feel the constructing’s age within the foyer’s marble and the brass elevator fittings. Pretty rooms, useful workers, and a unbelievable location: you’ll be able to stroll straight throughout the street into Central Park, and also you’re a couple of minutes’ stroll from Bergdorf Goodman, the Plaza, and the Fifth Avenue museum stretch.
We don’t keep at this tier on each NYC journey. 5-star Fifth Avenue will not be the place most of our nights have been spent. However sometimes we’ll deal with ourselves for an evening or two, and the Sherry has been our choose when we now have.
For those who just like the historic-hotel really feel however the five-star worth isn’t going to work, the Warwick (lined within the Midtown part above) is a four-star various. Additionally historic, additionally Hearst-built, at roughly half the worth.
Brooklyn: For Your Return Go to (or Your First, If You’re Courageous)
Brooklyn is the place the good return-visitor tends to go, and it’s the place we’ve spent extra nights than anyplace else within the metropolis. We stayed in an residence proper in DUMBO, close to the spot the place each picture of the Manhattan Bridge framed between two buildings is taken (the nook of Washington and Water Streets, if you wish to discover it your self). It’s a couple of minutes’ stroll to the Brooklyn Bridge, the East River stroll, and the F practice into Manhattan, and the world has extra good eating places per sq. block than most of Midtown.
The professionals: extra space to your cash than Manhattan (flats particularly), higher meals, an actual neighbourhood really feel, and the views again throughout the river are the views you’ve really come to NYC to see. The cons: you’re throughout the river, so think about 20-Half-hour every means on the subway to get to most Manhattan sights. This provides up over a brief journey.
The Brooklyn residence sample
We stayed in an residence in DUMBO throughout a number of visits. We’re not going to level you at a selected itemizing as a result of residence listings rotate quick on any platform, and a suggestion that’s strong this week is gone subsequent 12 months. The proper transfer is to suggest the platform somewhat than the property.
The 2 we’d recommend are Vrbo and Plum Guide. Vrbo (owned by Expedia Group) is the broad-inventory possibility with 1000’s of NYC flats listed, and is what we’d use if Airbnb had been nonetheless our default (it isn’t, for varied causes we received’t get into right here). Plum Information is the curated possibility: they hand-check their listings and the stock is smaller because of this, however the high quality is extra constant. We’ve lined the apartment-rental panorama extra broadly in our alternate options to Airbnb information if you would like extra choices.
For longer stays (something 4 nights or extra), an residence normally beats a resort on price per evening and offers you a kitchen (which issues extra in NYC than in most cities, given restaurant pricing).
Brooklyn resort picks
For travellers who need Brooklyn however favor a resort, listed here are 4 we’d think about, ranked roughly by tier:
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is the luxurious anchor in DUMBO. Reclaimed-wood interiors, a Bamford spa within the basement, a rooftop pool with views again throughout the river to Manhattan, and the placement is identical one we stayed in by way of residence. If you’d like the DUMBO space however don’t need an residence, that is essentially the most direct swap.
The William Vale in Williamsburg is the opposite luxurious possibility. Smooth fashionable design, floor-to-ceiling home windows, one in all NYC’s largest out of doors resort swimming pools (open seasonally, Might to early September), and a rooftop bar with skyline views. The L practice at Bedford Avenue connects you to Manhattan in a couple of stops.
The Tillary Hotel is the mid-range choose, well-positioned on the foot of the Manhattan Bridge with easy accessibility to DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, and Downtown Brooklyn. A 174-room resort with a rooftop backyard bar, a foyer café, and rooms that fuse mid-century fashionable and art-deco influences. (Price figuring out: it was once branded as Dazzler Brooklyn, therefore the marginally old-feeling URL on Reserving.com.)
Moxy Brooklyn Williamsburg is the design-led mid-range possibility in Williamsburg. We’ve stayed at Moxy properties in different cities and located the model constant: small however well-thought-out rooms, a bar-led communal foyer, and costs which might be affordable by Manhattan requirements. Price a caveat although: the Moxy aesthetic may be very of its second, and we wouldn’t be shocked if the format feels dated in 5 or ten years. Price figuring out in case you’re reserving it for an extended keep otherwise you favor a extra conventional resort really feel.
When Brooklyn isn’t the correct name
Skip Brooklyn in case your journey is brief (one or two nights) and Manhattan-heavy, when you have early-morning flights from JFK or LaGuardia (the transit logistics get awkward), or in case you’re travelling with somebody who’d discover the additional subway time irritating. For a five-day journey with a mixture of Manhattan and food-led wandering, Brooklyn is the correct name. For a two-day blitz of the Manhattan headline sights, keep in Manhattan.
Higher West Facet and Uptown: Quiet, Park-Facet, Funds Pocket
The Higher West Facet runs alongside the western fringe of Central Park, north of Columbus Circle. It’s a residential, leafier a part of Manhattan with the American Museum of Pure Historical past on its japanese edge and Central Park itself a couple of blocks east of that. Our 3 day New York itinerary begins on this aspect of the park.
The professionals: quieter than Midtown, walkable to Central Park, good eating places, and price range choices exist right here that don’t exist additional south. The cons: you’re a subway trip from a lot of the headline downtown sights, and the world itself is extra about lengthy walks and weekend brunches than headline tourism.
Our choose on the price range finish is HI NYC Hostel, a strong dorm-style possibility ten minutes’ stroll from Central Park. It’s a Hostelling Worldwide property so the requirements are dependable, and on the costs NYC costs for accommodations, a hostel mattress is usually the one approach to make a protracted journey work financially.
Queens: Funds Throughout the River
Queens borders Manhattan to the east and is related by a number of subway strains. You received’t come right here for the famous-name sights. But when price range is the constraint and also you don’t thoughts a brief subway trip, Queens is a approach to make a NYC journey occur at a worth level that Manhattan received’t enable.
The professionals: considerably cheaper than Manhattan, typically inside 10-Quarter-hour of Occasions Sq. or Grand Central by subway, and the meals scene in Lengthy Island Metropolis and Astoria is powerful. The cons: you’re commuting in day by day, the neighbourhood character is residential somewhat than tourist-friendly, and you need to plan round subway logistics.
Our choose is The Local Hostel NYC, a price range hostel in Lengthy Island Metropolis with a kitchen, a rooftop terrace, and each non-public rooms and dorms. Occasions Sq. is eight minutes by subway. It’s good worth for what you’re getting, and the world itself is okay.
Condominium Leases in NYC
We’ve already touched on flats within the Brooklyn part, however the identical logic works in Manhattan too. For journeys of 4 nights or extra, or for teams of three or extra travellers, an residence rental is commonly the higher financial name than a resort. You get extra space, a kitchen (which saves you a fortune given NYC restaurant costs), and the choice of a multi-bedroom format that doesn’t exist in any affordable resort room.
Our two go-to platforms are:
Vrbo has the broadest stock, owned by Expedia Group, and lists flats throughout all 5 boroughs. You’ll discover every thing from studio walk-ups to multi-bedroom Brooklyn brownstones. Filter by neighbourhood and worth.
Plum Guide is the curated possibility. They ship individuals to bodily verify listings earlier than approving them, which retains the stock small however the high quality excessive. For those who’ve been burned by deceptive itemizing images earlier than, Plum Information is about as much as repair that drawback.
We’ve written a extra normal information to alternate options to Airbnb protecting the rental panorama extra broadly. And our journey sources web page collects the lodging instruments we use throughout all our journeys.
A few sensible factors on flats in NYC particularly:
- Quick stays (1-3 nights) normally don’t pencil out. Many NYC flats have minimum-stay necessities of 3-4 nights, and for a one-night keep a resort is sort of all the time cheaper as soon as cleansing charges and platform charges are factored in.
- Verify the precise deal with earlier than reserving. NYC has neighbourhoods which might be totally different in character from one block to the following, and an inventory described as “Williamsburg” can typically be on the sting of a completely totally different space. Drop the deal with into Google Maps and see how far you really are from the subway.
- Affirm the elevator scenario in case you’re packing heavy. NYC has a variety of walk-up flats, particularly within the older buildings.
The place NOT to Keep in NYC
A information that solely tells you the place to remain is half a information. Listed below are the areas we’d actively steer you away from, and why.
Occasions Sq. itself (particularly the accommodations proper on Occasions Sq.)
I stayed on the New York Marriott Marquis on my first ever NYC journey, again earlier than Jess and I began travelling collectively. It was a points-burn reserving (I had Marriott factors to make use of up), and as a vacationer anchor for a primary go to it was really positive. The rotating restaurant on high was a second, the in-the-thick-of-it Occasions Sq. power is a one-time-experience type of factor, and the lifts that open onto a thirty-seven-storey atrium are spectacular.
I wouldn’t pay full worth for it now although. At Marriott Marquis nightly charges you’re paying a Occasions Sq. premium for the placement, not the room. The room itself is a superbly affordable upper-mid-range enterprise resort that you would discover anyplace. If you’d like the Occasions Sq. expertise, stroll there from the Warwick (5 minutes east) and stroll again to a quieter road to sleep. When you’ve got Marriott factors to burn otherwise you particularly need the Marquis for the constructing somewhat than the worth, it’s a positive choose. At full worth it isn’t.
The identical logic applies to a lot of the accommodations proper on Occasions Sq.. You’re paying for the deal with.
The Penn Station / Madison Sq. Backyard space
Penn Station is a significant transit hub however the streets round it are a mixture of theatre crowds, vacationer visitors, and not-much-character industrial blocks. The accommodations on this strip are largely priced for vacationers who wish to be close to the practice station somewhat than close to anyplace good, and the world can really feel uncomfortable late at evening. In case your journey entails Amtrak in or out of Penn, a resort a couple of blocks east in Midtown is a greater play than one proper on the station.
Far outer-borough accommodations listed as “in NYC”
Reserving.com (and different websites) will return resort outcomes an hour out from Manhattan if you search “New York Metropolis accommodations”. These can appear to be good offers on worth, however think about the true price: subway/cab fares each methods day by day, time misplaced to commuting, and the experience-cost of not having the ability to stroll again to your resort for a break in the course of a protracted day. If a resort is in deep Queens, far southern Brooklyn, or anyplace on Staten Island, deal with it as a special class from “NYC lodging” and worth accordingly.
Airport accommodations for something apart from a pre-flight evening
A resort close to JFK, LaGuardia, or Newark is okay when you have a 5am flight and wish to crash close to the terminal. It isn’t a NYC resort for the needs of a NYC journey. The transit time between JFK and Manhattan is often over an hour every means, and the associated fee per day in misplaced time and transit fares makes the worth benefit disappear shortly.
Incessantly Requested Questions
What’s one of the best NYC neighbourhood for a first-time customer?
Midtown, virtually with out exception. It’s central, walkable to the headline sights, the subway strains all converge right here, and you’ll ease into the town from a base that’s straightforward to search out your means round. Keep a couple of blocks east or west of Occasions Sq. itself somewhat than proper on it, and the expertise is significantly better. Our choose is the Warwick New York.
Is Brooklyn a superb place to remain for a first-time customer?
It may be, but it surely’s not the apparent alternative. In case your first NYC journey is brief (two or three days) and headline-sight centered, the time you’d spend on the subway every day provides up shortly. Save Brooklyn for a return go to, or for an extended first journey the place you’ll be able to afford a day within the borough itself.
How a lot ought to I price range for a resort in NYC?
Manhattan mid-range accommodations run roughly two to a few instances what equal accommodations price in most different US cities. Funds hostels begin meaningfully cheaper, and luxurious accommodations go meaningfully greater. NYC pricing can also be seasonally and event-driven (a Knicks dwelling sport or a New York Trend Week evening will bump charges). The cleanest play is to set your most nightly charge up entrance, search round it, and settle for that the placement will slender as the speed will get tighter. We’ve been deliberate about not quoting particular 2026 nightly figures right here as a result of resort pricing in NYC is extra variable week-to-week than virtually anyplace else we’ve stayed.
Is it value staying close to Occasions Sq. particularly?
For a primary NYC journey, no. The accommodations proper on Occasions Sq. are paying a Occasions Sq. premium that doesn’t translate into a greater room or a quieter evening. Keep a couple of blocks east or west and you’ll stroll to Occasions Sq. everytime you need it with out having to stay inside it.
What’s one of the best space to remain for households with youngsters?
For households, we’d recommend the Higher West Facet (near Central Park and the American Museum of Pure Historical past, with the quieter residential character that travels effectively with youthful kids) or Midtown a couple of blocks east of Occasions Sq. (central to the headline sights however sufficient off the primary drag to be habitable). An residence rental by way of Vrbo can also be value a search for households, particularly for stays of 4 nights or extra, as a result of the kitchen and the multi-bedroom format typically make extra sense than two adjoining resort rooms.
Ought to I get a resort or an residence for a week-long NYC journey?
For per week, lean residence. The fee per evening drops when you’re previous three or 4 nights, the kitchen pays for itself inside the first two breakfasts at NYC restaurant costs, and the additional house issues extra for an extended keep. The exception is in case you’re travelling solo or as a pair and worth not having to do any housekeeping in any respect, wherein case a mid-range resort is the less complicated possibility.
A fast shut
Selecting the place to remain in New York Metropolis is the one greatest determination you’ll make for the journey after choosing the dates. Get it proper and the town does the give you the results you want. Get it flawed and the times get more durable than they should.
For those who got here to this text and also you’ve already picked your neighbourhood, go to the part that covers it and ebook the choose to your tier. For those who’re nonetheless deciding, the desk on the high is the quick model. And if it is a first NYC journey, the reply is sort of all the time Midtown a couple of blocks east of Occasions Sq., in a hotel like the Warwick the place the room is larger than the cliché Manhattan sq. footage and the placement allows you to stroll to most of what you got here for.
We’ve lined what to do when you’re right here in our 2 day New York itinerary and our 3 day New York itinerary. For getting round, our NYC transport information covers the subway, ferry, and taxi choices. And in case you’re choosing points of interest, our New York attraction passes article walks via which cross really pays for itself.
Have enjoyable. New York rewards a little bit of preparation greater than most cities, and getting the where-to-stay determination proper is the one most helpful factor you are able to do up entrance.
