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New York City
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New York City pairs world-famous landmarks, immigrant neighbourhoods, museums, Broadway and dynamic food culture across five boroughs for memorable sightseeing.

A City Shaped by Arrival

New York City occupies the meeting point of the Hudson and East rivers, facing the broad harbour that made it one of North America’s great gateways. Its five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island—form a city of striking contrasts: a dense architectural core, residential avenues, waterfront parks, immigrant neighbourhoods and expansive public landscapes. The city’s scale can feel immense, yet its character is often found in small details, from a Lower East Side tenement façade to the hand-painted signs of a Queens food shop.
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Architecture, Arts and Public Life

Manhattan concentrates many of the best-known sights, including Central Park, the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty across the harbour. Beyond these familiar landmarks, the city rewards exploration through districts with distinct histories: Harlem’s cultural institutions and brownstones, Greenwich Village’s narrow streets, SoHo’s cast-iron buildings, Chinatown’s busy commercial lanes and Brooklyn’s brownstone neighbourhoods. Broadway remains central to the performing arts, while museums such as the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History offer different perspectives on art, science and society.

Neighbourhoods and Waterfronts

New York’s identity is inseparable from movement. Subway lines connect communities that differ in language, architecture and rhythm, while bridges, ferries and riverside paths reveal the city from changing angles. Food traditions brought by successive waves of migration shape everything from Jewish delis and Italian bakeries to Korean, Caribbean, West African and South Asian restaurants. Public plazas, basketball courts, farmers’ markets and summer concerts give the streets a social life that extends well beyond the conventional sightseeing circuit.

When is the best time to visit New York City?

Best: May–June, September · 22–27°C
Average daytime high and rainfall by month
MonthHigh (°C)Rainfall (mm)
January478
February770
March1090
April17100
May (best)22101
June (best)27105
July29110
August29110
September (best)24100
October1994
November1390
December889

Getting to and around New York City

How to get there

New York City is served by John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in Queens, while Newark Liberty International Airport is across the Hudson River in New Jersey and also serves the metropolitan area. AirTrain connections, taxis, app-based cars and public transport link the airports with the city, although routes and journey times vary considerably by destination. Amtrak trains use Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, while Grand Central Madison serves Long Island Rail Road services; intercity coaches generally use terminals in Manhattan. Interstate highways connect the city by road, and regional ferries provide additional access from New Jersey and neighbouring parts of New York State.

Transportation

The subway is the city’s principal public transport network, operating across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, with a more limited connection to Staten Island. Local and express buses fill gaps between subway lines, while Staten Island Ferry services offer a public harbour crossing. Yellow taxis remain widely available, and app-based car services operate throughout the city. Walking is often the most efficient way to explore individual neighbourhoods, though distances can be deceptive. Cycling is possible on avenues, greenways and bridges, but traffic requires care. Check service notices before travelling, as planned works and temporary changes are common.

Best attractions in New York City

New York City’s attractions range from major museums and public parks to neighbourhood streets and harbour viewpoints. Central Park combines lawns, wooded paths, bridges, lakes and cultural institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art on its eastern edge. The Museum of Modern Art presents influential modern and contemporary works, while the American Museum of Natural History explores the natural world and human cultures. In Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island illuminate the city’s relationship with immigration and the harbour. The High Line turns a former elevated railway into a planted urban walk, and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum offers a solemn account of the attacks and their consequences. Brooklyn Bridge Park provides open space and skyline views, while neighbourhoods such as Harlem, Greenwich Village, Chinatown and Jackson Heights reward visitors with architecture, music, food and community life that cannot be captured by a single observation deck.

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Best landmarks in New York City

New York City’s landmarks express its colonial past, immigrant history, commercial power and architectural ambition. The Statue of Liberty, a nineteenth-century gift from France, stands on Liberty Island as a symbol associated with the harbour and ideals of freedom; nearby Ellis Island preserves the memory of mass immigration. The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building embody the competition and engineering confidence of the 1930s skyscraper era. In Lower Manhattan, Federal Hall marks the site of George Washington’s inauguration, while Trinity Church and its churchyard preserve an older layer of the city’s history. The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, linked Manhattan and Brooklyn through a pioneering suspension design. Grand Central Terminal remains both a transport hub and a celebrated civic interior, and the Flatiron Building, St Patrick’s Cathedral and the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building add distinctive forms to the city’s architectural landscape.

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Explore New York City on the map

Plan your New York City trip on one map. See where the top attractions, landmarks, restaurants, bars and hotels are, find what's near where you're staying, and book hotels and experiences in a few clicks.

Neighbourhoods in New York City

Best restaurants in New York City

New York’s dining culture reflects centuries of migration and the scale of its metropolitan population. Traditional Jewish delis, Italian-American restaurants, Chinatown eateries, Caribbean kitchens, South Asian cafés, Korean barbecue restaurants and West African dining rooms sit alongside contemporary restaurants shaped by ingredients and techniques from around the world. Pizza by the slice, bagels, cheesecake, hot dogs and the city’s celebrated deli sandwiches are familiar staples, while neighbourhood bakeries and coffee shops offer more regional variety than a short list of signature foods suggests. Chinatown and the Lower East Side remain important for inexpensive and traditional meals, while Jackson Heights, Flushing, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and Brighton Beach provide distinct culinary concentrations. Farmers’ markets such as those at Union Square and Grand Army Plaza connect the city with producers from the wider region, and reservations, counter service and tipping practices vary considerably by establishment.

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Best bars in New York City

New York after dark offers far more than the bright concentration of Times Square. Greenwich Village retains a strong association with jazz, live music and historic nightlife, while the Lower East Side, East Village, Williamsburg and Bushwick contain bars ranging from small neighbourhood pubs to cocktail rooms and dance venues. Harlem remains important for live music and cultural performance, with established venues and churches contributing to the area’s musical identity. Broadway theatres and smaller off-Broadway stages provide evening entertainment beyond drinking, while Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall represent the city’s major classical and performing-arts traditions. Nightlife changes quickly, and some venues operate on a small scale or in converted industrial spaces, so atmosphere can shift from quiet conversation to crowded dance floors within a few blocks. Late-night travel is possible by subway, taxi or app-based car, with conditions varying by route and neighbourhood.

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Best nightclubs in New York City

New York after dark offers far more than the bright concentration of Times Square. Greenwich Village retains a strong association with jazz, live music and historic nightlife, while the Lower East Side, East Village, Williamsburg and Bushwick contain bars ranging from small neighbourhood pubs to cocktail rooms and dance venues. Harlem remains important for live music and cultural performance, with established venues and churches contributing to the area’s musical identity. Broadway theatres and smaller off-Broadway stages provide evening entertainment beyond drinking, while Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall represent the city’s major classical and performing-arts traditions. Nightlife changes quickly, and some venues operate on a small scale or in converted industrial spaces, so atmosphere can shift from quiet conversation to crowded dance floors within a few blocks. Late-night travel is possible by subway, taxi or app-based car, with conditions varying by route and neighbourhood.

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Best shops in New York City

Shopping in New York ranges from department stores and international fashion to specialist shops, independent boutiques and open-air markets. Fifth Avenue is associated with major luxury and flagship retailers, while SoHo combines cast-iron architecture with fashion, design and contemporary brands. Greenwich Village, the East Village and the Lower East Side offer smaller shops, vintage clothing, records, books and locally designed goods, although the precise retail mix changes frequently. Chelsea Market brings food vendors and small retail businesses together in a former industrial building, and Union Square Greenmarket presents regional produce, baked goods and farm products. Visitors seeking souvenirs may find New York-themed objects throughout Manhattan, but neighbourhood shopping often reveals more character: Caribbean products in parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Asian groceries in Chinatown and Flushing, and Italian food shops along Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Independent bookshops, museum stores and craft markets provide alternatives to large commercial streets.

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New York City essentials

Currency and Payment
The currency is the United States dollar (USD). Credit and debit cards, mobile wallets and contactless payments are widely accepted in hotels, museums, shops, restaurants and transport, though smaller vendors or market stalls may still prefer cash. OMNY allows contactless payment on New York City’s subway and buses, while MetroCards have been part of the city’s older fare system. Cash machines are common, but visitors should check their own bank’s foreign-exchange and withdrawal charges. Restaurant bills generally require a tip, and displayed prices may not include sales tax, so the final amount can be higher than the marked price.
Safety
New York is a large, busy city where sensible urban precautions are appropriate. Keep phones, wallets and passports secure in crowded stations, attractions and shopping areas, and remain aware of belongings when travelling on packed trains. Use well-lit streets at night and take licensed yellow taxis or reputable app-based services when appropriate. Follow crossing signals, watch for cyclists and unexpected traffic, and avoid standing close to subway-platform edges. Neighbourhood conditions vary across the five boroughs, so local advice and ordinary situational awareness are more useful than broad assumptions about the city as a whole.
Emergency Situations
For police, fire or medical emergencies in New York City, call 911. Give the operator the exact location, including the borough, street address, nearby intersection or subway station, and explain whether an interpreter is needed. For non-urgent police matters, New York City’s 311 service provides municipal information and assistance, but it is not an emergency line. Visitors should carry travel insurance details and information about prescribed medicines. In a serious medical situation, emergency departments at New York City hospitals provide urgent care; hotel staff, transport employees and attraction personnel can also help contact emergency services.
Do's and Don'ts
Stand to the side of subway stairways and allow passengers to leave before boarding, rather than blocking doors or platforms. On escalators, standing to the right leaves room for people passing on the left. Tipping is customary in restaurants, bars, taxis and for many personal services, with the amount depending on the service and circumstances. Ask before photographing people closely, respect queues and do not touch memorials or religious objects. At museums and theatres, follow photography and bag rules. New Yorkers may walk quickly and communicate directly, but ordinary courtesy remains expected; never assume that a neighbourhood or community can be reduced to a stereotype.
Local Tips
Plan sightseeing geographically: pair Lower Manhattan with the harbour, group Museum Mile with Central Park, and explore Brooklyn separately rather than treating it as a short extension of Manhattan. The High Line is best understood as a linear public park within a wider Hudson Yards and Chelsea walk, while the Staten Island Ferry provides an inexpensive harbour perspective without requiring a dedicated cruise. Queens offers especially broad food and cultural diversity, and the Bronx contains major attractions including the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden. Allow time for ordinary street life, since bodegas, brownstone blocks, playgrounds and local markets reveal the city beyond its headline sights.
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From Eve

Local phrases worth knowing

You don't need to get them perfect. A few words go a long way, and locals appreciate the effort.

6 phrase groups · English, local and pronunciation

Basics
EnglishLocalSay it
HelloHey[hey]
GoodbyeLater[lay-tuh]
YesYeah[yeh]
NoNah[nah]
Please/You're welcomePlease/No problem[pleez/no prob-lem]
Thank youThanks[thanks]
Excuse me/SorrySorry[saw-ree]
How are you?How you doin'?[how yuh doin]
Fine. And you?Good. You?[good. yuh?]
Do you speak English?You speak English?[yuh speak ing-glish?]
I don't understandI don't get it[I don't get it]
Eating & Drinking
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to see the menu, pleaseCan I see the menu?[can i see the menu?]
I don't eat meatI don't eat meat[I don't eat meat]
Cheers!Cheers![Cheers!]
I would like to pay, pleaseI wanna pay[I wanna pay]
Emergencies
EnglishLocalSay it
Help!Help![Help!]
Go away!Get lost![get lost!]
Call the Police!Call the cops![call the cops!]
Call a doctor!Call a doc![call a doc!]
I'm lostI'm lost[I'm lost]
I'm illI'm sick[I'm sick]
Shopping
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to buy...I wanna buy...[I wanna buy]
I'm just lookingJust browsing[just brows-ing]
How much is it?How much?[how much?]
That's too expensiveThat's too much[that's too much]
Can you lower the price?Can you do better?[can yuh do bett-er?]
Time & Numbers
EnglishLocalSay it
What time is it?What time is it?[What time is it?]
It's one o'clockIt's one[It's one]
Half past (10)Ten-thirty[ten-thur-tee]
MorningMorning[Morning]
AfternoonAfternoon[Afternoon]
EveningEvening[Evening]
YesterdayYesterday[Yesterday]
TodayToday[Today]
TomorrowTomorrow[Tomorrow]
1One[One]
2Two[Two]
3Three[Three]
4Four[Four]
5Five[Five]
6Six[Six]
7Seven[Seven]
8Eight[Eight]
9Nine[Nine]
10Ten[Ten]
Transport & Directions
EnglishLocalSay it
Where's a/the...?Where's the...?[Where's the...?]
What's the address?What's the address?[What's the address?]
Can you show me (on the map)?Can you show me (on the map)?[Can you show me (on the map)?]
When's the next (bus)?When's the next (bus)?[When's the next (bus)?]
A ticket (to ....)A ticket (to ....)[A ticket (to ....)]

History of New York City

Lenape Homeland and Dutch Manhattan

The region was inhabited by Lenape communities before Dutch settlement began in the early seventeenth century. In 1624, the Dutch established New Netherland, and Manhattan became the site of New Amsterdam, a trading settlement at the mouth of the Hudson River. The colony’s harbour, fur trade and position between Europe and the interior gave it commercial importance. In 1664, the English took control and renamed the settlement New York. Dutch traces remain in place names such as Harlem, Brooklyn and Staten Island, while the city’s early development established the maritime and mercantile connections that would shape its later growth.

Revolution and the Early Republic

New York played a central role in the American Revolution and suffered occupation by British forces from 1776 until the war’s conclusion. Much of the colonial town was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1776, and the city’s port economy was disrupted. After independence, New York briefly served as the capital of the United States, and George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan in 1789. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 strengthened links between the Atlantic seaboard and the Great Lakes, transforming New York into a major commercial centre and accelerating its population growth.

Expansion and the Grid Plan

During the nineteenth century, New York expanded rapidly beyond its old southern core. The Commissioners’ Plan of 1811 imposed the celebrated street grid across much of Manhattan, while canals, docks, railways and bridges connected the growing city to regional markets. Immigration fuelled industrial and residential development, producing crowded tenement districts alongside wealthy avenues and commercial streets. Central Park, created from the 1850s, introduced a large planned landscape into the urban fabric. Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island developed as separate municipalities with their own communities and institutions before political consolidation.

The Greater City of New York

In 1898, New York City was consolidated into its present five-borough structure, bringing Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island under one municipal government. The new city invested in bridges, parks, schools, public health and transport infrastructure. The opening of the first subway line in 1904 made longer-distance commuting practical and encouraged dense development around stations. Immigration from Europe, the Caribbean and elsewhere reshaped neighbourhood life, religion, language and food. Ellis Island, which processed millions of arrivals between 1892 and 1954, became a powerful symbol of the city’s role as a gateway.

Skyscrapers, Culture and Crisis

New York’s skyline changed dramatically in the early twentieth century as steel-frame construction enabled buildings such as the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. Wall Street, Broadway, publishing, fashion, jazz and modern art contributed to the city’s international cultural influence. The Great Depression exposed severe inequality, while New Deal projects transformed parks, housing and public facilities. After the Second World War, manufacturing declined and suburbanisation altered the economy. The financial crisis of the 1970s brought fiscal instability and widespread disinvestment, even as neighbourhood movements, artists and community organisations preserved and reimagined parts of the city.

A Global City in Transformation

From the late twentieth century onwards, New York experienced major economic and social change. Finance, media, technology, education, tourism and the creative industries grew in importance, while former industrial areas such as parts of Chelsea, Long Island City and DUMBO underwent redevelopment. The attacks of 11 September 2001 profoundly affected the city and its civic landscape, leading to the creation of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan. Contemporary New York remains marked by migration, cultural innovation, housing pressures and continuing debates over inequality, preservation and urban change.

New York City in Photos

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Evendo: Your Ultimate Travel Guide to New York City

Discover New York City with Evendo, a 100% free app-based travel guide covering top attractions, restaurants, hotels, tours, and more. Plan your trip effortlessly!

  • Detailed information on top attractions, landmarks, shops, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants
  • Booking options for hotels, tours, tickets, and experiences
  • Rich descriptions, images, local tips, maps, and contact details for each location
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More about the Evendo app

Evendo is your all-in-one travel companion for New York City. Explore famous landmarks, enjoy curated local tips, and book hotels, tours, and tickets effortlessly—all for free.

  • History of New York City and travel essentials
  • Easy navigation and 'Near me' feature to discover nearby attractions
  • Curated local tips for a genuine local experience
  • 100% free with no in-app purchases or hidden costs

Imagine strolling through Times Square, visiting the Statue of Liberty, and savoring a slice of New York-style pizza with ease. With Evendo, your trip to New York City becomes a seamless and enriching experience. Our app offers detailed information on iconic landmarks like Central Park, the Empire State Building, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Discover hidden gems and local favorites, from the trendy bars in Williamsburg to the best bagel shops in the West Village.

Navigation through the city is made simple with our intuitive maps and 'Near me' feature, ensuring you never miss a beat. Each attraction, restaurant, and tour comes with rich descriptions, images, local tips, and contact details, making it easy to plan your day. Whether you're interested in a Broadway show, a visit to the 9/11 Memorial, or a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, Evendo has got you covered.

Moreover, Evendo allows you to book hotels, tours, tickets, and experiences directly within the app, eliminating the hassle of multiple bookings. Our curated local tips help you experience New York City like a local, ensuring you make the most of your visit. And the best part? It's entirely free—no in-app purchases, no hidden costs.

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