How many days do you need in New York City?
Three days. That is the length of the itinerary we built for New York City.
Here is what each day holds. Every stop below carries its time, and every gap says how to get to the next stop, with the walk or drive time wherever both stops are mapped.
New York City · 3 days United States
Best time: September and October, or late April and May.
Downtown and the harborDay 1
⛴️9:00 AMStaten Island Ferry
Free ride past the Statue of Liberty; stand on the right side heading out.
🚶 ~19 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.7 mi
📍11:30 AM9/11 Memorial and Oculus
The pools are moving even without the museum.
🚶 ~40 min · 🚗 ~5 min · 1.5 mi
🍽️6:00 PMWest Village dinner
Wander Bleecker and pick whichever trattoria has a seat.
Midtown and Central ParkDay 2
🌳9:00 AMCentral Park loop
Enter at 59th, walk to Bethesda Terrace and the Bow Bridge.
🚶 ~15 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.5 mi
🖼️1:00 PMThe Met
Pick two wings and linger; the rooftop garden bar is closed for construction until about 2030.
🚶 ~51 min · 🚗 ~7 min · 1.9 mi
🌆7:00 PMTimes Square at night
It is overwhelming on purpose; twenty minutes is plenty.
Brooklyn and backDay 3
🌆9:30 AMBrooklyn Bridge walk
Manhattan-bound is the view; start in Dumbo, coffee first.
🚶 ~8 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.3 mi
🍽️12:30 PMDumbo and Time Out Market
The Washington Street photo, then lunch with the bridge view.
🚗 ~9 min · 2.6 mi
📍5:00 PMHigh Line at golden hour
Enter at Gansevoort, exit at Hudson Yards under the Vessel.
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.
This is one of 126 free itineraries. Open it, change anything you want, and it becomes your trip.