By rail
Penn Station and Grand Central, Amtrak and the commuter lines
North America · United States
New York City, United States
Skyline, museums and neighbourhoods to walk for days
Getting there
By air
JFK (JFK) or Newark (EWR), ~25 km
Best time to visit
April to June and September to November — mild; December for the lights
Don't miss
The Statue of Liberty
Times Square
The Empire State Building
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Things to do
Central Park
A Broadway show
The Brooklyn Bridge walk
The High Line
Where to eat
What to pack
Comfortable walking shoes, layers
A quieter corner
The Staten Island Ferry's free view of the Statue of Liberty
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit New York City?
April to June and September to November, when it's mild — or December for the lights. Pack comfortable walking shoes and layers.
How do I get into New York City?
Fly into JFK or Newark (EWR), about 25 km out. By rail, Amtrak and the commuter lines run into Penn Station and Grand Central.
What are New York City's must-sees?
The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For another angle on the Statue of Liberty, ride the Staten Island Ferry.
What else should I do and eat in New York City?
Walk Central Park, the High Line and the Brooklyn Bridge, and catch a Broadway show. Refuel with pizza by the slice, bagels, or the food of Chinatown and Queens.
About New York City
- Coastal
Where it is
New York City is in New York State in the north-eastern United States, where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic in one of the world's largest natural harbours. Of its five boroughs, only the Bronx lies mostly on the mainland; the others stand on islands.
History
The Lenape lived here when the Dutch began building New Amsterdam on Manhattan in 1625; the English took it in 1664 and renamed it New York. George Washington was inaugurated here in 1789 as the first president, millions of immigrants arrived through Ellis Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the five boroughs were united into one city in 1898.
People
New Yorkers speak English and, between them, hundreds of other languages, from Spanish and Chinese to Russian, Bengali and Haitian Creole. Neighbourhoods such as Harlem, Chinatown, Little Italy and Brighton Beach carry the city's immigrant history, and parades from St Patrick's Day to the West Indian American Day Carnival fill its streets.
Known for
- The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Broadway theatres and Times Square
- The Empire State Building and the skyline
- Bagels, pizza by the slice and delis
Did you know?
Grand Central Terminal has more platforms than any other railway station in the world, 44 of them, all below ground on two levels.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.