If you are visiting New York City for the first time and have just a day, or if you are a newcomer and want to get a feel for the city quickly, this itinerary is for you!
As a native New Yorker, I thought about places in NYC that would dazzle you so you’ll want to come back for more!
You’ll visit historic buildings and beautiful parks and see amazing views of the New York skyline from different vantage points.
When narrowing down the list of activities, I talked to my fellow local tour guides to make sure that you could fit this itinerary into one day -- and we know it can be done!
You’ll have time for lunch, a snack, and dinner, and if you have enough energy to keep going, the post has a section on things to do at night.
A big bonus: Knowing NYC can be expensive, I made sure to keep costs way down on this which is practically free!
You only need to spend about $10 on transportation and what you choose to spend on food.
In the video below, Katie, a tour guide with us, Tours by Foot - NYC, runs through this itinerary for you.
More details are in the content below.
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- Itineraries by Neighborhood
- Guided Tours
- How to Use the Subway
- Things to Do in NYC
- Free Tours by Foot
MORNING
Central Park
Enter at W. 59th Street and Central Park South
You've seen it in movies and pictures and now you can see for yourself that it is every bit as lovely as you expected.
I chose this entrance instead of those farther uptown for a few reasons.
First, you may be staying in Midtown Manhattan so you can walk here easily.
Next, by entering from this corner, you will quickly be immersed in the park’s landscape of leafy paths and small rocky hills.
Within minutes you’ll come upon the Pond and Gapstow Bridge, one of the most photographed locales in the park.
If you are big on photography, take a look at our post on the best photo spots in Central Park.
Take some time to wander around the lower section of the park using our self-guided tour.
You might enjoy our GPS-enabled audio tour to learn about the beauty you are seeing.
Backtrack and exit the park the same way you entered, at W. 59th Street and Central Park South.
Walk south on 5th Avenue in the same direction as the cars are going.
Rockefeller Center
As you walk down Fifth Avenue, look out for famous stores, like Tiffany's and Saks Fifth Avenue.
This is one of the best places in NYC to shop -- or window shop at a minimum!
At W. 50th Street you will reach Rockefeller Center, a fantastic art deco complex of buildings, including Radio City Music Hall.
Turn right into the Channel Gardens, the pedestrian walkway that leads to a balcony overlooking the Lower Level Concourse.
You may recognize the Channel Gardens from images of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and ice-skating rink open during the holidays.
Have a look over the balcony then head back to Fifth Avenue.
I encourage art lovers to spend a bit of time looking at the amazing artwork, statues and murals on the outside and inside of the buildings.
Our self-guided tour includes these works.
While at Rockefeller Center you might want to look into going to the Top of the Rock, one of NYC's five observation decks.
Continue walking south on 5th Avenue until 42nd Street.
Cross 42nd Street and walk halfway down the block until you see the big beautiful building with two huge lion statues on either side of the grand set of stairs.
New York Public Library
On the corner of W. 42nd Street and 5th Avenue is the main research branch of the New York Public Library built in 1913.
Though you may be concerned about fitting everything into your day, I think a quick look into the library, if only the grand Beaux-Arts lobby is worth a few minutes.
Head up to the cavernous Reading Room, where a scene from the 1984 film Ghostbusters was filmed!
If you want to see more of the library, read our post on what to see inside and daily tour options.
A few tips: If nature calls, take advantage of the nice public bathrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
While the bathroom around the corner in Bryant Park is famous for being the nicest public bathroom in NYC, I like shorter lines at the library!
Also, you can get free Wi-Fi at the library should you need to check anything and don't want to waste your data.
From the library, walk back to 42nd Street and turn right onto 42nd Street. Walk two long blocks to Park Avenue.
Enter the station (officially named Grand Central Terminal) through the doors at the intersection of 42nd Street and Park Avenue.
Grand Central Station
This station is really a terminal and the largest in the world, with 44 tracks of trains coming in and out of New York City. Several main subway lines pass through as well.
Needless to say, it is very busy and you will get a sense of the frenetic pace of life in New York.
But that's not why I included Grand Central in this itinerary. It's because it is one of the most stunning buildings in New York City.
The Main Concourse is dazzling, from the celestial ceiling to the chandeliers and the tiled archways and regal staircases, Grand Central is a beauty.
I always bring out-of-town guests here and they love it, especially the secret 'Whispering Gallery' on the lower level.
They get a huge kick out of it, as I always do too! Watch this short video to see what's special about the Whispering Gallery.
If you’d like to learn more about Grand Central’s history, its features and its secrets, check out our self-guided tour or our GPS-enabled audio tour.
AFTERNOON
Lunch in the Lower Level Dining Concourse
After visiting the Whispering Gallery, grab lunch from over 35 food stalls.
There are tables to sit at as well as public restrooms. Click here to see the listings and hours.
You'll find pizza, burgers, sushi, sandwiches, soups, and two classic New York desserts:
- Junior's Cheesecake, the best cheesecake in NYC
- Magnolia Bakery, where you can get the famous cupcakes from Sex and the City.
When you are ready to move on to the next activity, it's time to take the subway.
Read below for all the information you need on how to use the subway.
You will be taking the DOWNTOWN 4/5/6 subway line. Look for these numbers in green circles on the signs.
Your destination is the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station. You can take the 4, 5, or 6 trains as long as they say DOWNTOWN.
At the Brooklyn Bridge City Hall Station, there will be several exits. No matter which you use, you can easily find the pedestrian entrance to the bridge.
Use this Google Map to find your way.
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge and visit DUMBO
This is a must-do activity if you are up for a walk. I adore this bridge, from its beauty, history and expansive views of New York City.
Our guide to walking the Brooklyn Bridge will come in handy as it covers what to expect from your walk, what you can see from the bride, and more.
If you want in-depth commentary along the way, you can download our GPS-enabled audio tour.
Here, Katie, one of our local tour guides, provides tips about crossing the bridge.
On the Brooklyn side of the bridge, you will be in the waterfront neighborhood of DUMBO (District Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).
It has huge waterfront parks offering unbelievable skyline views of NYC.
For history lovers like me, you'll enjoy learning about the role the area played in the American Revolutionary War and other periods of the city's past.
Our guide to DUMBO takes you to the interesting spots in the neighborhood and also explains the area's past.
After spending some time in DUMBO, it's time to head back to Manhattan.
Walk to the East River Ferry landing at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Use this Google Map to find the ferry landing. It's easy to spot.
TIP: You can easily change the order of this itinerary so that you can walk the bridge at night.
You might like to consider our guided Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO tour with East River Ferry tickets included.
Read about it and see if this experience is right for you.
Take the East River Ferry back to Manhattan
Buy your ticket from DUMBO to Wall Street and have your camera ready to go to get fantastic, unobstructed photos of the Manhattan skyline and the harbor.
For information read our post about the East River Ferry.
The ride costs $4 but the view is priceless. The ride is approximately 4 minutes.
Be sure to check the schedule to plan your afternoon.
Disembark from the ferry and leave the dock. You will be at the intersection of Gouverneur Lane and South Street.
Cross South Street and turn right and walk one block up South Street until you come to Wall Street. Make a left and begin walking along Wall Street.
At this point, you can take a look at our self-guided tour map.
Wall Street
Even if you aren't interested in finance, there are a number of sites along Wall Street worth seeing.
Our self-guided tour of Wall Street takes you to 13 with background information on each locale.
These are three buildings not to be missed. Click on the links to read about each of these.
TIP: Walk inside Trinity Church to see the magnificent stained-glass windows.
Walk one block on Wall Street (toward the church) to Broadway. Make a left on Broadway and walk approximately 5 minutes.
The Charging Bull
This 7,000-pound bronze sculpture is one of the most photographed sculptures in New York City.
It was created by the Italian sculptor Arturo Di Modica in 1989, who gifted it to New York City in an encouraging gesture for a strong stock market year, known as a "Bull Market".
Click here to read the fascinating history of the Charging Bull.
You'll see lines of people around the bull waiting to pose with it. The line is shorter on the tail-end
Don't be shocked by the people touching the bull's privates as they pose.
I wouldn't do that but, trust me, hundreds of people do every day. Feel free!
Continue south on Broadway and ahead of you, you will see a huge and beautiful white ornate building.
National Museum of the American Indian
This stunning Beaux-Arts building next to Battery Park was built in 1907 as the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House.
The four monumental sculptures on the building’s facade symbolize international commerce with each of the four female figures representing a continent: Asia, America, Europe, and Africa.
The building is now home to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
By now, you may have realized that I love pointing out where nice public bathrooms are.
The ones inside this museum are great!
Read more about the Museum of the American Indian.
Continue south on Whitehall Street (on the left side of the museum) until you reach the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. It's a 5 minute walk.
Staten Island Ferry
This is a wonderful free way to get up close to Lady Liberty and see fantastic views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, the harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge.
I always take out-of-town visitors on this ride. They cannot believe what they are seeing for free!
And I am happy to have an excuse to get out on the water.
The ride there and back is about 50 minutes and the ferry runs frequently during the week and slightly less often on weekends.
Read our in-depth post on how to take the ferry.
When you return to MAnhattan, you will be heading to the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.
When you leave the ferry terminal in Manhattan, walk back up Whitehall St. until you reach Broadway (back by the Charging Bull).
Walk north on Broadway against the traffic. At Rector St. (about 2 long blocks past the Charging Bull) turn left.
Walk on Rector St. two blocks to Greenwich St. and make a right turn.
You will be walking north, against the traffic. Continue on Greenwich St. for about 4 minutes and you will arrive at the massive 9/11 Memorial Plaza.
National September 11th Memorial
The centerpiece of the Memorial (which is free to visit) are the Reflecting Pools, two massive cascading fountains set in the exact location where the Twin Towers stood.
Inscribed around the bronze edges of the pools are the names of those who died on 9/11.
Plan your visit to the Memorial with our detailed guide on the 911 Memorial and Museum.
For guidance on what you will see at the Memorial, you can use our self-guided tour or our GPS audio tour.
Since you only have one day, I suggest you skip the museum.
It's not free and it will take a few hours out of your day.
NIGHT
Dinner Downtown at the Oculus
If you are ready for some food or light dinner, you can go to the space-age-looking indoor mall, The Oculus next to the Memorial.
There are a lot of food options like Eataly, Shakeshack, and Wasabi Sushi. Here's a list of eateries.
If you aren't hungry yet or plan to dine somewhere else, go into the Oculus for outrageously Instagrammable photos.
The Oculus is also a huge transportation hub so if you are ready to call it a night, you can catch the subway here.
The subway lines are the 2,3,4,5, A and C. You can get the N and R across the street on Church Street.
Want to keep the fun going? Below are more ideas for how to spend your night!
See a Broadway Show
No reason you can't fit a Broadway show into a whirlwind one-day itinerary!
Granted, I did say at the start of this post that the itinerary will cost you less than $10 (not including meals).
But if your budget allows, you can buy tickets in advance and head straight to your show.
Take a look at our in-depth post how to save money on Broadway tickets.
Staten Island Ferry Ride
Instead of taking this amazing free ride during the day, you can have a fabulous experience at sunset and after.
You won't feel so rushed trying to squeeze in everything before the end of your day and the skyline lights are radiant.
See the section above for information on the how to take the ferry.
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge at night
Though it's included in the daytime activities above, a leisurely nighttime stroll makes for a lovely evening activity.
The bridge is gorgeous when it is lit up and the city sparkles.
We offer a Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO tour with East River Ferry tickets included several evenings each week.
You could also walk the bridge yourself or use our GPS-enabled audio tour.
Take a pay-what-you-like night tour
We offer a Midtown Manhattan Night Tour, a Dark Side of the High Line tour, and several ghost tours.
In December for the holidays, we offer festive evening tours such as our New York Holiday Lights Tour.
More suggestions
For more ideas about how to spend your night after your one-day itinerary, see our post, Things to Do in New York City at Night.
TRAVELING WITH KIDS?
This one-day itinerary is appropriate for kids but to see some alternative activities, we have an itinerary specifically for families.
New York is known for its diverse neighborhoods.
Just wandering around one or two could easily fill up one day and you'll get a deeper sense of what everyday life is like for locals.
Use our self-guided tours and GPS-enabled audio tours that include maps, suggestions for things to do, itineraries, where to eat, and how to have fun just like the locals do.
See our long list of NYC neighborhood overviews to see which areas intrigue you and also to see them in relation to the others so you can skip any subway rides.
The list below is only half of the neighborhoods we cover in our full post.
- Lower Manhattan and Wall Street
- Chinatown
- SoHo
- Little Italy
- Lower East Side
- East Village
- Greenwich Village
- Chelsea and the High Line
- Times Square
- Midtown Manhattan
- Central Park
- Harlem
- Brooklyn Heights
- DUMBO
See our full list of NYC neighborhood overviews.
If you would rather have a local New Yorker show you around, or you would like to meet other fellow travelers, then consider an all-day tour.
We have several tours to choose from including our 6-Hour Downtown Manhattan Tour (see details below).
In reality, you could put together any of a number of our shorter neighborhood tours (see our tour calendar) as well as our GPS-audio tours.
We also have just over 40 free, self-guided tours.
Below is the description of our tour and a daily calendar of other all-day tours offered by other companies.
Of course, many bus tour companies can guide you around for the day, and we rate and compare them all
All-in-One Downtown Tour
Our tour utilizes your feet and the New York City Subway to transport you from the Financial District (the birthplace of New York) through Wall St and the World Trade Center and then on to Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Chelsea Market, and the High Line Park.
**We do not visit Midtown Manhattan or Central Park on this tour.**
There will be ample opportunities for memorable pictures. You'll also get to savor NY's best pizza, cannoli, and other treats.
You may also have the chance to learn how to play NY handball, bargain with a shopkeeper in Chinatown, observe a game of street chess in Greenwich Village, or people-watch and window shop in SoHo.
Along the way, you'll master the subway and learn about New York's Finest!
The All-in-One (AIO) Tour covers about 75% of the material covered in several of our separate walking tours, including Lower Manhattan, SoHo, Little Italy Chinatown, Greenwich Village, and the High Line.
Sites we cover on the New York City One-Day Tour:
Wall Street- Financial District
- New York Stock Exchange
- Trinity Church
- World Trade Center
- 911 Memorial
- Woolworth Building
- Greenwich Village
- Washington Square Park
- SoHo's Cast Iron District
- Little Italy
- Chinatown
- Chelsea Market
- The High Line Park
- and much more...
**We do not visit Midtown Manhattan or Central Park on this tour.**
*Guests will need to purchase an MTA MetroCard worth at least $8.25, though a card worth $12.50 would cover subway rides to and from the tour.
Be sure to read our post on which MetroCard to buy as well as tips for navigating the subway system.
Tour information
Here for multiple days? Check out our 3 days in NYC post.
Here are a few excellent paid tours offered by partners:
New York City Full-Day Sightseeing Tour
- Ticket Prices: $74 for Adults | $64 for Children
- Duration: 6 hours
- Availability: Daily at 9:30 am
This tour is very well-reviewed (read the reviews) and includes:
- Statue of Liberty Ferry Ride
- 9/11 Memorial
- Wall Street
- 5th Avenue
- Times Square
- Rockefeller Center
New York City Day Tour with the One World Observatory
- Ticket Prices: $109 for Adults | $99 for Children
- Duration: 7 hours
- Availability: Daily at 9:30 AM
This tour is very well-reviewed (read the reviews) and includes:
- Everything from their 6-hour tour
- Plus admission to One World Observatory
Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial Tour
- Ticket Prices: $59 for Adults | $49 for Children
- Duration: 2 Hours guided; 3-5 hours self-guided
- Availability: Daily at 9 am.
This tour is also well-reviewed (read the reviews) and includes:
- Statue of Liberty Ferry Ride
- Entrance to Liberty Island Museum
- 9/11 Memorial
- New York Stock Exchange
USA Guided Bus Tour
This 5 1/2-hour bus package includes a ride around the city where professional tour guides will provide commentary about each stop.
The tour is very well-reviewed (read the reviews) and tickets are reasonable considering it includes all this:
- Ticket Prices: $89 for Adults | $79 for Children
- Duration: 5 ½ hours
- Availability: Daily at 10 am
- Click Here to get your tickets
Foods of New York
Are you a foodie? Then this tour is for you!
You'll visit neighborhoods like West Village, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Dumbo as you discover NY-style pizza, juicy kielbasa and more.
This trip is somewhat expensive, but it includes a lot of food tastings and they currently have a full 5 /5-star rating on TripAdvisor and Get Your Guide(read the reviews).
- Ticket Prices: $125 for Adults | $95 for Children
- Duration: 4 ½ hours
- Availability: Daily at 11 AM
- Food tastings included
- Click Here to get your tickets
Tourist Passes
If you are considering purchasing a tourist concession pass, which allows you to bundle tickets for attractions and tours into one lower price, you may be interested in taking a look at their itineraries.
We have the definitive post on tourist passes. We analyze each one and compare them for you.
Each of these tourist pass companies offers sample itineraries to help you plan to get the most savings possible.
USING THE SUBWAY TO GET AROUND
The subway system is a very efficient way to get around the city. It's easy to use once you know how.
Read our post on everything you need to know about riding the subway.
Purchasing subway tickets is very simple. You no longer have to buy a MetroCard, though you can if you want to.
The subway now offers a tap-to-pay option called OMNY at every turnstile in the city.
Our one-day itinerary includes just two subway rides.
If you don't plan on taking the subway any other time, I suggest you use the OMNY system
Read more about NYC Subway MetroCards and using OMNY to see if buying a card or using OMNY is best for you.
TIP: On the subway, look out for great musicians, buskers, and performers. See where else you can find NYC's Street and Subway Performers.
