• Home
  • Destinations
    • Asia
      • Bali
      • Sri Lanka
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Croatia
      • Denmark
      • England
      • France
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Montenegro
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Scotland
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
    • Middle East
      • United Arab Emirates
    • North America & Caribbean
      • Dominican Republic
      • Mexico
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
  • Travel
    • Accommodation
    • Destination Guides
    • Travel Chat
    • Trip Itineraries
  • Photography
    • Photo Diaries
    • Photography Guides
    • Product Reviews
  • Life
    • Ramblings
    • Wedding
    • Wellness
  • Freelance
  • More
    • About Katie
    • Contact Katie
    • Work With Katie
    • FAQ

KJC

A Travel & Photography Blog

Cities, Destinations, North America, Resources, Travel, Trip Itineraries, Trip Type, United States · July 1, 2019

4 Days in New York City: The Ultimate City Break Itinerary

239shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • LinkedIn

Last month I visited New York City for a whirlwind 4-day bucket list trip and I’m still obsessing over it. Nothing compares to the Big Apple! This was without a doubt the best city break we’ve ever been on.

Being such a major city, there’s way too much to fit into one trip. But that doesn’t mean you can’t see most of the key sightseeing spots! So here’s the ultimate itinerary to help you see the best of New York City in just four days.

Read more: How to plan a trip to New York City

Day One: Midtown Manhattan & Chelsea

The Flatiron Building

I bet you recognise this spot! The Flatiron Building made a great first stop for us as it was only four blocks from our hotel. You can’t go inside but it’s great to see, and of course get a few photos.

Madison Square Park

Right next to the Flatiron Building is Madison Square Park. It’s a pretty small area with only a pond and a Shakeshack, but it’s a really nice part of the city to wander through.

Chelsea Market

Make your way over to Chelsea Market to grab a bite to eat and enjoy the different shops and stalls. It’s pretty busy here but has a great vibe! It’s the ultimate spot for foodies.

The High Line & The Vessel

Once you’ve refuelled, head down to the starting point of The High Line and embark on the 1.45-mile-long stroll above the city. You can start your walk at either end, but I think it’s best to finish at the newly opened Vessel structure. Made up of 2500 steps, this sightseeing spot is new to New York City in 2019 and offers an amazing city view. You’ll need to book your tickets in advance as they sell out fast on the day.

Hudson River Park

Wander down the last part of The High Line from The Vessel to the water’s edge. You can stroll along the shoreline of the Hudson River and enjoy time in the park. This is where a lot of the helicopters land, so you may even spot a famous!

As it’s your first day you’ll no doubt be shattered come the evening, so head back in the direction of your hotel and find a great place to eat on route.

Day Two: Lower Manhattan, The Islands & Brooklyn Bridge

One World Trade Centre

After breakfast, make your way over to the One World Trade Centre. This is a spectacular building from the outside, and a huge underground shopping centre on the inside. If you wander right the way through, you’ll find yourself at your next stop.

One World Observatory

The One World Observatory gives you a fantastic 360-degree view of the city, which is no surprise as it’s seriously high at 102 stories (which you reach via lift in just 47 seconds!). You can buy tickets here or get in for free with a NYC Sightseeing Pass.

911 Memorial

After the Observatory, make your way down to the 911 memorial. This is a poignant place, but somewhere you need to see. It is such a beautiful memorial to remember those who lost their lives on that day. If you have time, you can also visit the museum nearby.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry

Continue down towards Battery Park and grab a bite to eat, before catching the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You can do this for free with the NYC Sightseeing Pass. Make sure you leave enough time for this as you’ll have to queue each time you want to get on and off the boat!

An alternative option is to get the free ferry to Staten Island, which gets you a little closer to the Statue of Liberty without stopping on the island. There was absolutely no queue for this when we went.

Wall Street

Once you depart the boat back at Battery Park, stroll up to Wall Street and stop by the New York Stock Exchange for a quick photo.

Brooklyn Bridge

Make your way across Brooklyn Bridge during golden hour for the dreamiest views of the city skyline. It’s crazy busy though, and don’t step in the bike lane. You will be shouted at!

Dumbo

Finish your Brooklyn Bridge experience in Dumbo with a delicious pizza from Julianas. The queue can be quite long though, so bear that in mind. If you don’t fancy waiting, there are plenty of other spots to dine.

You can either take the ferry back to Manhattan, walk back over the Bridge or grab an Uber like us.

Day Three: Upper Manhattan, Central Park & Fifth Avenue

Top of the Rock

Start your day bright and early at the Top of the Rock, aka the Rockefeller Centre. A trip to New York City isn’t complete without it! The panoramic views across Central Park on one side and over towards the Empire State Building on the other side are out of this world. On a good day you’ll even see all the way down to the Statue of Liberty. You can get up here for free with the NYC Sightseeing Pass.

Central Park

When you’re back down on the ground, make your way over to Central Park and spend a few hours exploring the hidden gems that this peaceful part of the city has to offer. On a good weather day, this is a great place to rent a boat on the lake. If you have kids, why not take them to the zoo?

MET Museum

If you’re into your art or just fancy seeing where all the celebs go for the MET Gala, stopping by The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a good idea. You can get in here for free with the NYC Sightseeing Pass.

Fifth Avenue

You’ll find yourself on Fifth Avenue by this point so wander back up the side of Central Park to see Trump Tower, Tiffany & Co. and the countless designer shops. This is a good spot to find some dinner too.

Day Four: Midtown Manhattan, Broadway & Times Square

Empire State Building

If you’re craving more views over the city, head up the Empire State Building. We decided not to as the views are better from the Top of the Rock, but it’s worth passing by to see it from the ground at the very least.

Chrysler Building

As far as I know you can’t go inside, but this is another building you should see up close during your trip. In my opinion it’s the best-looking skyscraper!

Grand Central Station

It’s time to see where the Madagascar crew caused havoc! Avoid Grand Central Station at rush hour, but definitely go inside for a look around. There’s a food court underground too which would make a good lunch stop.

New York Public Library

This was closed due to a public holiday when we were there, but even if you don’t go inside, you have to see it from the outside! For a minute I felt like I was in The Day After Tomorrow – minus the flooding crisis.

Broadway

Grab yourself some cheap tickets to a show on Broadway! You can queue at the TKTS stand in Times Square for discounted tickets to so many shows. We decided to get tickets for Beetlejuice 20-minutes before it started and it was AMAZING. You can always get tickets to an evening show if you’d prefer.

Times Square

As the sun begins to set, make your way over to Times Square to see it come to life. It’s worth seeing in the day and at night in my opinion, but of course it is best when the screens illuminate the entire street. There’s no way to explain what it’s like, you just have to see it!

Hell’s Kitchen

End your evening with a spot of dinner and drinks over in Hell’s Kitchen. There are so many great restaurants to choose from in this part of the city.

And that’s four days in New York City done and dusted!

This itinerary is busy, but not chaotic, so you’ll still have plenty of time to explore other areas and enjoy some great food. And be sure to play around with the itinerary as everyone will be staying in a different part of the city.

Follow my route

Heading to New York City soon? Save this map to use whilst you’re there!

Simply click the star icon to add it to your collection. To find it again, open the left-hand tab in Google Maps and click Your Places > Maps. 

New to this tool? Learn more about My Maps in this post.

Read more: Cheap eats in New York City

Have you been to New York City? Would you add anything else to this itinerary?

Pin this for later:

239shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • LinkedIn

Posted In: Cities, Destinations, North America, Resources, Travel, Trip Itineraries, Trip Type, United States · Tagged: City Break, Itinerary, New York City, USA

Hear about new posts:

You’ll Also Love

7 Day Scotland Road Trip Itinerary
3 Weeks in Australia: The Ultimate Backpacking Itinerary
3 Days in Slovenia: A Guide to the Lakes & Ljubljana

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

A Boutique Stay at the Freehand New York Hotel

Follow my adventures

Sleep, workout, coffee, eat, repeat ☕️ Honestl Sleep, workout, coffee, eat, repeat ☕️ Honestly struggling to believe we’re already coming to the end of January. What is normal life again?
We’re only a couple of weeks in but the start of We’re only a couple of weeks in but the start of 2021 has been a shambles. Darryl breaking his collarbone at 6pm on New Year’s Eve, being put into another national lockdown, friends getting sick and losing my nan very suddenly has been a tough first chapter of a new year. I never could have imagined a world where you lose a family member but can’t even see and hug your family to get through it. Life has been so tough for everyone for so long now but we’ve got to try and stay positive in dark times. Now I’m putting all my energy into wedding planning, catching up with family as often as I can and enjoying the little things that make me smile, like this crazy cat of mine. Sending a big hug to anyone going through difficult times of their own — it will get better. ❤️
Sipping on a mini bottle of prosecco tonight to ce Sipping on a mini bottle of prosecco tonight to celebrate booking our honeymoon today 🤪💍🥂

Choosing somewhere when you want to go *everywhere* is a bit of a challenge but we both wanted something that was total relaxation for a change.

After months weighing up options we’ve booked ourselves a beachy break in the beautiful Maldives with @turquoiseholidays 🇲🇻🌴🐠

I’m praying that this pandemic is over by then and it’s safe to travel. But worst case — we’re super organised for a honeymoon in 2022.

P.s huge thanks to @thestayoverlife for allllll the incredible Maldives honeymoon inspo and advice!

*Photo taken in the Dominican Republic.
Swipe to see me sussing out 2021 as it creeps clos Swipe to see me sussing out 2021 as it creeps closer 😅 In all seriousness HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. Thank you for your love and support this year — this platform has been a place to chat with others in dark times and for that I’m so thankful. I seriously hope next year is a great one for us all, time to raise a glass ✨🥂
As someone who always tries to get away on their b As someone who always tries to get away on their birthday I never imagined spending the whole day at home. But a combination of prosecco, gin making, great food, conversations with family / friends and watching movies with my fiancé made it one of the best yet. Just one day later I’m deep cleaning the house (again) and waiting for tomorrow to see in the new year from the comfort of my sofa. I’m so ready for a new start — but the kind where our lives aren’t entirely controlled by a virus. So when that day comes I’ll celebrate! 🥂
26 today! I’m joining the lockdown birthday club 26 today! I’m joining the lockdown birthday club this year and @darryl_merkli has made it one hell of a day to remember (ft this confetti cannon which was absolutely terrifying) 🥳
Five mile muddy walk at Woburn finished with a cap Five mile muddy walk at Woburn finished with a cappuccino ☕️
What a memorable first Christmas in our home🎄 What a memorable first Christmas in our home🎄 

We might not have had our family around us this year — but the day was so special in other ways and I think we definitely made the best of it 🥰

Now bring on the Boxing Day chill and continued feast! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas ✨
It’s Christmas Eve Eve! The festive llama cookie It’s Christmas Eve Eve! The festive llama cookie was an essential Christmas purchase this year 🦙🍪
Christmas in Edinburgh last year. Three sleeps to Christmas in Edinburgh last year. Three sleeps to go! 🎄✨
Christmas window displays are my absolute favourit Christmas window displays are my absolute favourite ✨ So sad I’ve not seen many this year but Christmas 2021 is going to be full steam ahead from 1 November!
Out of office on! I can’t believe I’m now on h Out of office on! I can’t believe I’m now on holiday until January. We booked this time off in the hope of going away for two weeks, but the pandemic had other plans 🎄

Christmas might look a little different now but I’m so excited to be at home with my little family, plenty of food and drink and those who are in my Christmas bubble 🎅🏼

It’s also the first Christmas in our new home and we’re hosting! I hope my oven can keep up 😅

Now it’s time to kick off the festivities with another Christmas movie and a couple of glasses of mulled punch 🍷
Find me on Instagram

  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with me
  • Travel Kit
  • Privacy

Copyright © 2021 KJC · Theme by 17th Avenue

This website uses cookies to improve your experience Accept Read More
Privacy Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.