Planning Your New York Trip on a Budget
New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but you can still find a few clever ways to explore the city on a budget. Just find the cheapest places to stay at, eat, drink or party in and you’ll be good to go on your New York budget travel.
Invest in New York City Attraction Passes
There are several tourist passes to choose from, each with different discount package offers. These city passes can help you save on New York City attractions. You only pay a fixed amount for the pass, from less than $100 to a little over $100, and enjoy savings ranging from around 40% to over 50% on admission prices. Depending on your itinerary, you can save hundreds of dollars visiting several attractions.
Take Free Ferry Rides
See more of New York City from the water by going on ferry rides, some of which are free. The Staten Island ferry, for instance, would allow you to see not only the Statue of Liberty but also Ellis Island and Manhattan’s southern tip, all for free. The Ikea ferry that takes people from Wall Street to its shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn is also free on weekends. The NYC Ferry replaced the East River Ferry and now costs $2.75 for a one-way ride, a drop from the older ferry’s $4 weekday and $6 weekend fares. But if you want a ferry ride around Manhattan Island, you would have to shell out $41 for two-and-a-half hours of cruising on Circle Line Ferry.
Look for Bargain Accommodation
It is not a secret that the best accommodation in NYC has excessively high rates, but a little digging on Airbnb may land you a $100 a night stay at an apartment. You can bring this down further to around $60 if you choose to stay in a single room instead of an entire apartment. The Chelsea International Hostel has dorm rooms that cost around $50 that you may share with two or four people and single- and double-private rooms that may cost around $60 to $70 per night. These are possibly some of the best hotel deals for New York. A single room at The Bowery House can also be considered a bargain at a little over $100 per night.
Check Out New York from Up High
New York is best seen when you are up high, but getting into the 86th floor of the Empire State Building costs $37; the Rockefeller Center, $34; and the new World Trade Center, $32. It might be cheaper to go to a rooftop bar in the city, such as in the Meatpacking District’s Standard hotel, which offers the best view of the Hudson River. The 230 Fifth that has a clear view of Midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building and has reasonably priced food with beer, wine or cocktails costing around $6 to $8 on a weekday happy hour. If you want a better view of Manhattan, go up to the Westlight at the William Vale in Williamsburg where you can drink beer for $7.
Get a Taste of New York
A cheeseburger at the Waverly Restaurant can set you back around $8, but it also comes with a typical American diner experience. If you want a wide variety of choices, you can head over to Smorgasburg on Saturday and Sunday, from 11 am to 6 pm. There are also a few Williamsburg restaurants and food stalls you can try, such as the Blue Collar, where the most expensive burger only costs $9. Other cheap eats in New York are The Halal Guys, where you can get the tastiest Halal in New York for only $7; Soho Tiffin Junction, where you can eat South Indian food for $6 to $10; and Tasty Dumplings, where delicious dumplings only cost $1.25. New York restaurants become even pricier because of their 15% to 20% tip.
Enjoy the City’s Outdoors
Make the most out of your New York travel. There are a lot of free things to do in New York once you’re outside of your accommodations. Take lots of photos in Time Square, stroll around the Upper West Side, or lay out a blanket and read a book on or go running around Central Park like the locals. Join free walking tours that go around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Stroll over Brooklyn Bridge and see more of the city’s iconic landmarks, all while avoiding traffic. Go to Brooklyn Heights’ promenade and take in the view of lower Manhattan’s skyline.
Go to Broadway Shows
A New York trip would be even more fulfilling if you have etched Broadway shows into your itinerary. You can get cheap seats if you join lotteries, use apps, and visit TKTS Discount Booths. To join in-person lotteries, you need to show up two hours before the Broadway show to write your name, drop it in a bucket for the draw, and be present if your name does get picked as one of the lucky winners. There are also digital lotteries, where you can score tickets for as low as $10 for shows like “Hamilton.” Mobile ticketing apps, such as TodayTix, also offer discounted last-minute tickets. New York’s TKTS booths are also good sources of discounted, often half-priced, Broadway tickets, although the booths may not offer cheaper tickets for megahits such as “Wicked” and “Hamilton.”
Visit Museums
Any tourist guide New York City has would point you to museums for a visit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art actually imposes a pay-what-you-wish rule, although it has a “recommended” fee of $25. Other museums that impose the same rule include the American Museum of Natural History, Queens Museum of Art, and Brooklyn Museum, among others. Some offer only free entrance on certain days and times. The Museum of Modern Art is free every Friday, from 5 am to 8 pm; the 9/11 Memorial Museum on Tuesdays from 5 pm to 8 pm; New York Botanical Garden free on Wednesdays; and Whitney Museum of American Art on Fridays from 7 pm to 9:30 pm. There are several New York museums that you can visit for free anytime you like, such as the American Folk Art Museum, Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Waterfront Museum.
Visit the 9/11 Memorial
The September 11 tragedy killed 2,983 people. In place of the Twin Towers are two massive waterfalls surrounded by a metal rim where the victims’ names are engraved. Visiting the memorial is paying tribute to the lives that were lost in the attack. The museum shows over 11,000 items, more than 40,000 photos, and oral histories of what happened before, during and after the attack. A visit to the museum costs $24, although admission is free on Tuesdays, from 5 pm to 8 pm. It would be worth its cost because it will make your New York City travel special and memorable.
Buy a Metrocard
Getting places around New York City would be much cheaper if you buy an Unlimited Ride Metrocard that you can use for a single ride ($3), seven days ($32), or 30 days ($121). But if you have stops out of the city, you can save more on the Megabus or Bolt Bus that has stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., and Baltimore.
Put all these New York travel ideas on a budget and enjoy your visit to The City That Never Sleeps. You don’t have to empty out your savings account if you can apply these tips in your trip.
