I am following this with interest. I have been to New York twice prior to having DC (15 years ago), they are teenagers now so looking to take them next year.

I think you need to make a list of where you want to go and what you want to visit, there is a lot of walking and a lot to see and I am not sure if 4 or 5 days would be enough.

Have a look on British Airways website - they had some amazing deals when I looked at NYC last week for flight and hotel combos.
We stayed in Garment District near Midtown and loved it - a short walk from Times Square but with great walk ability to many sights and great transport links.
For budget it will depend on your tastes really - we found we could eat as cheaply or as expensively as we fancied - from very cheap pizza slices at dinner or bagels for breakfast to more expensive dinners.

BA packages are sometimes recommended as a cheap way to get there even if you don’t want to stay in the package hotel, so definitely have a look at those.

I loved the High Line and the Cloisters, but I’m not sure teens would appreciate the latter.

www.thehighline.org/
www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/met-cloisters

If you wanted to climb up to Liberty’s crown you need to book well ahead, but if you’re not bothered you get a great view from the Staten Island ferry, & it’s much cheaper.

Top of the Rock gives you great views of downtown including the Empire State Building.

www.topoftherocknyc.com/ticket-menu/

Hi op, I’ve been to New York 4 times and it definitely is different according to what time of year you’re planning on going.

My ds went last February with his sixth form college as he’s studying A level drama, they stayed opposite the Flatiron Building near to Times Square and it was lovely, breakfast included as it is in many of the hotels. He struggled with the extreme cold but loved every second of it, especially the Rockerfeller Centre, Ice skating in Central Park and visiting the Statue of Liberty. He was 16 ( 17 a month later ) and said the girls in the group were over the moon with all of the shops and he even came home with money! I was appalled by that

When I’ve been it’s always been in summer. I’ve done May, June, July and August and have stayed somewhere different each time. Times Square is my favourite as has so much going on and there are tons of hotels there to suit every budget. Food wise it depends what you like and how much you’re prepared to spend, very much like London for example you can find posher than posh restaurants and cafes and everything in between. I find the food choices and prices very reasonable and the biggest costs I find are for attractions such as The Empire State Building which is around £25 each to go to the top. With 4 people it’s cheaper to get a yellow taxi than to navigate the subway or buses but lots of people walk everywhere ( within reason ) as the island itself isn’t actually that big. Ds ate like a horse when he was there but lost weight due to all of the walking. He was exhausted when he got home!

So lots of variables but one thing I can guarantee is that it will blow your mind, you will never be bored there and you will probably struggle to fit everything in. Many people do suggest going for longer than 3/4/5 days but the costs involved then sky rocket. I love shopping and it’s very easy to spend your money and your teens may be the same.

I hope this has helped you. I haven’t been for a while and want to go to the 9/11 memorial. My ds went and said it was eerie. He wasn’t even born until 2003 but said that it left a huge impression on the whole group.

Sorry that was long!

There is a Facebook group called NYC travel tips and tricks and another one called NYC the place to be and a third called NYC - the page that never sleeps. Some of the info is duplicated but they are all useful and give lots of tips and advice that will help you make the most out of it. As always a mix of people on budgets or will millions so you have to take some comments with a pinch of salt but overall they are very good.

I stayed in NY a couple of years ago and can honestly say I wasn’t that excited about going but it was the most amazing,crazy place to go ...bloody loved it . We stayed at the Edison Hotel just off Times Square . Quirky and full of buzz !

I strongly recommend the open top bus when you get there to help you orientate the whole city .
The 9/ 11 memorial is beautiful and heartstopping...enjoy!!

I've got to disagree with some things here so it will depend on you as a person!

Times Square is truly awful. The worst part of NYC. Visit at 7am when it's empty and never return

Do not attempt to walk it all. NYC is huge and you've to factor in crossings at every junction. It'll take a good couple of hours just to walk the direct route between Battery and Central parks without stopping. Then you've to get back. Madness.

Taxis aren't cheaper than the subway and it is so easy to navigate. Even the air train from JFK is a doddle.

The Staten Island ferry is free.

The High Line is great, as is Bryant Park. We loved TriBeCa and Little Italy for walking around. Grand Central is not to be missed IMO and it's only $15 to hire a boat on the lake in Central Park.

Just pick one observatory. TOTR is best for the view.

My one tip is to get a metro pass for the subway. It's not deep underground like London and is by far the quickest way to get from A to B. ( though no good for airport transfer, for that we used Uber ).

Ahhh, if you get the metro everywhere you miss all the sites. DH and I last went in October 2019 and we walked everywhere, one day we clocked up 12 miles. Be sure to book yourselves a lunch in the Boathouse in Central Park and obviously visit Strawberry Fields while you're there, Central Park is just great anyway. There's so much to do so have a look on the NYC websites and decide what you fancy the most. You'll definitely want to go back. Last time we stayed at the Kixby Hotel on 35th Street and will definitely go back.

We clocked up over 10 miles per day using the subway! It's so cheap for a week pass and you can use it from the air train from jfk.

Really plan your routes and group attractions together by day and you'll get the most out of it.

*sights 🙄

If your going in the winter make sure you later up -IT IS BALTIC!! Coldest place I’ve ever been. The saying ‘It’ll take the face off you’ is so true so wrap up warm!

In fact, I’d say to avoid the winter if possible because I couldn’t enjoy for being too cold. The open top bus experience was brilliant but I was like a block of ice shaking with hypothermia onset.

We walked everywhere but you couldn’t possibly see everything in one trip as there soook much to see. I’d make a list of you top 10 whatever then get googling the most efficient routes. IE do the Statue of Liberty, Wall street, 911 memorial on the same day as they’re all lower Manhattan.

I’d also do the tour on the first day too as a pp said, you’ll get your bearings. And do make the same mistake as me and my friend and order two medium pizzas! It was about £30 and they were the size of dustbin lids! We couldn’t eat one between us, never mind two. Totally fleeced and they seen us coming! A slice of pizza is adequate!

We’re going back soon and I can’t wait. Enjoy 😉

October is a great time to go. The days are quite short but the weather is usually lovely - even hot some days - and you’ll get the fall foliage

We're going with our 2 teens (DSs, will be aged 14 and 15) for New Years this year.

We went a few years ago without the boys, and I must admit am a bit nervous abut taking them, it's not somewhere they've asked to go, or have really shown any interest in so I'm planning stuff I really hope they like.

We're staying near Times Square, when we went last time we stayed near Haarlem, it was just too far away and we spent so much time on the Metro.

I think I'm going to get a sightseeing pass. It will work out over £600 for the 3 day pass, but there's so much to do, including things like bowling, an escape room and VR experience. So as well as the big sights, there's stuff we can stop and do if we're sick of walking or freezing cold and needing some inside time I like it when things are already paid for before we go places, makes things feel like they're free!!!

I definitely recommend an open top bus ride.

Recommend Circle Line cruises plus a cab from the airport is as cheap and more direct than airport shuttle transport.
We divided the map into 5 , grouped all the sites within each section they we wanted to see each day so as not to waste time crisscrossing the city or wasting time deciding what to do each day .

Depending on interests, go and see a baseball, soccer or basketball match. It's more about the experience and the food, but some of the stadiums are amazing as well. A boat tour of the harbour is great. Pick something slightly offbeat to do as well, to see a different side of the city. I did a literature walking tour of brooklyn, and visited the transport museum. Unpredictably interesting!

You can also go and see the live recordings of TV shows filmed there, which is a very cool experience, and a rest! The dream is John Oliver, but there's plenty of others.

We booked through BA and had 4 nights at The Conrad very close to the Freedom Tower and WTC site.

We did the Subway pass that you can use on buses too, and agree with PPs about not trying to walk........ it's ridiculously big! We HATED Times Square, it's a shithole and full of hawkers/weirdoes. We loved the WTC museum, Staten Island ferry, walking over Brooklyn Bridge. Food is cheap and easy...... we found little bakeries on side streets selling hot soups/sandwiches/pizza, and Shake Shack is fab. And every second store is a Starbucks which is handy for bathrooms. Finding a toilet is horrendous, it was the only thing we found stressful tbh. Top of the Rock was chaotic, and I'd book any places like it ahead of time. And allow hours for Central Park....... it's breathtaking. Soho is great to window shop, Tribeca equally fab to walk through. We went in November, the days were fine but at night it was so cold it took your breath away so take lots of layers!

Oh and guys, one of the most important things to remember is - Don’t agree to get a photo taken with the ‘super hero’s/kids characters’ in Times Square. It isn’t free, though they don’t tell you that until it’s too late!!!

And if you say yes then they’ll charge you he knows how much and all if they’d character buddies will run to you like fly’s to shit! Just keep saying ‘no thank you’!!

And if you say yes then they’ll charge you god knows how much and then ALL of their character buddies will run to you like fly’s to shit! Just keep saying ‘no thank you’!!