New York

[NewYorkAugust2026]

Hi All, I’m going to New York for 10 days soon with DS aged 20. Need to book accommodation and so far only found eye watering expensive options! Ideally we’d like a 2 bedroom apartment, kitchen/lounge, air b n b or apart hotel. Does anyone have any recommendations and also suggestions for free/low cost activities, places to eat etc. Thank you x

Are you hellbent on staying in Manhattan because Brooklyn is waaayy cooler, makes you feel more like a New Yorker than a tourist and is much cheaper. Look at Williamsburg or Park Slope, maybe Bushwick at a push.

NYC is truly one of the world's great cities but eating out etc will be expensive so you either need to look for cheaper options (local restaurants or pizza joints), eat in a few times or throw money at it and worry about it later.

Hope you have a fantastic time.

Many thanks for your post - not hellbent on staying in Manhattan at all tbh as we are there for 10 nights so being so central might be a bit much! Happy to travel in and I will look at the areas you suggest. Thank you. Would like somewhere where we can cook/prepare some food at home so we’re not eating out all the time as last time I came back from the States I put on a little (ahem a lot!) of weight!

No problem. The areas I suggested are all handy for jumping on a subway into Manhattan or exploring Brooklyn further. Forgot to mention Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO but that is VERY swanky and therefore probably as expensive as Manhattan but worth having a look. If you're very intrepid then look at places in Queens or further east in Brooklyn. It doesn't sound like you're someone who wants to stay on Times Square so it's likely you'll find somewhere to suits your needs/wants and also your budget. I would be interested to know where you book.

10 nights is a long time for NYC. There are rules about air b and basically I think they are banned in manhattan.

I would may be two hotels and move half way. A central Manhattern one and a Brooklyn one.

10 nights incoming basic would be 3k in a cheaper hotel?
Some of the famous older hotels are not very good though. So just be aware.
You can look at booking a hotel only through TUI as they offer good value. Get one that included free breakfast and fill up. Hampton, Riu and Hyatt (basic ones) offer this.

Hilton if you are told do a feee upgrade and free breakfast which is good value and you can get gold status for free in a few ways (need to reseaech, but I have mine through my Amex.

Good luck and have fun. Have you something special planned to be going for so long?

Have you thought about staying the other side of the Hudson River in New Jersey, it’s what we did when we went a few years ago, it’s a 15 minute bus ride through the Lincoln tunnel into New York.
we stayed in a 2 bed air bnb and the host was fantastic. There was a small bagel shop nearby for breakfast bagels and a Lidl round the corner!
the views of the New York skyline from that side of the river are stunning.

Search online for ‘New York pay what you wish’ and you’ll find lists of all the museums that have designated free/pay what you wish hours on certain days of the week or month. For example, the Guggenheim is pay what you wish on Sundays and Tuesdays 4-5:30pm.

Am.laughing at staying in Queens being 'very intrepid'. I've stayed in Astoria and Woodside on NY trips and they are both fun and lively in their own way and no distance from mid town Manhattan by subway. Both times were in apartments and it worked out great, Astoria especially. As for cooking, just a warning that groceries are also really expensive but it will certainly work out cheaper to at least have somewhere where you can have breakfast and the odd local take out at home. The most expensive things in NY are your big ticket things like Empire State, going to a Broadway show, erc- entry to things seemed vastly more expensive than in Europe to me. The good news is that there are lots of places and activities that cost little or nothing and that will be really enjoyable - walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, get the Staten Island Ferry after dark, people watching in Waahington Square, Bryant and Central Parks, Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library and just absorbing the sights, sounds and snells. 10 days is a great length of time to really get your bearings.

My best friend (from Forest Hills) best friend lived in Woodside. Nice enough area. I’ve stayed in Forest Hills, Manhattan, Brooklyn all depending on cost and what I wanted to do. Yes, grocery shopping is expensive in New York. Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Target, Aldi and Lidl and Shoprite are good shopping options. My friend uses Shoprite in Delaware. It’s harder to buy eg tea because it’s not popular and they have it eg iced. Tylenol is their paracetamol. Wegmans apparently has a British aisle but it’ll be expensive. Shanghai 21 in Chinatown is cheap good Chinese food. ($10-$20).

Subway is great to travel but once in Manhattan you can easily walk to many areas and it’s nicer than the subway. Just remember it’s on a grid system. But it’s easy. Some say get buses but I’ve only ever got tourist buses. A New York yellow taxi is a must at least once and apparently within Manhattan they’re cheaper than Uber, from $3.

Most people I've known who visit NYC wouldn't stray too far from Fifth Avenue - especially as a first time visitor, so Queens would be considered intrepid but I'm with you. There are some great places to stay outside of Manhattan if you don't mind travelling in.

When I’ve been to New York I’ve always actually stayed in New Jersey, specifically Newark, its a twenty minute drive or about 40 minutes on public transport.

Many thanks everyone really appreciate all your suggestions and knowledge. We have booked 6 nights in Astoria as we will be going to the US Open tennis. We will book 4 nights elsewhere possibly central (Manhattan) or from another one of your recommendations. 10 nights in one place seemed a bit too much. Really appreciate everyone’s input. We also want to book a show / Broadway possibly Hamilton (have seen it in the West End and love it). Is it best just to book tickets before we go or wait until we are there? If before any advice re best websites/ticket agents. Thank you.

Just FYI air b&b is more of less illegal in NYC. It’s allowed for long term lets or if the owner lives in the property but otherwise no. I wouldn’t risk it.

Fantastic! Splitting the holiday into two bases is a great idea as the two will feel very different - especially if your second base is in Manhattan. Obviously it's up to you but I would steer well clear of the Times Square area. Somewhere like the West Village is lovely but if you really feel like you want to be in midtown then lower midtown would be my pick - maybe somewhere between Madison Square Park and the Empire State Building. Have a great time.

Have a fantastic time