New York is expensive. But with planning and know-how, it’s possible to eat, drink, explore and sleep in this wonderfully vibrant city without breaking the bank. Some things are even free…
Stays under £200 per night
Walker Hotel Tribeca
It’s possible to explore and sleep in New York without burning a big hole in your wallet. Above is a room at the Walker Hotel Tribeca where prices start at £180 a night
This hotel prioritizes the right things: huge, comfortable beds; soundproof walls; luxury products and brilliant city views in a lively location, just a few minutes’ walk from a canal-side tube station.
Downstairs at the brilliant Blue Bottle Coffee Shop, creamy flat whites and jumbo pastries are served. The beds are hard to leave, but you should – this is the wrong city to visit if you’re hoping to spend most of your time in a hotel.
Rooms from £180 (www.walkerhotels.com).
Freehand New York
Pictured is one of the dormitories at the Freehand New York, a trendy hotel in the Flatiron District
This trendy hotel in Manhattan’s Flatiron District is one of four designed by the same team behind NoMad. Original artwork is painted directly onto the walls in all 395 spacious rooms (including four-person dormitories). Guests can enjoy the on-site cafe, restaurant and a rooftop bar with stunning city views.
Doubles from £160 (www.freehandhotels.com).
boro
Just a jump across the river from Midtown Manhattan is the Boro, a 108-room boutique hotel in Queens’ trendy Long Island City neighborhood. Each room features floor-to-ceiling windows, rustic wooden floors and comfortable bathrobes. Chic restaurants, bars and shops are right on your doorstep.
Doubles from £159 (borohotel.com).
things to do
Highline for free
Follow the path along the High Line (above) which stretches 1.5 miles – it doesn’t cost a penny
Perched high above the streets of Manhattan’s West Side, the High Line is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) public park built on an old freight railroad. The path meanders between fascinating buildings and past art installations, landscaped gardens and chaise longues.
Admission is free; Open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. in summer and until 7 p.m. in winter.
museum madness
Many New York museums offer free day or evening admission. For example, the 9/11 Museum is free on Mondays. Tickets are available every Monday from 7am on the website. The moving Memorial Pools are always free — and well worth a visit (911memorial.org/visit/museum).
The Whitney Museum of American Art offers pay-what-you-wish tickets Fridays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (whitney.org).
The New York CityPass includes entry to the Guggenheim, American Museum of Natural History, Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty Ferry and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise (£110, citypass.com).
Get in the water
Hop aboard the Staten Island Ferry for the perfect view of the Statue of Liberty
Join the commuting locals and tourists on the Staten Island Ferry, which departs from Lower Manhattan and offers picture-perfect views of the Statue of Liberty and the dazzling skyline as it chugs across New York Bay and back again. Grab some bagels from Zucker’s Bagels on the way to the ferry terminal.
Free ferries run every 30 minutes in both directions, siferry.com.
to eat and drink
skirt steak
Lines of hungry carnivores snake around the block to dine at Skirt Steak, a new restaurant in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood (pictured)
Above is a 23-pound portion of delicious skirt steaks with thin, crispy fries at Skirt Steak, the restaurant named for the only meat on the menu
Steak and New York is a combo that can cost you hundreds of dollars before you even order drinks. But there’s a new place in town that only has a delicious cut of steak on the menu.
Lines of hungry carnivores snake around the block at this Chelsea eatery (it doesn’t take reservations) for the set-course menu that begins with bowls of Boston salad, followed by delicious skirt steaks (or cauliflower steaks for veggies). ) served with peppercorn bearnaise and all-you-can-eat thin crispy fries for £23.
Make sure you leave room for pudding. Guests choose from a rolling wooden cart and the Paris-Brest filled with hazelnut biscuit cream and the chocolate raspberry tart are not to be missed (rocksteaknyc.com).
panorama room
Observation decks like the Empire State Building can cost a fortune, so why not visit a rooftop bar instead? There’s no shortage of that in New York, but the latest is unique.
On the 18th floor of the first hotel on Roosevelt Island, the Panorama Room offers breathtaking, unprecedented views of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx – arguably the best in the city.
Enjoy a sunset cocktail (£14) on the terrace, then head indoors to a vintage velvet sofa for shrimp cocktails (£18) and giant bowls of truffle fries (£14) while watching the city lights (graduatehotels.com).
valerie
Iconic: For a classic New York brunch, head to Valerie near Times Square (pictured)
In the heart of midtown Manhattan, near Times Square, this is the place for a classic New York brunch.
Bloody Marys, Mimosas and Negronis (from £9) are served along with Smoked Salmon Benedict (£15), Banoffee French Toast (£14) and Hanger Steak and Eggs (£20) in the dining room, which has antique incense mirrors and burlesque murals and leather seating (valerienewyorkcity.com).
Gotham
Want to visit a NYC dining institution that’s nearly four decades old without spending a fortune? Head to Gotham, once described by architect and designer David Rockwell as “the living room for New York,” and order the famous cheeseburger for lunch.
Business people, locals and tourists travel from all over the city to sit in the traditional dining room with white tablecloths and colorful artwork on the walls. The burgers (£23) are dry aged with crispy shallot aioli, Redmond cheddar and fries (gothambarandgrill.com).
western light
Enjoy the view with a cocktail at Westlight, a glass-fronted bar in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg area. Above is the Williamsburg Bridge leading to the neighborhood
There’s no better place to take in the view than with a Manhattan cocktail at Westlight, a glass-fronted bar with a wraparound terrace on the 22nd floor of the William Vale Hotel in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg area.
The food is worth trying too – the bar’s ‘Bites’ menu ranges from bowls of coconut curry cashews (£7) to succulent beef burgers (£18).
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can head to the chic closed bar – every table has a wonderful view (westlightnyc.com).
how to get there
Virgin Atlantic flies daily between London Heathrow and JFK. Returns from £389 (virginatlantic.com).
