What To See & Do With 24 Hours In New York City

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We recently headed to the Big Apple with big hopes of seeing it all. When we were researching the sights around the city, we had a hard time visualizing distances and weren’t sure what we’d accomplish in our short visit to the city before heading upstate.

NYC is one of the best places to visit in the US, so of course, a weekend in New York would be better, as with only 24 hours, you’ll barely have time to scrape the surface. So, what exactly can you see in 24 hours in New York City? It turns out, quite a bit.

In this article, I’m going to list everything that we managed to take in on our recent trip to New York City and hopefully it will give you an idea of what you’ll be able to cover in a day. One thing to make sure of is that you’re wearing a good pair of shoes when exploring NYC!

Note: This entire itinerary is based in Manhattan and while I’m aware that New York has many wonderful boroughs to explore, we stuck to Manhattan for the sake of seeing as many sights in the shortest amount of time. To maximize our time in the city, and to arrive in style, we took a Blacklane car to get us from the airport to Manhattan, but you could also take the Air Train from JFK.

What to see and do with 24 hours in New York City.

Where To Stay: Lower Manhattan

I recommend staying at a hotel in Lower Manhattan and branching out from there to see all of the sites around the area. We stayed at the W New York – Downtown and found its central location to be the perfect base for our explorations around the city. The staff were young and the hotel was very chic — make sure to check out their onsite lounge with live music!

W New York - Downtown

If you’re on a tight budget, there are some hostels in Manhattan, but even they are expensive. You could stay in a cheaper borough (like Queens), but then you’ll spend more time & money on transport. Another great option is to check out Airbnb for some cheaper rooms for your 1 day in New York.

What to See Around the Financial District:

*Note: You’re going to want to eat at some point during your whirlwind trip to New York City. Check out this post which lists the best places to eat in NYC, according to a local.

Battery Park: This beautiful, 27-acre park is located at the southern tip of Manhattan and it is the perfect place to start the day. Walk along the sea wall and take in the next sight.

The Statue Of Liberty: You can see a side profile of the famous statue from Battery Park and there are numerous ferries to take you closer. If you hop on the boat that visits Ellis Island and Liberty Island, it will take up an hour and a half of your day (even without even getting off), so for the sake of time, snap a photo and get moving.

Broadway: From Battery Park, take this famous road to the next sights.

The Charging Bull: In the name of financial prosperity and luck, fight through the crowds of tourists to rub the lucky bronze balls below this 3.2-ton famous statue.

what to do in new york city in 24 hours

Trinity Church: Just a little further down Broadway you’ll see Trinity Church on your left. If you’re quick, you may even have time to head inside for a peak.

Wall Street: Wall Street has a fascinating collection of Gilded Age architecture. Here you can take in a few major sites within minutes — The Trump Building, Federal Hall, 14 Wall Street (Bankers Trust Building), and the New York Stock Exchange (among others).

The Brooklyn Bridge: There’s a beautiful walkway that runs along to the East River on FDR Drive. Take this and you’ll have lovely views of the Brooklyn Bridge, plus you can shop for some touristy New York trinkets from vendors here.

Chinatown: From the Brooklyn Bridge take St. James and Bowery streets into Chinatown. Source out a popular Chinese restaurant and enjoy some soup dumplings. I recommend Joe’s Shanghai for authentic soup dumplings.

Soup Dumplings Chinese chinatown new yorkFood Cuisine

Canal Street: This 2.5 km east-west street is your best bet for finding cheap knock-off sunglasses and inexpensive tourist garb. Don’t spend too much time shopping, there’s lots more to see with your day in New York.

Little Italy: Hopefully you brought your appetite. Little Italy has some of the best restaurants in all of New York. You’ll have a bit of time to explore the area before popping in for a bite.

SoHo: Named for its location (South of Houston) and its similarities to London’s SoHo, this is a great area to roam around for a bit. There is a lot of charm in the neighbourhood’s narrow, cobblestone back streets.

Tribeca: Another acronym based name (“Triangle Below Canal St.”), Tribeca is a great place for fans of neo-Renaissance architecture. Some places to see include the Powell Building, a row of White neo-Renaissance buildings on Worth Street and the New York Telephone Company (140 West St.).

Freedom Tower & World Trade Memorial: End the day off with a walk through the beautiful and profoundly evocative World Trade Memorial, all the while looking up to see the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, the Freedom Tower.

freedom tower new york

…SLEEP!

What To See Around Central Manhattan:

After a good sleep, hop on the subway at Wall St. Station heading uptown on the R-line ($2.50 – around 20 minutes) to 14th St. Station (Union Square) and get ready for another jam-packed few hours of sightseeing in New York.

Union Square: Sometimes there are events and farmer’s markets here. Definitely check it out.

5th Ave: Another one of New York’s most famous avenues, 5th Ave. has some beautiful architecture rooted in the Gilded Age, such as the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York Public Library, Rizzoli, Saks Fifth Avenue, Flatiron Building, etc. Plus, many more shopping opportunities for those not on a strict budget!

Central Park: Follow Fifth Avenue north until you hit Central Park on your left-hand side. You won’t have time to see much of this 3.41 km2  green space, but you’ll be able to see the south end all the way to the fountain. When you reach the fountain, loop back around to the west side of the park and exit on Central Park West.

Big Bird Chillin' In Central Park

Columbus Circle: This is a beautiful roundabout to take a couple of photos before getting on the subway at the Columbus Circle Station. Take the A-C-E train downtown and get off at 59th St. Station.

The Chelsea Market & Neighbourhood: Get off the subway at 14th St. and head for the amazing Chelsea Market which is open Monday to Friday (7am – 9pm) and Sunday (8am – 9pm).

The High Line: My personal favourite part of New York City, the High Line is an abandoned railway track turned pedestrian walkway and garden. Benches, flowers, amphitheaters, grass, and foliage make this one of the most beautiful and romantic city walks. There are also plenty of dinner options around here and some snack stands on the High Line itself. Get off on 30th St and head east.

Madison Square Garden: Turn left on 7th Ave off of 30th St and head north. Almost immediately you’ll see one of the world’s most famous venues, Madison Square Garden.

Times Square: Continue northbound on 7th Ave and basically just follow the bright lights and camera-happy tourists until you reach Times Square. Take a few photos and try not to have a seizure amongst the flashing LED TV Screens that are the size of football fields. If you’re looking to find mouthwatering barbecue in New York, stop in at Virgil’s in Times Square.

times square new york

Have Some Extra Time?

Why not go sailing? Consider a day sail around the waters of NYC. Check out companies like Sailo who offer many popular rentals for around 2 – 4 hours including sunset cruises overlooking Manhattan.

Once you’ve seen the city by foot and your legs are sore, you can relax on a sailboat and enjoy the view. They’ve also done plenty of trips that are organized bachelorette parties, as well as sightseeing trips around the bay.

All of their boats in NYC are rented with a licensed captain which is included in the price, so all you have to do is book a trip and then show up on the dock.

Time’s Up!

By this point, your legs will be aching and your camera shutter finger will be twitching, but you’ll have seen a lot of New York (well, only Manhattan actually).

Of course, you could go a whole different route and head into Brooklyn or check out the beautiful Staten Island area, but that’s what is so great about New York City, you can explore it for months and still not see it all! Some of it will just have to wait until next time.

One important thing to note is that you’ll want to make sure you have travel insurance for a trip to New York (and the USA as a whole).

Not only should you have insurance for anywhere in the world, but the cost of visiting a hospital in the USA is incredibly expensive. Enter your information below to get a free quote from World Nomads, a popular insurance company for travellers.

What did we miss? If you think it’s possible to see more of New York in 24 hours, please share it with us in the comments below. If you think that it would be impossible to see all of this in 24 hours, tell us we’re crazy!

Don’t believe it’s possible? Check out our fun, quick video of our 24 hours in New York City!

Some images in this article were sourced from Shutterstock.com.

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“What To See & Do with 24 Hours in New York City: The Perfect Itinerary In A DayBest Ways To See New York City In 24 Hours“How to Spend 24 Hours in New York City: What to Do & Where to Eat

Nick Wharton Author Bio Picture

Written by

Nick Wharton

Nick is the co-founder, editor and author of Goats On The Road. He contributes to numerous other media sites regularly and shares his expert knowledge of travel, online entrepreneurship and blogging with the world whenever he can. He has been travelling and working abroad since 2008 and has more than 10 years of experience in online business, finance, travel and entrepreneurship.

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26 thoughts on “What To See & Do With 24 Hours In New York City”

  1. I visited NYC for the first time in June and I was pleasantly surprised! I wasn’t expecting to like it but can’t wait to go back. There really is something for everyone!

    You really did cram a lot in!! We were there for 4 days and still have a lot to see when we go back. My favourite part was the High Line too – such a great idea. Definitely recommend checking out Brooklyn too – we stayed there and it turned out to be our favourite area. Franklin Avenue has some amazing little bar and we spent lots of time in Prospect Park – a lot quieter than Central Park!

  2. I really think it’s not possible to see more than what you’ve seen in 24 hours. Actually, I’ve been in New York for 50 days and haven’t seen much more than you guys 🙂

  3. haha, I know, we were crazy! We really wanted to see as much as we could though, and even though we were running around, we still found time to sit and enjoy food and sit in the parks.

    We need more time for sure and will have to go back 🙂

  4. Thanks Jen!

    We were rushed, but still managed to have a really good time 🙂 Definitely need to go back though – oh, and we hadn’t had dumplings in sooo long, they were amazing!

  5. We’ve lived here for 5 years and we still haven’t seen it all! And just when we think we have, the city changes. It’s an amazing place to live – you simply never get bored of it!

  6. You guys sure managed to squeeze a lot into your brief stay in NYC! I lived there for years and years (both my kids were born there and I went to grad school and worked there) and I’ve got to say, staying in Midtown is a much smarter idea for a short visit because the Times Square subway station is a massive connector to almost everything, plus, you can walk north to Central Park, and easily grab tix to a Broadway show which is something everyone should absolutely make time for during a stay in NYC, full stop. I could go on and on, obviously, but…I’m glad you had fun while there. My family and I still go back 3x/year.

  7. Got confused what to do in new york? read this post and you will know what to do in new york in one day .great tips and thanks for sharing the post.

  8. Wow! Like you our last trip to NYC was a whirlwind – we got to see almost as much as you did. One “must-do~ in our book is Top of The Rock at sunset. Next time I want to really explore Central Park – could spend a week in there and not see it all.

  9. He who travels much has this advantage over others – that the things he remembers soon become remote, so that in a short time they acquire the vague and poetical quality which is only given to other things by time. He who has not traveled at all has this disadvantage – that all his memories are of things present somewhere, since the places with which all his memories are concerned are present.

  10. Can’t wait next year for the first visit in New York when I’m going to meet my foreign friends who give me the accommodation and take me to somewhere to try cheap food. Anyway, thank you for your recommendation about destinations above

  11. I’m taking my 15yr old son on his 1st trip to NYC this summer. We’ll be in the city for 2 days, so this is exactly what I needed to see! I did want to ask though, did you walk to all these locations? Just so I know if we could follow a similar route and get in as much as possible. Thanks!

  12. I’m taking my 15yr old son on his 1st trip to NYC this summer. We’ll be in the city for 2 days, so this is exactly what I needed to see! I did want to ask though, did you walk to all these locations? Just so I know if we could follow a similar route and get in as much as possible. Thanks!

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