Where To Stay In New York City: A Complete Guide For All Budgets And Styles
When youre trying to decide where to stay in New York City, it is important to think about what kind of New York experience youre looking for.
Are you there to eat all the best food and see the city like a local ? Do you want to visit all the art galleries and museums? Or are you wanting to see as many tourist attractions as humanly possible ?
The best place to stay in New York City will vary depending on your style, budget, and expectations. Luckily for you, we put together this DETAILED guide of the best neighborhoods to stay in, complete with pros and cons, neighborhood highlights, and handpicked highly-rated hotels in each area.
Dont have time to read the entire guide below? Heres a quick summary to get your search for the perfect place to stay started.
Why Is Soho Of The Best Places To Stay In Nyc
SoHo is about style and appearance but in a more gritty way than the Champ-Elyses in Paris.
Is it pretentious? Maybe a little, but SoHo is better for its swagger.SoHo has the most local and residential feel in Manhattan among this list of where to stay in New York City.
It is close to West Village, Nolita, Little Italy and Greenwich Village which all feature heavily in our best pizza in NYC guide.
However, if youre looking for a more authentic NYC stay, you should look at hotels closer to Chelsea and Greenwich Village.
Hotels range from the top end of budget to luxurious but it is a little isolated in the Manhattan landscape. Long walks either direction are required to get to the next touristy area.
Close To Broadway Theatres
One bucket list item for many New York visitors is catching some world class theatre on Broadway. Ive been to the city eight times now and its still one of my favourite things to do. Well, the Theatre District, where the majority of Broadway theatres are located, actually overlaps with parts of Times Square so youre in a prime location to catch a show. You wont have to worry about getting caught in traffic getting from your hotel to the theatre. Youll be able to easily walk.
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How Do I Visit New York City For The First Time
Plan out your visit in advance and budget carefully when youre visiting New York City for the first time.
Thanks for reading my guide to where to stay in New York City! Know that you might not get to do everything on your list during your visit, but theres a reason people come back.
Hopefully, this guide has been a helpful introduction to the different neighborhoods in the city. For more things to do and places to visit in the Tri-State area, take a look at our roundup of thebest places to visit in New Jersey.
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Traveling To Manhattan For New Years Where To Stay
Hi there! My fiancé and I are traveling to Manhattan in December. We wanted to know what city would be the most cost efficient to stay in that is also relatively near an airport. At first, we thought about staying in Times Square since thats really the central location we wanted to visit during our days there, but WOW the hotels are an arm and a leg. We didnt want to rent a car since we dont know how the traffic/parking would be. Any advice on where to stay or if we should rent a car?
6 replies to this topic
Don’t stay at the airport. Don’t rent a car. Please reply with an actual budget per night in US $ . I assume 1 bed? And any other amenities? You are coming at one of the most expensive times so your budget needs to reflect that. If you have a very small budget then don’t come at the holidays- come any other time in January. 🙂
In order for the hotel experts to assist you, they need to know exact dates of travel as hotel rates vary daily, budget including 15% tax & desired bedding configuration.
Also consider what you plan to do for NYE
Standing out in the square or attending a ticketed party?
Which of the three airports are you likely to arrive at?
I can’t think of any circumstances where you’d want to
One of the nice aspects of visiting New York City is that you dont need a car .In fact its a hindrance, as you said -parking cost& traffic. Use the subway, buses cabs and walking.
You can get into Manhattan from all of these airports via public transport or taxi.
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Things To Do In Brooklyn
Williamsburg is one of those places you eat, drink and chat your way through an entire vacation.
Visit trendy or dive bars and eateries, then walk around Domino Park and look at street art in Bushwick a little further away from the East River.
The lower parts of Brooklyn are filled with amazing places to visit, including:
- Prospect Park
Why We Recommend This Hotel
We recommend staying at this hotel not only for its sleek modern designed rooms but for its amazing food and drinks.
Enjoy delicious Spanish cuisine in the hotels in-house restaurant led by Iron Chef Jose Garces, and a tapas bar with free sangrias and craft cocktails every day.
New York Marriott Marquis is a 1,949-room hotel located in the middle of Times Square.
It features superior feather beds, high-quality duvets, and pull-out couches in all rooms.
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Midtown Where To Stay In Nyc For The First Time
If youre interested in sightseeing and exploring everything that Manhattan has to offer, then Midtown is THE place to be!
Even though NYC has tons of interesting attractions and activities everywhere you look, most of the main ones are located in the Midtown area, right in the middle of Manhattan. This can be considered the heart and soul of the city and a very important spot if youre interested in culture, art and, of course, shopping!
Midtown is also a great choice if you prefer walking and want to avoid driving or spending a lot of time using public transportation. Manhattan is organized in a grid system, so its extremely easy to orient yourself. The streets are parallel and they start from the North to the South, while the avenues start from the East and finish on the West .
That being said, should I also mention that Midtown Manhattan is also the most popular and crowded area in the city? Thats a classic downside of staying in the best location!
Some of the highlights of this neighborhood include Times Square, the MoMA , Central Park, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Broadway street with all the musicals and theatres and the famous Fifth Avenue as well. As you can see, all of the important sights in the city and here!
Best Cheap Mid Budget And Luxury Hotels Near Times Square New York City
Times Square hotels are plentiful and span the entire travel budget range. This area has the highest concentration of low budget rooms in NYC.
We stayed at AC Hotel for a night, which was great. It has a rooftop bar and affordable room rate.
The Riu Plaza often runs discounted prices but our top pick for Times Square is CitizenM as long as you can get it at a good rate.
Top tip: If youre a photographer and cant afford to stay at Renaissance Times Square, go in to the lounge for a drink and youll get one of the most iconic views over Times Square.
Here are the best hotels for each budget around Times Square :
- 10. Luxury The Chatwal 9.1
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Frequently Asked Questions About New York City
Which is the best area where to stay in New York?
Midtown Manhattan
What are the best things to do in New York?
Central ParkEmpire State Building Brooklyn Bridge
Where to stay in New York for nightlife?
East Village
Where to stay in New York on a budget?
Long Island City
Phew, congrats, you just reached the end of my complete guide on NYC neighborhoods and accommodations! I hope this post was useful in organizing your New York vacation and I also hope you already found the ideal accommodation for your taste and budget. In case youre still undecided about where to stay in New York, check out my top choices, both with great location in Manhattan:
- 1 Hotel Central Park This is the best place if youre looking for an upscale 5-star hotel in the downtown area, very close to Central Park!
- Belnord Hotel This nice 3-star property is a great choice if you want a good value stay in New York!
In this post I have talked about how NYC is organized, the 7 best neighborhoods in the city and I gave you my hand-picked hotel recommendations in each of them, together with some cool apartments and airport hotels as well. In other words, you have everything you need in the post above so get booking because I dont want you to miss out on your dream hotel!
Happy travels,
Williamsburg The Coolest Neighborhood
Im done with my area recommendations for Manhattan and were moving on to another popular borough in New York: Brooklyn! The neighborhood Im recommending here is Williamsburg, which is right across the East River from the East Village, connected by Williamsburg Bridge.
Williamsburg is one of the most trendy and creative areas of New York, where youll find international restaurants, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and many boutiques and music venues, which give the area a special vibe!
This area is great if you dont want to stay in Manhattan, but still be close to it and all the attractions located there . If you choose to base yourself here, youll be surrounded by tons of amazing restaurants, beer gardens, cafes and pubs as well.
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Best Cheap Mid Budget And Luxury Hotels Near Soho New York City
SoHo is another area in which you can easily find a hotel to suit your travel budget.
NobleDEN and CitizenM Bowery are top rated budget hotels, which we highly recommend.
We stayed at Arlo SoHo and it was great for its price point, but check prices at the other two budget hotels and book if they are more affordable.
The Crosby Street Hotel is stunning. If you can afford to splurge and stay here, do it!
Along with its Central Park sister The Whitby Hotel, they are the two top rated hotels in all of NYC on Booking.com. Both are expensive but you get what you pay for.
Here are the best hotels for each budget around SoHo :
- 9. Luxury The Crosby Street Hotel 9.5 *
Greenwich Village & Chelsea Most Authentic Areas
Chelsea and Greenwich Village are two great, laid-back places to stay in New York in case you already had enough time to explore Midtown and you want to live in the real city!
Some of the highlights here are the Flatiron Building, Chelsea Piers, Union Square Market, and Chelsea Market as well.
One downside of staying here is that youll need to use public transportation to visit the main attractions in Midtown such as Times Square. Instead, youll be closer to the interesting sights in the southern part of the city such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and Wall Street , example.
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Are You Choosing A Hotel In Nyc For A Conference
Convenient lodging near your NYC conference is just a few clicks away. Whether youre organizing the conference or just attending, you can find accommodations near your meetings, presentations, talks, and other events. If your conference is occurring at a hotel in NYC, ask the organizer if they secured a block of rooms . If your conference occurs at an event venue like the massive Javits Center on the Hudson River, there are several hotels nearby, plus Hudson Yards for culture, dining, and shopping during your off hours.
On the other hand, you may prefer to stay off-site in an area farther from your conference venue. The artsy East Village and uptown hotels in Harlem provide both lower-cost lodging and more offbeat attractions in the city. If you opt for this, however, be willing to travel farther to and from your conference.
Where To Stay In New York City: 5 Best Places To Stay In Nyc
Weve now spent a few weeks in New York City, split between a couple of different trips, and the first thing were always struck by when we arrive in Manhattan is the buzzing energy that fills the streets of NYC at all hours. 6:00 am? Tons of people out and about. 2:00 am? Same thing. It boggles my mind, but I guess thats what happens when you pack millions of people into a place the size of Manhattan.
The second thing that strikes me every time is the size of the buildings and the density. It truly is a concrete jungle. I grew up in Seattle and lived in San Francisco where there is a downtown area with massive buildings, but once you get out of that relatively small area the tallest building is roughly three stories and you find green spaces around every corner.
In New York City, I regularly looked up and saw a 40 story building, no matter where I was from Lower Manhattan to the Upper Eastside. The density is mind boggling.
In this guide, were going to share our take on where to stay in New York City, based on our own experience and point of view, to help you find the perfect place to stay for your trip. For each one, well give you an overview of each area, then dive deep into the pros and cons, a few highlights that we love, and some handpicked places to stay.
Sound good? Lets get into our top picks for the best areas to stay in New York City for your style and budget.
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Best Nyc Hotels Times Square For New Years Eve
If watching the worlds most famous ball drop at midnight from your own New Years Eve NYC Hotel is on your bucket list, then dont miss your chance to reserve your special New Years Eve bash in NYC. Some of our favorites include:
- New York Marriott Marquis rooms with Ball Drop views, multiple parties in hotel
- M Social New York bar and lounge perched above Times Square boasting the perfect vantage point for the iconic Times Square Ball Drop
- The Knickerbocker St. Cloud rooftop bar “New York, New Years Eve, Times Square, private party on roof top where you can watch the ball drop 180 feet away what else could you ask for?”
Back to Top of NYC Hotels Times Square
Boutique Hotels In Nyc Offer Unique Experiences
Petite and fashionable, boutique hotels in NYC make the most out of their small spaces. Youll find them throughout the city but may associate them with downtown areas like Greenwich Village. Take note that, more than most NYC hotels, your room may not have much space beyond the bed. However, with a smaller accommodation youll get more personal service, and probably some great amenities too.
Theres the Freehand Hotel in Gramercy, featuring great Wes Anderson vibes, and The Standards East Village location for style matched with substance . Even more petite is the High Line Hotel, featuring 60 rooms located in a renovated 19th-century building near the beautiful High Line park. Read on for more historic hotels below.
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Traveling With Kids Consider A Family Suite At A Hotel In Nyc
A pool deck is one of multiple amenities at .
Family-friendly hotels in New York City can be found throughout the city. A suite or a pair of connected rooms can cut down on costs by avoiding paying for separate rooms. Some suites even come with kitchenettes in case youre feeding kids at odd hours. However, not all suites are made equal: New York hotel rooms are often smaller than you expect. If youre bringing a travel crib for a baby or counting on a roll-away bed, it may fit with little room to spare .
Search aggregators like Hotels.com for family-friendly suites, and book early for the best selection at the best price. Then read up on our tips for traveling with kids.
Do You Want To Stay At One Of The Hotels Near Broadway Shows In Nyc
Hotels cluster near the Broadway shows in NYC, which find their home in and around Times Square and the Theater District. In fact, according to Times Squares official site, there are 44 within walking distance of Broadway. Popular options include the and the Millennium, but thats just the beginning. Whether youve already purchased your ticket toCompany or plan to brave the TKTS line, theres a hotel nearby for you.
Some nearby hotels even offer up Broadway-themed suites. Sofitel New York is the official hotel of the Tony Awards and it’s right in the heart of everything on West 44th Street. The hotel boasts three theatre-inspired stays, the Broadway Juliette Balcony Suite, the Tony Awards Terrace Suite, and the recently unveiled FUNNY GIRL Suite featuring signature décor from the Broadway hit. Each suite is unique and showcases iconic Broadway memorabilia like scripts, posters, Playbills, invitations, props, and photos.
Still weighing the pros and cons of staying in Times Square? This area has plenty to love, from great theatre and music to a wide range of shopping and dining. You can’t beat its central location. Its also family-friendly, with attractions like Rockefeller Center and Madame Tussauds nearby. However, its also bright, loud, and crowded, so its not the ideal option for everyone.
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