In this post we want to share with you our itinerary on what to see in New York in 4 days and how to get around the city by bike. If you are going to visit New York in a season that is not very cold, the bicycle is the best option to not miss any detail and enjoy it in a different way. Furthermore, you can even cross from Manhattan to Brooklyn and Williamsburg by bike. Something that we recommend 100%. Below we share with you our itinerary and the areas that we decided to visit on foot and by bike, without having to use public transportation.
What to see in New York in 4 days
We stayed in Manhattan, in the hotel Midtown Convention Center Hotel, very close to the Chelsea neighborhood and Midtown Manhattan. So we didn't have to use public transportation at all. We tell you our itinerary per day in the following lines:
DAY 1: Midtown, Central Park and Chelsea. Lunch at Burger Joint and dinner at Pizza Suprema
The first day was dedicated to visiting the most touristic sites to Kill the bug. We leave from the hotel on foot and visit the following emblematic places:
- Times Square
- Bryant Park and the New York Public Library
- Grand Central Terminal
- Iconic buildings: Empire State and Rockefeller Center
- St. Patrick's Cathedral and Fifth Avenue
- Central Park
Once in Central Park, we rented some bicycles to explore it well. The pity is that you cannot go through all the roads by bike. We recommend you download the Lyft app which is useful for taxis and to rent bicycles by the hour. The bikes are called Citi bike, they are blue and cost 3 dollars every half hour. There are thousands of points throughout New York, that is, you can pick them up in one place and leave them in another. EYE, It is important that you make sure that you return your bike correctly (check the app at the time of return). Otherwise, the timer may continue to roll.
Near Central Park is Burger Joint. It is a hamburger restaurant that has become famous for being hidden behind a curtain in the hall of the Le Parker Meridien hotel. The burgers are delicious, but the truth is that for what they are, they were quite expensive. We paid €45 for two hamburgers (one of them the largest), with two portions of potatoes and two drinks.
After touring Central Park, we recommend taking a walk through the Chelsea neighborhood. Here you can visit:
- The Vessel. It is a newly built building with extraordinary architecture and a copper color.
- The High line. It is an overpass that runs along old train tracks along Chelsea. Here you will find various works of art and good views of the neighborhood.
- Chelsea Market. This market has become a tourist attraction with a wide range of places to eat and beautiful shops. The market is beautiful, we loved its atmosphere and decoration.
On the way back from Chelsea you can stop by the Madison Square Garden pavilion and eat some (huge) slices of pizza at Supreme Pizza. They have a wide variety of flavors, but at $5 a piece. They are super rich and the dough is thin. We returned on the last day.
DAY 2: Greenwich Village, Bowery, Soho, Little Italy, China Town with lunch at Katz's Delicatessen and dinner at Wholefoods
In our 4-day itinerary through New York, we dedicated the second day to visiting the following tourist spots that may interest you:
- Flatiron Building, centenary building and squares that surround it
- Union Square Park We went on a Friday and there were various market-type food stalls.
- Washington Square Park. It is located in the heart of the university neighborhood, full of life, music and little squirrels.
- Friend's Apartment, facade of the apartment where the famous series Friends was filmed.
- Bowery. Here you cannot miss stopping to eat at the legendary Katz's Delicatessen the famous pastrami sandwich. Highly recommended, but you will have to queue a bit.
- Soho. As you may know, it is a very neighborhood cool of Manhattan full of bars, restaurants and modern shops.
- Little Italy. A really quite touristy place, but since it is so fast and so close to Soho, we went closer.
- ChinaTown. If you want to buy a fake, this is the place. We were fascinated to see how Chinese people of all ages entertained themselves in the park playing board games, badminton, doing gymnastics on the bars and even doing martial arts.
DAY 3: World Trade Center, Brooklyn, Dumbo, Williamsburg, The City and Hudson River. Lunch at Smorgasburg Market (Williamsburg) and dinner at Wholefoods
In order to see the essentials of New York in 4 days, we had already traveled many kilometers. Therefore, we decided to rest our feet a little and ride our bike. We opted again for the Citi bike and skirted the entire Hudson River from the hotel until we reached the memorials of the attack on the Twin Towers: World Trade Center. There is a spectacular bike path. From there we also visited the following tourist spots by bicycle:
- World Trade Center. A place that you have to visit, the memorials to the victims of the 11/XNUMX attack are quite impressive.
- Brooklyn Bridge. We cross it by bicycle and it doesn't take long, highly recommended.
- Brooklyn and Dumbo. We walked through its streets and had a drink in one of its cafes. There are several garden areas with incredible views of Manhattan.
- Williamsburg, We passed through the Orthodox neighborhood and by chance we came across the Smorgasburg Outdoor Food Market. It has food from practically all over the world and views of Manhattan. Apparently it is the largest outdoor food market in America. Highly recommended. In this neighborhood you cannot miss its markets, as well as Bedford Street.
- The City. We approached the famous Wall Street and saw the well-known bull statue.
- Battery Park. From here you will have nice views of the Statue of Liberty.
- Hudson River. Here we came with our picnic bought at the nearest Wholefoods supermarket to watch the sunset at the Yatch Cove North Harbor overlooking New Jersey.
DAY 4: Hudson River, Harlem, El Barrio, Central Park, Noho, Soho, China Town and Little Italy with lunch at The Bao and dinner at Pizza Suprema
On our last day in New York we had already seen practically the most touristic spots, so we took the bikes again to tour the northern area. We skirt the Hudson River heading north to reach Harlem, we cross it and reach the latin quarter (the alley). Next, we walked through Central Park again until we reached the neighborhood of noho. Here we delight in The Bao. SPECTACULAR. Finally, we toured part of Soho, Little Italy and China Town again when we returned to property walked. Of course, we made the obligatory stop at Pizza Suprema.
And here our wonderful tour of what to see in New York in 4 days ended.
Where to eat in New York
To eat in New York we recommend the following places:
- Smorgasburg market, Williamsburg. They have food stalls from practically all over the world. Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Balinese, Argentine, Venezuelan, Thai, Italian, French, etc. And, as we said before, they claim to be the largest weekly outdoor food market in the world. Be careful, they only ride it on Saturdays. All the info this article. We opted for some nachos and burritos.
- The Bao, Noho. It is an Asian restaurant specialized in dim sum. A friend of mine had recommended this place to us. Gran Canaria who lived in New York and we loved it. We recommend the Shanghai Bread Fried Noodle, five kinds of dim sum and Steamed Crab Xiao Long Bao. For dessert you can't miss the Chocolate Xiao Long Bao. A show.
- Katz's Delicatessen, Bowery. You can't leave New York without trying the pastrami sandwich This site.
- Supreme Pizza, next to Madison Square Garden. Delicious pizza without lines. At only $5 a large piece, great variety of flavors.
- Whole foods market is practically in every neighborhood. In this supermarket you can buy homemade food by weight. Both salads, creams, rice, pasta, vegetables, etc. Ideal if you want to take care of what you eat at a good price in the United States.
- Burger Joint, inside the Le Parker Meridien hotel. They are delicious, but there are probably better ones. The site basically has a pull for being hidden inside the reception of a hotel.
Tips for traveling to New York
1) How to get from JFK airport to Manhattan
We went and came back Lyft (start up similar to Uber). Both applications are highly recommended to travel by taxi to and from New York John F. Kennedy airport. The price per trip varies depending on demand. It cost us €35 (about $38) for the one way and €45 (about $50) for the return trip..
2) What to see in New York in 4 days by bike
As we explain throughout the post, The best thing is to download the Lyft app and take the Citi Bike bicycles, since they are everywhere in New York. This means that you can take it to travel long distances and leave it when you want to wander around on foot. Thus avoiding taking the subway and, therefore, getting to know New York better. Plus, these bikes are what New Yorkers get around on. There must be a reason. The price is about $3 / half hour.
3) What to see in New York in 4 days for sure. Don't forget pillar your travel insurance!
Finally, as you may know, healthcare in the United States is among the most expensive in the world. Therefore, you should not travel to this country without taking out travel insurance with sufficient health coverage. Here IATI explains why you should take out travel insurance if you go to the United States. By the way, for being our reader You can benefit from a 5% off reserving your insurance in any of the policies.
4) Get a free card with no fees abroad
We recommend you A LOT the card Revolut to withdraw money abroad, as well as to make payments in any store, restaurant or business in general. They do not charge you any type of commission. Unlike your Spanish bank. Normally they charge you for shipping costs, but you can get it for free if you request it through the link we leave you this article. We use them on all our international trips.
5) Find your cheap flight to New York with Iberia
Finally, in case you didn't know, Iberia has a direct flight from Madrid to New York. Take a peek!
And that's all friends, have a great time in New York!
Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.
