FIVE DAYS IN NEW YORK: ITINERARY FOR A FAMILY TRIP


In recent articles we have been describing our days in the wonderful city of New York. After this perfect trip, we are forced to acknowledge that New York is a perfect city for a Family Trip but, we are always left with the doubt if the 5 days are effectively enough time for the city.

Today we can say that, after the return, we have the feeling that there was still more to see and do but we also thought that, for as long as we stayed, that feeling would continue because, as many people have told us , this is not a city to visit once, you well feel the need to return. And with luck, that is what we would like to do one day, to return to see and do what we did not have time, but also to repeat experiences, because there are many that we would like to do it again.

Of course we invite you to see our posts about the different days in our stay in the city but, in this article, we wanted to join our itinerary, to help you organize your family trip to this fantastic city. Our 5 days were fantastic, and if they were well organized, because there is really a lot to do, so especially in a family trip, we strongly advise you to organize what you want to see each day.

If you want to know detailed information about prices, times and our opinion about each of our experiences, we recommend that you follow the link to our post of the exact day (or see all days), where you will have all the necessary information and, if you want to know something else, feel free to leave your comment, suggestion or question, which we will be happy to help.

Before turning to the detailed description of our days, we wanted to leave two notes. The first is that, when we mentioned that is 5 days in New York, we ended up staying 6 nights, because we did not count the day of arrival and departure, because these are moments when we ended up not enjoying anything from the trip.

We leave the warning to prepare your return home leaving at least 5 hours before departure by plane. Whether arriving or departing from America, this will be very time-consuming (in our case they were), so we advise you to go early to the airport to avoid any problems.

The other note is that to make the most of our stay, and given that it was only 5 days in the city, we made a point of staying in a very central location of Manhattan, what allowed us to save hours on public transportation and we were able to see many of the attractions quickly and walking, something we strongly recommend to anyone visiting New York: walk a lot on the streets.

Of course, being a family trip with a small child, we took advantage of the days, rather than the nightlife of New York, so this is a New York area that our itinerary does not cover. 

But with regard to the days, we always woke up very early (something the time difference with Europe really helped) and we tried to enjoy the day to the fullest. An extra note for the stroller, which allowed our son to rest a lot, even taking his naps while moving between attractions.

Well, let us now turn to the description of our itinerary, and do not be fooled by whoever says otherwise, for we can assure you that New York is really that city that you have to know. All in itself is unforgettable, the movement of the streets, its contrasts, its numerous skyscrapers, the places we used to see in theaters, its museums, everything makes this one of the favorite destinations of millions around the world and , without feeling like being in the middle of a tourist site, because it is a city full of roads by itself.

OUR FAMILY TRIP ITINERARY FOR THE FIRST DAY IN NEW YORK

We were very well located, our hotel, the NH New York Hotel Jolly Madison Towers, was a great starting point to get to know the city and, on this first day, we did not stray too far, always walking but getting to see a lot. This was our itinerary:

1- 5th AVENUE
2- KOREAN TOWN
3- NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
4- BRIANT PARK
5- MACY'S
6- EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
7- TIMES SQUARE

 
OUR FAMILY TRIP ITINERARY FOR THE SECOND DAY IN NEW YORK

Also on this our second day we opted for mostly walking but we headed north in regards to our location. The main purpose of our son was to see the American Museum of Natural History of New York but before and after there existed so much to see.

1- MADISON AVENUE AND CHRYSLER BUILDING
2- COLUMBUS CIRCLE AND TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL AND TOWER NEW YORK
3- DAKOTA BUILDING AND STRAWBERRY FIELDS
4- AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK
5- LUNCH AT SHAKE SHACK
6- CENTRAL PARK
7- THE SOLOMON GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM AND THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTS
8- GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL

OUR FAMILY TRIP ITINERARY FOR THE THIRD DAY IN NEW YORK

On this third day in New York we finally got back to using the subway, the first time since we got to the city. And we went to Lower Manhattan and the Financial District where we would spend most of the day.

1- GROUND ZERO - WTC MEMORIAL
2- ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER (FREEDOM TOWER)
3- NEW YORK CITY HALL
4- BROOKLYN BRIDGE
5- D.U.M.B.O.
6- TRINITY CHURCH
7- WALL STREET
8- STATEN ISLAND FERRY AND STATUE OF LIBERTY
9- KATZ'S DELICATESSEN

OUR FAMILY TRIP ITINERARY FOR THE FOURTH DAY IN NEW YORK

On our fourth day we did not get too far from our hotel, we managed to make the whole journey on foot, although we have been through a lot, it was a very intense and rich day, which started with another of our son's great wishes in New York, a visit to the Lego Store at Rockefeller Center.

1- LEGO STORE IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER
2- ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL
3- ROCKEFELLER CENTER AND TOP OF THE ROCK
4- NBC STUDIOS AND RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL
5- LUNCH AT THE CARNEGIE DELLI
6- TOY STORE FAO SCHWARZ
7- APPLE STORE 5th AVENUE
8- PLAZA HOTEL
9- MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
10- THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM

OUR FAMILY TRIP ITINERARY FOR THE FIFTH DAY IN NEW YORK

And soon we got to our last day of travel. The first few days had been very intense, but it would not be the last day that we would have the chance to rest. On this day we used public transport again, but even so, it was the days we walked the most.

1. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
2. MADISON SQUARE PARK
3. LEGO STORE
4. FLATIRON BUILDING
5. CHINATOWN
6. LITTLE ITALY
7. SOHO, GREENWICH VILLAGE AND CHELSEA
8. HIGH LINE PARK
9. GALLERIES IN CHELSEA
10. INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM

Where to stay and how to move around the city?

From our experience of traveling with a child, we feel that when we travel to cities, the more central our location becomes, the easier the whole dynamics of the journey becomes, and the more time is gained and fatigue is saved, not only of the child, but also of the children. Of course in New York a hotel in midtown Manhattan never comes cheap, on the contrary but, we made the effort to pay a little more to stay in midtown Manhattan and it made up for that.

This leads to the issue of travel, where if you stay in a central location and, like us, like to walk, much of the city can be seen walking, and this is how you will know so much that does not appear in the tourist routes but ends up being part of what he liked most in New York.

Apart from traveling by foot, we highly recommend the use of the metro. It is very efficient, fast and very good prices. In addition to all these advantages, the metro ride itself is a unique experience, which should be done and, if you have any fear, we leave our experience to feel 100% safe, which we feel throughout our trip.

Are 5 days enough to get to know New York?

In a quick and easy answer, no. He will leave New York with the desire to see more, to be more days and with the awareness that there was much more to see. But as we have already mentioned, we feel that New York, unlike many other cities we have visited, is not a city for one visit, it is to return, and it was with this feeling that we said goodbye.

Planning an itinerary for a family trip to this wonderful city is not easy and needs to be organized and planned, otherwise you will lose several hours and feel even more that you did not enjoy what the city had to offer. Having this city so much to offer, you will have to make choices, you will not be able to see everything, due to lack of time but also for financial reasons, because for many, as is our case, the budget can not do everything. These were our choices which we can not say were the best and that probably will not be yours in its entirety. However, we felt we made a good plan, which allowed us to enjoy the city a lot and see the main points of interest of the city.

We have to get up early and walk a lot on foot so we recommend comfortable shoes and clothes appropriate to the season, do not forget that New York is a very cold city in the winter but also very hot in the summer.

We invite you to see the description of our days, to know more about our experience and to take a more conscious decision and leave the invitation to leave your comments, questions and suggestions, we look forward to your words .


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26 comentários

  1. Looks like you had a great time! Lots of places that you visted! Great post!

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  2. What a fantastic tour indeed. Visiting New York is so exciting and lovely and thanks for the nice post. best airport parking deals

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  3. Thanks so much for sharing this, it is so useful. I have never been to the USA but I would love to see New York some day.

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  4. So many places to see and enjoy in New York! Thank you for sharing your detailed itinerary. This might come in handy some day. :)

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  5. I would love to visit New York, I can imagine it needs this much planning though! Very welcome advice!

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  6. would you say that new york is accessible? seems like so many steps and feet to walk around.

    Joy at www.thejoyousliving.com

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  7. I took my family to New York a couple of years ago. We did visit many of your suggested places and enjoyed it very much. Brilliant guidance!

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  8. New York is a great place for tourists to visit. I love visiting the city. Though sometimes it can be very crowded and intimidating in certain circumstances.

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  9. Lovely city, thanks for the details, i would love to have a slow vacation there someday.

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  10. Wow, such a detailed post that would be so helpful to plan a great trip to New York. Loving the pictures so much.

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  11. I have never been there but it sounds like a nice destination getaway during this Holidays

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  12. Such a busy wonderful city. I would love to have a vacation there someday. Dreaming awake. ��

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  13. All the information you have provided are very useful and to the point. I have never been there and if I want to on will certainly refer your post in mind.

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  14. Wow this looks like a great itinerary for a New York Trip! I plan on going next week, so I'll have to bookmark this for later!

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  15. Very informative post. Very useful for the travellers out there. Thanks for helping out.

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  16. New York is definitely somewhere I have always wanted to take a trip. I would love to be able to experience it as a family - so this itinerary gives me a good outline!

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  17. Wow this was so informative and so helpful! I love it. Thank you so much!!

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  18. I was born and raised in NY, so I always love reading about people’s travels there. It’s my favorite place! I can’t beieve how much you were able to see in 5 days. I think you had a full, authentic New York experience.

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  19. New York is a dream and this post is amazing! I really enjoyed reading the itinerary. Thanks.

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  20. New York looks exactly how I saw it on movies. Amazing post to relax!

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  21. Looks like you all enjoyed it guys,i can say coz 5 days isn't enough for you. It's okay, just plan ahead and come back as soon as possible, so you'll able to do the unfinished activities.

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  22. thank you for sharing your itinerary! at least by showing us your day made us manage our expenditures just in case we visit NYC. travel itinerary, can also estimate the cost of your travel beforehand. Knowing how much you are going to spend makes it easier to plan your budget.

    Good Post!

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  23. I would love to visit New York it is definitely a wonderful place to visit. Thank you for this sharing. It seems you really did a great trip.

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  24. It's lovely to spend holidays in New York and enjoy a wonderful trip of the beautiful places. compare airport parking

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  25. The itenary you make for five days in NY is very interesting and the tourist destinations you visit are also good. Thank you for sharing your vacation experiences and knowledge. theapartmentsubud.com

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