One week in New York: a seven-day itinerary for first timers

This is NYC baby, so you might as well kick off proceedings with a blockbuster day out and some of the most recognizable monuments on the planet, am I right? We’ll start our morning in Lower Manhattan where a wander past the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street and a selfie with the Charging Bull and/or Fearless Girl is practically a rite of passage for first-time visitors. Meanwhile, the cobblestone lanes and historic buildings that line the historic waterfront hark back to New York’s origin stories, and skyscrapers that tower overhead mark the steady march of progress. 

Make for The Battery, where your ferry out to a New York icon awaits. Soak up stellar views of Manhattan’s receding skyline as you set sail across the harbor, then focus your attention on the main event. For we’re off to see the big kahuna, the queen of the harbor, Lady Liberty the Green Goddess. Yes, it’s the Statue of Liberty, that great American icon of freedom and democracy, and she’s ready for her close-up. As well as worshipping at her feet, you'll also get a chance to visit Ellis Island Immigration Museum, where you can browse exhibits that tell the human stories behind the millions who arrived here in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Back in Manhattan, stroll toward the 9/11 Memorial & Museum where twin reflecting pools mark the footprints of the former towers and exhibits tell the stories of victims, survivors and first responders on that day. Afterwards, take in the city from above (way, way above) with a trip in the great glass elevator to the One World Observatory, the highest viewing platform in town at a staggering 1,268 feet. Panoramic 360-degree vistas sweeps across the harbor, Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, the grid of streets stretching north into Uptown and, on a clear day, for up to a whopping 50 miles in every direction.

Dinner? Sure. After all, you gotta eat. Stroll back into the financial district and settle into the historic Fraunces Tavern, where George Washington himself once dined in candlelight beneath the wooden beams (tip: visit the museum if you get there early enough). Pair Washington’s favorite, chicken pot pie, with a craft ale to toast your first day of NYC sightseeing.

There’s more sightseeing concentrated in Midtown Manhattan – home of Broadway, Times Square and multiple landmarks and museums – than anywhere else in NYC (and maybe even the whole planet).

Day two gets off on the right foot with another New York icon: the Empire State Building. Elevators whiz you up to the Art Deco gem’s 86th-floor observation deck faster than King Kong in a hurry, from where expansive views of Central Park, the Chrysler Building, Times Square, the Hudson River and more await. Pro-tip: if it’s a view of rather than from the Empire State Building you covet, its Top of the Rock you want, a few blocks north at the Rockefeller Center.  

Afterwards, it’s kind of choose-your-own-adventure time. You could of course just hang out on Times Square, drinking in the atmosphere and grabbing selfies with superheroes and cartoon characters (although be aware they’ll expect to be tipped handsomely for the privilege). Or you could mosey to one of the area’s cool cultural museums. Say hey to Harry Styles, Hulk, Ta-Tay and the gang at Madame Tussauds New York, come over all Roxie Hart (complete with iconic Chicago chair selfies!) on a tour of the Museum of Broadway, or take to the skies at the immersive RiseNY, with its cool pop culture exhibits (Biggie Smalls’ tracksuit, anyone?) and wild simulated ride high over Manhattan’s rooftops. And remember, you can always circle back later in the week to catch anything you missed.

A quick lunch at Los Tacos No.1 on Times Square sets you up for a wander over to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and an afternoon of high culture. For here’s where you can see some of the absolute greats of 19th- and 20th-century art, including Warhol’s Soup Cans and Elvis and Marilyn Monroe-inspired works, Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Monet’s Water-Lilies. And that’s just for starters… Pollock, O’Keeffe, Dalí, Kahlo, Munch, Picasso, Lichtenstein: they’re all here.

Round off your day with a stroll through Bryant Park, where kiosks serve coffee, pastries and local treats. Grab a snacky dinner and find a leafy spot to wind down after all that visual stimulation and maybe compare a few MoMA favorites.

Ready for more museum action? Course you are! But let’s ease ourselves into the day gently with a morning meander through Central Park. Grab a coffee (oh go on then, a donut too), and make for the Bow Bridge, the swoonsome Victorian stone crossing that connects Cherry Hill to The Ramble. Another NYC selfie essential ticked off, ramble through The Ramble’s leafy lakeside trails en route to your first museum of the day – and boy is this one a doozy.

Towering dinosaur skeletons greet guests inside the grand entrance hall of the American Museum of Natural History on the park’s western side, with galleries that branch out into eye-popping exhibits on ocean life, ancient meteorites and human civilizations across the millennia. Don’t miss (not that you could, really) the titanosaur, the 563-carat Star of India sapphire and the near-100-foot-long blue whale model – each making a fairly substantial case for the argument that size really does matter.

After lunch, cross Central Park’s Great Lawn to Museum Mile and the mighty Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, a Frank Lloyd Wright confection fondly nicknamed the ‘teacup’ due to its spiraling white concrete facade. The building’s a work of art in its own right, and you can step inside for even more eye candy, with its unique spiral ramp that takes you past visionary 20th-century works that run the gamut from Impressionism to Surrealism, Cubism, Abstract with masterpieces from Picasso, Pollock, Manet, Miró, Degas, Kandinsky and many more. 

For dinner, head to The Smith in Midtown or on the Upper West Side. These buzzy brasseries keep the conversation flowing while the kitchen sends out steaks, oysters and great plates of skillet-roasted mac and cheese. Yum.

Today’s adventure takes you out of Manhattan and across the East River into Brooklyn. Start your adventure by following in the footsteps of P.T. Barnum’s elephants and taking a stroll across the mighty Brooklyn Bridge. Barnum’s 1884 stunt saw the entrepreneur and incurable showpony lead 21 elephants and 17 camels across the bridge to demonstrate its stability. But you’ll require no such menagerie to enjoy its soaring stone arches and superlative Manhattan views. Go solo, or join a guided bike tour for plenty more fun Brooklyn Bridge anecdotes just like the one above.

Once in Brooklyn, wander through DUMBO – that’s shorthand for ‘Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass’, acronym fans. This hipper-than-thou hood’s cobblestone streets are lined with converted warehouses, creative studios and extraordinary street art. Brick waterfront buildings house cute cafés and tempting bakeries with equally delicious East River views. Walk off all those cronuts and cappuccinos with a stroll up through Brooklyn Bridge Park, where grassy lawns slope gently toward the waterfront and old-school Jane’s Carousel lets you unleash your inner child – or jockey – on charmingly painted wooden horses.

Afterwards, zip down to Prospect Park, where your options include everything from Ancient Egyptian artifacts to contemporary art installations at the Brooklyn Museum, the chance to meet ferociously cute red pandas and thousands of other cool critters at the Prospect Park Zoo, and a gentle wander through the many colorful zones of Brooklyn Botanic Garden – think cherry blossoms, bluebell woods and a fragrant rose garden.

Wind up your day at Juliana’s Pizza, back in downtown Brooklyn. This beloved local spot is considered one of the best pizza joints in town – nay, in the entire US of A. Find out what all the fuss is about with a classic coal-fired margherita topped with fresh basil, a satisfying conclusion to your Brooklyn experience.

Day five takes us into some of Manhattan Island’s most personality-filled neighborhoods. Lace up your comfiest walking shoes, because you’re about to do a whole lot of pavement-pounding.

We’ll kick off with a Greenwich Village walking tour, which reveals tree-lined streets, historic townhouses and tales of the bohemian artists who shaped the neighborhood’s creative reputation. You’ll work up an appetite on this one, so stop for lunch at Joe’s Pizza, where slices arrive hot and crispy from the oven, bubbling with mozzarella and bright tomato sauce. And before you say it: no, it’s not possible to eat too much New York pizza!

Suitably fortified, continue north to the High Line, an elevated park that’s built along a historic railway line, now home to cute gardens, wildflowers, public art installations and skyline views. You’ll feel like you're floating above Manhattan as you rest weary feet on the many wooden benches that dot the walkway’s 1.5-mile length. Tip: there’s a walking tour for this one, too.

At journey’s end, Hudson Yards is home to a dramatic honeycomb structure called Vessel. You can climb up for yet more impressive views, with each platform revealing more of the skyline the higher you climb. Or go all-in at its significantly loftier neighbor: Edge juts shard-like from the side of 30 Hudson Yards and, at 1,131 feet up, is the highest al fresco observation platform in town. Steel yourself to gaze straight down through its transparent floor and lean out into its angled glass walls, high above the city.

If you can hold out for a late dinner, you’re also very well positioned here to get an entirely different perspective on the skyline by taking New York’s famous harbor lights cruise with Circle Line. Seeing Manhattan light up from the water is another of those New York experiences that you really should try to fit in if you can.

Afterwards, mosey over to SoHo for a posh steak-and-oysters dinner at Balthazar and a moonlit stroll among the district’s distinctive cast-iron architecture, a cool throwback to SoHo’s industrial past.

Love sport? Actually, it matters not a jot whether you do or don’t. For the Yankee Stadium is an experience that’s not to be missed either way. Baseball is as essential a part of the American fabric as Uncle Sam, apple pie and root beer. And a trip north to the Bronx gives you an opportunity to be part of it. Start with a tour of the hallowed stadium – your guide will lead you through the dugout, press box and Monument Park while sharing thrilling tales of legendary Yankees players and stories of victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. Even on non-game days, the sheer scale of the stadium should be enough to raise an impressed eyebrow in even the most stolid sports hater.

Afterwards, hop over to the Bronx Zoo, one of the largest urban menageries in the world. Leafy trails wind past habitats that are home to around 10,000 critters, from tiny amphibians to big cats via lemurs, langur monkeys and playful sea lions.

Or, if Brooklyn’s Botanic Garden whet your appetite for all things floral, it seems reasonably likely you’ll also get a kick from its Bronx counterpart. The New York Botanical Garden is a little larger than the Brooklyn Botanic. Ok, it’s about five times its size, spanning some 250 acres and containing more than a million plant species across 50-odd distinct zones. There’s enough here to fill a whole afternoon – maybe even a whole day – with highlights including the blooming marvelous Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden and the Thain Family Forest – at 50 acres, it’s the largest preserved tract of New York’s original woodland landscape in the city.

Afterwards, whiz back over to the Yankee Stadium to soak up the electric atmosphere of the big game (with hot dogs and root beer for dinner, natch), or mosey back down to Harlem for classic southern soul food at Sylvia’s Restaurant – comforting pork ribs and fried chicken for the win.

It’s your last day in town and the whole of New York lies at your feet. You could spend the day (and the rest of your life savings) on a shopping spree along Fifth Avenue. Or you could mop up some of the A-list attractions we just didn’t have time for this week – lookin’ at you, Intrepid Museum, Big Bus tour and Madison Square Garden.

But, if the sun’s shining, for our money there’s no better way to wrap your week in New York with the kind of old-school fairground thrills and cotton-candy spills that will stick with you for years to come. We’re talking, of course, about Luna Park in Coney Island. But before all that, let’s take a stroll through Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens to seek out the iconic Unisphere sculpture, a 12-story steel globe that dates from the 1964 World's Fair. Eyes peeled also for World’s Fair mosaics by the likes of Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí. Drop by the nearby Queens Museum, where a room-sized scale model of NYC gives you a chance to point out all the places you already visited this week. 

After lunch, ride the subway down to Coney Island for an afternoon spent riding century-old wooden coasters, trying your luck at the shooting galleries, geeking out over nostalgic arcade games and strolling the pier, ice-cream in hand. For dinner: sizzling hot dogs and crinkle-cut fries at Nathan’s Famous as the sun sets pink and orange over the horizon – if there’s a more New York way to close out your Big Apple week, we’ve yet to find it…