'Week in the city of superheroes': how much a vacation in New York will cost

Many people dream of visiting New York, but they think it is too expensive. Author of the blog on the site Pikabu shares his own experience of traveling to the Big Apple to show: almost everyone can afford such a pleasure.

In this publication, the author shares valuable tips and tricks on how to save money and have a good week in the city of superheroes. Prices are for two.

When is the best time to fly?

Before traveling, the author studied the information and found out that the best time to fly to New York is October. “Not only are the tickets for everything quite cheap, but also the weather is normal, not hot and not cold,” he said.

True, it should be borne in mind that the temperature in New York at this time can differ significantly from that shown by thermometers in your country. “We flew out of Latvia when it was about 0 degrees outside, and in New York we were greeted by 25 degrees of heat and a dry climate, from which the contrast was very great,” the author recalls.

At the same time, the weather in the Big Apple is quite changeable. So, already in the next days after arrival, the temperature dropped and there were rains for two days. Therefore, it is better for especially sensitive people to stock up on medicines on a trip.

Plane tickets

Airplane tickets are one of the reasons why many do not even risk planning a trip to New York. Many people think it is too expensive. “It came as a big surprise to us when, just for fun, we decided to check the price of two round-trip tickets to air sales (Aviasales.ru - Ed.). Buying tickets three months before the flight, we were pleasantly surprised - the total cost of tickets was 680 euros. Without luggage, but with one bag and one suitcase on the plane, which was enough for us. "

The flight to New York took over 11 hours. On the way back, there was a transfer at Vantaa Airport, Helsinki, and the travel time was already 16 hours. “We flew there and back by Finnair, no problems, everything was fine, even fed well,” the author writes.

Accommodation

If you intend to save money on housing in New York, do not consider Manhattan. Even the most modest hostels in the area start at $ 100 per night. “Your choice is Queens or Brooklyn. They are 20-30 minutes from Manhattan by subway, and prices are much lower, ”the author writes.

The author recommends using the Airbnb website to find accommodation. “Who doesn't know, through Airbnb, ordinary people rent out space to tourists. The cheapest option for us was to rent one room (bedroom) from the same family in Queens. For a full week, we paid about 400 euros, we also received a 10% discount, as we rented accommodation for a week, "the author explained.

Of course, it is not very comfortable to live in someone else's apartment with strangers, but you will only sleep there, have breakfast and take a shower. If this option does not suit you, try to find a one-room apartment - it will be more expensive, but you will live there alone.

Speaking about flight and accommodation, the author emphasized that these two items of expenditure account for at least half of the budget for a trip to the Big Apple. As a maximum, 70-80%. “It already depends on how many paid places you want to visit. If you are only going to walk for these seven days and spend money on food, a budget of 1500 euros will be more than enough for you, ”he said.

Money

There are many cash-only locations in New York, so it’s best to spread your budget 50-50. “Keep 50% in cash and the other 50% on your card. It will not be superfluous to take a special travel card, we used the Revolut card, ”said the author.

Internet

Internet access abroad is a must, as it will allow you to use the Google map and stay connected. To save a decent amount of money, the author recommends the following: “When you already know exactly which airport you will arrive at and where you will live, at home use a Google map to plot a route and print / save on your phone. Do everything at home so that you can get from the airport to your home without the Internet. Find an operator store near your home, preferably T-mobile. What is it for? You can also buy SIM cards at the airport. But a couple of times more expensive. In the operator's store, you will buy such SIM cards for 30-40 bucks or cheaper, - the author noted. "This will provide you with 5 GB of Internet, which will be more than enough for a week of travel."

Another recommendation is to buy adapters for sockets in your home country, so it will definitely come out cheaper.

Metro

It is most convenient to travel around New York by subway. A weekly pass will cost you $ 30 per person. You can buy it in a special machine in the subway.

Another tip from the author is to buy two air train tickets at once. “The system is simple: you leave the airport following the Air train signs and go towards the metro. There, at the exit, the turnstiles will be waiting for you, and in front of them there are vending machines where you need to buy a ticket and use it to leave the station. Take two at once, you will make the first passage right now at the exit, and the second you will need when you go back to this airport (of course, if you also fly out of it), ”the author writes.

On the subject: 15 non-tourist spots worth visiting in New York

Be prepared for the New York subway to be extremely confusing. Therefore, before the trip, study it using a Google map, so you will always know which train you are taking and where to get off.

Free attractions

If you do not plan to visit paid places, then at your disposal is the whole of Manhattan. But you should pay attention only to Down and Mid town. “All the most basic, important and interesting places are located there. In the dark, it is best to avoid the Haarlem area. Although, it is better to generally avoid walking in New York at night, do not forget that anyone there can have a trunk, ”the author recalls.

Another place to visit is Brooklyn. There are many interesting places there, for example, the waterfront overlooking lower Manhattan or the beach, which is famous for the signs in Russian. There is also the Brooklyn Bridge, which is best visited before dawn. “At sunset, the bridge is completely overcrowded and it is extremely difficult to find there, but in the morning there are very few people,” the author noted. “I’ll say for myself: when I saw Manhattan on this bridge, I was speechless and only then I realized that it was really New York.”

After visiting the bridge, you can go to Wall Street - early in the morning there are not very many people there either, you can calmly see everything and skip the line to the popular monument to the golden bull.

Central Park and Times square also deserve special mention. It will take half a day to visit the park as it is huge. “But what you will not see in it, from gray squirrels to soccer fields and museums,” the author shares. Times Square is best visited at night. “This place looks completely different during the day and in the evening. But in the evening there are a lot of people, so be prepared to be in the crowd for a while, ”warns the author.

Of course, when visiting New York you will want to see the Statue of Liberty as well. To save time and money on the ferry trip to the island, you can view the attraction from afar. To do this, go to lower Manhattan - to the Staten Island Ferry, from there every half hour a ship departs that transports people from one coast to the other. It's completely free. “Just sit in the bigger one. There is an opportunity to go on deck. Unfortunately, on the second ship you can only be inside, and your view will be blocked by dirty glass. This is certainly not critical, but you can forget about the photo. You won't look at the statue up close, but for free it is not a bad option, ”the author writes.

Paid entertainment

Among the paid entertainment that the author of the publication experienced, a visit to the Rockefeller Tower, from where you can enjoy a view of Manhattan. For a visit at sunset, you will have to pay an additional $ 10 per ticket. “In the end, for the sunset, we gave not 80 bucks, but 100. I can't say that it was in vain. But we were upstairs at the very beginning of sunset, there were a lot of people, and it was very difficult to approach the edge. Normal photographs could only be taken with long arms and standing on tiptoes. But when it got dark, there were much fewer people and it was possible to take pictures from any place, ”the author writes.

There are also many theaters very close to Times Square. “Our choice fell on The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater. Tickets were bought at home in advance, the price of two tickets turned out to be about $ 100, - the author noted. - Apparently, there should be no problems with tickets even an hour before the start of the musical. But I think it's easier and safer to buy at home and print. "

Sporting events

If you are a fan of hockey or basketball, you should definitely visit one of the most famous arenas in the world - Maddison Square Garden. “We went to hockey, the New York Rangers home game. We bought tickets a couple of weeks before the game, so the choice of seats was limited, and the prices were higher than two months before the game. To use tickets, you will need the Ticket master application on your phone. Alas, the application only works in America, ”the author writes. As for the prices, two tickets cost the author $ 250. He explained that the tickets themselves cost $ 200, and another $ 50 had to be paid for using the service.

Results

So, the author of the publication spent about 2500 euros for two for a week at the Big Apple. True, this price includes expensive tickets to visit the sports arena and other paid attractions (Rockefeller Center and theater).

If you save, then you can visit New York together for 1500 euros. So you can see the main attractions, some of which are free. True, you will have to eat only in inexpensive places or cook yourself, as well as skip all paid entertainment. But in any case, the Big Apple has a lot of wonderful and free entertainment - Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, many monuments and much more.