New York travel: the 2026 guide

April-May: spring, cherry blossoms in Central Park, 15-22C. Great compromise.

September-October: Indian summer, 18-25C, blue skies, foliage. The best window per guidebooks.

December: magical (Rockefeller ice rink, Bloomingdale's windows, Bryant Park market) but very cold (-2/+3C) and expensive. Book 4 months ahead of Christmas.

July-August: 28-33C with 80% humidity. Many locals leave for the Hamptons, hotels -25%.

January-February: cheapest (hotels from EUR 90 at Times Square) but -5C and snowstorms.

Day 1 - Downtown & Financial District: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (24 USD ferry), 9/11 Memorial, One World Observatory, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge walk at sunset.

Day 2 - Iconic Midtown: Times Square, Empire State or Top of the Rock (prefer the Rock for the Empire view), MoMA, Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue.

Day 3 - Central Park & Upper East Side: morning walk or bike ride, Metropolitan Museum (MET) afternoon, Guggenheim.

Day 4 - Brooklyn: Dumbo (Manhattan Bridge photos), Brooklyn Bridge Park, brunch in Williamsburg, Smorgasburg on Saturdays.

Day 5 - Village & High Line: Chelsea Market, High Line, Meatpacking, Greenwich Village, dinner in Little Italy.

Add 2 days for: Harlem gospel + Yankee Stadium, or a Washington DC day trip by Amtrak (3h30).

Hotel: EUR 130-280/night for a decent 3* in Midtown or Times Square. Drop to EUR 90-140 in Long Island City or Brooklyn (10 min by subway).

Food: deli breakfast EUR 8-15, food truck EUR 10-14, mid-range restaurant EUR 35-55/pers (mandatory 8.875% tax + 18-20% tip).

Transport: 7-day unlimited MetroCard = 34 USD (pays off from day 3). JFK yellow cab = 70 USD + toll + tip = 90 USD. Uber X = 55-75 USD. AirTrain + subway = 11 USD (1h).

Attractions: New York CityPASS (152 USD) covers Empire State, MET, 9/11, Top of the Rock and 2 cruises - 40% saving.

Overall: EUR 190-260/day per person excl. flight (double room + food + activities + transport).

5 Paris airports serve NYC: CDG (majority), ORY (French Bee, La Compagnie). Arrival airports: JFK (most convenient), Newark (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA, domestic only).

French Bee (ORY to JFK/EWR): cheapest, from EUR 349 return without baggage. La Compagnie (ORY to EWR): all-business, from EUR 1,100 return. Air France, Delta, United, American: non-stop CDG/ORY to JFK/EWR, EUR 550-900.

Duration: 8h out, 7h back (jet stream). Cheapest window: mid-Jan to mid-March and late Oct to mid-Dec.

ESTA mandatory for tourist stays up to 90 days. Apply on esta.cbp.dhs.gov at least 72h before departure. Cost: 21 USD (beware of mirror sites charging 60-90 USD). Valid 2 years.

Biometric or electronic passport valid for the full trip.

US customs: declaration on arrival (paper or self-service APC). Meat, cheese and fresh fruit banned. Alcohol: 1 litre.

Travel insurance essential: one hospital night costs USD 5,000-15,000. Without insurance, appendicitis can hit USD 60,000.