Five days in New York go a long way if you plan by neighborhood: Brooklyn, the Financial District, Midtown, Chelsea and the Village, plus a full day for Central Park and Broadway. This itinerary is based on the itineraries in our guide (7 and 10 days): it's the first five days of the 7-day route we followed ourselves from Williamsburg, with ideas for fitting in what we suggest for days 6 and 7 if you'd like to swap something.

Every place on this route is saved in our New York map for Google Maps, and you'll find all the details (cafes by neighborhood, restaurants, hotels by price, a shopping route and a TV and movie route) in our New York travel guide in PDF.

The itinerary at a glance

• Day 1: Williamsburg and Dumbo, in Brooklyn.
• Day 2: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Financial District, Tribeca, SoHo, Greenwich Village and Times Square.
• Day 3: Midtown: Grand Central, Fifth Avenue, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building and dinner in Chinatown.
• Day 4: Chelsea, the High Line, Chelsea Market, the Village, Union Square, MoMA and the Flatiron.
• Day 5: Central Park, the Upper West Side, a Broadway musical and jazz.

Before you go: what you need to know

Entering the US

To enter the United States with a Spanish passport you need an ESTA, which costs $40.62 since October 16, 2026. Apply well in advance on the official CBP website and steer clear of third-party sites. And don't travel without insurance, because healthcare there is extremely expensive: we always use IATI Seguros.

Where to stay

We did this route from Williamsburg, in Brooklyn, one stop from Manhattan on the L train, which is why day 1 starts there. If you'd rather stay in Manhattan, the Midtown and Times Square area has plenty of options. We cover neighborhoods, prices and tricks in our article on cheap places to stay in New York.

Getting around

• Subway (24 hours): the MetroCard is gone. You pay with OMNY by tapping your card or phone at the turnstile, $3 per ride, and with the same card there's a weekly cap of $35.
• From JFK: AirTrain to Jamaica and then the subway (E or J/Z lines). From LaGuardia: the Q70 bus (LaGuardia Link) is free to Jackson Heights, where you catch the subway.
• Taxis and Uber/Lyft: below 60th Street, the congestion charge is added.

Day 1: Williamsburg and Dumbo

Morning: arrive in Williamsburg, in Brooklyn. Take your time exploring: vintage stores, home decor shops and beautiful cafes. From our list, Devoción and Bakeri are two of our favorites to start the day.

Afternoon: head to Dumbo. For the classic photo of the Manhattan Bridge framed between the buildings, stand at the corner of Washington Street and Water Street. Then sit down in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the skyline.

Evening: affordable dinner in Williamsburg: Joe's Pizza, Xi'an Famous Foods or Forma Pasta. If you'd like a drink afterward, the guide has the Wythe Hotel or Ornithology Jazz Club, in Bushwick.

Day 2: the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan

Morning: walk across the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan and into the Financial District: Wall Street, Federal Hall, the Charging Bull, Battery Park, One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial.

Midday: continue through Tribeca toward SoHo and Greenwich Village, and stop for something to go. From the guide: Los Tacos No. 1, Sweetgreen or Joe's Pizza.

Afternoon and evening: walk around Times Square as evening falls and, if you're staying in Williamsburg like on our route, head back to change and have dinner nearby.

Day 3: Midtown

Morning: head to Grand Central Terminal and walk through Times Square to see it by day. Continue along Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Midday: grab lunch to go from one of the spots on our Google Maps map.

Afternoon: visit the New York Public Library and Bryant Park, which for us is the best park in the city. Carry on to Rockefeller Center and finish at the Empire State Building for the views and the sunset. If you'd prefer another observation deck, the guide has Top of the Rock and Edge (from about $39) or Summit One Vanderbilt (from about $44); prices vary by day and time, so buy online.

Evening: dinner in Chinatown.

Day 4: Chelsea, the High Line, the Village and MoMA

Morning: start in Chelsea, a neighborhood full of art, and go up to the High Line, the elevated park built on an old railway line. Stop at Chelsea Market, the gourmet food hall.

Midday: head down to Greenwich Village and SoHo, where you'll find amazing vintage clothing. Then walk to Union Square, with its park and the Greenmarket, the local farmers market.

Afternoon: visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and finish at the Flatiron Building and Madison Square Park.

Day 5: Central Park, the Upper West Side and Broadway

Morning: if you're lucky enough to get sunshine, spend hours wandering Central Park. The plan for the day follows the most iconic TV and movie spots: Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Friends… The guide has a full TV and movie route, day by day.

Afternoon: continue through the Upper West Side and, if you're in the mood for a museum, the American Museum of Natural History is right by the park.

Evening: see a Broadway musical (there are endless options, but book ahead; the TKTS app has discounts) and end the day with a drink at a jazz bar.

If you want to swap a day: days 6 and 7 from the guide

On the guide's 7-day route, days 6 and 7 have plans we really recommend. If any of them appeals to you more than the ones above, swap it for another day:

• Contrasts tour: a tour through the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn (including the Jewish neighborhood). You need to book it well ahead, and it usually ends around 13:00, so you have the afternoon free.
• Statue of Liberty: the official Statue City Cruises ferry leaves from Battery Park and costs $25.50 for adults with general admission. Buy it on the official website and be wary of sellers in the area. If you only want to see it from the water, the Staten Island Ferry is free.
• The Brooklyn Bridge at sunset: in the guide we suggest walking it on the way back from the ferry, to enjoy the views in the last light of the day.
• Gospel mass in Harlem: if you're there on a Sunday, it's a must.
• A helicopter flight to see the city from above, if you want to end the trip in style.

Cafes and restaurants from the guide

In the guide we split cafes between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and restaurants by type. For this route:

• Coffee in Manhattan: La Cabra, Joe Coffee, La Colombe, Caffe Reggio (in the Village) or Daily Provisions.
• Coffee in Brooklyn: Devoción, Bakeri, Variety Coffee or Sisters Brooklyn.
• Cheap eats: Joe's Pizza, Los Tacos No. 1, Xi'an Famous Foods, Apollo Bagels, Ess-a-Bagel or Prince Street Pizza.
• Our classics: Burger Joint, Forma Pasta, L'Industrie and Mama's Too.

Our tips for New York in 5 days

• Plan by neighborhood: New York is huge, and crossing it several times a day wastes hours.
• Book ahead for the musical, the observation decks and, if you do it, the contrasts tour.
• Comfortable shoes: you'll walk a ton.
• In summer it's hot and very humid (highs around 28 °C): Bryant Park has free activities and outdoor movies.
• In winter the cold is serious, but you have the ice rinks: Wollman Rink in Central Park, the Rockefeller Rink or the one in Bryant Park, which is free with a reservation (you only pay for skate rental).
• Free things to do: the High Line, Central Park, Bryant Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Staten Island Ferry.

Take the itinerary with you on your phone

Download our New York travel guide in PDF, with the exact 7-day route we followed from Williamsburg, the 10-day itinerary, cafes by neighborhood, restaurants, hotels by price, a shopping route and a TV and movie route, or keep every place saved with the New York map for Google Maps.