11 Free Things to Do in New York – A City Break
Like everything else in life, going on holiday is one of those things that is not getting any cheaper, and the budget conscious traveller is always on the look out for free things to do on a family vacation.
Fortunately, a New York City Break has no shortage of classic places to visit – for free! On our recent family trip to NYC, we found 11 things you can do, that will not cost you a dime!
Free Things to Do In New York
After you have excitedly splashed out for your flights and hotels in New York City, you might find that your budget for “fun” is somewhat depleted, especially in these days of financial uncertainty.
If you’re doing a family trip to NYC, you’ll also need to keep them entertained while saving your dollars for the real big ticket items. Luckily, there are many free things to do in New York, with plenty of iconic “must see” places!
If you want a full 5 day New York itinerary, check out our blog post here!
👀 At a Glance. Here Are Our Top Tips for Visiting New York
Top Tips:
- 🏙️ Obviously, New York is huge, so it is best to break it down into daily chunks. We started with Central Park, then explored Midtown, followed by downtown and Brooklyn.
- 🚇 The subway is safe, fast, and budget-friendly. Get a MetroCard (or use Apple/Google Pay for tap-and-go). Kids under 44 inches tall ride free when accompanied by an adult!
- 👟 Wear comfy shoes as you’ll walk a lot. Think trainers, not fashion shoes. The city is surprisingly walkable but full of stairs, cobblestones, and subway steps.
- 💵 Tipping is standard – Expect to tip 15–20% at restaurants, $1–2 for bellhops or housekeeping, and a few dollars for taxi rides.
Where to Stay:
- 🏨 The Wall Street Hotel New York City – Luxurious rooms, world-class service!
- 🏨 Virgin Hotels New York City – Amazing views, outdoor swimming pool
- 🏨 Pod Times Square – Excellent price, 600m from Times Square
New York Excursions:
1. Walk through Central Park and See the Belvedere Castle
Central Park is very much part of the fabric of NYC, and no New York City Break would be complete without stunning views and peaceful water features that could make you forget you’re actually in the middle of a major International City.
The excellent official Central Park website lists events happening throughout the year, some of which are free, others have a small fee, but walking around enjoying the cherry blossom in April is always enjoyable and free!
While you’re there, one bit definitely worth looking at is the fabulous Belvedere Castle, if you want to get a great view of most of Central Park. Designed in 1872 by Central Park co-designer Calvert Vaux and architect Jacob Mould, the structure and adjacent terraces and pavilions were all called “the Belvedere,” which means “beautiful view” in Italian.
It was designed as a place from which to enjoy the surrounding landscape – and it certainly does a banging job of that!
If you’re looking for free activities in New York for kids, Central Park is the place to go! Our kids loved the Hecksher Playground and spent over an hour there, plenty of time for us to take in the surroundings and enjoy Spring New York style.
Location: Central Park stretches from 59th Street to 110th Street, between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. The park is generally open from 06.00 daily.
2. Admire the Amazing Architecture of Grand Central Station
Grand Central Station is an absolute triumph of architecture. Built in the heady days when travel by railroad was at its zenith in America in 1869, and rebuilt in 1903, it’s a hugely elaborate cathedral to the religion of travel and definitely harkens back to an age when travel was seen as both luxurious and romantic – it’s a shame most New York City Breaks don’t start or finish from here!
Tragically, over the years, this grand building was slowly encroached upon by advertising hoardings, neglect and general decline before being subject to a huge renovation, beginning in 1995. Nowadays, the original splendour of Grand Central has been restored to all its glory, and it’s a must-visit location for travel enthusiasts and those who appreciate architecture.
Home to not only the railway, as part of the re-invention of the site, Grand Central Station also hosts a number of art displays, and a renowned shopping and dining area. Full details are on the official website.
Location: Grand Central Terminal’s main entrance is 89 E. 42nd St. at Park Avenue.
3. People Watch at Times Square
It feels like the whole world comes to New York, and when they do, they all stop off at Times Square. One of the busiest and most iconic pedestrian interchanges in the world (along with places like the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo), it’s also at the heart of the Broadway Theatre District, giving you an unmissable opportunity to sit and people watch.
In the short time we were there, we saw Brazilian girls making TikTok videos, religious preachers offering unsolicited advice on how to avoid the fires of hell, bemused Japanese businessmen and of course thousands of us fellow tourists all taking selfies with the iconic advertising hoardings in the background.
The official Times Square website has a handy list of shops and restaurants you can visit while you’re in the area.
Location: Times Square is at the intersection of Seventh Avenue, 42nd Street, and Broadway.
4. Learn About Entertainment at Radio City Music Hall
This area, along with the nearby Rockefeller Center, was the brainchild of American mogul John D. Rockefeller, Jr. In the aftermath of the 1929 Stock Market crash, he drew up huge plans to build an entire complex of buildings so luxurious that they would attract businesses, even in the height of the Great Depression!
One of the first partners to jump on board this scheme was the Radio Corporation of America, a young radio company who were up and coming in the early days of mass media. Once the Music Hall was completed, RCA head David Sarnoff dubbed it “Radio City”, designed from the start to be a “a palace for the people” at prices ordinary people could afford. It was intended to entertain and amuse, but also to elevate and inspire.
Radio City was designed with more than thirty separate spaces, including eight lounges and smoking rooms, and to this day hosts comedy shows, art displays and concerts. Of course, it’s worth going just to gawp at the architecture.
Location: Radio City Music Hall can be found at 1260 6th Ave.
5. Take In the Views on the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge connects the areas of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights and is well known as a film and TV location shorthand “for driving into New York City“. As a result, the Brooklyn Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.
Its iconic stone arches support five lanes of vehicles, a pedestrian promenade and a protected bicycle path. As of 2022, an average of over 107,000 vehicles, 32,000 pedestrians and 4,000 cyclists travel over the Brooklyn Bridge each day.
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge typically takes around 20 minutes or so, but it can take longer depending on your pace and how often you stop for selfies, as it really does give you some incredible views of NYC! This is one of the most popular free things to do in New York.
Those of you interested in the engineering aspects can find more nerdy Brooklyn Bridge facts at the official Department of Transport website.
Location: To walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, use the Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Walkway at the intersection of Tillary Street and Boerum Place, or access the pedestrian walkway via the staircase located in the underpass on Washington Street/Cadman Plaza East and Prospect Street.
6. See the Iconic Statue of Liberty
What? You can really see the iconic Statue of Liberty for free? Yup – there’s no need to take expensive chartered ferry tours to Liberty Island (unless you really want to).
If you just want to sail past in a leisurely fashion and snap a few photos of this symbol of America, the best way is to simply take the free Staten Island Ferry from the Ferry Terminal at the nearby Battery Park. Ferries depart every 30 minutes or so, but as always, it’s worth checking out the official website for any changes before you depart.
Ignore the ticket touts, some of whom will seriously try to take advantage of you by selling you tickets and reservations for a free ferry. Once inside the ferry terminal, my top tip is to head for the right-hand side of the ferry and find a spot outside, as this will be the side that sails right past Lady Liberty herself, allowing you to take the best photos possible.
The journey to Staten Island takes about 25 – 30 minutes. Once you arrive, you are not allowed to simply stay on board for the return trip; they make everyone disembark.
Do not fret about this, the next ferry is timed to depart about 5 mins after your arrival, so simply walk around the terminal and get on the next ferry departing back towards Manhattan. This time, aim for the left hand side of the ferry for the best photo spots.
Location: The Staten Island Ferry is located at 4 Whitehall Street, NY 10004, near Battery Park
7. Take a Stroll Around Battery Park
Speaking of Battery Park, you can’t miss a chance to stroll around this restored area of New York City offering some fantastic views of the harbour, some beautifully maintained gardens, plus a whole, honest to God, urban farm – possibly one of the last things you’d expect to see in New York City!
The rich history of this place probably takes up a blog in its own right to explain (luckily, the official website does a much better job of explaining than I ever can!), but as the name suggests, it has been at various times home to an Artillery Battery (twice), an aquarium, a federal processing centre for immigrants and a performance venue.
Location: State Street and Battery Place, NY 10004
8. Relive a Classic Movie Moment at the Ghostbusters Firehouse
Look, cards on the table here, I am a real “Ghostbusters” nerd. For me, it was the film that made me aware of the very existence of New York, and you could argue that the real star of the “Ghostbusters” movie isn’t the cast, but New York City itself.
Much like Chicago is – unarguably – the star of the film “The Blues Brothers“, the historic backdrop of the city is the perfect setting for the humour and plot twists of a group of eccentric ghost hunters, and if you’re in New York City it’s worth a little detour to see the fictional Ghostbusters HQ.
In real life, the Ghostbusters HQ is actually the operational Hook and Ladder 8 of the New York Fire Department so peeking inside is probably frowned upon. More seriously, the firefighters of Hook & Ladder No. 8 were among the first responders to the September 11th attacks, so I will be respectful of their operational role if you’re planning a visit.
The exterior is still very much as you see in the movie (although it did undergo a substantial revamp in 2016) and the New York Fire Department has acknowledged the worldwide pop culture impact of this site by allowing fans to add a Ghostbusters logo to the exterior!
Location: 14 N Moore St, NY 10013
9. Channel Your Inner Italian in Little Italy
If, like me, you’re planning to embarrass your teenage children by yelling “Hey! I’m walking here!” in a comedy Italian American accent when in New York, you should absolutely refine your accent with a trip to Little Italy to soak up the history and atmosphere.
Nowadays, the resident Italian population has shrunk to a fraction of what it used to be, but if you’re keen to see the home of the fictional Corleone family from the Godfather movies, or walk in the footsteps of Tony Soprano, or Robert De Niro then Little Italy is definitely worth a nose around. You can get a feel for the conditions that the original Italian immigrants lived in during the early part of the 20th Century.
Also, if you’re in the area, it is right next to the neighbouring Chinatown, so you can knock off two locations in one hit, if you have the time on your New York city break!
Location: Little Italy is a 4 min walk from Canal St
10. Walk the High Line
This was one of the highlights of our trip and a pleasant surprise! We didn’t even know about it until we searched TikTok for free activities in New York, but we could see how popular it was!
The High Line is a unique elevated park with art, gardens, and views built on a historic freight rail line on Manhattan’s West Side. Instead of tearing down the old tracks, the city transformed them into a 1.45-mile-long public park filled with gardens, art, and amazing views.
It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District up to 30th Street near Hudson Yards, offering a relaxing, car-free stroll above the busy streets of NYC.
We visited on a Sunday afternoon, so it was extremely busy. The best time to go is early morning, during weekdays, combining it with several stops offs such as Chelsea Market and the Hudson Yards.
Location: There are many entry points, but we headed to Hudson Yards and started close to 30th Street. It took around 20 minutes to walk the High Line down to Chelsea Market.
11. Visit Little Island
Another real treat which we kind of stumbled upon whilst in New York was Little Island. This is a unique public park located on the Hudson River, offering visitors an innovative green space amidst the urban landscape of Manhattan.
Situated near the intersection of 11th Avenue and West 13th Street in the Meatpacking District, this artificial island is part of the larger Hudson River Park. The park is supported by 132 distinctive tulip-shaped concrete structures, often referred to as “pots,” which rest upon 280 concrete pilings extending into the riverbed.
The park’s landscape, crafted by landscape architect Signe Nielsen, boasts a diverse array of flora, including over 350 species of trees, shrubs, and perennials. As we visited in Spring, the trees were full of blossom, with daffodils lining the pathways.
Little Island features several performance spaces, notably a 687-seat amphitheatre known as “The Amph,” which hosts a variety of cultural events and performances. Additionally, the park offers smaller stages and open spaces for community events and artistic showcases.
It really is worth a visit!
Location: Just off 11th Avenue, next to W 13th Street in the Meatpacking District.
Bonus Tips for Free Fun
- FAO Schwarz & LEGO Store: Even if you don’t buy anything, these stores are attractions in their own right and super fun for kids.
- Window Shopping on Fifth Avenue: From Saks to Tiffany’s, it’s fun just to browse.
- NYC Parks and Playgrounds: Explore different neighbourhoods through their parks. The adventure playgrounds in Central Park and Riverside Park are particularly great for kids.
You don’t need to break the bank to enjoy a New York City break. From scenic walks and iconic landmarks to cultural gems and hidden corners, there’s no shortage of free things to do in New York.
With a good pair of walking shoes and a little curiosity, you’ll discover that a family trip to NYC can show you that the best things in life can come at no cost.
