On this page
- What order does this New York itinerary follow?
- Which weekday shuts which stop on a New York itinerary?
- Why does the Statue of Liberty ferry go before the 9/11 Museum?
- How far ahead do Statue of Liberty crown tickets sell out?
- What goes around the Met and Central Park on day two?
- Which of Empire State, Edge and Summit fits which evening?
- Why walk the High Line before the Brooklyn Bridge on day three?
- What fills a fourth and a fifth day after the ticketed sights?
- How does the $35 OMNY cap play out over this route?
- What changes in New York during Thanksgiving week and at New Year?
- FAQ
Our New York itinerary is a day-by-day order for a first visit: three full days, then two optional ones. The plan is our own judgement, not an official route, and its worth is the sequence. It shows which day a sight cannot go on, what must be booked and how early, and what fits together. The Statue of Liberty alone counted 3,538,231 recreation visits in 2025, and its ferry takes the first morning.
The hub guide to New York City covers the airports, taxes and weather; this page only sets the order. We read the figures below on 3 November 2026 on the sights' own pages, the National Park Service's, the city's Department of Transportation's and OMNY's.
The sites of MoMA, the American Museum of Natural History, Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Center, Macy's and the MTA refused our requests, so this page prints no figures from them. The Met refused too, and its figures date from our reading of 27 October.
What order does this New York itinerary follow?
Our order for three days in New York runs from the harbour to Central Park, then to the High Line and the Brooklyn Bridge. Each row names the days that break it and what to buy before you fly.
| Day | Stops, in order | Avoid | Book ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; 9/11 Museum; 9/11 Memorial | Thanksgiving, 25 December; most Tuesdays | Ferry ticket; crown 90 days to 4 months out; Museum ticket, required |
| Two | Central Park; the Met; Summit or the Empire State Building | Wednesday | One deck ticket; the Met is optional |
| Three | High Line; Brooklyn Bridge | None printed | Nothing required; Edge if you swap it in |
| Four, optional | Staten Island Ferry; Federal Hall; African Burial Ground | Saturday to Tuesday | Nothing |
| Five, optional | MoMA or the American Museum of Natural History; a second deck | Check their own sites | Check their own sites |
Hotels are not part of the plan; our guide to where to stay in New York City compares the areas.
Which weekday shuts which stop on a New York itinerary?
Tuesday and Wednesday are the two weekdays that shut a main stop: the 9/11 Museum on Tuesdays, apart from select ones its pages do not list, and the Met on Wednesdays. A Tuesday arrival is therefore the one start that breaks the order. On that start, walk day three first, then do day one on Wednesday and day two on Thursday.
Other starts have small advantages. A Monday start can try for free Museum tickets, released online each Monday from 7 a.m. Eastern Time, first come, first served. A Thursday or Friday start puts day two on a Friday or Saturday, when the Met opens until 9 p.m. Only Wednesday, Thursday and Friday have both Federal Hall and the African Burial Ground open.
| Sight | Closed | Hours | Timed or advance rule | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry | Thanksgiving, 25 December | 2026 timetable not read | Ticket time is when to join security; pedestal and crown reserved online | Adult $26, senior $23, child 4 to 12 $17, under 4 free; pedestal or crown +$0.30 |
| 9/11 Memorial | None | 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. | None | Free |
| 9/11 Museum | Tuesdays, except select ones | 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., last entry 5:30 p.m. | Advance ticket required, sold up to six months out | $24 to $36 |
| The Met, read 27 October | Wednesday | Sunday to Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Saturday to 9 p.m. | Booking optional | Adult $30, senior $22, student $17, 12 and under free |
| Central Park | None | 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. | None | No charge printed |
| High Line | None | 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 1 April to 30 November; to 8 p.m., 1 December to 31 March | None | Free |
| Brooklyn Bridge walkway | None printed | None printed | None | No charge printed |
| Staten Island Ferry | None | 24 hours, 365 days | None | Free |
| Federal Hall | Saturday, Sunday | Monday to Friday, times not printed | None | Free |
| African Burial Ground | Monday, Tuesday | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | None | Free |
The Statue of Liberty has no National Park Service entrance fee and is not on the 2026 list of parks that add $100 for visitors from abroad. The ferry is the whole charge, and no pass covers it. For a child, the Park Service prints $17.00 and the operator's FAQ $17.30. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains the surcharge.
Why does the Statue of Liberty ferry go before the 9/11 Museum?
The Statue of Liberty ferry goes first because both official sources warn against a late start, while the 9/11 sites stay open into the evening. The Park Service's Ellis Island page, last updated in 2023, says to be on a ferry before 1 p.m. to enjoy both islands. The operator, Statue City Cruises, says entry after 2 p.m. does not leave enough time for both, though one island in full is likely.
A ticket's printed time is when to join the security queue, not a ferry time. The Park Service says the wait can be an hour or more at peak times, so we would take the earliest slot on offer. The operator usually has same-day tickets but recommends buying ahead. Its timetable would not load for us, so we cannot give the first ferry of the day.
Ferries from Battery Park reach Liberty Island first, and those from Liberty State Park in New Jersey reach Ellis Island first. The operator says Liberty State Park often has faster security. Pedestal and crown visitors face a second screening on Liberty Island, where bags and food go into lockers. Carry quarters for the 25¢ deposit, because Battery Park and Liberty State Park have no lockers.
The 9/11 Museum takes the end of the afternoon because its last entry is at 5:30 p.m. and its page suggests 45 to 90 minutes inside. No source we read prints how long the islands take, so we would book late rather than risk a missed slot. The 9/11 Memorial needs no ticket and stays open until 8 p.m., so it can close the day.
How far ahead do Statue of Liberty crown tickets sell out?
Statue of Liberty crown tickets sell out 90 days ahead on the operator's home page and about 3 to 4 months ahead in its FAQ, so we would book at the longer end. Same-day crown tickets are not sold and there is no waitlist. The crown's rules are stricter than the ferry's:
- Who can go: at least 42 inches tall, and not under 4. Everyone wears a wristband, and adults show photo ID matching the ticket.
- Limits: up to 4 crown tickets a booking, and one reservation per cardholder every 6 months.
- Pick-up: the original purchaser collects in person at Will Call, at Castle Clinton or Liberty State Park, with photo ID and the card used. Castle Clinton's hours are 7:45 to 5:00.
- What to carry: a phone, a camera, your ticket, a clear plastic water bottle and medication, nothing else.
The operator's step count disagrees with itself: its FAQ gives 377 steps in four answers and 393 in one. The Park Service and the operator agree on 162 from the pedestal to the crown, and there is no elevator. The operator warns that the interior can be up to 20 degrees warmer than outside.
What goes around the Met and Central Park on day two?
Central Park goes first on day two and the Met second, because the park opens at 6 a.m. and the Met, on its page as we read it on 27 October 2026, at 10 a.m. The Central Park Conservancy puts the park 19 minutes on foot from Grand Central and 29 from Penn Station. The M1, M2 and M3 buses run up Madison Avenue.
Bethesda Fountain and the Lake in Central Park, which opens from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., 365 days a year, the Central Park Conservancy says.
The Met's closed day, hours and prices on this page were read on 27 October and could not be read again on 3 November, so check them. The Met then closed on Wednesdays and charged an adult $30. Pay-what-you-wish entry was only for New York State residents and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. A ticket covered both the Fifth Avenue building and The Met Cloisters on its date, and some galleries were closed for renovation.
A Friday or Saturday lets you reverse the afternoon, since the Met's late opening leaves room for a deck first. On its other open days the Met shuts at 5 p.m., and the deck follows it.
Which of Empire State, Edge and Summit fits which evening?
Summit and the Empire State Building fit day two because both are reached from Grand Central, and Edge fits day three because the High Line has an entrance at Hudson Yards. We would buy one deck in three days, not three. Prices are the operators' "from" figures.
| Deck | Hours as printed | Entry rule | From | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire State Building | November 2026: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on 6 to 8, 13 to 15 and 21 to 23; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the other dates printed | A standard ticket admits once; Flex is any date | 86th floor $46; Flex $66; 86th and 102nd $81; Express $87 | 5 minutes' walk from Penn Station or Herald Square, 10 from Grand Central |
| Edge | 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., last entry an hour before closing | General Admission is a set date and time; Flex is any time that day | General $42; Advance Saver $34, 14 days ahead; Flex $73; Priority $88; plus a $2 fee | Two blocks from Penn Station; No. 7 train |
| Summit One Vanderbilt | 8 a.m. to midnight, last entry 10:30 p.m. | The operator calls it a 90-minute visit | Experience $44; Ascent $68; plus a $3 fee | Grand Central's Main Concourse, not One Vanderbilt's main lobby |
Empire State and Edge hours change by date, so read the page for your own. A banner closed Edge at 4 p.m. on 3 November 2026, for that date alone, and the Empire State Building's doors closed at 9 p.m. that day. Summit prints $39 beside $44 and $63 beside $68, without saying in words who pays the lower figure.
The Empire State Building's 86th floor is open-air at 1,050 feet, with heaters in winter, and Edge has an outdoor deck at 1,100 feet with a glass floor. For a dusk visit, look up the sunset for your date: the Empire State Building printed 4:50 p.m. for 3 November 2026.
Why walk the High Line before the Brooklyn Bridge on day three?
The High Line goes before the Brooklyn Bridge on day three because the park has set hours, while the bridge's city page prints none and can take the evening. The High Line closes at 8 p.m. from December to March, so a winter walk cannot wait for the end of the day.
Walking north covers the whole 1.45 miles from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street, past the 30th Street entrance at Hudson Yards, the link to Edge if you swap it in. Elevators stand at Gansevoort, 14th, 23rd and 30th Streets, and at 31st and Dyer. On 3 November 2026 the park's page said the Interim Walkway at the Western Rail Yards was temporarily closed.
The Brooklyn Bridge is 6,016 feet long with its approaches, and the city counted an average of 28,845 pedestrians a day in 2024. Walkers share the deck with a protected bike path. The city's page prints no walking time.
Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park at dusk in November 2024, a view for the end of day three.
What fills a fourth and a fifth day after the ticketed sights?
A fourth day suits the free Staten Island Ferry and two free Park Service sites, and a fifth suits the museums we could not read. The ferry takes about 25 minutes each way between Whitehall and St. George. Boats leave every half hour off-peak and every 15 minutes at rush hour. The ferry passes the Statue of Liberty without stopping, and only Statue City Cruises may dock at the islands.
Federal Hall opens from Monday to Friday, its hours unprinted, and a Park Service alert puts scaffolding around it until the end of 2030. The African Burial Ground opens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday. With the ferry, that makes a day that costs nothing but the subway. The High Line is free as well, and the pages for Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge print no charge.
A fifth day can hold MoMA or the American Museum of Natural History, but check each one's closed day and prices on its own site before placing it. The same day can take a second deck at a different hour.
How does the $35 OMNY cap play out over this route?
The $35 OMNY cap comes on the twelfth ride at $3.00 a ride, by our arithmetic and by OMNY's "12 individual trips", counted over seven days from your first tap. Three rides a day for three days is nine rides, or $27, so a short visit may never reach it. A fourth or fifth day is where the cap starts to pay.
The cap counts only rides tapped with the exact same payment method, and a phone and the card inside it are different methods. Transfers are free within two hours on the same method and do not count towards the cap. One card can pay for up to three more riders, but only your first tap counts towards the cap, so each traveller should tap their own card.
No MTA travel times could be read, so we print no subway duration; use the sights' own walking figures above, and leave slack before a timed ticket. The $3.00 is the only fare printed on OMNY's pages, in an example.
What changes in New York during Thanksgiving week and at New Year?
A New York itinerary in Thanksgiving week has to keep day one off the Thursday, because the Statue of Liberty ferries stop only on Thanksgiving and 25 December. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November, which is 26 November in 2026. Castle Clinton and the African Burial Ground close on both days too, and the Met did on our 27 October reading. The Staten Island Ferry runs its weekend schedule on both.
Dates for the Macy's parade and the Rockefeller Center tree could not be read, so we print none. Times Square's organiser, the Times Square Alliance, gives standing rules for New Year's Eve: no tickets, viewing areas opening at 3 p.m., and access only from 6th or 8th Avenue. Its pages printed no 2026 schedule when we read them, only 2025's.