The city that never sleeps is one of the best and most varied tourist destinations, full of alternatives suitable for all budgets that will allow you to enjoy the big apple fully. While many of the main buildings can only be toured for a fee, there are many options that you can visit without spending a penny. Do you want to know what they are? Here, we explain in detail things to do in New York for free.
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ToggleEveryone who steps in New York must visit its main natural lung, the wonderful Central Park, an incredible space with a large number of attractions that can be enjoyed completely free. If you want to leave the hustle and bustle of the city for a while and get in touch with nature and silence, this is the perfect place full of trails, fountains and large lawns that will help you forget that you are in the city.
On the East side of Central Park, between 74th and 71st Streets, there is a space that you cannot miss if you are a fan of The Beatles: Strawberry Fields, the tribute that Yoko Ono made to the missing John Lennon very close to the building in the that they both lived and where he died after being shot down at his entrance. From there, you can go through the Dakota Building, at 1W with 72 St, where Lennon passed away, a perfect walk for the followers of the typical star.
Strolling along Wall Street is one of the classic plans to do in New York for free. In this area you can enter the Cathedral of St. Paul and surprise yourself with its old cemetery, stroll through the streets of the stock market, touch the testicles of the Wall Street bull, a tradition to be lucky, see the monument dedicated to the missing Towers Twins. If you want to access, you must pay the entrance and go down to Battery Park, where you can see the Statue of Liberty from afar.
If you want to see it closer without investing a dollar, take the ferry to Staten Island completely free, whose tour will allow you to get a closer look at the statue and enjoy a good view of Manhattan? If you want, you can visit Staten Island or return on the next ferry to Manhattan.
Once that tour is finished, then you can head to the Brooklyn Bridge and cross it, a classic that you have to do if you visit the big apple. When you arrive in Brooklyn, ask about the Brooklyn Bridge Park and get ready to take some beautiful photos of Manhattan, all without even opening your purse, great!
Among the things you can (and should) do in New York for free is going to Times Square, the scene of so many movies and series, a space full of light, people and shops that are open 24 hours to serve its many visitors. Nearby is Brodway, the world’s most iconic venue for fans of musicals and theater. Ideally, go at sunset or night to fully appreciate its charm.
New York always surprises you, and it is that in the middle of Fifth Avenue, between 40th and 42nd streets, we can find a small but full of charm destined to surprise visitors who were unaware of its existence: Bryant Park located right next to the impressive and wonderful New York Public Library. Both destinations are unmissable and completely free, so you cannot stop visiting them.
As a curious note, I invite you to enter the public bathroom of Bryant Park, a space so impeccable and beautiful that you could not even imagine that it is a bathroom for public use.
Train stations always have a certain melancholy and charm, but Grand Central Station will leave you speechless. Inaugurated in 1871, it is also the scene of countless films, so it is convenient to enter and marvel at its imposing architecture.
Once there you must visit the Whispering Gallery, a gallery located in front of the Oyster Bar restaurant where thanks to the construction of the arches you will be able to listen perfectly to what another person says if they are both standing in the opposite arches, and that is that even whispers are heard. Something very funny and curious that you cannot stop doing.
St. Patrick’s is the Cathedral of New York, an imposing building on Fifth Avenue that is worth a visit, especially when you are looking for peace in the midst of the busy tourism you will experience in this city.
In the middle of the Meatpacking District, in an area that is not always visited by tourists, is a wonderful place: the High Line Park, a park built on the tracks of what was decades ago a train in charge of transporting food to the city. This tour is one of the best things to do in New York for free because it will also allow you to see the most industrial face of the city. Nearby is the Chelsea Market, a perfect place to eat something delicious and take a break from the walk.
One of the best-kept secrets in the city, which is only available to tourists who decide to investigate and go further, is the Roosevelt Island cable car that you can access with your MetroCard and that will take you to this island in a few seconds, allowing you to appreciate New York from the skies along the way and delight in its incredible views. With the East River in the middle, you can take beautiful photos of Manhattan from Roosevelt Island and make it even more amazing it is best to go at sunset, a trip that is really worth it.
Strolling through the city, enjoying its hustle and entering emblematic stores such as the Fao Schwarz toy store or the M & Ms store is also completely free and certainly part of the tour of this city.