Plan Your Trip to New York City — Summer 2026
The 2026 World Cup brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to New York. If you're still here — or planning a visit — the city in summer is one of the great travel experiences on earth. Everything you need to plan your trip is below.
🏨 Hotels in New York City
Hotel availability has improved significantly since the World Cup ended — and prices have dropped from tournament-week peaks. Best neighborhoods for summer visitors:
Walking distance to Times Square, Central Park, Penn Station. Most tourist infrastructure. Higher prices.
Near Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty ferries, South Street Seaport. Often cheaper than Midtown.
Best neighborhood character. Great restaurants and bars. L and A/C trains to Manhattan.
7-minute subway to Midtown, excellent food, lower prices than Manhattan. Very underrated.
Hotels in New York City
Book your NYC hotel for the World Cup. Compare prices and locations.
🚇 Getting Around New York City
New York's subway is 24/7, extensive, and cheap ($2.90 per ride with an OMNY card). For most trips in Manhattan and between the boroughs, it's faster than any alternative.
AirTrain to Jamaica → LIRR or E train to Manhattan. ~45–60 min. $10–$15.
AirTrain + NJ Transit to Penn Station. ~30 min. $17. Closest airport for MetLife area.
$2.90/ride. Get an OMNY card at any station. Essential for any stay longer than one day.
NJ Transit connects to MetLife, Newark, Hoboken, the Jersey Shore. Tickets at njtransit.com.
🗽 Things To Do in NYC This Summer
New York in late July and August is one of the great urban summer experiences. Free outdoor concerts, world-class museums, beaches accessible by subway and train, and the city's extraordinary food scene.
Elevated park on former rail line. Gansevoort St to 34th St. Free. Hudson River views. Daily 7am–11pm.
843 acres. The Ramble, Bethesda Fountain, Conservatory Garden, the Lake. Shakespeare in the Park (free, lottery).
Walk the bridge (30 min). Land in DUMBO for the Manhattan Bridge photo, waterfront, and Jane's Carousel.
Car-free island in the harbor. $3 ferry (free weekday mornings). Hills with skyline views. Open through Oct.
One of the world's greatest museums. Pay-what-you-wish for NY residents. 5th Ave & 82nd St.
D or F train from Midtown (45 min). Beach, boardwalk, Nathan's hot dogs, Wonder Wheel, Cyclone.
🎭 Tours and Experiences
🌊 Day Trips from New York City
New York's position at the center of the Northeast corridor means extraordinary day-trip options in every direction.
LIRR from Penn Station to Southampton or East Hampton. ~2 hours. Best beaches on the East Coast. Weekdays are calmer.
Metro-North from Grand Central to Cold Spring or Beacon. ~1.5 hours. Dia:Beacon museum, hiking, Hudson River views.
NJ Transit from Penn Station to Asbury Park or Point Pleasant. ~1.5 hours. Boardwalk, beaches, stone ponies.
Metro-North from Grand Central. 1.5 hours. Yale campus, Peabody Museum, and the best pizza in America (Frank Pepe's, Sally's).
🍕 Where to Eat in New York City
New York has more great restaurants per square mile than any city on earth. A few neighborhood anchors by cuisine:
Jackson Heights, Queens — 70+ cuisines within 10 blocks. Himalayan, Bangladeshi, Colombian, Argentinian. The most culturally diverse eating neighborhood in the world.
Flushing, Queens — The best Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese food in North America. Main Street corridor. 7 train from Times Square.
Arthur Avenue, Bronx — The real Little Italy. Aged Parmigiano, handmade pasta, the best prosciutto in the city. More affordable and more authentic than the Manhattan version.
Smorgasburg — Open-air food market. Saturdays in Williamsburg, Sundays in Prospect Park. Dozens of vendors, entirely local, excellent quality.
Chelsea Market — Former Nabisco factory, now a food hall with some of the city's best vendors under one roof. 9th Ave & 15th St.