New York
Free things to do in New York
24 places and experiences with no entry fee, by area and with maps. As of October 2026.
Free means no entry fee. Food, drinks and the subway ride there come on top.
Midtown
Times Square at night
free
You have to walk through once. Best late, when the tour groups are gone.
Evening · 1 h · Directions
Grand Central, Public Library, Bryant Park
free
Three beauties within a ten-minute walk: the concourse, the reading room, the park.
Tip: Keep quiet in the Rose Main Reading Room, people are working.
Morning · 1.5 h · Directions
Rockefeller Center & St. Patrick's Cathedral
free
An art deco plaza, with the rink and the tree in winter, and the cathedral across the street. Both cost nothing.
Afternoon · 1 h · Directions
Flatiron Building & Madison Square Park
free
The city's most famous triangle, with a park, benches and a view of the Empire State Building in front.
Afternoon · 1 h · Directions
Lower Manhattan & Brooklyn Bridge
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
free
Start early, walk toward Brooklyn, have breakfast in DUMBO.
Tip: Before 9 am the bridge is almost empty.
Morning · 1.5 h · Directions
9/11 Memorial
free
The two reflecting pools in the towers' footprints. Quiet, vast, free.
Afternoon · 1 h · Directions
Staten Island Ferry
free
Free ferry that passes close to the Statue of Liberty. Ride over, hop off, ride back.
Tip: Stand on the right going out, watch the skyline coming back.
Evening · 1.5 h · Directions
Chinatown & Little Italy
free
Five-dollar dumplings, cannoli on Mulberry Street and the city's best street photography in between.
Afternoon · 1.5 h · Directions
National Museum of the American Indian
free
A Smithsonian museum in the grand Custom House on Bowling Green. Always free, and hardly any visitor knows.
Morning · 1 h · Directions
Wall Street, Charging Bull, Stone Street
free
Short loop through the oldest part of Manhattan, cobblestones and stock exchange included.
Morning · 1 h · Directions
Oculus
free
Santiago Calatrava's white hall right next to the 9/11 Memorial. Bright and quiet inside, free to enter.
Afternoon · 0.5 h · Directions
High Line, Chelsea & the Village
High Line
free
Park on a disused elevated railway, 2.3 km from Hudson Yards to the Whitney.
Tip: Walk north to south and you end at Chelsea Market.
Morning · 1.5 h · Directions
Chelsea Market
free
Former cookie factory, now a food hall with tacos, lobster rolls and halal stalls. Lunch comes out of the food budget.
Afternoon · 1 h · Directions
West Village & Washington Square
free
Brownstones, crooked streets, buskers under the arch. The New York from the movies.
Afternoon · 2 h · Directions
Little Island
free
Park on concrete tulips in the Hudson. Short, pretty, free.
Afternoon · 0.75 h · Directions
Chelsea galleries
free
Contemporary art galleries line the blocks between 20th and 27th Street. Free everywhere, nobody expects you to buy.
Tip: Most galleries open Tuesday to Saturday.
Afternoon · 1.5 h · Directions
Central Park & Museum Mile
Central Park
free
The Mall, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, then the reservoir loop. Three hours fly by.
Tip: Bring a bagel and coffee, breakfast on the Great Lawn.
Morning · 3 h · Directions
Shakespeare in the Park
free
Free open-air theatre at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. In 2026 from 22 May to 8 September.
Tip: Get tickets through the TodayTix digital lottery or by queuing at the theatre in the morning.
Evening · 3 h · May to September only · Directions
Upper West Side & Lincoln Center
free
Brownstones, Zabar's, the fountain at the Met Opera at dusk.
Evening · 1 h · Directions
Brooklyn
DUMBO & Brooklyn Bridge Park
free
The Manhattan Bridge framed by brick warehouses, the carousel on the water, pizza at Juliana's.
Afternoon · 2 h · Directions
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
free
The city's most famous skyline view, free, with a bench.
Evening · 1 h · Directions
Williamsburg & Domino Park
free
Vintage shops on Bedford Avenue, murals, the park in the old sugar refinery on the East River.
Afternoon · 3 h · Directions
Smorgasburg (street food market)
free
Saturdays in Williamsburg, Sundays in Prospect Park. Free entry, food from the daily budget.
Afternoon · 1.5 h · April to October only · Directions
Queens
Gantry Plaza, Long Island City
free
The skyline from the other side, with the Pepsi sign. One stop on the 7 train.
Evening · 1.5 h · Directions
Free at certain times
Normally you pay to get in, but not at these times. The free tickets go fast, so book early.
Whitney Museum
otherwise US$30
free on Fridays from 5 to 10 pm, reserve free tickets up to five weeks ahead
American art with terraces above the High Line.
9/11 Museum
otherwise US$33
free on Mondays from about 3:30 pm, free tickets go online on Mondays at 7 am New York time
Powerful and well done. Plan two hours, then take a break.
Governors Island
otherwise US$5
the ferry is free on Saturdays and Sundays before 11 am, otherwise $5 return
A car-free island in the harbour: hammocks, lawns and one of the best views of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan.
For a few dollars
Not quite free, but worth every dollar.
Roosevelt Island Tramway
US$3
A cable car over the East River for the subway fare, and it counts towards the weekly cap. Best view per dollar in town.
NYC Ferry on the East River
US$4.50
The commuter ferry passes the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges for $4.50. A harbour cruise for the price of a coffee.