New York is one of the most expensive cities in the worldSo saving some money on some of your most important visits is always a good respite for our pocket. We leave you a list of the 10 best free things in New York, all of them are included in our list of 100 things to see and do in New York.
1. Ferry to Staten Island
One of the best free stuff in New York what can you do. The journey is about 15 minutes and ferries depart from both piers every 15 or 20 minutes. We recommend you put yourself in the uncovered part of the back, so you can enjoy both the views of the Statue of Liberty and those of the island of Manhattan. A good time to enjoy the journey of theFerry to Staten Island is to leave half an hour before sunset to enjoy the sunset on the way out and then, on the way back, the night with the illuminated New York skyline. Being free you can make several trips or visit if you have time, the island of Staten Island. In addition, keep in mind that the ferry can accommodate a lot of people, so you will run out of space.
2. Stroll through Central Park
Stroll through Central Park It is one of the greatest pleasures of New York. The immense green lung of the Big Apple serves as a relaxation area for New Yorkers and also for tourists. Taking advantage of the hottest times to have a picnic is one of the best ways to enjoy the park. Do not forget to come here on a Sunday to see it full of New Yorkers practicing sports or many other activities.
3. Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Starting from the base that the Metropolitan Art Museum It is one of the most important museums in the world, knowing that this is free (or almost), makes this visit much more interesting if possible. If you have little time, the most important areas are the section of Rome and the Egyptian, both located on the ground floor, keep in mind that only the Temple of Dendur deserves the entrance itself, as well as many objects that are exposed to other cultures. The rate “official" forvisit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is 25 dollars per person, but we have to take into account that this amount is the suggested since the public Museums cannot compulsorily charge. In this way, when you enter and approach the ticket offices, you can give the amount you think is convenient, paying it in cash or by credit card. Although you could enter for free, we advise you to give a minimum of 5 dollars, since what you are going to see, we assure you, is worth it.
Since March 2018, MET has canceled its free rate and imposed a price of $ 25 on tickets.
4. Attend a gospel mass in Harlem, one of the best free things in New York
No traveler in New York should miss a gospel mass in Harlem. It is a unique experience. We, on the trip to New York in 11 days, went to the Bethel Assembly Gospel church, at the service of 8 am on Sunday and we assure you it is worth it. This is another one of the free visits in New York, but we also have to say, that after being two and a half hours enjoying the service, with good performances, a good donation is almost mandatory. Give a dollar per person, as we saw some attendees, we think it is "short", so do not cut yourself if you want to give a slightly higher amount.
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
5. Visit the New York Public Library
Visit the New York Public Library will take us to one of the best libraries in the world, with more than three million books in its collection. Although when we were the main reading room, the Rose Main Reading Room, was closed to the public, the entire building itself is worth it. By the way, do not miss his shop to buy some souvenir, without a doubt one of the best we visited in New York, with very original options.
6. Visit the Natural History Museum
Of the various museums in New York that we visited on our trip to New York during Holy Week, if we had to choose only one, we would have no doubt, visit the Natural History Museum It has been one of the most spectacular visits we have made in the city and in our tour of various museums in the world. To highlight the main entrance with two dinosaur replicas, both spectacular, just like the great blue whale of 29 meters, which adorns the ceiling of the room Marine life.
We can also visit the room of minerals and meteorites, and above all, do not miss the fifth floor with fossils and life-size reproductions of dinosaurs and their new acquisition, the spectacular titanosaurus Argentinian. In this New York museum It happens as in the MET, which we talked about earlier. They have no assigned rate, since by law they cannot, so you can enter for free, but it is more than advisable to leave a donation.
7. Enter the shops of Fifth Avenue
Who does not know Fifth Avenue? Is the New York's most famous shopping street and of the world From the Apple store, near Central Park, to Tiffany & Co Jewelry, known for the movie Breakfast with diamonds, we can visit most of the city's luxury stores and, even if you don't buy anything or don't like shopping, we have to tell you that it is worth taking a walk through one of its most famous stores or just walking along the street, To see the environment.
8. Cross the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the best free things in New York
The Brooklyn Bridge is the most photographic and famous bridge in New York. This links Manhattan with Brooklyn on a walk of almost 2 kilometers. Keep in mind that it is the one that crosses more people on foot or by bike, so be careful when you stop in an area to take photos if it is reserved for the circulation of bikes, since we saw the occasional mishap. No doubt this was one of the best free stuff in New York What we did and what we recommend to the fullest. You can't leave New York without walk the Brooklyn Bridge (several times), especially at sunset.
9. Take the Roosevelt Cable Car
Another of the free stuff in New York what you can do is take the Roosevelt cable car. Free in quotes, since you must have the Metrocard, to pay nothing. We buy the 7-day one, which gives you unlimited journeys during that period of time, since for few trips you make by bus or subway, it ends up being profitable. With the card you can enjoy the views from the Roosevelt cable car, take a walk on Roosevelt Island, overlooking Manhattan or take the famous photo of the Queensboro Bridge that appears in the film Manhattan from Woody Allen.
10. Visit the MOMA
Another of the New York museums, with some of the most important works in the world is the MOMA. If you do not like it very much or you are not experts in modern art, we recommend getting here on a Friday afternoon from 4 to 8 since the visit is free and although there is usually a lot of queue, it goes fast.
Some of the best works of painters such as Cezanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, Dalí, Miró, Warhol or Jackson Pollock, are exhibited there.
A special mention has the MOMA gift shop, our favorite in New York, where you will find many original articles. We warn you: it is very difficult to leave without buying anything.
10 + 1. Sit in Times Square
Another of the free stuff in New York What you can do and sure more than once, is to sit in one of the Times Square red tables, both day and night, just to see the atmosphere, the lights, the people…. and enjoy one of the most symbolic places in the city. Near the chairs, you also have the famous interactive screen, which occasionally immortalizes the image of the people who are passing by.
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The best offers of Flights to New York here
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Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
New York guide in one day
Save money and time by booking the New York CityPASS hereHelp us add more free things to the list of the 10 best free things in New York, adding yours in the comments.
** All photographs without a watermark have been provided by Shutterstock
