7 Ways to Save Money in New York City
New York is known for being an expensive city. However, there are plenty of things you can do to keep costs down when visiting. Here are 7 ways to make your trip to New York City an enjoyable one without breaking the bank.
Stay in a Hostel
Hostels are a great alternative to staying in hotels and can immediately take hundreds of dollars off your lodging costs. Hostels also have kitchens where you can cook and store your own food. This will save you a significant amount of money since you won’t have to eat out for every meal. Jazz Hostels has several hostels in New York City.
Skip the Taxis
Photo of Subway Station, New York City © ishane
Walk or ride the subway as much as possible. New York City is conveniently divided into north-south avenues and east-west streets which makes it easy to find almost any address in the city if you have a map.
Walking is one of the best ways to experience a city and New York City is no exception. NYC By Foot offers free walking tours of just about every neighborhood in the City. These tour guides work for gratuities only so participants can tip based on how much they enjoyed the tour.
You can also use the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s trip planner to help you figure out how to get from point A to point B using the City’s extensive public transportation system.
Take Free Tours
New York City is full of things to see and there are plenty of business and organizations that offer free tours. Here are several popular tours:
Get a New York Pass
Photo of City Pass New York Pass © shinya
Interested in seeing as many sites as possible? A New York Pass will give you free admission to over 55 city attractions, including many top ones such as the Empire State Building, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and more. The pass also comes with a free guidebook.
Also take a look at the New York City Pass (shown above) which gives admission to 6 of NYC’s best attractions.
Find Drink Specials
Drinks are expensive in New York City and can quickly turn a great night out into a buyers remorse morning. Check DrinkDeals.com for up-to-date information about happy hours and drink specials around the city.
Get Half-Price Broadway Tickets
Photo of TKTS, New York City © stefanie says
The Times Square TKTS ticket booth is run by the Theatre Development Fund and offers deeply discounted tickets to shows that start the same day. It is open from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm, but arriving by 1:30 pm to get in line will help your chances of getting a ticket. The booth is located on Broadway and 47th Street under the red steps in Father Duffy Square.
Take Advantage of Free Museum Days
Photo of Museum of Modern Art, New York City © Tony the Misfit
The top museums in New York City often cost around $20 for admission. However, many of them offer special days when you can enter for free or pay what you wish. With just a little research, you can visit great museums around New York no matter what you budget is.
December 23rd, 2011 at 9:09 am
[...] things to do and see that are free. For example, many museums offer free days, you can find free self guided walking tours online, and city parks are great places to explore and don’t cost a [...]