Wondering where to stay in New York City? For first time visitors, planning a trip to NYC can be somewhat difficult since there is so much to see and do in my dear city. Believe it or not, where you stay can really impact your experience. As a Native New Yorker, I am here to help ease your trip planning to NYC. In this guide, you will find a list of the best neighborhoods in NYC to stay, along with a few suggestions for hotels in those areas.
Ah, dear New York! The city that never sleeps. Something you would never notice, until you are actually trying to get a good night’s sleep in one of those sleepless neighborhoods.
New York has an abundance of different areas to explore and, for a visitor, this can easily get overwhelming quickly. Let me help you a little by providing this guide on the best areas to stay in New York City! It will hopefully make your choice of where to look for an Airbnb or hotel somewhat easier and will provide you with a sense of comfort, knowing you have chosen a neighborhood that seems just right for you.
Best areas to stay in NYC:
A Complete list of the best neighborhoods to stay when visiting New York City, including the best places to stay in NYC:
Where to stay in NYC: Manhattan
East Village/Bowery
This one is ideal if you’re not as concerned about the price tag of your accommodation. There’s the famous Bowery Hotel, for instance, which hosts celebrities all of the time, but comes with a steep price.
Regarding this neighborhood, it makes getting around very easy. You have several good train connections, NYU, and Union Square, all within walking distance.
At Union Square, you can connect to almost all other, major train lines. It’s an upscale neighborhood and feels very safe. If you have a higher budget, and only a few days available, then this is a perfect location for you to consider.
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Lower East Side
This used to be a cheap, working-class neighborhood, but has gentrified over the years (unfortunately). However, you can still find an occasional deal.
Airbnb’s tend to be much more affordable here than in other neighborhoods and you can walk to Little Italy, Soho, and The Village. Hotel Indigo has some decent offerings during off-season, if you’d like to give them a try!
Otherwise, private accommodations here are nice and often fall under the radar, so why not support an underdog instead? It takes a bit more time to get to major sights from here so, transportation-wise, you’d have to plan for the extra commuting time but, if that doesn’t bother you, it’s definitely an area worth investigating.
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Times Square/Midtown
It might sound like a cliché, but it’s awesome to get from A to B from here, and it provides you with an excellent excuse to stroll through Times Square at night. If you’ve never been there before, it can be quite mesmerizing the first time, despite the heavy tourist flow you have to compete with simultaneously.
The Row NYC offers great hotel rooms for a fair price, which is uncommon for this neighborhood. Its location is unbeatable and you can walk to almost any train from here.
It’s safe, minus the picket-pocket thieves, of which you should be aware of when roaming around Times Square. It can get a bit loud as well but, if you are looking to experience all of the excitement and pizzazz of New York City, it’s the place to be!
Another hotel in the area that sometimes has great deals is Yotel. Yotel is a really stylish and cozy hotel. You can always compare the rates on Booking.com or Hotel.com to pick the best one for your needs.
If you only have 24 hours in NYC, or in general for a short stay, The St James Hotel is also in a great location in the middle of Times Square.
Lastly, Paramount Hotel is around the corner from all the Broadway shows. and in the heart of Times Square. Paramount is another wonderful option.
Upper East Side
It’s easy to think that the Upper East Side is only for the richest of the rich but, in fact, when it comes to lodging and staying on a budget, it really isn’t as bad as you would think!
You can go either way: Stay at The Plaza and spend a fortune, sure, or choose a much more affordable version such as the Courtyard by Marriot or Bentley Hotel. Depending on where you are exactly, the Upper East Side can require some walking to the closest subway station, but it makes up for this by its access to various NYC parks, including Central Park, The Museum Mile, which hosts some of the best museums in the world, and it’s silence at night.
In addition to these great reasons to stay in this neighborhood, you’ll also find plenty of hospitals in the area, which might come in handy if you’re traveling with a health condition.
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Soho
This one is for the trendiest and, indeed, richest of them all! Soho is overall very expensive, but it’s also hip, chic, artistic, and unique in its own way.
I personally love The Dominick Hotel, in which I’ve had the pleasure of co-hosting an event once. It’s gorgeous, to say the least, with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing amazing views.
Another favorite is The James New York Soho. It has modern rooms with big windows, and a rooftop terrace with a bar, a pool.
Soho is fantastic for shoppers with no limit on their credit card! Some of the cute, little side streets of Soho are quite deserted at night, but you will feel safe for the most part, since crime levels are extremely low here. It just makes for a pleasant walk at the end of the night!
A great bonus is its proximity to Chelsea, another favorite neighborhood of mine, within walking distance. If you are on a budget, there are always opportunities to find good deals in NYC when shopping as long as you know where to look. You can refer to my in-depth guide of the best places to shop in NYC on a budget.
Chelsea
Yes, Chelsea has to be included in this list since it’s such an epic area to explore and experience. It provides you with ample opportunities to try awesome food, to walk the High Line, and to people-watch some of the most interesting looking characters in the City.
The Meatpacking-district is now best known for its fashion, world-famous restaurants, and elegant-looking streets. Safe, walkable, and so much to see and do! Chelsea Market is only one of many highlights.
Dream Downtown is the Hotel to stay at, if you’re looking for a romantic getaway! This year they renovated their lobby bar and transformed it into an all-red Rose Garden for a limited amount of time, which they might repeat in the years to come.
The drinks and ambiance there are fantastic and not to be missed! It’s on the expensive side but if you’d still like to stay in Chelsea on a budget instead, you can check out City Rooms NYC Chelsea. The rooms are small, as expected, but they’re clean and will do for a short stay exploring New York.
And the side bonus is that you can still visit the Lobby Bar at Dream Downtown, even if you’re not a hotel guest.
Upper West Side
What’s not to love about the Upper West Side? It has Central Park, an immense diversity of food for all budgets, Columbus Circle, the Lincoln Center for the Arts…you name it, it’s there!
The Hudson, a wonderful hotel right in the midst of it all, has access to subways very close by and an incredible Library Bar inside. It’s a beautiful location! The area is more down to earth and casual than its counterpart, the Upper East Side, which I still describe as somewhat posh.
The Upper West Side is especially suitable for families with children, as well as anyone who wants to get an authentic New York City experience.
If you are traveling on a tight budget or you simply enjoy meeting other travelers, you might want to look into staying at a hostel like Hostelling international. It is located in a historic Victorian-style building and it is only two blocks from Central Park.
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Flatiron
This neighborhood has the original Shake Shack, which is a well-liked burger place chain located in Madison Square Park, which is a little green haven between skyscrapers and busy avenues. This area hosts the famous Flatiron Building, still true to its shape, and has become a lively area all around.
New restaurants are opening up daily, and, if you’re lucky, you might spot Neil Patrick Harris shopping at the upscale grocery store and eatery Eataly, a homage to Italian food. Madison Square Garden, Herald Square, as well as the Empire State Building, are in easy walking distance so what’s not to love!?
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NoMad
NoMad (stand for North of Madison Square Park) is a trendy neighborhood with many hotels, bars, restaurants, stores along Broadway, and much more. Weeknights are lively, so you’ll find many happy hours and places to choose from when it comes to drinking and dining.
While there are many hotels in the area such as The MADE Hotel, The NoMad Hotel, The James New York Nomad, The Giraffe Hotel and The Evelyn Hotel, I can personally recommend The Redbury New York, based on my stay there. I even wrote a full review, if it sparks your interest.
The Redbury building has a great history and used to be a Women’s only hotel. I not only personally loved its history, but also the decor of the hotel and their rooms. But my favorite part was how I could just order pizza from their amazing and acclaimed, Roman-inspired pizzeria named Marta, delivered to my room whenever I just wanted to stay in rather than going down to the restaurant.
To top it all off, the hotel is walking distance from many popular attractions, such as The Empire State Building, Flat Iron Building, Madison Square Park (surrounded by beautiful mansions), Macys (largest department store in the world) located in Herald’s Square, Korea Town (perfect for Karaoke nights), Eataly Flatiron, and it’s oh so close to one of my favorite rooftop bars in NYC, 230 5th Avenue.
You definitely don’t want to miss the views from 230 5th and, if you are into unique museums, don’t miss visiting Fotografiska or the quirky Museum of Sex, both of which are not far from the hotel.
Murray Hill
Murray Hill is not only a historic district where you can see rows of townhouses, next to a few modern buildings, but there are many hidden gems to explore, and cool places to stay. It’s boundaries tend to be disputed amongst New Yorkers but, overall, this neighborhood is located on the East side of Manhattan, between 32nd & 42nd Streets, from 5th Avenue to the East River.
To the South of Murray Hill, informally known as Curry Hill, you can find Manhattan’s Little India, an area where there are many Indian restaurants.
Murray Hill is so close to Midtown East or West that it’s an ideal location to travel to and from.
I personally can recommend the Renwick Hotel as a place to stay, especially for those who are writers like myself. I stayed there once and loved the artistic vibe, and how each room is uniquely decorated with quotes and a theme.
The hotel is a restored building formerly home to artist’s studios in the 1920s, originally home to the studios of John Steinbeck and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It it’s an upscale boutique hotel which has a casual setting, but very well strategically located in close proximity to Grand Central, the Morgan Library, the Chrysler Building (which in the near future will have an observation deck), the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, among other places you can easily walk to from this area.
The hotel also has an attached wood-fire restaurant called Bedford & Co. The food was very good and prepared with locally source ingredients.
If you are looking for a great budget friendly stay, which is also around the corner from the Renwick, you can stay at Pod 39. While rooms are on the smaller side, the location is great, it has a really cool rooftop where you can mingle and meet other people, it offers walking tours, and much more. Definitely worth a visit even if you stay elsewhere.
Harlem
Harlem is up and coming and, if you’re looking for a typical, diverse urban New York neighborhood, then Harlem might fit your needs perfectly. It’s ideal for backpackers, travelers on a budget, and multi-cultural travelers.
It comes with flavors and scents from Latin America, the Caribbean, the Far East, along with the American South. Gospel church services are to be found here on Sundays, for which visitors from other parts of the City often travel to Harlem to join and experience.
The Central Park North is great for a low budget-stay or, if you’d like to spend just a little bit more, check out Aloft Harlem. With the express train, you get to Midtown in less than half an hour. It’s becoming a gentrified neighborhood where multi-generational families meet the newly arrived hipster scene. Just a fascinating mix of people and food options!
Other Boroughs worthy of your Consideration
Intrigued about other boroughs outside of Manhattan? Well, these are my favorites.
Where to Stay in NYC: Queens
Astoria/Long Island City
This neighborhood has a piece of my heart since I lived here for over 12 years! The trains here connect very well into Manhattan, so it’s very conveniently close. Many of the Subway lines lead directly to Times Square, Empire State Building, or the World Trade Center Memorial.
Personally, I feel it is one of the best neighborhoods to stay in New York City, outside Manhattan. The commute is fast, and you can rent a nice, clean room through Airbnb starting at around $50 a night. There are also tons of bars, restaurants, speakeasies and even museums to be found here.
Astoria is a foodie paradise, especially for those of us who love Greek food! It is a mixed neighborhood nowadays but, in the past, it was mostly Greek, so there are still plenty of amazing Greek restaurants and bakeries. Not to be limited, you can also find all other kinds of cuisines as well.
In addition, you get Astoria Park, which does open-air movie showings during the summer. Not all greatness lies within Manhattan!
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If you are looking for hotels to stay in the area, not far from Astoria, is its adjacent neighborhood, Long Island City. Sometimes, you can be in Astoria and if you cross the street, you are in Long Island City.
One of the best hotels, that is more on the Astoria side, is the Paper Factory Hotel. It is modern, stylish and right by the subway station. When you jump on the subway, within two stops you can be shopping along 59th Street and Lexington Ave. (by the famous Bloomingdales), or only three stops away from 59th Street and 5th avenue, perfect for visiting Central Park, Museum Mile, or window shopping along 5th Avenue.
There are also other good hotels to stay in Long Island City such as Boro Hotel and LIC Hotel, and Aloft Long Island City.
Both of these Queens neighborhoods give you a great opportunity to get away from the majority of tourists and mingle with locals.
Where to stay in NYC: Brooklyn
Williamsburg
This is the neighborhood for Bohemians! It’s chic, and prices have skyrocketed, yet it’s a beautiful location in walking distance to the East River and top-notch views of Manhattan. It is another of the best neighborhoods in New York City.
It’s quiet, with plenty of things to do around the area, but there’s only one train connection. However, you also have the ferry as an alternative, which can take you to downtown Brooklyn, along with stops in Downtown and Midtown, Manhattan.
The weekly “Smorgasburg,” a weekend market filled with music and food stands, should be on your to-do list.
The Williamsburg Hotel, a gem in this neighborhood, is a luxurious and modern hotel with a pool, big outdoor terrace, and stunning views of Manhattan.
In addition, The William Vale is another luxury modern hotel with great rooms, ambiance and breathtaking views.
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Bushwick
Bushwick has changed a lot within a short amount of time. It used to be quite a dangerous neighborhood, but has transformed into a hip and artistic area. Newcomers and open-minded folks are drawn to Bushwick, as well as families, especially if you are looking for some quiet time during the evenings.
It’s a great place to get out of your comfort zone and dive into the art scene of New York, surrounded by lots of very impressive murals. Take a graffiti tour while staying there! Here is a great street art 2-hour tour.
And again, just like Astoria, your best lodging options here are Airbnb’s and trains easily bring you to Manhattan for the sites.
Booking.com
It’s all about location, location, location!
I hope that I’ve given you lots to consider. Now you know that there are plenty of options to choose from, and you can weigh the pros and cons of each neighborhood when deciding where to stay based on your needs, budget and/or interests. As you’ve learned, your accommodation location can make your trip to New York City even more unforgettable!
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