Where to Stay in New York: The Best Areas for Every Type of Traveller

What you'll gain from the blog

• Best neighbourhoods to stay in New York based on traveller type and budget.
• Practical guidance on location, subway access and commute time before booking.
• Areas suited to first-time visitors, families, couples, nightlife, shopping, culture and budget travellers.
• Key booking tips to avoid higher costs and accommodation surprises.

New York is one of the world’s most popular cities for tourists, which is no surprise. And where you stay in New York shapes almost everything about the trip: how much time you lose commuting, what you can walk to, and what a night out costs you in cab fare.

The best place to stay in New York as a tourist is Midtown Manhattan for first-timers, the Upper West Side for families, and Queens or Staten Island if you're driving. But there is always more to do in NYC. 

From your budget and personal preferences to connectivity, there are several factors involved in choosing where to stay when visiting New York. This guide breaks down the city by traveller type, with the transportation, budget, and neighbourhood details you actually need to book with confidence. 

What to Consider Before You Book Accommodation in New York?

As mentioned above, there are quite a few factors that you shouldn’t overlook while choosing where to stay in NYC. Here are some of them: 

1. Proximity to Major Attractions

Everyone has a specific itinerary or travel plan in mind while visiting NYC, and you should too! This will give you a basic idea of the landmarks you’ll be visiting and the places near them. You can thus select accommodation near most of the things you want to explore, right from Central Park or Times Square to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and many more. 

2. Budget Options for Every Traveller

New York has serviced apartments well outside the five-star price bracket, particularly in Queens, Brooklyn, and Upper Manhattan. Some of the best areas to stay in NYC for value are outside Manhattan entirely. 
You can check out our best budget stays in New York here. 

3. Transportation Access

What’s the use of a beautiful place to stay when you’re completely cut off from major transportation routes? Check which specific lines run near your stay and how far the walk to the platform actually is, as "near the subway" can mean anything from 2 minutes to 15. 

The best place to stay in New York as a tourist is rarely the most famous one; it's the one closest to a reliable line. If you're driving, read the congestion pricing section below before you book, since it changes which neighbourhoods make sense.

Best Neighbourhoods to Stay in New York 

Solving the conundrum of where to stay in New York can be daunting, considering the sheer number of localities in the city. Here’s simplifying it for you, based on your preferences. 

Midtown Manhattan

If you’re a first-timer, then you’ve got to be at the heart of all the action! That’s precisely what Midtown Manhattan gives you, with its easy access to Broadway, Central Park, Times Square, the Empire State Building- you name it! And if you’re looking to indulge in luxury shopping, then there’s Fifth Avenue, while Madison Avenue takes care of all your sip-and-bite needs. 

The Underground connectivity ensures you are only a few stops from anywhere else in Manhattan. This is the highest-density tourist area in the city, which means higher prices and more crowds, the tradeoff for not needing much transit planning. 

Upper West Side

Don’t bother about where to stay in New York with family, since the Upper West Side is a no-brainer! This part of town is more residential than you might expect, with its warm community, weekend family brunches, and lovely playgrounds and parks. 

It's also home to the American Museum of Natural History, the Children's Museum of Manhattan, and Lincoln Centre.

Staten Island/Queens

Staten Island and Queens are great places to stay in New York if you are renting a car or plan to drive. 

Staten Island is surprisingly well-connected to Manhattan (via ferries) and offers a wealth of attractions, including a zoo, Greenbelt, farmer’s markets, and the famous Snug Harbour Cultural Centre and Botanical Garden. 

Queens, on the other hand, is a hip neighbourhood with fancy restaurants and bars. You can also explore the iconic Flushing Meadows Park, Socrates Sculpture Park, Noguchi Museum, and the Aqueduct Racetrack here. 

What do these areas have in common? They’re both parking-friendly zones with ample space and reasonable rentals. 

Williamsburg/Lower East Side

The best areas to stay in New York are Williamsburg and the Lower East Side. It's where a lot of the city's nightlife actually happens now, with a denser concentration of bars, clubs, and live venues within walking distance of each other than you'll find in most of Manhattan, plus lower rates than Midtown to stay nearby. 

Williamsburg, reachable via the L train, centres on Bedford Avenue and Wythe Avenue for restaurants, boutiques, and bars. Kent Ale House is a longtime neighbourhood staple for sports and craft beer. If you're into cigars rather than cocktails, Davidoff of Geneva's members' lounge is a few blocks over, though it's a slower, quieter stop than a typical bar night.

The Lower East Side has a grittier, more historic feel, with live music venues scattered through the neighbourhood and burlesque shows at spots like the Slipper Room. It's walkable from Williamsburg via the Williamsburg Bridge if you want to cover both in one night.

Brooklyn and Queens

The cheapest places to stay in New York are in Brooklyn and Queens. Brooklyn and Queens consistently offer lower nightly rates than Manhattan without sacrificing subway access. Most neighbourhoods in both boroughs are 20–30 minutes from Midtown on the right line. 

If you're looking for the single cheapest place to stay in New York, Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood usually beat everything else on the Manhattan side of the river, while Long Island City is the best value in Queens. 

None of these is the best location to stay in New York if minimising travel time is your top priority, but they're the strongest pick if cost matters more. A serviced apartment is often the better value play here versus a hotel: comparable or lower cost, with a kitchen and more space included.

Greenwich Village & West Village

Greenwich Village & West Village are the best places to stay in New York City for couples and tourists who prefer a quieter setting.

Cobblestone streets, low-rise brownstones, and a quieter pace than most of Manhattan make this the pick for couples and anyone who wants a romantic, boutique feel without leaving the borough. 

Washington Square Park anchors the neighbourhood, and it's home to jazz institutions like the Blue Note along with some of the city's best small restaurants. The A/C/E, B/D/F/M, and 1 lines all stop nearby, so you're still 15–20 minutes from Midtown despite the residential feel.

SoHo & Nolita

SoHo and Nolita are top places to stay in New York City if your trip is built around retail and design. The honest trade-off is foot traffic; Broadway and Spring Street get genuinely crowded on weekend afternoons, and the area can feel more like a shopping district than a place to live for a week.

SoHo holds the largest collection of cast-iron architecture in the world, concentrated in a landmarked historic district roughly between Houston and Canal, Sixth Avenue and Lafayette. The buildings themselves are as much of a draw as the shopping. Flagship stores sit alongside independent boutiques, and it's a flat, flat walk to Nolita, Little Italy, and Chinatown. 

Nolita sits just east of SoHo, past Lafayette Street, and is worth treating as its own pick rather than an afterthought. It's the quieter, smaller-scale version of the same downtown energy.

Chelsea

Chelsea is the best area to stay in NYC if you are planning to create a trip around art and culture. The West Chelsea gallery district, the High Line, and Chelsea Market are all within walking distance of each other.

It's also home to one of the city's most established LGBTQ+ nightlife scenes, with a mix of quiet residential blocks and lively avenues depending on which block you land on. While the neighbourhood is noticeably quieter on weekends if that's not what you're after.

Harlem

Harlem is the best location to stay in New York for travellers who want an authentic, culturally rich neighbourhood without giving up fast access to the rest of Manhattan. The Underground will put you in Midtown in under 20 minutes. 

It's home to the Apollo Theatre, a deep jazz history, and a food scene that draws people from across the city, at rates that consistently undercut Midtown and the Upper West Side. The one thing worth knowing: Harlem is large, and prices vary considerably by block, especially if you are closer to Central Park.

Park Slope, Brooklyn

If you are wondering where to stay in New York City with family, then Park Slope might be it for you. The strongest Brooklyn pick for families and anyone who wants a residential, tree-lined feel: brownstone blocks, Prospect Park, and a strong local restaurant scene, all a short F/G train ride from downtown Manhattan. 

It's quieter and generally cheaper than the Manhattan neighbourhoods on this list, at the cost of a longer commute into the busiest tourist areas. Better suited to a slower trip than one built around hitting five attractions a day. 

Long Island City, Queens 

Long Island City is the newest neighbourhood on this list in the literal sense; much of it has been built up in the last two decades, so the housing stock skews modern in a way that's rare in Manhattan, which matters if you specifically want a newer building with elevators, doormen, and in-unit laundry over a walk-up.

Long Island City is a good place to stay in New York as it offers one of the shortest commutes into Manhattan. Gantry Plaza State Park runs along the waterfront with some of the best skyline views in the city, and MoMA PS1 anchors a genuine, if smaller, gallery and studio scene around Court Square and Jackson Avenue.

Tips for Booking Accommodation in New York

While booking accommodation in New York, you should remember to check out certain things and ensure everything is up to the mark.

• Book early for peak periods. Fashion Week, the December holidays, and major conventions push rates up sharply and can sell out entire neighbourhoods weeks in advance; booking 4-6 weeks out generally gets you the best selection and price.
• Check the exact subway distance, not just the neighbourhood name. "Near the subway" can mean a 2-minute walk or a 15-minute one; look up the actual address against a transit map before booking.
• If you're driving, know the congestion pricing rules before you book. Since January 2025, New York has charged a toll for most vehicles entering Manhattan at or below 60th Street: $9 at peak hours, $2.25 overnight, charged once per 24-hour period. Staying in Queens, Staten Island, or above 60th Street avoids it entirely.
• Weigh a serviced apartment against a hotel room for anything longer than a couple of nights. A kitchen and extra space usually work out cheaper than a comparable hotel once you factor in eating out for every meal.
• Read the cancellation policy before you book, particularly for peak-season trips, where plans are more likely to shift.
• Confirm what's actually included. Wi-Fi, cleaning frequency, and amenities vary more between individual New York properties than in most cities. Don't assume based on the listing photos alone.

Book Your New York Stay with TheSquare

Whether you're after the best neighbourhoods to stay in New York for a first visit, nice places to stay in New York for a milestone trip, or simply good places to stay in NYC on a working budget, TheSquare has everything you need.

If you are still not sure where to live in New York City, let our experts help you plan the perfect trip. Just get in touch with us at stay@thesqua.re now.