A Guide to Visiting New York City with Kids

Arriving in New York City with kids

There are three airports you can fly into when traveling to New York City with kids.  If you’re heading into Manhattan, La Guardia Airport is closest- just 8.6 miles from Midtown Manhattan.  JFK Airport is another option that is 14.7 miles from Midtown Manhattan. You can also fly into Newark, New Jersey which is 16.6 miles from Midtown.

We have flown into all three of these airports.  La Guardia is by far our favorite because it is the closest to the city and has the easiest access via public transportation into Manhattan.  Before exiting the airport, purchase a Metro Card from one of the convenient kiosks. If you’re staying more than a few days and plan to use public transportation (more on that later), it’s worth it to get an unlimited weekly card.

After you purchase your card inside the airport, you’ll  validate your card outside at one of the machines by the bus stop.  From La Guardia, jump on the Q70 bus. Take this to the Roosevelt Avenue- Jackson Heights Subway Station. From there, you’ll catch the 7 train that will take you into Grand Central Terminal.  It’s about an hour ride, but the transfer is easy enough- even with kids and luggage!

Getting Around

There are lots of options for getting around New York City during your stay.

Rent a Car:  Yes, this is an option- but I do NOT recommend it!  Driving in Manhattan is a nightmare. Parking in Manhattan is even worse.  Hotels will charge upwards of $50 a night to park if you have a car. We almost always rent a car when we travel, except in New York City.  It’s just not worth it.

Take a Taxi:  Taking a taxi is a much more viable option than renting a car, but it’s still not a great choice.  Getting around NYC by taxi is very expensive- especially because once many drivers realize you are a tourist, they will take a long and winding round-about way to your destination just to drive up the cost of your tab.  Taxi rides can take forever because the traffic is horrible. The drivers are often aggressive and not having booster seats for our sons makes us extremely nervous given the way many of them drive in the city. So while the NYC taxi may be iconic, I wouldn’t depend on taxi rides as your main mode of transportation.

Catch a Bus:  The bus system in NYC isn’t bad.  The buses come regularly and they are generally very reliable.  You’ll need exact change or a Metro Card to ride the bus. We recommend a Metro Card as it allows you to ride the bus and subway without needing exact change.  So catching a bus is easy- the only trouble with the busses is that they get stuck in the same traffic as rental cars and taxis. Outside of the busiest areas of Manhattan the busses can be great for getting somewhere quickly, but in the middle of all the action it’s a slow-go. Once we attempted to take a bus from the Upper East Side down to Chelsea, but it didn’t take long for us to realize that people were walking along side us faster than the bus was moving through traffic!  So while the busses are reliable, don’t count on getting anywhere fast in the heart of Manhattan. All of the stop and go in the traffic also means the bus isn’t a great option if anyone in your party gets motion-sickness.

Ride the Subway:  So many tourists are intimidated by NYC’s subway system.  Don’t be! It’s fantastic. Sure it can be a little overwhelming, but you can use your phone to help plan out your exact route before heading underground. (Cell service can be spotty underground, so plan your route before going down!)  There are many NYC subway apps available but honestly, we just punch our starting location and destination into Google with the phrase “by train” and it pulls up the easiest route.

Also, don’t believe anyone who says New Yorkers aren’t friendly.  We have been to NYC over a dozen times- once staying for five weeks- and any time we’ve looked a bit lost on the subway there has always been someone to help us.  If you pull out a map on the subway- someone will offer to help you find your way!  One time we even had a man skip his stop to stay on the train with us in order to make sure we got off at the right spot and found our connecting train.   Most New Yorkers are very friendly so don’t be afraid of trying to navigate the subway system- you don’t have to do it alone!

Walk:  This is our favorite way to get around in NYC.  The subway is great and we use it for traveling really long distances- but you miss so much of the city while you are underground!  Walking is more than just a way to get from Point A to Point B. You see so much of the city while you walk! Each neighborhood has it’s own unique vibe and we love experiencing this as we walk the city.  Our best walking tip- bring an umbrella stroller. Though your five or six year old may have ditched the stroller years ago- bring a cheap one with you to NYC if you want to cover a lot of ground by walking.  It’s a lot for little legs. They’ll whine less and you can see more if you use an umbrella stroller. If you happen to be driving into the city instead of flying- scooters and helmets work too. When we drive in, we pack our boys’ scooters and helmets- they love scootering alongside us instead of walking!  Bonus tip- you’ll look like a local as all of the local kids scooter around too!

Where To Stay  

Staying in NYC is expensive. There’s just no way around it.  

Hotels:  If you want to save a little bit of money, say out of the prime hotel areas such as Times Square.  You will pay a lot more to be right in the middle of the action. If you are super adventurous, look at hotels over in Brooklyn.  While some neighborhoods in Brooklyn can still be pricey, many areas are quite nice and have more reasonable hotels costs. Look for something near a subway station and you’ll have a short train ride to get back into Manhattan for sight-seeing.  Although Brooklyn itself has a lot to see too!

AirBnB:  If you’re staying for more than a few days, AirBnB can be a cheaper option.  Just be aware of a few things. Apartments in NYC are TINY! Make sure you check the square footage.  While an apartment may say it is a one bedroom with a pull-out sofa in the living room, it may be squeezed into a 300 square feet!  Not ideal for a family. Also, be sure to check for elevator service. Many apartment buildings in NYC are walk-ups, meaning there is no elevator.  This is not ideal if you have young children. Sure it may be a bit cheaper, but a 5th floor walk-up after your kids have already walked the city all day is a sure-fire way to trigger a melt-down.  For everyone! One last consideration- apartments in NYC are straight up noisy. It is truly the city that never sleeps and you’ll notice this a lot more in an apartment building than in a hotel.  The people who live in the building go about their daily (and nightly) lives which means opening and closing doors and walking the stairs at all hours. If you have children who are light sleepers, you might fare better in a hotel where people do tend to stay in for most of the night.

Where to Eat in New York with the kids

Even if you have picky eaters, you will not go hungry in New York City!  There is literally something for everyone and you won’t have to walk far to find it.  The neat thing about NYC is that each neighborhood is designed like its own little city.  Most people do not have cars, so everything they need must be in walking distance. This means that every neighborhood will have a great selection of restaurants.  Some of our favorite places for a quick bite include Pret-A-Manger Café, The Melt Shop, Otto’s Tacos. All have various locations throughout the city so they’re easy to find.  Plus they quick and easy kid-friendly options. There are also food carts and fruit stands all over the city. Grab a hot soft pretzel (or five- they’re totally worth it!) or a piece of fruit to hold the kids over while exploring.

What to Do and See in New York with the kids

Oh my!  This could be an entire post by itself.  In fact, we have written an entire post on what to do in New York City with kids.  Check out our list of free and cheap activities for kids and families in NYC here.

My biggest tip is to find a good balance between touristy activities and off the beaten path activities.  Surely there are certain touristy things everyone wants to experience in NYC. But to be honest, we’re not fans of most of them.  They are expensive, the lines are ridiculously long, and the experiences are just okay. So pick a few that your family really wants to see but also look for some off the beaten path things to explore as well so you really get a feel for the city.  Central Park is one of our favorite locations in NYC- our boys could spend days there on all of the playgrounds and boulders. The American Museum of Natural History is another touristy spot that is well worth it if you have young children. The Highline is great for exploring with kids and Battery Park has a fantastic carousel ride!   On the flip side, we didn’t enjoy the top of the Empire State Building (the view is nice but not worth the long lines and the wind) and Times Square is something we avoid at all costs!

Plan Ahead

New York City is huge.  To get the most out of your time there, make sure you plan ahead.  Grab a map of the city and mark the locations of all the things your family wants to see.  This way you can see which things are close together and plan to hit those spots on the same day.  Find a cluster of things in the same general area and plan a morning or a day around that part of town.  This will save you a lot of running around all over the city, zig-zagging and backtracking over places you’ve already been.  A little planning can save a lot of time and allow you to see so much more of the city!

Look Up

My last bit of advice for visiting New York City- don’t forget to look up.  It’s so easy to bury your face in a map while you’re trying to navigate your way through unfamiliar streets.  But you’ll miss the best part of being in NYC. Make sure you take time to look around, and most importantly, look up.  The city stretches up towards the sky almost as far as it stretches in front of you on ground level. Looking up always takes my breath away.  So make sure that every now and then you put the map down so you can look up and truly appreciate all NYC has to offer!