If you’re going to spend one day in New York City, you can have a lot of fun and see some of the city’s most iconic highlights.
NYC is a large city and you can spend months in the city without getting bored. Even though you won’t be able to see everything the city has to offer in a short amount of time, it’s still worth a visit if you only have a day in the city. During one day, you can see art, explore famous landmarks, get delicious food, enjoy a beautiful view, and do much more.
I made this itinerary to help you make the most out of your time if you’re going to visit NYC for a day!
How To Get Around New York City
There are several ways to get around the city. There are buses, there’s a subway, there are ferries, there are cabs, and there are other methods of transportation.
Throughout this itinerary, I added information about the easiest way to get from one place to the next.
Some of the places that I mentioned are near each other, so you can walk between those places.
During one part of the itinerary, the most convenient way to travel is by using the East River Ferry.
When using public transport is most convenient, I recommend riding a bus, as this allows you to see more of the city as opposed to when you ride the subway. The easiest way to pay for your bus ride is by using a contactless debit or credit card, or your smartphone.
Riding a cab is a great alternative to riding a bus. It is often a quicker way to get around and you’ll be able to see the city as well. However, it is more expensive than using public transportation.
Itinerary for One Day in New York City
Have Breakfast at Almondine Bakery
At the start of your day, you can go to Almondine Bakery to have breakfast.
Almondine Bakery is one of the best bakeries in New York City, and you can find this place in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn.
It is a French bakery that is housed inside a building that dates back to the year 1835, which is one of the oldest buildings in the neighborhood.
For breakfast, you can get one of the breads or pastries that the bakery sells, and pair that with a cup of coffee. For example, you can get an almond chocolate croissant or a muffin, and get a cappuccino.
The bakery has a cozy interior with some chairs and a sofa where you can enjoy your food.
Address: 85 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Walk Through Brooklyn Bridge Park and Ride the East River Ferry to Pier 11
From Almondine Bakery, you can walk to Brooklyn Bridge Park, which is one of the best parks in New York City, and which you can find next to the bakery.
Brooklyn Bridge Park is a beautiful park that is situated on the East River, and from the park, you can enjoy a great view of the skyline of Manhattan, the river, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
You can also find Jane’s Carousel in the park, which is a historic carousel with wood carriages and horses that dates back to the 1920s.
If you walk underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, you can get to one of the terminals of the East River Ferry called “DUMBO/Fulton Ferry”. From this terminal, you can ride the ferry to “Wall Street/Pier 11”, which takes about 5 minutes.
To ride the ferry, you’ll need a ticket, which you can get at a ticket machine at the ferry landing or you can buy it using the “NYC Ferry” app.
Get a View of the Statue of Liberty from The Battery and See Wall Street
After arriving at Pier 11, you can get to The Battery in about 10 minutes by walking there.
The Battery is a public park that is located at the southernmost point of Manhattan. From the park, you can enjoy a great view of the New York Harbor.
From here, you can also get a view of the Statue of Liberty, which is a must-see if you’re one day in NYC. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in New York City and it is situated on Liberty Island.
After that, I recommend walking towards Wall Street.
Along the way, you can stop at Bowling Green, which is the oldest public park in New York City. The park is surrounded by historic buildings, and you can see the Charging Bull at Bowling Green, which is a huge bronze sculpture of a bull that represents Wall Street.
Wall Street is one of the most famous streets in New York City and the street is known for being the center of America’s financial industry. You can find several important buildings on the street, such as the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York City.
Enjoy a Panoramic View of the City at One World Observatory
From Wall Street, you can walk to the One World Observatory.
This is one of the best observation decks in NYC, and you can find it at the One World Trade Center, which is the city’s tallest building.
The observation deck is located on the 100th, 101st, and 102nd floors of the building, and from there, you can enjoy an amazing view of Manhattan as well as other places in New York City. The observatory is the highest point in the city, and on a clear day, you can see as far as 45 miles.
The observation deck is open every day of the week.
Address: 117 West St, New York, NY 10007
Have Lunch at Liberty Bagels
New York City is known for its bagels, and for lunch I recommend going to Liberty Bagels to get a delicious one.
Liberty Bagels has several locations throughout the city. If you use this itinerary, the most convenient location to go to is the 5th Avenue location. You can get there by using public transport or by riding a cab.
At Liberty Bagels, you can get freshly baked authentic bagels that are made with high-quality ingredients and using traditional methods.
You can choose between many different types of flavors and toppings.
For example, you can get a bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese.
Another great one to get is the “Hot Mess Sandwich”. This one is made with eggs, Jalapeño cream cheese, onions, tomato, and bacon.
Address: 16 E 58th St, New York, NY 10022
Explore Central Park’s Bethesda Terrace
After having lunch at Liberty Bagels on 5th Avenue, you can go for a walk to Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, which you can reach from Liberty Bagels in less than a mile.
Central Park is the most popular park in the city and a must-visit if you’re one day in New York City. It has a size of more than 800 acres. You can find beautiful nature here, and the park is home to various lawns, lakes, a zoo, monuments, and other interesting places.
One of the most famous places in Central Park is Bethesda Terrace, which you can find in the center of the park. This place is also one of the most famous filming locations in NYC.
At Bethesda Terrace, you can see a statue, an arcade, and a large terrace. The arcade has a beautiful design that features classic arches and thousands of decorative tiles.
Bethesda Terrace appeared in various movies, such as “Elf” and “The Avengers”, as well as popular TV series, such as “Gossip Girl”. It is also a great place for taking photos.
See Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Along 5th Avenue, you can find The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is one of the best museums in New York City. I recommend spending some time here in the afternoon.
The Met has a large collection of art, that consists of more than 2 million items.
The objects that you can see at the museum are very diverse. They are from all around the world and from many periods in time. The collection of the museum spans a period of about 5,000 years.
For example, you can see old European paintings, artifacts from ancient Egypt, and many other types of objects at the museum.
When you can only spend a few hours at the museum, such as when you are spending a day in the city, you’ll not be able to see everything that’s on display, but you can see some of the museum’s highlights.
Address: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
Have Delicious Pizza for Dinner at Joe’s Pizza Broadway
If you have to choose a type of food to have for dinner if you only have dinner once during your trip to the city, I recommend getting a delicious New York-style pizza.
There are many restaurants in New York City where you can get delicious pizza and one of the most famous ones is Joe’s Pizza.
Joe’s Pizza is a restaurant that was founded in 1975. It has several locations throughout the city. For this itinerary, the Broadway location is most convenient.
There are several types of pizza to choose from.
For example, you can get a classic pizza that is topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.
Another one to get is the “Supreme Pizza”, which comes with onions, mushrooms, green peppers, pepperoni, and sausage.
Besides choosing one of the signature types, you can also create your own pizza by choosing the toppings that you like.
To get to this restaurant from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, you can use public transport or you can ride a cab.
Address: 1435 Broadway, New York, NY 10018
See Times Square
You can find Joe’s Pizza Broadway next to Times Square, which is a famous square you should see during your day in NYC.
Times Square is one of the world’s busiest pedestrian areas. The square is known for its many digital billboards, which are situated on many of the buildings that surround it.
It is also the center of the Broadway theater area.
Times Square is also home to many stores, such as the Disney Store and stores of other well-known brands.
In addition to that, Times Square appears in many movies and TV shows because it is such a well-known place. For example, it appeared in “Birdman” and “Captain America”.
See a Broadway Show
After exploring Times Square, you can go to a Broadway show at one of the theaters that surround the busy intersection. Seeing a Broadway show is one of the most fun things to do at night in New York City.
The theater district is home to more than 40 theaters that are considered Broadway theaters. These all have more than 500 seats. Most of these are not actually located on Broadway, but they surround it.
Some of the theaters that you can find here are the Winter Garden Theatre, the Nederlander Theatre, and the Palace Theatre.
Keep in mind that some of the shows at these theaters are very popular, and you will need to buy tickets in advance to guarantee a (good) seat.
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When you are going to New York City for a day, I recommend buying a ticket in advance for the activities that I mentioned for which you need a ticket. This is needed for the East River Ferry, the One World Observatory, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Broadway show.
I also recommend using the map that I added to this article. This map includes all the places that I mentioned to make it easier to navigate the city.
One Day in NYC Map
This was my itinerary for one day in New York City. Have fun exploring the city!