Stop Overpaying For Your New York Vacations With These Insider Secrets

What could be more exciting than planning a vacation to ‘The Big Apple’? New York is home to a population of 8.4 million (as of 2013) and Manhattan alone accounts for an estimated 1.6 million of those! In fact Manhattan Island is one of the most densely populated places in the world. New York is always in high demand from visitors all over the world so hotel prices are high, but read on for our recommendations on how to make the most of your New York vacay.

Where to Stay

Hotels on Manhattan Island are the most expensive of course. One way to get more for your money is to consider staying in Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island. If you have your heart set on staying in the heart of New York City, then take a look at areas like the Financial District (especially at the weekend when the bankers are all in the Hamptons) and Chelsea. We always recommend that you set your budget before you start looking at hotels. That way you can challenge yourself to the find the best hotel within your budget. Look for hotels that are highly rated on review sites, and then filter them by star rating. You’ll find that 3 star hotels with fantastic scores do exist!

The must-see attractions

No matter where you are in the world, most people can reel off New York’s top tourist attractions. Just in case you have been living in a cave, here goes:

• Statue of Liberty
• Staten Island
• Empire State Building
• Brooklyn Bridge
• National September 11 Memorial & Museum
• Times Square
• Central Park
• Rockefeller Plaza
• A show on Broadway
• The Met
• Grand Central Station
• Wall Street

Any other money saving tips?

One of the best ways to whip around the city is to use the Subway, but if that’s not your thing then use the hop-on/ hop-off bus tours. You can buy multi-day tickets and these tourist services serve all of the major tourist attractions. New York’s traffic can be bad, but plan to use them outside of rush hour and you’ll make light work of the must-see attractions.