New York saving tips 1

New York Saving Tips 1/2: Flight, Hotel & Orientation! :-)

Christmas on Times Square

5 perfect days in New York City!

In the last week I was in for 5 days new York. Now of course I want to tell you about this trip here on my blog. Today it’s all about the topics:

  • Where do you find cheap flights to New York?
  • Where can you live in New York as a family good and cheap stay? And:
  • How can you be in New York orient or move?

There are impressions from the Christmas New York. The Christmas season is namely next to the May / June mine Travel time recommendation. In January, it is the cheapest and pleasantly empty, in the summer (August) it is almost too hot. In my next post I’ll put you then the best free sights and show you what else you need to see, experience, or taste when you’re in New York.

The history

Why did I book the trip? There is a very simple explanation: I wanted to before Rockefeller Center ice skating! This point has been around since I can think of mine -> Bucketlist and since I have not come in the last 39 years, it was now high time. That sounds crazy? Well – that’s it. And that’s crazy. Other mothers take a cure to get their heads off, I prefer to fly alone to New York. Somehow it has something to travel alone. Not only that you can make your daily routine exactly as you would like it. You also perceive your surroundings quite differently, are somehow more focused (because you are less distracted) and come into conversation more often with other people. I like that very much now. Now have fun with my tips! &# 128578;

Ice skating in front of the Rockefeller Center: Check! &# 128578;

How to find a cheap flight to New York?

There are now various Flight comparison portals on the Internet. I personally like Momondo.de(-> Affiliate Link) like, because here you can set the search filter targeted and a good overview of Prices as well as cheap alternatives. It is important, additional fees (e.g., credit card fees, seat reservation fees and baggage fees -> 38 – 75 € per flight) and cheap flight times or direct connections.

The wintry Central Park

Anyway, I have to go for an offer from TAP Portugal decided. About Lisbon it went for ca. 390 € to New York and back. That’s quite a good price, with Eurowings being e.g. Also for 400 € directly from Dusseldorf flies to New York, which of course I would have preferred. The disadvantage of both offers: Checked baggage costs extra! Therefore, I flew only with hand luggage, which made the arrival and departure to the airport with the bus namely much more comfortable. Of course, traveling with young children is not realistic. Here I would definitely only look for offers, in which the luggage is already included in the price (for example, Lufthansa).

Tip: Before you enter the US, you must remember that ESTA questionnaire fill. Here is a help filling. Cost: $ 14.

Christmas feeling: the Coka-Cola Truck in NYC!

How to travel from New York Airport to Manhattan?

I chose a flight for Newark Airport decided because the connection to Manhattan by bus or train is very good. (If you are traveling with children and would like to take a taxi or an airport limousine, I would recommend JFK airport as the distance is a bit shorter). In front of the airport building starts the Newark Airport Express Bus from all 3 terminals non-stop to Manhattan. Here he stops Port Authority Bus station, at Bryant Park as well as at the Grand Central Station. Tickets are available on the bus or online here Smartphone . The ride takes about 30 minutes – the rush hour, of course, due to the traffic accordingly longer. Alternatively, you can also take the train to Manhattan. For this one drives first with the free Skytrain Airport train station and from here e.g. with the North Jersey Coast Line to Penn Station (about $ 13). Then it goes with the “normal” New York Subway / Metro further. I thought the trip on the bus was perfect and would do it again. Costs: $ 17 per trip, or $ 28 if you choose a round-trip ticket. Children 5-11 years pay $ 5 each way, and $ 10- $ 12 each for ages 12-16. Children under 5 ride for free.

The view of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty!

Where to stay cheap in New York?

Since I also like to walk in the middle of Manhattan (around the Times Squares) wanted to be on the move, I targeted for accommodation in central location searched. Since I traveled alone and in the US basically not per person, but per room paid, the hotel deals were all quite expensive. Even with trivago and booking.com, where I usually always find a suitable bargain, there was no hotel that me from Price-performance ratio promised.

So I decided on a simple (very simple!), But also very central Airbnb room. The little “hook” in the room: It was not as usual a complete accommodation, but only a room in an apartment, in which other guests were staying. I knew that when booking – so came the cheap price. Still, it took a bit of getting used to not knowing who was going in and out at night – especially after I realized that my room could not be locked. Well, while I was thinking about spontaneously fleeing to a hotel the first night, I got used to it on the second night and slept very well. Costs: Approximately $ 80 per night including cleaning and service fee, There are also offers from $ 40, but these are probably more for “adventurers”. I would rather pay a little more next time. I really like the Airbnb principle anyway and have already stayed in 4 Airbnb accommodations. – > Here can you read the report for my first night (including coupon code!). I think: Especially for Familys Airbnb is a perfect way to live conveniently and centrally, catering to your needs. In Copenhagen we had an apartment with a large children’s room. That was really perfect because we did not have to take a toy on holiday.

Christmas Wall Street

Another way, one Cheap and good room in NYC to find is Priceline. This can be especially worthwhile if you want to stay in a very specific hotel. Here you enter bid for a room and will be charged if the price is accepted by the hotel. You should start with a very low price and increase it in 5 € increments until you get a commitment or the pain threshold is reached. The app can be found in the App Store (“Priceline”). I have not tried that myself, but have heard of good experiences.

The Instagram hype in the XMAS Edition: Taiyaki ice cream!

My saving tip: In the meantime I have one more while browsing for offers really good savings tip found. At the side of Groupon USA There are extremely favorable offers for good hotels in Times Square (for example: $ 75 per night for 2 people in a “mini-room”)! That this is probably not a luxury accommodation, is clear – but if you have a small budget, I think it’s perfect and for a surcharge of $ 70 (which is still cheap) you even get the Deluxe City View King Room. Particularly favorable are last-minute offers. You will find them if you first set the country to “USA”, set the place to “New York”, choose “Travel” at the top and Distance “5 mi” as distance). I can not find a catch – you?

Low Budget Hotel in Manhattan

If you do not have a lot of demands, you do not need a lot of space and you like it original: The former seafaring hotel “The Jane“Has really tiny rooms, but is also in Greenwich Village on the Hudson River. Cost: Almost $ 99 per night in a double room. Pros: Roof Top Bar & Proximity to Highline Park. The next subway station is about 10 minutes walk away. Alternatively, there is that Broadwayhotelnyc in Upper Manhattan. Very simple, clairaudient and getting old -for that you are in less than 20 minutes by metro in Times Square and pay for the double room (so 2 ​​people) also just under $ 66 + taxes.

View from the Empire State Building

Orientieren in New York – or: Why I love google maps!

The orientation is really quite simple: the Avenues run from the north to the south, the Streets from the west to the east. So you can deal with a normal city map quite well. But that was not enough for me because I have been my last city ​​breaks within Europe “Google Maps addictive”. Within a few seconds, not only routes recommended, it will too Attractions and restaurants respectively. Shops shown nearby Tips and Reviews included by other users. I find it particularly useful to be able to plan bus and train connections with Google Maps, as well as the exact travel time, the transfer options and the route to the next train. od bus stop show:

But how does it work without Internet connection? Well, there is the possibility already in Germany (or in the WLAN) the New York map as offline map download (click on the 3 lines on the top left)-> offline maps -> Select New York and then -> Download offline map), but without an Internet connection you can then “just” locate and the map almost like one map use. But I really wanted to use the full functionality of maps and not depend on WiFi networks in cafes. That’s why I have this from home US Simcard with a 4 GB data flat (-> Amazon Affiliate Link) for 33 €. I have these a few days before my departure from Germany on the computer activated. That worked great and is highly recommended. The only problem: the battery of the smartphone is of course pretty fast empty … you should necessarily Powerbanks (-> Amazon affiliate link) & one adapter plug wrap up, with this you can load in cafes and restaurants well in between &# 128521;

Radio City Music Hall

Metro Card vs. Hop-on / hop-off bus in New York?

New York is teeming with that Hop-on / hop-off sightseeing vendors (for example for 42 € / 48 hours – the prices can be negotiated well!). At first, the offers may sound tempting. As many of the sights are quite close to each other and Manhattan is good too on foot I would not recommend such a ticket, but rather the money in Metro or bus tickets invest.

The Subway system in NYC is (as I think) not quite as clear as in London or Paris, nevertheless one comes relatively well and favorably from A to B. A single journey with a single ticket costs $ 3, one buys itself a Metrocard (-> $ 1 fee, worth of 5 trips), the price is reduced to $ 2.75 per trip. If you then load more than $ 5.50 on the card, you also get a bonus of 5%. That means:

  • With up to 12 trips within a week, it is worth the normal metrocard to use. With this, 12 trips less discounts cost $ 31.32 (= $ 2.61 per trip).
  • From 13 trips worth it 7 day ticket. If you then do this with e.g. 20 trips, each trip costs only $ 1.60.

You will also find all information -> here on the side of the MTA website. I walked a lot, but in the end came to more than 12 rides. So I would 7-day ticket recommend, with the buses and trains can be used indefinitely. An overview of Free apps on the journey times of buses, trains and ferries you can find it in New York, too -> here.

A huge string of lights near the Rockefeller Center

Worth a Visit New York Pass?

-> Here is an overview of the different passes. Whether such a passport pays off for you, you have to decide in the end >decided against such a passport. The reasons: There are many in New York free attractions, which I wanted to look at: the ferry ride to Staten Island, Brooklyn Bridge Walk, Brooklyn Gospel, the Old Library, China Town, Carrie’s SATC Series, the High Line Park, the Flatiron Building, the whole area around Times Square, Central Park, etc – > detailed information will follow in my next post. The things I usually wanted to do UNBEDING were not included in the price of the savings:

  • I wanted to be on top of the Empire State Buildings (102nd floor), passports only contain the 86th floor. So I had to buy a 20 $ additional ticket on site anyway *. I also really wanted to buy a VIP ticket so I did not have to queue in the hour before sunset. These $ 30 are in my eyes well invested money, because I could pass all 3 queues and was in about 2 minutes up!
  • Ice skating in front of the Rockefeller Center
  • On Broadwaymusical see
  • On Game of the NY Knicks visit.

* The drive to the 102nd floor is not really worth it (the view from the 86th floor is hard to beat and the windows on the top floor are reflected in the photos), I did not know at this time.

“German Bratwurst” at a New York Christmas Market

So how much does a New York vacation cost??

So, let’s summarize briefly: If you are traveling to New York for 5 days / 4 nights and you take some time to look for the perfect bargains, you can travel relatively cheap to NYC. You should plan the following costs:

  • at least 400 € for the flight
  • at least 200 € per person for a hotel / Airbnb (100 € per night: 2 persons x 4 nights)
  • about 50 € for bus & Train rides, (25 € per person for the Metrocard + 25 € for the airport transfer).

Add to that the cost of the eat & Drink on site, tickets such as souvenirs & Shopping. As Family with children Of course, the costs increase accordingly. Children over 2 years already pay the full airfare (That makes then at 2 adults and 2 children ever mind $ 1600 for the flights – a lot of money for a short break!). For the night stay the K > -> Learn more about this in my 2nd blog post about the best New York attractions & saving tips!

So, I hope you liked my post. If you have any further tips, I’m glad about your comments. You are welcome in the comments and your own New York posts to link. Sharing is caring after all, or what’s the name of it?? &# 128521;

Merry XMAS from NYC! &# 128578;

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Christina Cherry
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