Two days in New York covers Midtown Manhattan (Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Empire State Building) on Day 1 and Lower Manhattan plus the Brooklyn Bridge walk on Day 2. The route averages 9-12 km of walking per day with 3-4 subway hops on Day 1 and a free Staten Island Ferry round-trip plus the bridge crossing on Day 2.

Day by day

Day 1: Midtown: Times Square, Rockefeller, Central Park, Empire State

  • Times Square empty-plaza morning walk — 30 min. Free. Subway N/Q/R/W/1/2/3/7 at 42nd Street. Arrive 7am before the costumed-character economy starts at 9am.
  • Bryant Park breakfast and the New York Public Library Rose Reading Room — 1 hr. Free entry to the library 10am-6pm; the 91-meter reading room ceiling murals are the city's most-photographed indoor public space.
  • Walk north on 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Center — 15 min.
  • Top of the Rock 70th-floor observation deck — 1 hr 15 min. $40 adult, 8am-10pm. The 70th-floor open-air terrace at 260 meters; the only observation deck that holds the Empire State Building in the photo frame.
  • MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) — 2 hr. $30 adult, 10:30am-5:30pm. Van Gogh's Starry Night on Level 5; Rothko, Pollock, and Jasper Johns on the same floor; free admission Fri 4-8pm in the UNIQLO Free Friday Nights.
  • Rest valve — lunch at The Halal Guys flagship cart on 53rd Street and 6th Avenue — 45 min. Chicken-and-rice platter $10-13, cash and contactless.
  • Walk north to Central Park 5th Avenue and 59th Street entrance — 10 min.
  • Central Park: the Mall, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge — 1 hr 30 min. Free. The 8.5-meter Angel of the Waters fountain at the lower terrace; the Bow Bridge cast-iron arch at the Ramble's south end.
  • Subway from 72nd Street B/C to Herald Square 34th Street — 12 min. $3 OMNY.
  • Empire State Building Main Deck — 1 hr 15 min. $44 adult, last lift at midnight. The 86th-floor open-air terrace at 320 meters; arrive after 9pm for the shortest queue and the lit-tower color of the night.
  • Walk back to hotel or subway — 10-25 min.
  • Total: ~11 km walking; 1 subway segment.

Day 2: Lower Manhattan, Statue Ferry, Brooklyn Bridge

  • Subway to Whitehall Street R/W or South Ferry 1 — 15 min. $3 OMNY.
  • Staten Island Ferry round-trip from Whitehall Terminal — 50 min. Free. The ferry passes the Statue of Liberty at 0.4 km clearance every 30 min, 24 hours. Stand on the open upper-deck stern for the harbour skyline view; cross back from St George on the next return ferry.
  • Battery Park and the Castle Clinton rotunda — 30 min. Free. The 1811 fort that became the immigration depot from 1855 to 1890.
  • Walk north on Greenwich Street to the 9/11 Memorial — 15 min.
  • 9/11 Memorial pools (outdoor) — 30 min. Free. The two square pools on the footprints of the North and South Towers; 2,983 names inscribed on the bronze parapets.
  • 9/11 Memorial Museum (optional) — 2 hr. $33 adult, 9am-7pm; book 1-2 days ahead.
  • Rest valve — lunch at Joe's Pizza Pier 17 or the Stone Street pedestrian alley — 45 min. Pizza slice $3-5, sit-down at Stone Street $14-22.
  • Walk east on Fulton Street to City Hall Park — 20 min. Free.
  • Brooklyn Bridge eastbound walk from the City Hall ramp to DUMBO Washington Street — 35 min. Free. Cross at 4pm for the best afternoon light on the cable-shadow frame.
  • DUMBO: Washington Street tunnel-view shot, Jane's Carousel, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 lawn — 1 hr 30 min. Free entry; the Carousel ride is $2.
  • Brooklyn Heights Promenade walk for the Manhattan skyline frame — 30 min. Free.
  • Subway from High Street A/C or York Street F back to Manhattan — 15-25 min. $3 OMNY.
  • Total: ~12 km walking; 2 subway + 1 Staten Island Ferry round-trip + 1 bridge crossing.
Traveller Tips
  • Day 1 Top of the Rock at 4pm holds the day's best frame for both the daylight Empire State view and the sunset transition; book the 4pm slot at topoftherocknyc.com 24 hours ahead to lock in the $40 standard adult ticket. Skip the $87 'Beam Experience' add-on; the Beam mockup is in the lobby, not the observation deck.
  • Day 1 Empire State Building queue runs 25-50 min on weekday mornings and 80-110 min on Sat-Sun afternoons; arrive after 9pm or skip the Main Deck entirely if Day 1's Top of the Rock already captured the skyline. The Empire State observation deck cannot photograph the Empire State Building, which most first-time visitors realize after paying $44.
  • Day 2 Staten Island Ferry is free with no ticket; walk to the upper deck and stand on the stern (back of the ferry) for the unobstructed Statue of Liberty pass at 0.4 km clearance. Skip the $25 Statue City Cruises ferry unless you specifically want the Liberty Island pedestal climb and the Ellis Island museum interior.
  • Day 2 Brooklyn Bridge: walk eastbound from Manhattan to Brooklyn (not the reverse), because the Brooklyn-side skyline view is what the photo frames; the westbound walk lands at a parking lot and a freeway underpass. Use the City Hall ramp at the foot of Centre Street, not the Park Row entrance which has been a 2024-26 construction pinch point.
  • Carry $30-50 in $5 and $10 notes for both days; the food carts, the Bryant Park morning vendors, and the DUMBO food trucks accept tap-to-pay but the older Stone Street pubs (kitchen open lunch only) and the Brooklyn Heights bagel kiosks run cash-first.