25 Free Things to Do in New York City
While New York City has the reputation of being a very expensive city to visit, there are dozens of free things to do on a trip!
Many of the big tourist draws, like Broadway and restaurants, are very pricey, so I wanted to provide a comprehensive list of free things to do in NYC for people of all kinds of interests!
When it comes to staying in New York City, these days I usually pick a hotel in midtown. You can plug your dates into this interactive map to compare rates:
OK, LET’S GET TO THE LIST OF FREE THINGS TO DO IN NYC!
25. The New York Public Library
The iconic New York Public Library is one of New York City’s most beautiful historic landmarks, known for its grand marble architecture, soaring reading rooms, and famous lion statues out front.
It’s also home to rotating galleries and art shows.
- Location: Bryant Park
The library’s shop is also a great place to buy souvenirs and gifts.
24. The Best Free Public Bathroom: Bryant Park
That’s right.
A public bathroom’s on the list of the best free things in NYC.
First, it’s notoriously difficult to find a bathroom in New York City.
Second, it’s really quite beautiful! Security monitors the crowd, it’s usually spotless, and they put fresh floral bouquets inside daily.
Skeptical? Check it out… and while you’re there, enjoy the gardens around the park and library.
23. Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a free service provided by the City of New York.
- Hours: Daily, 24/7
- Stops: Every 15-20 minutes during peak times on weekdays, and every 30 minutes all other times.
Two pieces of advice:
- Don’t ride the ferry during rush hours, because it’s packed.
- Beware of scammers trying to sell tickets. The ferry is free in NYC!
In Manhattan, you can catch the ferry at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal (also known as South Ferry).
➡️ Click for the Staten Island Ferry Schedule
Keep in mind, you can’t take the ferry on a round-trip loop. You’ll have to get off, then re-board for a return trip.
22. Green-Wood Cemetery (Brooklyn)
The Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural cemeteries. Still an active cemetery, the Green-Wood of today is an outdoor museum that tells the history of New York City.
It’s also an arboretum, with some of the oldest trees pre-dating the cemetery’s founding.
- Location: Main Entrance at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street
- Hours: Daily, from 7:00am to 7:00pm.
- Directions: By subway, take the R train to the 25th Street station in Brooklyn. Walk east/uphill one block to the entrance.
21. Christie’s Exhibitions
See masterpieces, pop culture icons, and other interesting things that are going up for auction.
- Location: 20 Rockefeller Plaza
- Hours: Usually 10:00am – 5:00pm (and afternoons on Sunday)
➡️ Click for the schedule of exhibits.
In 2026, Christie’s auctioned off a massive collection of pop culture items, like the drum set used by the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
20. Free Museums in NYC
New York City’s famous museums offer free entry at certain times:
- Museum of Modern Art: Free Friday evenings
- MoMA (Queens): Free for NYC residents
- Whitney Museum: Free for anyone under 25, and for all on Friday nights
- Brooklyn Museum of the Arts: Free first Saturdays
- American Folk Art Museum
- Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
- Queens Museum
- The Bronx Museum (Contemporary Arts)
- National Museum of the American Indian (a Smithsonian Museum)
- The Morgan Library: Free 5:00pm – 7:00pm
- 9/11 Museum: Free Mondays
For many of the free museum nights and events, reservations are required.
For example: At the 9/11 Museum, Monday tickets are available on the website each Monday beginning at 7:00am (first come, first served).
19. Puck Building’s Basement
The Puck Building was built in the 1880s as the headquarters and printing plant for Puck Magazine.
During the 1980s renovation of the Puck Building, workers uncovered historical artifacts connected to the building’s printing history. Thankfully, they preserved it all and incorporated those pieces of the building’s past into the new design.
Today, you can see the old printing equipment, tablets, and other industrial remnants on display in the basement, where the printing presses ran 150 years ago.
- Location: Corner of Houston & Lafayette
19. Pier 57 Rooftop Park
Pier 57 is one of New York City’s largest rooftop public parks (maybe the biggest?), and you can check it out for free.
Pier 57 features a nearly 2-acre rooftop park with stunning panoramic views of Manhattan and the Harbor.
- Directions: When you arrive at Pier 57, head to the south gate near City Winery. Walk along the pathway toward the park’s main entrance, directly across from Little Island. Take the stairs or elevator to the roof.
- Hours: Daily, 6:00am – 1:00am
The Pier 57 rooftop park delivers on one of the original commitments made to the public as part of its redevelopment.
18. The Old City Hall Subway Station
The Old City Hall Subway Station opened in 1904 as the Manhattan end of the first NYC subway line. The subway gets a lot of guff, but the old City Hall Station stands out for Romanesque Revival architecture, arched tiles, brass chandeliers, and skylights.
It closed in 1945 due to a curved, short platform that couldn’t handle longer, modern trains.
Only New York Transit Museum members have the exclusive opportunity to step inside this landmark through guided tours, which are $50.
For a free visit, you’ll have to take the downtown 6 train loop and stay on the train past the last stop. You can view the site, but can’t get out to explore.
Directions:
- Take the local 6 train heading downtown toward Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall.
- Do not exit at the final stop. Stay on the train as it loops to go back uptown.
- Watch from the right-side windows. The train will slow down in the station, allowing you to see the historic, vaulted architecture.
- While I’ve heard some conductors will force passengers off, I’ve never witnessed it since this is a widely-recognized way to see this historic part of NYC for free!
It’s said that the station was made especially beautiful to lure skeptical subway riders underground.
17. St. Patrick’s Cathedral
The tours of St. Patrick’s are $20 for a self-guided audio tour. Otherwise, the Cathedral is free to enter and is open from 6:45am – 8:45pm.
Mass is free to attend:
- Monday – Friday: 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, Noon, 1:00, & 5:30
- Saturday: 8:00, Noon, & 5:30
- Sunday: 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:15
16. Brooklyn Heights Promenade
The Brooklyn Heights Promenade is an iconic 1,800-foot pedestrian walkway in Brooklyn, New York, offering, panoramic views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn Bridge, and Statue of Liberty.
The Promenade was built in the 1950s during the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. After residents pushed back against plans for the highway to cut directly through Brooklyn Heights, planners compromised by building the roadway below a raised pedestrian promenade.
Along the route are several historical markers, including a memorial connected to George Washington’s retreat during the Revolutionary War.
“There may be finer views than this in the world, but I don’t believe it,”
–President Abraham Lincoln, 1864
15. Squibb Park Bridge
Walk across the Squibb Bridge to experience some of the best views of Lower Manhattan. The walkway goes from Squibb Park in Brooklyn Heights to the Greenway at Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 1.
- Hours: Open 8:00am-10:00pm
You can follow the paths south to Piers 3, 5, and 6, which are now green spaces along the East River.
You can also pick up the Brooklyn Ferry at Pier 6 to take over to Governors Island or other stops around the city.
14. Greenacre Park
Greenacre Park is an urban escape in midtown Manhattan, which opened in 1971.
It was created by Abby Rockefeller Mauzé, a lifelong New Yorker who wanted to bring a quiet green space to busy midtown Manhattan.
Designed as a calm, enclosed retreat surrounded by buildings and shaded by trees, the park remains privately maintained by the Greenacre Foundation today.
- Location: 217 East 51st Street
- Open: April through December
Carol’s Cafe serves breakfast and lunch.
13. Free Live TV Tapings
If you plan in advance, seeing shows like “The View,” “Drew Barrymore,” “Live with Kelly & Mark,” “The Daily Show,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and others is all possible.
➡️ Check 1 Iota for ticket listings
Saturday Night Live at 30 Rock might be the most challenging live taping to attend.
12. Walk the High Line
The High Line was a brilliant addition to NYC 25 years ago. The walkway was originally part of the rail tracks built in the 1930s to lift trains above Manhattan streets. By the 1980s, it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Work to turn it into the current-day public walking park began in 1999.
- Location: Runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street on Manhattan’s West Side.
11. Roosevelt Island
A trip to Roosevelt Island involves the famous tramway over the East River, or the subway. It’ll cost the roughly $3 you’ll have to pay for a ride, but is otherwise free to visit.
Roosevelt Island was once home to hospitals, asylums, and a smallpox quarantine facility. You’ll see the ruins of that time period on the island now as you walk or bike around.
- How to Get There: Accessible by subway (F train) and the iconic Roosevelt Island Tram.
10. Little Island
Little Island is a floating public park on the Hudson River. They used to have an entry reservation system, but now it’s free and open to the public.
The multi-level park is full of native plants and trees, which have filled in nicely over the last few years to line the walkways.
- Location: Pier 55, near West 14th Street
9. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge is one of my favorite things to do in New York City.
It’ll be crowded, for sure, as local New Yorkers (and tourists) walk the 1.5 miles across the East River between Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
- Location: In Manhattan, you’ll find an entrance to the pedestrian walkway right next to City Hall Park.
- Location: In Brooklyn, I usually start at Tillary Street & Brooklyn Bridge Blvd.
If you don’t feel like walking the round trip, you can choose from two subway stops in Brooklyn to take you back into Manhattan: York Street or High Street.
8. Walk the Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge’s pedestrian walkway is less famous than the path on the Brooklyn Bridge. A benefit of walking the Manhattan Bridge is: you get a view of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge with the skyline, too.
The Manhattan Bridge starts in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan, and ends in the popular DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn.
7. Free Entry: A Great Speakeasy
At night, walk through the Stage Start Deli to find the entrance to Backstage. It’s a small space with good drinks, and beautiful Art Deco decor.
- Location: 55th Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues
- Hours: Usually open until midnight and closed on Sundays
6. Free Martini: Pazza Notte
I found Pazza Notte many years ago (20+) after spotting their ad for free martinis. It’s a buy-one-get-one martini deal, which is pretty good for NYC.
The restaurant itself is a crowd pleaser, with good pizzas and salads.
- Location: 6th Avenue, north of 55th Street
- Hours: They close earlier these days, around 10:00pm
5. Free Broadway (sort of) at Marie’s Crisis
Marie’s Crisis Cafe is a small piano bar where the crowd is largely Broadway performers and theater lovers. They sing showtunes you’ll recognize, and showtunes you’ve never heard in your life.
- Location: West Village: 7th Avenue, across from the Christopher Street subway station.
There’s no cover charge, so it’s free to watch the ‘show’ and join in … but you’re expected to buy a drink and tip the piano player and staff well.
4. Governors Island
Governors Island is a great way to spend part of the day in NYC. It’s an island off lower Manhattan. The former military post for the U.S. Army and Coast Guard opened to the public in the 2000s. Parts of it are still abandoned.
While you’ll have to pay the nominal ferry fare to get there, it’s free to walk around and explore.
There are usually art exhibits, food vendors, and other things to check out.
- Location: A small island in New York Harbor, which is a 5–8 minute ferry ride from Lower Manhattan or Brooklyn.
The views of the Manhattan skyline are unbeatable, and you can spot the Statue of Liberty across the harbor, too.
3. The North Woods
A visit to the northwestern corner of Central Park will make you feel like you’ve escaped the urban jungle completely.
There are tree-lined paths, little waterfalls, and famous arches over the walkways to check out.
- Location: At the park’s northwest corner (roughly 101st–110th Streets).
The North Woods area is especially pretty in autumn.
2. Central Park’s Conservatory Garden
The Conservatory Garden in Central Park is free and open to the public, on the far north end of the park.
You’ll find a central lawn with a huge pergola, a fountain, symmetrical flower beds, winding paths, and seating areas.
- Location: East Side between 104th and 106th Streets.
- Entrance: Grand Vanderbilt Gate on Fifth Avenue, originally from the Vanderbilt Mansion.
You’ll find different kinds of flowers blooming most of the year, from tulips in the spring to chrysanthemums in the fall.
1. Christmas in New York
Christmas is truly a magical time in New York City, and much of that magic is free to experience, from the windows along 5th Avenue to the decor at Lincoln Center.
Prices at the Christmas Markets in Bryant Park and other spots can be high, but just walking around them is fun and festive.
Skating at rinks around the city will cost you, but you can still go watch and enjoy it for free.
BONUS: Free Apps to Download Before Your Trip to NYC
I rely on a series of apps when I’m in New York. It definitely helps having cell signal in the subways these days!
➡️First, Google Maps will help you get anywhere you need to be, with very accurate subway directions.
➡️The New York Subway MTA Map app is a good one to download, because it provides color-coded subway routes to follow.
➡️The TKTS and TodayTix apps are great for searching for show tickets.
➡️You can use either the Lyft or the Citi Bike app to rent bikes.
