Free things to do in New York

New York is easy on the wallet. Here are 32 things you can do for free, from the city's most famous sights to museums with free entry once a month, plus the squares where locals spend the evening.

Free sights

© Gryffindor · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Battery · Lower Manhattan · Daily 06:00–01:00
A waterfront park at Manhattan's southern tip with harbor views, Castle Clinton and the SeaGlass Carousel.
© InSapphoWeTrust · CC BY-SA 2.0
Staten Island Ferry · Lower Manhattan · Daily, 24 hours (every 15–30 min by day, every 30 min at night)
The free commuter ferry to Staten Island, with views of the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline.
© Ajay Suresh · CC BY 4.0
Wall Street & the Charging Bull · Lower Manhattan · Always open (street)
The heart of the financial district: the Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, Trinity Church and Bowling Green's Charging Bull.
© Christian David · CC BY-SA 4.0
Brooklyn Bridge · Lower Manhattan · Always open (pedestrian path)
Walk the 1883 granite-and-steel bridge over the East River for skyline views and the DUMBO side.
© (User:Wgreaves) · CC BY-SA 4.0
DUMBO & Brooklyn Bridge Park · Brooklyn · Park daily 06:00–01:00; the streets are always open
Cobbled streets under the bridges, the Washington Street photo spot, Jane's Carousel and a waterfront park with skyline views.
© Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chinatown & Little Italy · Downtown & the Villages · Always open (shops and restaurants about 10:00–22:00)
Dim sum, bakeries and markets around Mott and Canal Streets, next to the few remaining Italian cafés of Little Italy.
© Jim.henderson; cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 05:00, 19 June 2011 (UTC) · CC0
SoHo · Downtown & the Villages · Always open (shops about 11:00–19:00)
Cast-iron facades, cobblestones, boutiques and galleries around Broadway and Prince Street.
© Isabella Ruffalo-Burgat · CC BY-SA 4.0
Washington Square Park & Greenwich Village · Downtown & the Villages · Park daily 06:00–24:00
The marble arch, chess players and buskers of Greenwich Village's main square, with brownstone streets around it.
© Dansnguyen · CC0
The High Line · Chelsea & Flatiron · Apr 1–Nov 30 daily 07:00–22:00; Dec 1–Mar 31 daily 07:00–20:00
A former elevated railway turned into a garden walkway, from the Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards.
© Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0
Chelsea Market · Chelsea & Flatiron · Concourse daily 07:00–22:00 (individual shops and restaurants vary)
An indoor food hall in the former Nabisco factory with tacos, lobster rolls, bakeries and shops.
© Imelenchon (original work) · Public domain
Flatiron Building & Madison Square Park · Chelsea & Flatiron · Always open (exterior view only); Madison Square Park daily 06:00–24:00
The 1902 triangular tower, seen best from Madison Square Park, with the Shake Shack kiosk and playground nearby.
© Terabass · CC BY-SA 3.0
Times Square · Midtown · Always open (best after dark)
The neon-lit crossroads of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, with giant screens, the red TKTS steps and street performers.
© Jean-Christophe BENOIST · CC BY 3.0
Bryant Park & the New York Public Library · Midtown · Park daily about 07:00–22:00; Library Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 13:00–17:00
A green lawn between skyscrapers, with the Beaux-Arts public library and its Rose Main Reading Room behind it.
© Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Grand Central Terminal · Midtown · Daily 05:15–02:00 (the station), the Main Concourse is free to walk
The 1913 Beaux-Arts station with the celestial ceiling, the four-faced clock and the Whispering Gallery.
© Ajay Suresh · CC BY 4.0
St. Patrick's Cathedral · Midtown · Daily 06:30–20:45 (services; closed to visitors during some services)
The neo-Gothic Catholic cathedral on Fifth Avenue, with marble altars, stained glass and spires between the towers.
© Anthony Quintano from Hillsborough, NJ, United States · CC BY 2.0
Central Park · Central Park & Upper East Side · Daily 06:00–01:00
Manhattan's green heart: the Pond, the Mall, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge and Strawberry Fields.
© A. Balet · CC BY 3.0
Fifth Avenue · Midtown · Daily 10:00–19:00
The world-famous shopping avenue between Rockefeller Center and Central Park, with flagship stores.
© Balou46 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Macy's Herald Square · Midtown · Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 11:00–20:00
The world's largest department store (flagship since 1902), famous for the wooden escalators and the Thanksgiving parade.
© Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0
Strand Bookstore · Downtown & the Villages · Daily 10:00–20:00
Famous independent bookstore with "18 miles of books", new and used, near Union Square.
© Kidfly182 · CC BY 4.0
Brookfield Place · Lower Manhattan · Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 11:00–18:00
Upscale shopping and dining by the Hudson, with the glass-roofed Winter Garden and palm trees.
© Anthony Quintano · CC BY 2.0
The Oculus (Westfield World Trade Center) · Lower Manhattan · Daily 10:00–20:00
Santiago Calatrava's white winged transit hall with shops, free to walk through.
© Nielsoncaetanosalmeron · CC BY 4.0
FAO Schwarz (Rockefeller Center) · Midtown · Daily 10:00–20:00
Famous toy shop reopened at Rockefeller Center, with the giant floor piano.
© LWYang from USA · CC BY 2.0
Williamsburg (Bedford Avenue) · Brooklyn · Daily 11:00–19:00
Brooklyn's trendiest strip: vintage shops, record stores, street art and cafés along Bedford Avenue.
© ajay_suresh · CC BY 2.0
Essex Market · Downtown & the Villages · Mon–Wed 08:00–20:00, Thu–Sat 08:00–21:00, Sun 10:00–18:00
Lower East Side food hall in a modern building: pastries, cheese, dumplings, coffee and bagels.
Eataly NYC Flatiron · Chelsea & Flatiron · Daily 07:00–23:00
Large Italian market and food hall with counters for pasta, pizza, gelato and coffee, plus a rooftop.
© (User:Wgreaves) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Time Out Market New York (DUMBO) · Brooklyn · Sun–Thu 08:00–22:00, Fri–Sat 08:00–23:00
Food hall in DUMBO with 20 or so local vendors and a rooftop with a view of the Manhattan skyline.
© Matt @ PEK from Taipei, Taiwan · CC BY-SA 2.0
Grand Central Market · Midtown · Mon–Fri 07:00–21:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–19:00
Gourmet food stalls inside Grand Central: cheese, seafood, bakery and spices, a quick lunch under the arches.
© TLM1995 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Trinity Church · Lower Manhattan · Daily 08:30–18:00
Gothic Revival church at the head of Wall Street, with a free churchyard where Alexander Hamilton is buried.
© Dmadeo · CC BY-SA 3.0
African Burial Ground National Monument · Lower Manhattan · Wed–Sun 10:00–16:00
Memorial and visitor center for the 17th–18th century burial ground of free and enslaved Africans.
© spurekar · CC BY 2.0
Stone Street · Lower Manhattan · Always open
Cobbled pedestrian street from the Dutch colonial era, lined with pubs and restaurants.
© Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0
Little Island · Chelsea & Flatiron · Daily 06:00–23:00 (until 31 Oct), 06:00–21:00 from 1 Nov
Floating park on tulip-shaped piers in the Hudson, with gardens and city views.
© ajay_suresh · CC BY 4.0
Brooklyn Heights Promenade · Brooklyn · Always open
Elevated waterfront walkway with one of the best free views of the Manhattan skyline.