5 mistakes to avoid when planning your New York trip

Since I created this site in 1999, I’ve invited visitors to share their itineraries so that our community of New York fans and I can offer feedback and suggestions. Over all these years, I’ve identified five common mistakes that keep coming up. Here they are, so you can avoid them:

1/ A packed schedule on your arrival day

• The biggest mistake is planning too many activities for the day you arrive. But arrival day is always unpredictable.
• Your flight’s arrival time is just an estimate, not a guarantee. Factor in possible delays, immigration lines, baggage claim, ground transportation (including traffic crossing the bridges and tunnels into Manhattan), hotel check-in, and time to settle into your room. Even if your flight lands at 2 pm or 4 pm, don’t schedule anything specific. Keep your first day relaxed and open.
• On arrival day, the smart move is to get into your hotel room and spend the rest of the day exploring your neighborhood. If you’re staying near Times Square, you’ll have plenty to do anyway.
• Only if you arrive early in the afternoon should you plan evening activities. You could, for example, go to the top of the Empire State Building or SUMMIT One Vanderbilt.

2/ Too many museums in one day

• I’ve seen itineraries that tried to fit the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum all into one day. That’s too much.
• Even if you love art, this kind of schedule leads to museum fatigue. Plan one museum per day instead. That way, you’ll stay focused and truly enjoy the space and the works.
• Also avoid visiting museums on weekends—they’re always more crowded than on weekdays. New Yorkers flock to exhibitions too.

3/ Too much walking in New York

• You’ll need to walk a lot to see New York and discover its hidden corners. But that doesn’t mean overdoing it. I’ve seen itineraries where people planned so much walking in a single day that a marathon would seem like a casual stroll. The result? Blisters and a need to slow down significantly for the rest of your trip.
• To avoid this, plan your itinerary carefully and estimate your daily walking distance. Use public transportation to skip unnecessary walks. Also include activities that are just as interesting but require less walking: cruises around New York let you see the city from the water while giving your feet a rest. The same goes for helicopter tours, Hop-on Hop-Off buses, or visits to an observation deck—you can sit down and take in the views.

4/ Trying to plan everything

• In trying to create the most complete itinerary possible, some people make the mistake of planning every detail down to the minute. I’ve seen schedules timed to the quarter-hour. One forum member joked: “All you’re missing now is bathroom breaks.”
• An itinerary is useful, but you also need to leave room for spontaneity. A plan should remind you what you absolutely want to see. After that, follow your instincts, make discoveries, and meet people. Don’t hesitate to change your plans based on the weather either. Why go to the top of the Empire State Building on a rainy day? Or why spend a beautiful sunny afternoon stuck inside a museum?

5/ A packed final day

• Just as you should keep your first day light, you should also keep your last day flexible. You’ll probably want to do some shopping, send postcards, or revisit a place you loved. Your final day is also a chance to see something again if bad weather got in the way before.
• My advice for the last day: plan nothing at all. Keep it completely open. You’ll be surprised how busy you’ll still be.
• Another common mistake is scheduling an activity outside Manhattan or in an outlying area on your last day—like Coney Island or the Bronx. Remember, you have a flight to catch, and you’ll need time to check out of your hotel and get to the airport. If you feel like you didn’t do everything you wanted, that’s actually a good sign: it means you loved New York and you’ll be back. It’s also the first sign you’re catching New York fever.

Follow our itineraries

Struggling to build your itinerary? We’re here to help. Start by following or drawing inspiration from ours:

• 2 days in New York.
• 3 days in New York.
• 4 days in New York.
• 5 days in New York.
• A week in New York.
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Visitor feedback

• Amélie B.: “We made the walking mistake! We were doing about 12 miles a day (yes, that’s too much!!!). I got blisters!!! I knew it would happen, though. We were too tired to enjoy New York at night, which is my biggest regret from the trip!!! Lesson learned: cut back on walking and fatigue during the day so you can actually enjoy the evenings!!!!”
• Christelle G.: “I made mistakes 2 and 3. The Met and the American Museum of Natural History on the same day is too much. We spent the morning at the Met, took our time, then realized it was getting late and rushed to the American Museum of Natural History, which closed two hours later. We didn’t enjoy either one and were exhausted. After the Met (just pick a few sections), I’d suggest something more relaxed—like exploring Central Park or going to the Empire State Building. For mistake 3, we walked so much trying to see everything and avoid the subway that by evening we were dead and barely went out at night. I came home with Achilles tendinitis (because apparently ballet flats are more elegant than hiking shoes in Manhattan 😉 ). It’s better to do less but do it well, and that takes real planning. You can’t rush through New York or you’ll waste too much time…”.