When’s The Best Time to Visit New York: Best Month, Nice Weather, Budgeting & More!
Wanna know the best Months to come to New York? The best time to visit NYC depends on many factors depending on what you’re looking for. This could be fewer people, nice weather, more sunlight, cheaper, with kids, Christmas lights, etc. I’ll divide the answer into different categories so hopefully, you’ll find the answer you’re looking based on your taste!
Best Months to Visit New York
I think the best months of the year to visit NYC are the months of May, June, September & October! Probably April too. Why those months? Because the weather is perfect, not that humid & sticky as in the Summer and not as cold as in Winter. It’s not as overly crowded as in July, August or December and it’s also a good time to book hotels and flights (not that expensive).
But I have to add December between Thanksgiving and Christmas because the city is SO magical with all the stunning Christmas lights & decorations, hard to see at other places! It’s a unique experience. This time of the year though is one of the most expensive & crowdest ones.
Best Time To Visit NYC
Based on different categories to help you out. Details below this summary!
- Best Time for Great Weather: May to October.
- Best Time for Sightseeing: April to Early November.
- Best Time for Honeymooners: May, June, September & October. Probably Nov-Dec too!
- Best Time for Nightlife: Year round.
- Best Time for Kids & Families: Summer – June to September.
- Best Time for Broadway Shows: January & February and then in the Early Fall & Early Spring.
- Best Time for Holiday Window Displays: End of November, December.
- Cheapest Time to Visit NYC: January & February, then March-April & September-October.
- Most Expensive Time to Visit NYC: July, August, End of November and December.
Don’t forget to see the NYC Calendar to check all the featured events happening in NYC month to month!
High Season in NYC
June to August & November to December.
Very crowded & expensive to book hotels and flights. Vacation season for Americans & Europeans.
Mid-Season
March to May & September to October.
Nice weather. Not too hot & sticky, not very crowded but still expensive to book hotels & flights (less than peak season though).
Low Season in NYC
January & February.
Very cold, less crowded and cheap. It gets dark very early!
Best Time for Great Weather
From May to October. Even though the months of July & August can be too hot, humid & sticky (maybe even more at end of July & beginning of August).
Nice to walk the city by foot, ride a bike, go to the park, to the beach and enjoy lots of sunlight!
Keep in mind that October can get cold at the end of the month.
Best Time for Sightseeing
April to Early November.
Avoid the Winter months (December to March) because it gets dark much earlier. In Winter it can get dark by 4:30pm!
Best Time for Honeymooners
May, June, September & October. And probably Nov-Dec too!
The weather is still nice but you don’t get all the massive crowds that you’ll face in July-August and November-December.
You’ll find better prices too compared to the most crowded months (July – August & Christmas Week).
I’d say that November & December too, between Thanksgiving and Christmas because the city is so magical and romantic with all the Christmas lights! The downside is that it will be very crowded & it’ll be peak season for flights and hotels. But if you avoid coming the Christmas & NYE week (that it gets too crowded) you’ll be fine (meaning, better LOL). The best time to come is on Thanksgiving or right after Thanksgiving, the first week of December when all the Christmas trees light up.
Best Time for Nightlife
You can enjoy the NYC nightlife all year round! There’s a saying that local New Yorkers prefer to go out on weekdays more than weekends because on weekends it gets more crowded and people from out of town (meaning, out of Manhattan LOL) come to the city to have fun.
I would say that Spring & Summer months are the best ones because you get to have drinks at outdoor rooftops in the evening & night (but it gets crowded though especially in the Summer)! But you have some cool options if you come in Winter as you can check here.
If you’re coming for NYE you might want to check out these NYE parties.
Best Time for Kids & Families
Summer Time: June to September & Christmas Season (Nov-Dec).
Vacation season! NY with Kids is more popular in the Summer because the weather is nice and there’s a lot to do outdoors and many kid-friendly activities such as free outdoor concerts, free movies in the park, bike, boating in Central Park.
It’s also the crowdest time of the year to visit NYC & the most expensive one. If you come in the Summer you can do more “local” activities and avoid places like Times Square to avoid the worst of the crowds 😉 If it’s your first time then you must go to Times Sq. Try going early in the morning to beat crowds as much as you can. Central Park is always an excellent idea!
You may want to check out:
- Central Park with Kids – in the Summer
- Victorian Gardens Amusement Park – in the Summer
- Jane’s Carousel
- New Year’s Eve Family Events
- NYE Activities for Little Kids
- Macy’s Santaland
Best Time of the Year to See Broadway Shows
January & February and then in the Early Fall & Early Spring.
The very best time to enjoy Broadway shows, get the best prices & avoid the crowds are January & February for sure. This is low-season in NYC, it’s very cold so people prefer to stay at home and are lazier to go out or to wait at the Box Office to get Rush Tickets so it’s easier to get better & cheap Broadway deals.
Plus, you also have the Broadway Week where you’ll get 2×1 Broadway Tickets! Broadway Week is an annual event happening twice a year in NYC: in Winter (End of January-Beginning of February) and in September.
Early Spring & Early Fall: the opening of many new shows. It’s still not very crowded.
Avoid going in Christmas season because it’s the hardest season to get tickets, they’re usually sold out and too expensive!
Also: if you want to attend a live TV show taping, keep in mind that many late night shows go on hiatus in mid-to-late August & April.
Best Time for Holiday Window Displays
November & December between Thanksgiving and NYE.
To avoid most crowds (keep in mind that this is high season and it will get crowded) try going the first week of December before Christmas week. You’ll still see all the Christmas lights & decor!
- Best Christmas Attractions
- Christmas Trees in NY
- Winter Village in Bryant Park
- Thanksgiving Parade
- Dyker Heights: Best Christmas neighborhood
Cheapest Time to Visit New York
January & February.
Check here for details.
Most Expensive Time to Visit New York
July, August, End of November and December.
Of course, these expensive months are in the Summer (school vacation!) & between Thanksgiving & NYE.
In the Summer it gets super crowded all around the city! It’s really crazy everywhere you go. You get lots of sunlight because it gets dark very late and is a great season to walk, ride the bike, lay down on the park, go to the beach.
November & December are famous for the magical Christmas decorations & holiday window displays! Even though it can be cold and it gets dark early (about 5pm). But it doesn’t matter at this time of the year because it’s great seeing the city after dusk when the Christmas lights pop up more.
LINKS OF INTEREST
Best Areas to Shop in Manhattan
Enjoy!
@NewYorkerTips
