By Liam Isola New York City is not just one of the best cities in the US to visit, it’s one of the premier cities in the entire world. Still, there are certainly better times than others to take a trip to NYC. So, today we’ll cover the best months to visit New York City.
The dead of summer brings scalding hot temperatures, big crowds, and high prices. So, it’s best to stay away until the Fall. December is certainly festive, but it also comes with big crowds, high prices, and cold weather.
So, if you want to take your first trip to NYC, you’ll give yourself the best chance to enjoy your trip if you go during the shoulder seasons. Here are the four best months to visit the Big Apple:
Best Months to Visit New York City: 1. October
October is, without question, one of the best months to visit New York City. More generally, fall is the best season to be in NYC, with mild temperatures and fewer crowds than in the summer.
In October, you can take a stroll in Central Park and see vibrant hues of red, orange, and yellow as the leaves change for the season. The leaves typically start changing in early October, and the peak foliage is closer towards the end of the month.
If you rent a car, you can take a day trip north to the Catskills and hike with beautiful scenery. I’m quite partial to the Mohonk Preserve, which is under two hours away from Midtown Manhattan.
October is a great month for basketball fans to be in the city, as the NBA season starts towards the end of the month.
Knicks tickets can run a couple of hundred dollars apiece, while Brooklyn Nets tickets are much more affordable. However, the Nets’ product on the court isn’t as good as their cross-borough rivals, at least for right now.
The Village Halloween Festival, held on Halloween night, is another big event in October. There’s also the New York Film Festival and New York Comic Con earlier in the month.
Hotel prices are, unfortunately, ridiculously high during most times of the year in NYC. October is no exception to that rule, but it’s better than visiting in the summer or around Thanksgiving/Christmastime. If money is an issue, stay in New Jersey near transit hubs.
Secaucus, NJ, has plenty of trains to Penn Station, and the trip takes just 18 minutes. You could also stay in Hoboken, Jersey City, or Newark and take the PATH trains into Manhattan.
2. September
If you can’t visit New York City in October, September is the next best thing. The hot summer temperatures give way to crisper air, and the hoards of tourists thin out. Prices are still high in September, but are more manageable than the peak summer months.
The weather is absolutely gorgeous in September, with average highs at 76 degrees Fahrenheit and average lows at 61.
September is a great month for theater lovers to take a trip to NYC. Broadway Week, which ran for two weeks this year, offers buy-one-get-one tickets on certain shows, making it much more accessible for people to see plays.
Broadway Week is a biannual event that also takes place in the dead of winter (late January to February). This is a much cheaper time to visit the city, if you don’t mind the cold and blustery winter conditions.
The Italian American community also comes to life in September during the Feast of San Gennaro. This 10-day event celebrates the Patron Saint of Naples, and NYC’s Little Italy, Saint Januarius. There’s live music and plenty of Neapolitan food.
All of this makes September one of the best months to visit New York City.
3. May
Weather-wise, May is the closest parallel in NYC to September. If anything, the temperatures are even nicer. The average highs are 72 degrees, and the average lows are 55. Sure, that does come with a higher risk of rain, but there are some incredible days in May, especially towards the end of the month.
The city really comes back to life again in May. April can still bring cold temperatures and gray weather, but you can enjoy the full range of NYC’s outdoor activities once May starts. It’s a beautiful time to be in Central Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, with everything in full bloom.
There’s much more energy in New York City when people are enjoying the outdoors. In May, you’ll see plenty of people taking strolls and running in the parks. You’ll also see certain roads closed off for outdoor dining, which makes for a great, pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.
The baseball season officially gets underway in April, and sometimes late March, but May is a much more pleasant month to catch a game at Yankee Stadium or Citi Field.
A couple of things I’d note about May is that the prices can be very high around graduations at big colleges like Columbia, NYU, Hunter, and Baruch. So, it might be worth checking the grad schedule before you plan your trip. Memorial Day Weekend is also quite expensive.
Best Months to Visit New York City: 4. April
While May definitely marks the first month of the year where the city is fully back to life, those signs of life start in April. The cherry blossoms begin to bloom in the city’s parks, and the dreary winter gives way to the lush, green spring.
Make sure to check out the Brooklyn Cherry Blossom Festival at the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The city’s outdoor dining program also starts in April, and there’s certainly a chance you’ll get a warm sunny day to take full advantage.
You’ll also get much better prices on hotels in April than in any of the months we’ve previously discussed. April is very much the shoulder season, which means fewer wait times for big attractions and restaurants.
Just make sure you carry an umbrella and bring warm clothes in April, as the weather can be quite unpredictable. Regardless, April is one of the best months to visit New York City.
November is an honorable mention for this list, but the temperatures get frigid by the end of the month, and the prices are rather high around Thanksgiving. The beginning of November is a great time to be in the city, though.