Where to stay in New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens compared

New York hotels are expensive, rooms are small, and the difference between a good and a tiring stay often comes down to the block you're on and the subway line outside. The good news is that the subway runs around the clock and reaches almost everywhere, so you can trade a famous address for more space or a better rate without losing much time. Here's how the main areas compare.

The quick answer

• First visit, sights and Broadway: Midtown.
• Weekend rates and harbour views: Lower Manhattan and the Financial District.
• Shopping, restaurants and village streets: SoHo and Greenwich Village.
• Families and Central Park: the Upper West Side.
• Museums and quiet elegance: the Upper East Side.
• Bars, food and a local feel: Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
• Skyline views and cobbled streets: DUMBO, Brooklyn.
• Better value, one stop from Midtown: Long Island City, Queens.

Midtown: the classic base

Midtown Manhattan covers Times Square, the Broadway theatres, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal and the southern edge of Central Park. It has the largest concentration of hotels in the city and more subway lines than anywhere else.

Good for: first-time visitors, theatre-goers and short trips where you want to see as much as possible. Consider: the area around Times Square is crowded and noisy at all hours, and restaurants there are geared to visitors. Midtown East, around Grand Central, and the blocks west towards Hell's Kitchen are calmer and have better neighbourhood dining.

Lower Manhattan and the Financial District

The southern tip of Manhattan is home to Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, One World Trade Center, Battery Park and the departure points for ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island. The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge starts nearby. Many office buildings have been converted to flats, so it's more lived-in than it once was.

Good for: visitors focused on history and harbour views, and anyone looking for weekend deals at business-oriented hotels. Consider: some streets are quiet after office hours and at weekends, and it's 15 to 25 minutes by subway to Midtown. The Fulton Center station is a useful hub with many lines.

SoHo and Greenwich Village: character and style

SoHo is known for cast-iron buildings, cobbled streets and boutiques. Greenwich Village and the West Village, just north and west, have tree-lined streets, brownstones, Washington Square Park, jazz clubs and some of the city's best small restaurants. Chelsea, the High Line and Little Italy are all close.

Good for: couples, food lovers and repeat visitors who want neighbourhood life. Consider: there are fewer hotels here, so rooms are often expensive, and the Village's irregular street layout is confusing at first.

Upper West Side: residential and family-friendly

Between Central Park and Riverside Park, the Upper West Side is a mostly residential area of pre-war apartment buildings and brownstones. The American Museum of Natural History and Lincoln Center are here, and the 1, 2, 3, B and C trains run south to Midtown in 10 to 20 minutes.

Good for: families, longer stays and travellers who like two big parks on the doorstep. Consider: nightlife is limited, and there are fewer hotels than in Midtown.

Upper East Side: museums and calm

East of Central Park, the Upper East Side has Museum Mile along Fifth Avenue, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, as well as elegant townhouses and boutiques along Madison Avenue. It's served by the Lexington Avenue lines and the newer Second Avenue line.

Good for: art lovers, older travellers and anyone who wants a quiet, safe-feeling base. Consider: hotels here tend towards the upscale end, and it's a long way from Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Brooklyn: Williamsburg and DUMBO

Williamsburg is one stop from Manhattan on the L train. It's known for bars, restaurants, music venues, vintage shops and waterfront parks with views of the Manhattan skyline. Good for: younger travellers, food and nightlife, and those who want a neighbourhood feel. Consider: it's a subway ride to most major sights, and the L train sometimes has weekend service changes.

DUMBO, short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a small area of converted warehouses and cobbled streets between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Brooklyn Bridge Park runs along the waterfront. Good for: couples, photographers and anyone who wants skyline views and quiet evenings. Consider: hotel choice is limited, and it's quieter at night than Williamsburg.

Long Island City: the value option

Across the East River in Queens, Long Island City has grown rapidly, with many newer hotels and apartment towers. Several subway lines, including the 7, E, M, N and W, reach Midtown in one or two stops, and the riverside parks have some of the best views of the Manhattan skyline.

Good for: budget-conscious travellers and families who want more space, and anyone flying into LaGuardia. Consider: it's less atmospheric and has less evening life than Manhattan or Brooklyn, so check the walk to the nearest station.

Getting around New York

• The subway runs 24 hours a day, though late-night service is less frequent and weekend service changes are common. Check the route before you travel.
• Paying: tap a contactless bank card, phone or watch on the OMNY readers at subway gates and on buses. Fares are capped over a rolling seven-day period if you use the same card or device every time. The older MetroCard is being retired.
• Express and local trains share many lines. Express trains skip stops, so check the signs on the platform.
• Uptown and downtown platforms sometimes have separate entrances. Look at the sign before you tap in.
• Walking is often the best way to cover short distances. Manhattan's numbered grid makes it easy above 14th Street: roughly 20 north–south blocks make a mile (about 1.6 km).

Rule of thumb: choose a hotel within a five-minute walk of a subway station served by an express line. It will save more time than a slightly more central address.

Arriving from the airports

• JFK: the AirTrain connects the terminals with the subway and with Long Island Rail Road trains at Jamaica, which reach Penn Station and Grand Central Madison in about 20 minutes. Taxis charge a flat fare to Manhattan; check the current amount.
• LaGuardia: there's no rail link, but buses connect the terminals with subway stations in Queens and Upper Manhattan. Taxis and ride-hailing are the simplest options with luggage.
• Newark: in New Jersey, with an AirTrain to a rail station where trains run to Penn Station in about 30 minutes.

Practical tips before you book

• Check the total price. New York hotel prices exclude several taxes, and many hotels add a nightly facility or amenity fee. Compare the final amount.
• Short-term rentals are restricted. New York City strictly limits rentals of under 30 days, and most whole-apartment short stays are not legal, so a hotel is usually the simpler choice.
• Expect small rooms, especially in older Manhattan buildings, and check the room size and bed type if you're travelling as a family.
• Street noise is constant in much of Manhattan. Ask for a high floor or a room at the back if you're a light sleeper.
• Season matters. Autumn and the weeks before Christmas are busy and expensive; January and February are usually the cheapest, but cold. Summers are hot and humid, so air conditioning matters.

Pick Midtown for convenience, the Village or Brooklyn for character, the Upper West Side for families, and Long Island City for value, and the subway will handle the rest.

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Cover photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons