The best moment to visit New York City according to a tour guide

5/4/2024 0 Comments

The best moment to visit New York City according to a tour guide

One of the best advantages of being a tour guide who travels to New York City once a month is definitely to see the city every season. I'm not going to lie, there is something to see all year long in the city that never sleeps! Since I understand that it isn't possible for everyone to visit once a month, or even once a year, here are my pros and cons for every moment so you can visit during the time that means the most to you.

New Year's eve

I have always been honest and you know I will continue to be in my travel tips, so this is why I will say that I found New Years Eve in New York to be a tad disappointing. I had fun and the group I was with did too, but most of the group left early as participating in Times Square festivities means arriving at noon. You are not allowed a big back pack, if you leave, even just to go to the bathroom, you are not allowed back in, you barely see the ball drop unless you are way at the front, let's just say it's not a comfortable experience. There are also fireworks in Central Park that can get very crowded, but can be less overstimulating than Times Square.

Most restaurants in the city have special events that you need to make reservations weeks in advance to participate in, but it can be totally worth it. Since they don't want to have to remember what everyone ordered and print out bills, they usually have a cover (somewhere around 200$) and then have an open bar once you're inside. If you choose your restaurant wisely, some will even guaranty you a spot for the ball drop.

You can't underestimate the weather in your plans. Last year was very comfortable, but New York can be humid, windy and pretty cold. So if you plan on being outside for hours, make sure you are ready for it.

The part I found the most disappointing for my group was that, unless you are in New York only for the festivities and have no other plan, everything else was super crowded or closed. You could barely walk on Fifth Ave, you had to push your way through Times Square (when it was open), the library was closed, you couldn't even see the Bull through the crowd, Bow Bridge in Central Park was a restricted area because of the fireworks, every store was a mad house, it was ridiculous. Every activity you also needed to make reservations weeks in advance.

For people who have never been to New York and want to see the sights, it really isn't the best time, but for people who want to be in the middle of the action and celebrate New Years with the best atmosphere, it is definitely the place to be!

Easter

Easter weekend is one of the most popular weekend for tour groups visiting New York as it is a four-day weekend for most, especially for students. The weather in New York can still be unpredictable, but is usually pretty nice. While it is one of the busier weekends, it wasn't crazy and overwhelming like other holidays. I rather enjoyed it! Plus the Hat Parade looked so much fun! I didn't have to chance to attend, but we could see people with crazy hats on the street making their way to the parade.

Depending on the weekend Easter falls on, it can also be a good time to see the cherry trees in Central Park.

Spring

Spring is definitely my favorite season of all to visit New York! I would say, from mid-April to the end of May, the weather is perfect. Warm during the day, cool at night, with a small breeze, mostly sunny, the dream! I visited at the end of April, and though the cherry trees were not in bloom anymore and the magnolias were at the end of their bloom, every single other tree and plant seemed to be in bloom. There were flowers of every color everywhere you looked in Central Park, there was a tulip field in the yard of Brookfield Place, Bryant Park was full of life, it was just so beautiful to see every park in the city seem to come alive.

For the restaurants, some of them keep their terrasses open year long, but the others will have opened theirs by mid-April. Plus, as long as you are not traveling on a holiday weekend, spring is pretty quiet in New York. I saw no crowds whatsoever.

4th of july

I personally loved visiting on 4th of July weekend. It seemed most New Yorkers had left the heat of the city for the country side or the beach and it was pretty quiet everywhere. That's not to say you shouldn't make reservations for most activities, but at least you'll have space to enjoy them and you might be able to get tickets on the day of.

While it will be hot outside and you will want to carry water bottles and sunscreen with you, I didn't find it suffocating. Every store, restaurant and indoor activity has AC if you can't take the heat anymore, but I found it quite comfortable personally. I walked all the way from the City Cruises pier to the Vessel, and then walked the High Line all the way to Little Island and then up Fifth Ave to the library and, while I made sure to eat and hydrate properly, I had no problem.

Summer

Except for 4th of July apparently, summer vacations are a busy time in New York City. It's never as crazy as the winter holidays, but you do need to prepare your vacation in advance if you want to do some activities and you will need to plan your accommodation in advance as well.

The other point to consider is that it is hot in the city in the summer. From mid-July to the end of August, some days are unbearable. While the tour groups are able to keep mostly the same schedule year-round, in the summer, we make sure to stay in the shade when outside, the bus driver carries a cooler filled with iced water bottles, and we do outdoor activities early morning. Another thing you might want to consider is having your accommodation closer to the activities you want to do, as taking the subway in the heat is really unpleasant and, depending on your tolerance, walking in the heat might not be recommended. You might want to consider the hop-on-hop-off buses that I wouldn't normally recommend as they are expensive and New York has great public transit, but could be a good idea in the summer.

The main positive point to visiting in the summer, other than school vacations, is the free activities offered. Bryant Park has outdoor movies and concerts, Lincoln Center has free concerts, most parks have table tennis, chess boards, etc. Central Park will have plays and shows. There is a street fair on 6th Avenue practically every Saturday and a parade on Fifth Ave almost every Sunday. The city seems to vibrate with energy.

Labor day

Labor day is a good time to visit New York City. While some attractions might be closed on Monday for the holiday, most activities will be open. Since everyone is getting ready to go back to school or work, it isn't one of the more popular weekends so crowds are pretty light. The heat is more bearable, but the weather is still warm and nice. Altogether, there is no particular advantage to visiting for Labor day, but it is still one of the best moment in my opinion.

Fall

After spring, fall is the nicest season to visit New York City. From mid-September to the end of October, the weather is so nice, the leaves slowly turn to orange, the city seems to breathe properly. There are practically no crowds, every outdoor attraction is still open before it closes for winter. They start installing Christmas decorations and ice rinks in mid-October so you can go ice skating in shorts with barely anyone else there. I definitely recommend! I personally visited over Halloween with my family and we loved it. Every tourist was in Salem for the weekend and it felt like we had New York to ourselves. We had two days of summer weather and two days of grey and rain, but we managed to organize our days so we could be inside during the rain and it was the perfect weekend.

thanksgiving

I believe every season has it's pros, but DO NOT VISIT DURING THANKSGIVING WEEKEND! It was crazier than New Years. Black Friday on Fifth Ave was a circus and it wasn't even worth it as there are barely any sales on Fifth Ave. The Rockefeller Center was a mad house, Bryant Park was loud and over-crowded, Times Square was just a bad idea, you get the jist. The whole group got on the bus to go back home on Sunday and we collectively breathed a sight of relief. I think my head spun all the way back to Canada. Honestly, if your goal is to see the sights and see the Christmas decorations, any other weekend in November or December will be better than this hell on earth.

december

December will have some Christmas crowds, but it is worth it. I would avoid the Christmas holidays, but otherwise it shouldn't be crazy, but rather nice. All the decorations and special activities will be on. You will find ice rinks everywhere with little booths for hot cocoa. The weather should be mostly pleasant, not too cold, and barely any chance of snow. The Christmas Spectacular at the Radio City Music Hall starts showing in November and the show is totally worth it. Honestly, a good time to visit!

weekends vs weekdays

Obviously, weekends are generally busier than weekdays, although there is more traffic at peak hours on weekdays. In the summer, there is no big difference, there are crowds all through summer. Opening hours can vary a lot though from weekdays to weekends, though. Some stores will be open later on weekends while most buildings have better opening hours during the week. You should check ahead of times and plan your schedule accordingly. Times Square will have a better ambiance over the weekend, but it will also be more crowded. I also love going to Central Park during the weekend as cars are not allowed in the park, but dogs are allowed to be off-leash until 9 AM so it makes for a fun visit.

concerts and sport events

If you are visiting for a concert or sport event, make sure you arrive early and plan your transportation ahead of times. The subway can get very crowded before important Yankees games. Most big concerts nowadays are actually in the Met Life stadium which is in New Jersey, about a 20-minute drive from Manhattan. You can get there by bus, but I wouldn't recommend taking the last one out as the stadium has space for 80k people and you won't be the only person relying on public transportation. Same thing for football games. All in all, events like these don't really have an impact on your trip to the city, but if you plan to attend I would make plans to be there early and plan for the fact that it might take a while before you can leave the stadium after the event, especially using public transportation.

Honestly, you can't really go wrong when visiting New York City. It really depends on your budget, tolerance of crowds, the activities you want to do, and what you wish to see. I hope the article was able to help you decide the best time for your visit. You can also check out my best tips for visiting NYC down below and let me know in the comments if you have any questions. Enjoy your visit to the Big Apple!

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