Where to Stay in NYC? (Hint: You’re Thinking About It Wrong)

Deciding where to stay in New York City can feel overwhelming given the number of options. In this article, we’re gonna break down the simplest questions to answer before you decide which part of the city to stay in.

Because the most important factor when choosing where to stay in NYC isn’t just price.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Before you look at locations, answer this
• The #1 factor for a good stay, no matter the neighborhood
• A note about Airbnb and short-term, non-hotel rentals
• Our 3 recommendations for the best places stay in New York City
• Tips for finding the best hotel rates (and comparing reviews)

Note: This article was written by a real live human being, not artificial intelligence. 🥸

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Before You Look at Locations, Answer This

We’re gonna give you a simple this-or-that question that’ll allow you to make a smarter choice about where to stay in NYC, but first, a quick story.

Our Journey From Midtown to the UWS

When we first moved to New York City, with plans to stay only 1-2 years, Midtown was the perfect location for us. We knew lots of family would travel to see us, and being close to a lot of NYC attractions made our location perfect for that!

Living in Midtown threw us into the NYC buzz and energy every single day, and we loved it.

Fast-forward about 4.5 years, and we grew very tired of Midtown. We now live on the Upper West Side.

It’s quieter and calmer, but we can still get to Broadway shows, touristy spots when family visits, and loads of neighborhoods in about 20 minutes.

What does this have to do with you visiting NYC? 👇

What Do You Care More About, Saving Money or Proximity to the NYC Experience?

When you’re trying to figure out where to stay when visiting NYC, you must ask yourself a this-or-that question. Odds are you can’t have both, so you’ll have to decide.

The Question: What do you care more about, saving money or proximity to the NYC experience?

You often, or almost never, can have both. New York City is expensive, and when you prioritize affordability, you will often trade that for distance from common NYC experiences. The same goes for the inverse.

Is Saving Money the Most Important to You?

You will spend very little time in your hotel during your visit to New York City. This is probably the strongest argument for prioritizing a cheaper hotel, even if it means a longer commute.

So, if the cheapest lodging is your highest priority, look at places like:

• Hoboken, New Jersey
• Long Island City in Queens
• Certain pockets of boroughs, like Queens or Brooklyn

Even with that being said, I would never, ever, ever stay in the far reaches of Jersey, or distant parts in Queens or Brooklyn as a traveler. Nothing against those areas, it’s just not where you’re going to likely want to spend your time while visiting!

New York City is a destination, and there is something to be said about staying in your destination, not near it.

Is Proximity to the NYC Experience the Most Important to You?

You will walk a LOT in New York City, part of why comfortable walking shoes are the #1 priority on our NYC packing list, and you will likely finish each day exhausted. Do you want to be dealing with a lengthy, challenging commute at the end of a long, tiring day?

Being close to the action is not only fun, but it’s practical. This is especially true for a short, weekend trip to NYC.

So, if being close to the NYC experiences is your highest priority, look at places like:

• Upper Midtown
• Chelsea
• Financial District

We’ll cover all of those later, but let’s discuss the most important factor when choosing where to stay in New York City. ⤵️

The #1 Factor When Choosing Where to Stay in NYC – Transportation

Whether you stay in Queens or Times Square, proximity to transportation, specifically the subway, is the most important factor.

While the Financial District, or FiDi, feels “far” from many tourist attractions, its proximity to many subway lines actually makes it one of our favorite places to stay in the city.

On the other hand, on one trip, we stayed in Midtown East, thinking it would be quite central. Unfortunately, we were way on the east side, and there was little to no transportation nearby.

Every time we came or went from the hotel, it involved a 15-ish-minute walk to the subway, with some oddly aggressive, unexpected hills.

Bottom Line: Choose a hotel that is less than a 10-minute walk from a reliable subway line. The best-case scenario is a walk of less than 5 minutes to multiple subway lines. This is part of why we love Upper Midtown, but more on that later.

What to Know About Airbnb & Short-Term, Non-Hotel Rentals

A few years ago, New York City passed Local Law 18, which severely limited and complicated short-term rentals, like Airbnb.

While we don’t have time to dive into the intricacies of hotel group lobbying and how it’s actually driven up prices for staying in New York City while not at all improving housing opportunities for New Yorkers, know this…

There are very few Airbnbs in New York City, unless you want to stay for 30+ days.

This has certainly led many former Airbnb hosts and room-sharers to move underground. I would be very careful and probably show a healthy level of skepticism toward anyone offering short-term rentals of their space who requires payment via Zelle, Venmo, or other less secure methods.

So, hotels are usually the best option for traveling to New York City. Let’s look at our three favorite places to stay in New York City, with specific hotel recommendations for each area. ⬇️

Our 3 Recommendations for the Best Places to Stay in New York City

Again, refer to the first section for the important distinction between what makes a place “best” for you. Personally, we loved being right in the heart of the action, or at least close to it, when staying in NYC.

With that being said, here are our three favorite places to stay in New York City:

1. Upper Midtown (not Times Square)
2. Chelsea
3. Financial District (aka FiDi)

Let’s look at each one below.

Upper Midtown (not Times Square)

Okay, when we say “Upper Midtown,” we’re referencing anything between 50th Street and Central Park. This gets you out of the chaos, crowds, and noise of Times Square while still giving you close proximity to SO much.

Another major perk of staying in the upper part of Midtown is the access to the subway. Many of the hotels we will mention are less than 5 minutes to multiple trains, including:

• ACE lines (making travel to/from JFK airport very easy)
• NQRW lines (will get you to damn near any common attraction easily)
• BDFM lines
• 123 lines

See why we love staying in Midtown?

Being close to a subway is a perk, but being close to multiple subway lines is a real NYC travel hack.

The less time you spend getting around the city, the more time you have for actually experiencing and enjoying all you want to see and do in the city.

On that note, be sure to download our 100% free NYC Transportation Guide.

It takes the guesswork out of navigating the subway, getting to and from the airports, walking, and hailing taxis. Get it for free here.

Staying in the upper part of Midtown also means you’re quite close to places like:

• Central Park
• Times Square
• Broadway shows
• Rockefeller Center
• The Museum of Modern Art
• Hell’s Kitchen and its amazing food scene
• and so much more

Plus, the other attractions are just a simple subway ride away. 🙌

If it’s your first time in New York City, we recommend staying in Upper Midtown.

Note: We’ll cover this more later, but we almost exclusively book our travel through Hotels.com or our Chase Sapphire Travel Portal. The Chase Sapphire cards earn amazing points that go a long way. Hotels.com provides OneKey Cash, which gives you money toward future free stays (and works across Expedia, Hotels.com, and VRBO).

Here are some of the best hotels in Midtown:

• CitizenM on 50th Street: Breakfast buffet included (rare), great location & extremely close to 3 different major subway lines. We stayed at the CitizenM in Rome and absolutely loved the experience
• Dream Midtown on 55th Street: Rooftop terrace & bar, great location & extremely close to major subway lines, including the NQRW on the same block
• Sheraton on 7th Ave: Right next to the ACE lines, solid bars and restaurants nearby, top-rated for families
• Park Lane on Central Park South: More of a splurge, but unbelievable views of Central Park, solid rooftop bar as well
• The Plaza Hotel: An absolute icon, probably overpriced but worth the experience for some

Related: Book Top Midtown Attractions & Avoid Lines

Chelsea

Chelsea is a quintessential New York City neighborhood, making it a great place to stay.

It’s quite walkable, has multiple subway lines running through it, and offers a plethora of things to do, places to eat, and trendy bars. Plus, the art galleries in Chelsea are unbeatable.

If you want a slightly calmer New York City experience compared to Midtown, Chelsea is a great place to stay!

Here are some of the best hotels in Chelsea:

• Hilton Fashion District: Usually well-priced, continental breakfast, close to the 1 train
• Chelsea Savoy: Highly-rated breakfast, more affordable option, right next to the 1 train and close to the FM lines
• Moxy Chelsea: Have stayed at other Moxy hotels elsewhere and loved the vibe, great ratings overall
• The Hotel Chelsea: An iconic, historical hotel, if you want more of a splurge with a deep history
• The Maritime Chelsea: Funky, nautical-themed hotel right near Chelsea Market and other landmarks

Related: Book Top Chelsea Attractions & Avoid Lines

Financial District

The Financial District, aka FiDi, is a bustling neighborhood with close proximity to many popular attractions, like One World Trade Center (a great observation deck option), the New York Stock Exchange, the Brooklyn Bridge, and great views of the Statue of Liberty (no boat ride required).

Be aware that the Financial District is high-energy during the work week, but a bit quieter on weekends and evenings.

We’ve stayed here before when traveling and loved it!

Here are some of the best hotels in the Financial District:

• World Center Hotel: Close proximity to One World Trade Center, close to 1, RW, and 45 trains, more affordable option in the area
• Moxy Downtown: We’ve loved staying at Moxy hotels, close to 4 different major subway lines, and with great reviews
• Four Seasons Downtown: Top-rated, high-quality hotel, but a splurge stay if you want it
• Hotel Indigo: Unbelievable ratings, right next to the RW and multiple other subway lines, very close to historic Trinity Church

Related: Book Top Chelsea Attractions & Avoid Lines

One Place NOT to Stay in NYC, As of Early 2026 – Near Port Authority Bus Terminal

While New York City is generally safe, the area around the Port Authority Bus Terminal is not ideal. It has become a breeding ground for sketchiness in all its forms.

Pre-pandemic, we stayed near the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Now, it’s one of the specific places we tell our friends and family NOT to stay!

Tips for Finding the Best Hotel Rates in NYC (and Deciphering Reviews)

While finding the best hotel rates in NYC deserves its own article, we want to give a few helpful tips.

Here are the best ways to find good hotel rates in NYC:

1. Use aggregators like Hotels.com
2. Contact boutique hotels directly
3. Book far in advance

1- Aggregators, like Hotels.com

As we briefly mentioned, Hotels.com is one of our favorite hotel booking aggregators. We’ve found their prices to be extremely fair, often offering discounts for members (free).

Plus, you earn OneKey Cash, which can be used for future bookings on Hotels.com, Expedia, or VRBO. We’ve had many free nights, simply using OneKey Cash.

Their customer service is responsive, too.

2- Contact Boutique Hotels Directly

Another route is to use places like Google, Hotels.com, or other aggregators to find smaller, boutique hotels. Then, once you’ve found some good options, contact the boutique hotels directly.

We did this for a large group trip to Barcelona and ended up getting discounted rates and room upgrades by working directly with the hotel.

Boutique hotels often can’t compete with large chains in many ways, so they’re more eager to attract business and work with patrons.

3- Book Far in Advance

In the vast majority of cases, booking further in advance is the best option. If you’re waiting until 2-3 weeks before your trip, prices are likely to be higher.

If you are more of a risk-taker, you can find good options through sites like HotelTonight.

Overall, planning ahead is often the best way to save money on hotels in New York City.

Where to Stay in NYC Recap & Next Steps

No matter where you choose to stay in New York City, prioritize being close to a subway, or preferably, multiple subway lines.

The proximity to transportation will allow you to get around the city most effectively!

When in doubt, choose one of these neighborhoods:

• Upper Midtown (between 50th and Central Park South)
• Chelsea
• Financial District

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