Where to Stay in New York: Areas and Top-Rated Hotels
Where to stay in New York? Midtown, Lower Manhattan, SoHo, the Upper West Side and Brooklyn; getting in from the airports, and top-rated hotels.
New York hotels are expensive and rooms are small, so the right area shapes both your budget and your days. The subway runs 24 hours, which makes staying outside Manhattan a real option. This guide covers the areas, getting in from the airports, and what to check when choosing a hotel. A list of top-rated hotels follows at the end.
Areas of New York
- Midtown: Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue and the Theater District. The most central choice for a first visit.
- Lower Manhattan: The Financial District, the 9/11 Memorial and the Statue of Liberty ferries; quieter at weekends.
- SoHo and Greenwich Village: Boutique shops, galleries and restaurants.
- Upper West Side: West of Central Park, near the American Museum of Natural History; calm and family-friendly.
- Brooklyn (Williamsburg, DUMBO): Manhattan views, cafés and lively streets, a short subway ride away.
- Long Island City (Queens): A few subway stops from Midtown, with hotels that are usually cheaper than in Manhattan.
Getting in from the airport
- JFK: AirTrain JFK runs to Jamaica (Long Island Rail Road and subway E, J and Z lines) or Howard Beach (subway A line).
- Newark (EWR): AirTrain Newark runs to the airport rail station, with NJ Transit and Amtrak trains to Penn Station in Manhattan.
- LaGuardia (LGA): The Q70 LaGuardia Link bus connects to the subway.
- Getting around: Pay with contactless (OMNY) on the subway and buses.
What to check when choosing a hotel
- Taxes and fees: Taxes are added to New York hotel rates, and some hotels also charge a facility or destination fee. Check the final price and extra fees before booking.
- Room size: Manhattan rooms are small; if you travel as a family, check the square footage and bed set-up.
- Close to the subway: A hotel outside Manhattan near a subway line can be as practical as one in Manhattan.
- Entry requirements: Check visa and entry rules for your nationality well before you travel.
New York in numbers
- Places to stay: Kolay Seyahat lists 3,777 properties in New York (hotels, apartments, guesthouses and more). See all New York hotels, or browse 5-star hotels in New York, 4-star hotels in New York, 3-star hotels in New York.
- Flights from Istanbul: Across 62 flight dates between 22 August 2026 and 22 October 2026, our fare checks found a lowest one-way fare of TRY 30,328 and a median of TRY 36,278 (1 adult, economy, taxes included). On 16% of those days the cheapest option was a non-stop flight. See current fares on the Istanbul–New York fare calendar.
Top-rated hotels in New York
The “Featured Hotels” list below is built from data, not picked by hand: properties in New York with photos, at least 5 guest reviews and a score of 8.0 or higher out of 10, ranked by number of reviews (October 2026). Scores come from reviews by guests who stayed at the property. The top three are Hotel Riu Plaza New York Times Square (8.41 · 10 reviews), HI New York City - Hostel (8.5 · 9 reviews), Park Central Hotel New York (8.17 · 7 reviews). Open a hotel’s page for current prices and availability.
Cover photo: Trev W. Adams / Pexels
