New York City is notoriously expensive.
This year, based on square meter prices for property, it was ranked as the second-most expensive city in the world to live in by wealth firm Henley & Partners, behind Monaco.
There, property costs $38,800 per square meter, with New York residents facing a $27,500 tariff for each square meter. And tourists are confronted by $30 sandwiches, $150 show tickets and $500-plus hotels.
But here, we reveal that if you know where to look, New York isn’t just cheap, but completely gratis. Read on for our guide to 22 fantastic and completely free things to do and see in the Big Apple.
Incredible views and sensational sightseeing
Ride the Staten Island Ferry
Views of the epic Manhattan skyline and one of the world’s most famous landmarks can be enjoyed from the 100-percent-free Staten Island Ferry, which sails across New York Harbor, right past Lady Liberty.
It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Visit siferry.com
Take a Circle Line cruise
The Circle Line, which bills itself as “America’s favorite boat ride since 1945”, offers outstanding views of the skyline from cruises that take passengers in a loop around Manhattan from piers 16 and 83.
And this summer and beyond, in honor of its 80th anniversary, guests turning 80 in 2025 get a complimentary sightseeing cruise as part of the “Born in 1945” program.
Visit circleline.com
Stroll The High Line
Enjoy mesmerising views of the Hudson River and skyline on Manhattan’s West Side from The High Line, a 1.5-mile-long elevated freight rail line turned public park.
Visit Hunter’s Point South Park
For an “unbeatable” free view of the skyline, Nicole Lawson, British Airways Holidays Destination Manager, recommends heading to Gantry Plaza State Park, then walking down to Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City.
She tells The Independent: “The Manhattan skyline looks incredible from there, especially at sunset. And here you can enjoy it away from the hustle and bustle of the city.”
Relax and gaze at Brooklyn Bridge Park
For “iconic waterfront views”, Amore Philip, Brooklyn resident and Founder of Apples & Oranges Public Relations, urges visitors to visit Brooklyn Bridge Park, which stretches from the trendy Dumbo neighborhood to Brooklyn Heights.
She adds: “There’s also free kayaking in the warmer months and plenty of photo-worthy spots that feel like mini getaways within the city.”
Beautiful buildings and fascinating museums
New York Public Library
Inside the New York Public Library, points out Georgia Fowkes, a travel advisor for Altezza Travel, you can see the first printed Bible, James Joyce’s handwritten Ulysses and the original toys that inspired Christopher Robin Milne’s timeless children’s stories — Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga, and Tigger.
They’re part of a Treasures exhibition that can be seen for free during a 45-minute reservation-only guided tour.
Georgia tells The Independent: “I’ve gone three times. And every time, I’m hit with the same feeling: How is this even accessible? To stand face to face with a true cultural archive of the planet. Right here in the middle of the city.”
Arguably, the building is a treasure in its own right, with people absorbing tomes beneath chandeliers and an ornate ceiling smothered in murals.
Visit nypl.org
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms, with 44 of them spread across two underground levels.
But this structure isn’t worth visiting for its dimensions alone, it’s also a historical treasure trove and full of surprising extras.
The building has 12 constellations painted in gold leaf on the ceiling; an opal glass clock valued at $20 million; a ‘Whispering Gallery’ where arches bounce utterances across the room; and marble oak leaf and acorn embellishments, symbols of the Vanderbilt family, who financed the construction of the 1913 wonder.
The terminal also houses a tennis court, an Apple store and an oyster bar.
Visit grandcentralterminal.com
Trinity Church
When Trinity Church, at Broadway and Wall Street, was completed in 1846, its 281-foot steeple made it the tallest building in the U.S.
Today, visitors don’t marvel at its height, but at its beautiful Gothic Revival architecture and to see the grave of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
The current building is actually the third edition of the church. The first was built in the 17th century but burned down in the Great Fire of 1776, and the second was dismantled in 1839 after a heavy snowfall collapsed the roof.
The Morgan Library and Museum
The Morgan Library and Museum on Madison Avenue houses over 350,000 treasures, rare manuscripts and letters from the sixth to the 16th centuries – and this former private library of financier J. Pierpont Morgan is a jewel of a building, described by one Tripadvisor user as “sumptuous” and “magical”.
If you visit, try to find the hidden doors.
Admission is free on Fridays, 5-8pm.
Visit tripadvisor.com
Queens County Farm Museum
Learn how farm products travel from field to fork at this remarkable 47-acre tract of farmland in Queens.
There are animals from goats to alpacas to meet and a corn-maize maze to explore.
Visit queensfarm.org
Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian Institution, cares for “one of the world’s most expansive collections of Native artifacts”.
Tripadvisor user Ronald R described the attraction as “informative and thoughtful”.
He added: “A great place to visit if you have any interest in true history.”
The museum is located on the first two floors of the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in lower Manhattan.
Visit americanindian.si.edu
Places so peaceful you might even hear birdsong
Elizabeth Street Garden, Nolita
Walk too fast and you’ll miss Elizabeth Street Garden, says Georgia Fowkes.
This “secret fairy garden” sits behind a metal gate in the middle of a busy Nolita block, she reveals, and is “filled with antique busts, terracotta urns, and wild lavender”.
Georgia adds: “The best part is just sitting in the grass and realizing you can hear birds in downtown Manhattan.”
The Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
“Before there was Central Park,” says Georgia Fowkes, “there was Green-Wood — its predecessor.”
The travel expert explains that the cemetery was founded in 1838 and was once the second-most-visited tourist destination in New York State after Niagara Falls.
Georgia continues: “People came here to walk, picnic, and watch birds.
“Today, it’s a landscape of Gothic architecture, historic monuments, ponds, and cobblestone paths. At the top of Battle Hill — the highest natural point in Brooklyn — you’ll see one of the best views of Manhattan.”
In addition, Georgia points out, there are open-air cultural events year-round — including free ones like The Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration and Family Day.
Central Park
No list of freebie New York attractions would be complete without Central Park, the 843-acre lungs of New York, where locals and visitors have come for more than 150 years for respite from the bustling streets.
Central Park is open 6am to 1am daily.
Visit centralparknyc.org
Be colored impressed by art in the street
Bushwick Collective Street Art, Brooklyn
There’s never a charge to see the vibrant street art in the Bushwick neighborhood.
Georgia says: “I start at Jefferson Street and follow the walls. The beauty is that it’s living art — what you see today might be gone tomorrow.”
She adds: “Bushwick Collective began as a platform for street artists, but it’s become a visual archive of what the city is feeling right now — what’s making people angry, hopeful, or loud today.
“People line up for MoMA and miss Bushwick. Big mistake. This is a museum that grew by itself — no curators, no tickets. Just walls and artists who had something to say — sometimes in letters ten feet tall.”
Fragile Giants
Renowned French sculptor Michel Bassompierre recently unveiled Fragile Giants in Manhattan’s Murray Hill neighborhood.
Nine giant animal sculptures can be viewed along Park Avenue between 34th and 38th Streets, until May 2026.
Visit murrayhillnyc.org
Pick a performance
See a Shakespeare play
The Delacorte Theater in Central Park has been putting on Shakespeare plays for free for over 60 years.
It returns in August after a two-year renovation.
Free tickets are distributed on each public performance day via free ticket lines in the park.
Tickets are also distributed in the boroughs and at The Public Theater on Lafayette Street.
Visit publictheater.org
Festival fun
The Summer on the Hudson
The annual Summer on the Hudson festival in Riverside Park features music concerts, dance performances, movies under the stars, DJ dance parties, kids shows, wellness activities, and more.
Everything is free to the public, with places available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The festival, spanning 59th Street to 153rd Street, runs to the end of September.
Visit nycgovparks.org
Hudson Yards
A smorgasbord of free concerts, sports screenings, theater performances, fitness classes and more are there for the taking at Hudson Yards.
Some of the biggest sporting events of the summer will be shown on a big screen, pickleball enthusiasts can book free court time and there’s even a two-hour “reading party”.
Visit hudsonyardsnewyork.com
Times Square
Free open-air performances are taking place through the end of September across Times Square’s public plazas as part of the TSQ Live festival.
“Times Square is the world’s stage, described by many as a bucket list venue to perform at and thrilling for fans and commuter audiences who enjoy these unique, collective experiences that make the plazas of Times Square feel like they belong to everyone,” said Joe Papa, Director of Events and Programming at the Times Square Alliance.
“TSQ Live is raising the bar once again this year, hosting over 80 free events with more than 20 different cultural partners and supporting over 300 performers through DJ sets, workshops, and live music from favorite local bands and surprise pop-up performances from today’s icons.”
Visit timessquarenyc.org
Throw down a towel on a beach
Rockaway Beach
Thought New York wasn’t a beach destination? Think again.
At seven miles in length, Rockaway Beach — made famous by the Ramones’ 1977 hit song of the same name — is America’s largest urban beach and accessible by the A subway line and NYC Ferry.
As well as a boardwalk and golden sands, there are seven playgrounds, spots for fishing, and areas for volleyball and basketball.
Manhattan Beach
Amore Philip favors Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn.
She says: “It’s a peaceful, scenic neighborhood tucked away near Sheepshead Bay, with a calm beach, a wide boardwalk, and tree-lined streets full of beautiful, Hampton-esque homes.”
