Bargains galore in the Big Apple!
Golden Apple enjoyment at Granny Smith prices!
It is easy to find free and cheap things to do, eat, see and enjoy all over town.
New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Just ask anyone on the subway what they pay in rent, and you'll be talking for hours. But, New Yorkers know, you never pay retail in this town! Here's a collection of free guides, websites, discounts and tourist attractions for the penny-pinchers, coupon clippers, tightwads, poor students, starving artists, cheapskates, working actors and freelancers!!!
GETTING AROUND - MASS TRANSIT
The subway and bus system is safe, cheap and runs 24-7-365. The best transportation bargain around. Buy a MetroCard and go!
MUSEUM and CULTURAL INSTITUTION FREE DAYS
This is one of the best things about NYC. They have a long-standing tradition of making world-class art and culture availble to all, regardless of income or ability to pay.
Pay attention to Museum Free Days for Suggested Contribution Days, Always Free, and Free Nights. If you love museums, then New York is the place to go for the most abundant variety of museum deals.
WALKING TOURS
Some are seasonal, so check your calendar.
- Big Apple Greeters - See New York through the eyes of a New Yorker! FREE but place a request 3-4 weeks in advance. A volunteer New Yorker will show you a favorite neighborhood, answer your questions and demonstrate how easy it is to use public transportation.
- Wall Street - Every Thursday and Saturday except Thanksgiving, and no tours on Christmas when it falls on either of those days.
- Lower East Side Free walking tour (April to December) and Cell Phone Tour
- 34th Street and the ghosts of the original Penn Station
- Central Park
- Times Square Exposé Free Walking Tour- Fridays at 12 PM at the Times Square Alliance Information Center
- Grand Central Terminal - Inside the station, or the station and neighborhood - Usually lasts over 2 hours, rather than the advertised "90 minutes". Feel free to jump ship whenever.
- Bronx Trolley Tours (Weekend tours from April to October)
- Federal Reserve Bank
SHOPPING
Before you make your purchases, show your out-of-state ID or passport at the visitor's desk at Macy's and Bloomingdale's for a visitor's discount on certain items!
SAMPLE SALES are also a great way to find deals. Register for free at these websites, and you'll get email alerts of upcoming sales:
- Top Button
- Insider's Guide to Sample Sales (lots of helpful hints and weblinks)
- Insider's Guide to Discount Shopping (nice list of reliable discount havens)
FREE OR CHEAP MUSIC, MOVIES AND LIVE PERFORMANCES
Most of these festivals are seasonal, during the spring and summer, so check their websites for schedules:
- Celebrate Brooklyn ($3.00 suggested donation, except for charity fundraisers. Check prices.)
- River To River Festival
- Central Park Summerstage (some events are free, some are charity fundraisers. Check prices.)
- Shakespeare in the Park (requires lining for up for first-come-first-serve tickets)
- Bryant Park Monday Night Movies, by HBO. (Very crowded!)
- Tickets to TV shows are free, but you must sign up months in advance.
- Indie art and otherwise fringe events - subscribe to Nonsense NYC or Toxic Pop to get email listings of oddball, cutting edge, underground and off-beat performances and events. Most are free or very cheap.
CHEAP STUFF TO DO
- Get a Big Apple Greeter - this all-volunteer organization offers FREE customized tours! Sign up way in advance!
- Staten Island Ferry - FREE
- Walk the Brooklyn Bridge - FREE
- People-watch in a park - FREE
- Volunteer to usher at an Off-Broadway show - FREE. Ask at each theatre.
- Roosevelt Island Tram - $2.00
- Parades - there's nearly one every month!
- Walking - the best way to see the streets of NYC - FREE (minus cost of new shoes and Dr. Scholl's insoles!)
- Kayaking - FREE! On the Hudson. Walk up and jump in the river. Seriously.
- High Five Ticket program - $5.00 theatre, dance and performance tix for teens ages 13 - 18 (plus one adult guest)
- Food from street carts! - From falafel, to fruit smoothies, to exotic coffee, to bratwurst, to samosas and dosas, to arepas - all delish and nothing over $10.
- Gallery openings - Check listings on the web, in Time Out magazine and the Village Voice for free cheese and wine!
FREE NEWSPAPERS
These freebie rags are available from street-corner newspaper boxes. Also, most neighborhoods have their own freebie weeklies, too, such asThe Villager and the Downtown Express.
- New York Press (free nightlife and culture weekly)
- New York Metro and AM New York (free news dailies sponsored by major newspapers)
- The Village Voice (free nightlife and culture weekly)
- The L Magazine (free nightlife and culture weekly)
CHEAP EATS
It is very easy to find cheap eats throughout NYC. Most international cuisine, such as Vietnamese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Latino offer amazing tasty bargains. And there is always The Recession Speical - 2 hot dogs and a drink - at Gray's Papaya. Sample the metling pot that is NYC.
Some guides to the city's best cheap eats:
From CheapEatery.com, the most extensive and searchable cheap eats resource:
From New York Magazine:
From TimeOutNY:
The NYC Cheap Eats Food Pyramid
HELPFUL WEBSITES
- NewYorkled (music, culture, street fairs - an excellent website with a lot of depth, so click around a bit.)
- NYC Insider Guide - monthly pick of top events, many free or cheap, and a current list of all FREE Tours around NYC.
- FreeNYC (less detailed than NewYorkled, but pretty good.)
- Cheap Guide (New York Magazine's on-line budget guide)
- This Week In New York - TWINY - Mostly free or cheap highlights of local events and exhibits
- DrinkDeal (happy hours and drink specials all over town.)
- MyOpenBar (weekly listings and user reviews/ratings. Sign up for email alerts.)
- Automobile Club - If you are a member of AAA or CAA, flash your card at shops, museums and attractions! It works!
ATTRACTION PASSES - An analysis
New York is filled with bargains, deals, and steals, especially in the attraction department, on top of having tons of Free Museum Days there are also a number of attraction passes to choose from which could save you bucks on attractions in New York City. Be sure to read the sites carefully and determine which sights you're most likely to be seeing to choose the one that's right for you.
Keep in mind that the museums included may have "free" days. For example, the City Pass has the Museum of Modern Art ( Admission is free for all visitors during Target Free Friday Nights, sponsored by Target, every Friday evening, 4:00–8:00 p.m. Tickets for Target Free Friday Nights are not available in advance) and for the American Museum of Natural History there is a recommended $14 donation. These are things to keep in mind when reviewing the attractions included with each card.
New York Explorer Pass A credit-card sized pass loaded with 15 New York attractions including Land & Water Tours, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, NBC Studio Tours, the Uncle Sam's New York Broadway Tour and more. Choose 5 or Choose 3 attractions. Skip the line at museums. Good for 30 days.
Choose 3 attractions for $69.99 Adult, $47.99 Child OR Choose 5 for $109.99 Adult, $69.99 Child
- Best for: Travelers who want flexibility. Easy to sample the attractions in the city without feeling overwhelmed. Good if you want to keep your itinerary open in the event of weather changes or sudden changes in your itinerary. New residents (because you have 30 days to use it), Tour goers (includes several water & land tours including a hop on hop off water taxi, TV & Movies Tour, & Harbor Tours)
Here is an excellent analysis and rebuttal of the value of the Explorer Pass, from September 2007.
City Pass Tear out coupons for 6 New York Attractions comprising Empire State Building Observatory, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, American Museum of Natural History & Rose Center, Guggenheim Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Good for 9 Days.
One Book with 6 Coupons $79 for adults, $59 for youths (12 – 17)*.
* Prices for children vary and, consequently, CityPass tickets are not available for under 12s. The following prices apply at the featured attractions:
· Empire State Building Observatory : Ages 6-11 $20 w/audio, Under 6 free
· Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises: Ages 3-12 $14, Under 3 free
· American Museum of Natural History & Rose Center: Ages 13-18 $16.50, Ages 2-12 $13
· Guggenheim Museum: Under 13 free
· The Museum of Modern Art: Under 17 free with an adult
· The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Under 13 Free
Best for: Travelers who want to see at least 4 of the named attractions. Great for someone in town for one week although do remember that admission to MOMA is free on Fridays from 4 to 8pm and The Met and AMNH both operate a suggested* price policy.
*Visitors can pay any amount with which they are comfortable (from 1¢ up)
New York Pass A credit card sized pass with over 40 admissions to attractions including Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Uncle Sam's New York Tours, Museum of Modern Art, American Museum of Natural History, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Brooklyn Museum of Art, NBC Studio Tour, Circleline Sightseeing, Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour, The United Nations Tour, Madison Square Garden All Access Tour, etc. Good for 1, 2, 3, or 7 days. Cost & Validity varies depending on # of days.
- Best for: Travelers who want to see & do it all, active travelers who don't mind getting value as much as they'd rather not have to pull out their wallet again and again. Great for the traveler who wants to go, go, go.
- New York Pass cost table below:
- Adults
1 day $69.00 2 day $99.00 3 day $105.00 7 day $145.00
- Children
1 day $49.00 2 day $79.00 3 day $95.00 7 day $105.00