Guide

New York

Preparing your trip to New York

Visa, flight, lodging, food, sightseeing and transport — everything for a stress-free stay

01 Visa02 Flight03 Lodging04 Food05 Sights06 Transport

In December 2017, a new trip, a new continent. We chose to go to New York over the holidays — is there a more magical city at that time of year? Between the excitement, the anticipation, and the little stress of planning "will I have time to see it all?", here's everything you need to know to prepare a stress-free trip.

✓ Trip in December 2017

✎ our trip dates from 2017: the amounts we paid are kept as they were, with up-to-date September 2026 prices alongside in each section. Many of them have risen sharply.

01The visa

To enter the United States without a visa, French and other Visa Waiver Program citizens need an ESTA authorisation. It is applied for only on the official US customs website, esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

ESTA in 2017$14

ESTA today (since January 2026)$40.27

The fee has almost tripled: $14 at the time of our trip, $21 until 2025, then $40 from September 2025 and $40.27 since 1 January 2026. An ESTA stays valid for two years, or until your passport expires. Apply at least 72 hours before departure.

✎ beware of copycat sites — plenty of middlemen charge $60 to $100 for a form you can fill in yourself in ten minutes. Only esta.cbp.dhs.gov is official. If the price shown is more than $40.27, you're in the wrong place.

02Flights

The price depends mostly on the season. High season, May to October, costs more; in low season fares drop noticeably. The airline you choose, budget or traditional, also affects the total.

We booked four months ahead, in August, with Brussels Airlines — a direct, affordable flight to NYC.

Return flight per person in 2017 (fees included)€450

✎ from the Netherlands or Belgium, direct flights to New York are often cheaper than from Paris — worth comparing before you book

03Staying in the streets of New York

No surprise, staying in NY is expensive. The price depends on the type of accommodation — hotel, Airbnb — and above all on the location: Times Square, Queens, New Jersey, Brooklyn. Breakfast is rarely included, and rates have risen considerably since our stay.

We had booked the Econo Lodge Times Square — an ideal location, close to the subway, Times Square, Port Authority and Madison Square Garden. But a fairly low-end property for the price, despite good reviews online.

10 nights in 2017, breakfast included€2,200

City tax, on top of the advertised price14.75% + $3.50/night

✎ the classic trap — prices shown on booking sites exclude tax. Always add roughly 15% plus $3.50 a night to your accommodation budget, or the final bill comes as a shock.

✎ short-term rentals have been tightly regulated in New York since 2023: most listings under 30 days without the host present are now illegal. Check that your accommodation is properly registered with the city before booking.

Harlem

04Where to eat

New York streets smell like pizza and burgers, but for a real taste of the NY you've seen on TV, here are the places we tried. Note: an 8.875% tax applies to most goods and services, and it never appears on the price tag.

Tipping habits have shifted since our trip: 18 to 20% is now standard for decent to good service, and card terminals often default to 20, 25 or 30%. You can always enter your own amount.

Katz's Delicatessen

Lower East Side · ~$21 in 2017

Authentic and legendary, now a full-on attraction in its own right. Generous pastrami sandwich, walls covered in celebrity photos. The sandwich has gone up a lot since: expect around thirty dollars today.

Amy Ruth's

Harlem · ~$25 in 2017

The perfect brunch after Sunday morning Gospel mass. Hearty and welcoming. Get there before 9am, the small room fills up fast.

Shake Shack

All over the city

Always packed, for good reason — burgers that drip, in a good way.

Hard Rock Cafe

Times Square · ~$20 in 2017

Hearty breakfast, pancakes made to order. We went back twice.

Tony's Di Napoli

Midtown

A shareable set menu for two to three people, impeccable service. Book ahead.

Chelsea Market

Chelsea

Urban food hall in a former factory — every cuisine in the world under one roof.

Langan's

Midtown

An Irish pub in the heart of New York, for a change of pace.

✎ trying to navigate by Starbucks? There's one E V E R Y W H E R E — and the toilets are a genuine asset in a city that badly lacks them

05Sights and attractions

For a first visit to the city that never sleeps, the CityPASS is still worth considering. We booked ours before leaving via Ceetiz, for €108 per person in 2017 — but the offer has changed a great deal since, and the maths needs redoing.

Our CityPASS in 2017 (6 attractions)€108

CityPASS today — 5 attractions, 9 days$164 adult · $136 child 6-17

C3 option — any 3 attractionsapprox. $109 to $114

The current CityPASS covers five attractions: the Empire State Building and the American Museum of Natural History are fixed, plus three of your choice from a list. The cheaper C3 option lets you pick any three from a wider list that includes MoMA and Edge at Hudson Yards.

✎ important change — the MET is no longer included in any version of the CityPASS. If it matters to you, buy that ticket separately. And since our trip, two new observation decks have opened: Edge at Hudson Yards and Summit One Vanderbilt, the latter outside the pass.

The full details on activities and must-sees are in our complete itinerary article.

06Getting around New York

Subway and bus cover most of the city. But everything has changed since our stay: the MetroCard is gone. Since 1 January 2026 it can no longer be bought or refilled, and the network runs entirely on OMNY.

In practice, you pay by tapping your contactless bank card, phone or watch on the reader at the turnstile. Nothing to buy, nothing to top up. If you'd rather have a physical card, an OMNY card costs $2 and can be loaded with cash.

Subway or local bus ride$3

Physical OMNY card (optional)$2

Express bus$7.25

Weekly cap — free after that$35

The cap is what matters. Once you've reached $35 of travel across a rolling seven days with the same payment method, every further ride is free — from the twelfth ride onwards. The old 7-day and 30-day unlimited passes disappeared with the MetroCard.

✎ always use the same card or phone, or your rides won't add up and the cap will never kick in. Each traveller needs their own. Subway-to-bus transfers remain free for two hours.

Arriving from the airport, you have three options: the yellow taxi (a flat fare from JFK to Manhattan, around $70 once surcharges and tip are added), private shuttles bookable online, or public transport via the AirTrain, around $9, then the subway.

✎ the tip nobody gives you — the AirTrain only charges at Jamaica and Howard Beach. Take the Q10 or B15 bus to Lefferts Boulevard and the AirTrain is free: $3 in total instead of $12. Slower, but unbeatable on budget. Note too that OMNY caps don't apply to the AirTrain.

You now have everything you need to plan your trip — have a great time!