NYC: 3 Day Weekend Budget Itinerary & Meal Plan

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New York is known as one of the world’s most expensive cities, but it does not mean that you cannot be on a fun budget here. One of the amazing things about New York is that there are free events and discounted museum days. Please see below for my itinerary I would follow for a fun budget weekend.

My 3 Day Weekend Itinerary Guide

Friday

Morning: Financial District

Cost: Free
Highlights: Charging Bull, Fearless Girl, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
Train: 2/3/4/5 train to Wall Street
Address: (NYSE) 1 Wall St, New York, NY 10005

*Wall Street* is the financial center of the United States. Image by Predrag Kezic from Pixabay

Afternoon: Chelsea & High Line

Cost: Free
Highlights: Walk around Chelsea and the High Line (elevated park)
Train: Take the 1 or C train to 23rd Street
Address: The park runs from Gansevoort Street – three blocks below 14th Street, in the Meatpacking District – through Chelsea to the northern edge of the West Side Yard on 34th Street

Evening: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Cost: Free Friday only from 4-8pm
Highlights: Vincent Van Gogh – “The Starry Night”, Pablo Picasso – “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” Monet – Water Lilies
Train: E/M train to 5th Avenue/ 53^rd St
Address: 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019

Vincent Van Gogh – “The Starry Night.” Image by Eric Perlin from Pixabay

Saturday

Morning: Statue of Liberty (via Staten Island Ferry)

Cost: Free
Highlights: The Staten Island Ferry takes you right past the statue for free
Train: 4/5 train to Bowling Green

Afternoon: Central Park

Cost: Free
Highlights: Take a stroll walking throughout the park, the pond and Gapstow Bridge, and Sheep’s Meadow
Train: N/R/W train to 5^th/59^th St

Central Park is one of the most famous parks in the world. Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Evening: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Cost: Pay only what you wish Saturday from 5:45pm-7:45pm
Highlights: Édouard Manet –“Before the Mirror,” Pablo Picasso – “Woman with Yellow Hair”, Pierre Bonnard – “Dining Room on the Garden”
Train: 4/5/6 train to 86^th St
Address: 1071 5th ˀAve, New York, NY 10128

Sunday

Morning: Brooklyn Bridge

Cost: Free
Highlights: Take photos of the iconic bridge and get spectacular views of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Brooklyn Heights, and DUMBO
Train: 2/3 train to Clark Street
Address: Take the Henry Street exit. Walk left on Henry Street. Go left on Cadman Plaza West/Old Fulton Street and walk downhill to the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, located at the bottom of the hill, at the waterfront

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay

Afternoon: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met)

Cost: $25 (pay what you wish for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut residents)
Highlights: Jacques Louis David – “The Death of Socrates” , Raphael – Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints, Marble statue of Aphrodite
Train: 4/5/6 train to 86^th St
Address: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028

Evening: Times Square