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United States · New York

New York City: how to get there and around

Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.

New York City is a city of 8.8 million people in United States (New York), 57 m (187 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is LaGuardia Airport (LGA), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 1 places to stay.

Key facts

Population8.8 million
Elevation57 m (187 ft)
Area1,213 km²
Time zoneAmerica/New_York (UTC-4 now)
CurrencyDollar (USD)
Dialling code+1
Driving sideRight
Plug typesNEMA 1-15, NEMA 5-15
UN/LOCODEUSNYC
People are calledNew Yorker
Coordinates40.714, -74.006
New York City

Open New York City in Google Maps

Daylight in New York City runs from about 9 h 18 min a day in late December to 15 h 9 min in late June (computed for 40.71° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.

Getting there

New York City is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is LaGuardia Airport (LGA), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,002 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR, 14 km), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK, 21 km), Teterboro Airport (TEB, 16 km), Westchester County Airport (HPN, 47 km), Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP, 77 km).

Flights to New York City: every airport, routes and times

Buses to New York City · Driving and car hire

Where to stay

Our booking partner lists 1 places to stay in New York City.

Hotels in New York City: the full picture, and book

What people come for

Most-visited sights in New York City with published visitor numbers (Wikidata)
SightVisitors a yearYear
New York Public Library Branch Libraries17,179,3302017
Gateway National Recreation Area8,404,7282020

The busiest is New York Public Library Branch Libraries at 17,179,330 visitors in 2017. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.

UNESCO World Heritage in the city: Statue of Liberty.

Tours, tickets and day trips from New York City

Nearby cities, and how to get between them

Twin towns and sister cities: Budapest, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, Cairo, London, Madrid, Beijing, Santo Domingo, Tokyo, Brasília, Borås Municipality, Oslo, Algiers, Jakarta.

Common questions

Which airport serves New York City?

LaGuardia Airport (LGA), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.

How big is New York City?

About 8.8 million people live in New York City, across 1,213 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).

What time zone is New York City in?

America/New_York, currently UTC-4.

What currency is used in New York City?

The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.

How many hotels are there in New York City?

Our booking partner lists 1 places to stay in New York City, bookable on this site.

Which cities are near New York City?

Brooklyn (9 km), Queens (15 km), Philadelphia (130 km), Manhattan (8 km), The Bronx (19 km).

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.