Planning a girls trip to New York City? With so many options to eat, sleep and sightsee in the city that never sleeps, it can get overwhelming! Fortunately, we’ve enlisted New York City based blogger Sher She Goes for the low down on how to plan the ultimate girls weekend!
Girls Weekend Trip in New York City
With world-class restaurants, incredible nightlife and non-stop shopping, New York City is best enjoyed with the girls! After living in the city for nearly a decade, I still find fun new things to do, incredible restaurants and exciting shows, bars and events that make me fall more in love with New York City.
Here are just some of my favorite spots that I’d recommend for an ideal girls’ trip!
Sights
PC: Sher She Goes
Sail Around the Harbor at Sunset
The Hudson River is breathtaking at sunset. Hire a classic schooner for the evening to soak in New York’s famous skyline. Most boats include an open bar and will take you past the Statue of Liberty.
Top of the Rock
Another great viewpoint? The Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center! Not only does it give you a beautiful view of Central Park, it’s also a great spot to take a group picture with the entire downtown skyline in the background! Time your visit around sunset if you’re willing to brave the crowds!
Museums
If you only visit one museum, make it the Met. Not only is it one of the world’s best museums, the collections are constantly changing. Meanwhile, in the permanent collection, the Egyptian Wing and European Renaissance rooms are some of my favorites.
After soaking in the art, head upstairs to the Met roof garden. It’s a great place to grab a summer cocktail, enjoy the greenery and again, take more group photos with Central Park as the backdrop!
Met tickets are $25 per person and include access to the Met, Met Breuer and Met Cloisters for 3 consecutive days. New York State residents and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are eligible for free admission.
Shopping
Two of the most famous areas for shopping are Fifth Avenue uptown and trendy downtown Soho.
Fifth Avenue
New York’s oldest department stores, most luxurious jewelers and high street mass brands can be found on 5th Avenue. There’s a store for everyone, with designers like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada; mass brands like Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch and Banana Republic; as well as international fast fashion chains like Zara, H&M and Uniqlo.
After an afternoon of shopping, we recommend resting and refueling at the Blue Box Café! Tiffany’s 5th avenue flagship recently opened a gorgeous café that serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. The robin blue room is adorable and classically ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’
Just need an injection of caffeine for more shopping stamina? Step into Ralph’s Coffee Shop, the beautiful Parisien-style cafe inside Ralph Lauren.
And finally, if you’re visiting NYC during Christmas time, don’t miss the elaborate window displays at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks 5th Avenue. They look best at night when the lights illuminate them!
Soho
Soho is another of the City’s shopping meccas. Start on Broadway and walk south, slowly meandering through all the shops. There’s all the big mall stores on Broadway (Forever 21, Club Monaco, Express, Sephora etc) and designer labels off the side streets (Chanel, APC, Alexander Wang, Chloe, etc).
When you need to refuel, walk over to Laduree! The world famous macaron shop has a restaurant downtown serving both sweet and savory brunch options. We love their macaron ice cream sandwiches in particular!
Nightlife
Broadway Show
Seeing a show in the Theatre District is a quintessential New York experience. Classics include The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked, while new favorites that have gotten rave reviews include Mean Girls and Pretty Woman.
The performing arts scene is fantastic, with plenty of Broadway and off Broadway options! For something a little non- traditional, book tickets for Sleep No More, an interactive film noir show that tells a unique adaptation of Macbeth. We also love their rooftop, Gallow Green, for drinks before the show.
Dinner at Le Coucou
For a fun sophisticated girls’ dinner, make reservations at Le Coucou. The gorgeous Soho restaurant serves classic French fare in a modern dining room, but the best part is the apothecary-style bar up front.
Cocktails
To make the most of a trip to NYC, hit the bars, jazz clubs, comedy clubs and beer gardens. Since we love cocktails in particular, here are a few of our favorite drink spots:
- 230 Fifth: Sweeping rooftop views here always draw a crowd. In winter, they set up heated igloos!
- Angel’s Share: An Asian-themed speakeasy that serves expert craft cocktails.
- Brandy Library: This Tribeca classic makes amazing whisky cocktails. The bar is designed like a beautiful library, but with spirits in place of books!
- The Carlyle Hotel: For an elevated girls’ night out, have drinks at the famous Bemelmans Bar.
Where to Sleep in NYC
For downtown cool, stay at The Ludlow. With beautiful large casement windows, eclectic design and lots of 80s influences, this Lower East Side hotel is the epitome of downtown cool.
The Jane Hotel is known equally for its cozy West Village atmosphere as much as for its popular on-site restaurant. If you love nightlife and shopping, stay here – it’s ideally located near Meatpacking, the High Line and Soho!
Brooklyn has fast become of the trendiest places to stay in New York City. The Hoxton is a European boutique hotel chain that recently opened a swanky hotel in Williamsburg. This one’s great for the foodies!
Don’t forget to pin this article for later!
Latest posts by Sher Jordan (see all)
- The perfect Charleston to Savannah Lowcountry road trip - December 8, 2021
- 5 romantic getaways in New England - August 25, 2021
- 5 relaxing spa getaways where no one can bother you - November 22, 2019
Travelocity compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site; such compensation may include travel and other costs.
Please tell your readers that advance reservations are needed for the Blue Box Cafe at Tiffany’s. You cannot just walk in.
Thanks so much for the great article. My friends and I did many of the suggestions, stayed at the Jane Hotel (great) and drinks (too many) at 230 Fifth roof – we met a woman there who is writing a book about what women want to know about men and she gave us $100 to ask a man she sent us the next day anything for an hour – and he answered – I mean anything…!!! – wow, amazing – only in New York! Finally dinner at Le Coucou – amazing also – thanks!
My brother recommended I may like this web site. He was once entirely right.
This publish actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how so much time I had spent for this info!
Thank you!