10 Things We Learned About Visiting New York City In The Winter

The winter we spent living in New York City was one of the coldest but most unforgettable experiences we’ve had since we began traveling the world for a living. And after visiting the city countless times in spring, summer and fall as tourists – we can tell you two things: Living in NYC is completely different and the brutally cold months of December, January and February are a totally unique time to be there.

What was it really like in winter? Well, we loved ticking off iconic attractions without the crowds, hotels were cheaper (yes we paid for hotels even though we lived there!), restaurants were quieter, the Christmas buzz was as magical as we hoped, and we eventually got the dreamy Central Park snow day we’d been craving. The major downside? Yes, you guessed it – we froze our butts off.

Let’s talk about major benefits for you as a tourist. For us, the biggest pro is a toss up between no crowds and saving a ton of money on flights and hotels. They’re both huge perks! You can also save money during broadway week and restaurant week later in the winter. Plus, it’s easy to get around, and you might just get to see New York’s major landmarks covered in snow.

Overall, we genuinely loved our time living in the city and highly recommend winter for a visit if you want ice skating, Christmas lights and snow days. As long as you don’t mind the cold, it’s a fantastic time to freely explore the city without heavy crowds. In this guide we walk you through the 10 most important things we learned about New York City in winter, based on the 4 months we spent living there. Okay, let’s begin!

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1. The Weather Can Be Brutal

Okay, let’s get the biggest downside out of the way so we can focus on the positives afterwards. New York City can be brutally cold in the winter. It’s just part of the deal if you want cheaper hotels, fewer crowds or to see snow.

January and February were particularly harsh when we lived in the city. We didn’t take our heavy fur-lined coats off once in two months! But there is a sliver of good news here if you’re planning to visit NYC in the build up to Christmas – we actually didn’t have a bad December. In fact, we experienced a surprising temperature swing into the balmy low 60’s (just look the temperature we had on Christmas Day in 2020).

But it isn’t just enduring the cold and having your nostril hairs freeze every time you breathe in that you need to consider as a visitor. We’ve had plenty of flights through JFK cancelled over the years due to ice or snow in the winter. And trust us when we tell you sleeping on the floor at JFK isn’t much fun.

Another thing is that NYC has an addictive feel good aura when the weather is nice, but it’s buried under cold temperatures and snow in the winter. Our remedy was to slip into tons of independent coffee shops as we were exploring the city, but that wasn’t as much fun as doing the same thing in pubs with shorts on and a lively atmosphere.

Average Temperatures

December:

• Low – 34F (1C)
• High – 45F (7C)

January:

• Low – 29F (-2C)
• High – 40F (4C)

February:

• Low – 30F (-1C)
• High – 42F (6C)

Source: Weather Spark

We spent months walking around New York with our cameras in sub-zero temperatures – and some of the sunrise, sunset and night photo shoots we did were challenging. And we’ll admit, there were a few instances on particularly cold days in January when we asked each other why on earth we chose to be there!

But honestly, these harsh conditions will be one of the only serious negative aspects if you visit NYC in winter. If you don’t mind the cold or you prefer to wrap up in heavy coats and wooly hats, you’re going to love it.

Will It Snow?

We know what you’re thinking: It would be perfect if you timed your winter trip to NYC just in time for a downpour of fresh crunchy snow. Well, we’re sorry to burst your bubble, but it actually doesn’t snow as much as you think.

Average snowfall volume:

• December – 4.4 inches
• January – 12.9 inches
• February – 11.8 inches

Average amount of snow days:

• December – 1.1 days
• January – 2.6 days
• February – 2.5 days

Days with over 1 inch of snow on the ground:

• December – 2.9 days
• January – 7.9 days
• February – 9.1 days

Source: Current Results

So why do you always seem to see NYC covered in snow in the movies? It’s because after a rare snowfall day, the temperatures stay below zero, which means ground snow tends to stick around. And sure, ground snow means you get to see the city white over, but it’s not the same as experiencing actual snowfall.

We had to wait a very long time to get our magical NYC snow day. It wasn’t until February 7th that we finally had one of those fairytale hallmark movie style snow dumps. Everyone in the city beelined for Central Park, and we went Home Alone 2 movie scene hunting. It was one of the best days we’ve had in New York.

We absolutely would not book a trip to NYC in November or March if we wanted snow. It’s less likely to snow in December so you’d have to be really lucky to get a white-over in the build up to Christmas. That leaves January and February as your best bet for snow, but they’re cold and quiet times to be in the city.

Insider Tip: If you want to wait until ground snow thaws, temperatures begin to rise and life starts to get a bit more lively again – consider planning your trip to New York City in April instead. You’d still get a lot of the same benefits before peak season.

2. The City Is Crowd-Free

Take a look at this pdf showing that NYC received 62.2 million tourists in 2023 and this article explaining that the number of visitors was almost 65 million in 2024 – the second highest on record after 2019 which was just before the covid pandemic struck.

Sounds like a lot of people, right? Well, the good news about your winter trip is that January and February are New York City’s quietest months by some distance. They might be cold, but they’re also the times of year you can pick up the best deals on flights, hotels, shows and just about anything because demand is far lower.

Here’s one thing we can tell you from experience: there are far fewer crowds at New York’s top tourist attractions in January and February. We’ve been up Top of the Rock at sunset in summer when it’s like a theme park, and we’ve walked across Brooklyn Bridge at night in summer when it’s like being at a music festival.

In winter we basically had the freedom of the city. We turned up at most museums, observation decks, pizza joints or broadway shows and walked straight in. And trust us, that’s not something you should take for granted. It’s a massive perk that you’ll only fully understand if you also visit in the summer.

Now, December is actually considered a peak month for NYC because it’s one of America’s most desirable travel destinations in the lead up to Christmas. But even in December it didn’t get anywhere near as busy as we’ve seen it in June, July, August and September at attractions like the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty. Sure, it will be more crowded than January or February, but it won’t be as noticeable as you might think.

3. It’s Cheaper

Let’s not beat around the bush, New York City can be an expensive place to visit. Flights, hotels, eating out and attractions add up. We know, we’ve done it a bunch of times and spent a small fortune in the process. But over the years we’ve also figured out plenty of ways to do NYC on the cheap – and one of those things is to visit in winter.

As travel experts we’re always looking at flights and hotels. One thing we know for certain is that flights (domestic and international) and hotel prices in NYC are the cheapest they’ll be all year in January and February. Planes and hotels don’t shut up shop in winter, there’s still a lot of seats and beds to fill. With less demand, prices are slashed to tempt us into booking.

Now, it’s important to know that prices are significantly inflated during the two weeks around Christmas and New Year. But earlier in December we found prices to be surprisingly affordable considering it was the build up to the holidays.

And it’s not just flights or hotels that you’ll save on. Broadway shows struggle to fill theaters around Times Square during the winter months because there are fewer punters in town. It was the perfect time for us to pick up discounted broadway tickets. Similarly, we benefited from certain attractions putting on winter deals, or attraction pass companies putting on big discounts.

The take home is that you can expect to spend a lot less on a trip to New York in December, January or February compared with spring, summer or fall months. Then you can spend those extra dollars on the things that really matter like pizza and bagels!

Insider Tip: Take a look at our expert guides on how to book cheaper hotels and how to book cheaper flights to save even more money.

4. There’s A Much Better Selection Of Hotels

Continuing with the theme of hotels, we’ve always said figuring out exactly where to stay in New York City is the hardest part of planning. There’s so many great neighborhoods bringing different things to the table, so how do you choose a hotel?

Well, we always start by picking the specific area we want to stay for a certain type of trip to the city, then we look at hotel quality vs cost. But here’s the problem – in summer we usually have very little to choose between because hotels are either booked up or excruciatingly expensive.

And that’s where a winter trip shines the brightest. We could essentially pick any hotel (within reason!) in any neighborhood, and not only did it have plenty of availability but it also didn’t cost an arm and a leg to stay there. The lack of demand meant we really could cherry pick, and you’ll be able to do the same.

We’ve booked dozens of hotels in New York and scrolling through a short list of high prices on Booking.com in peak season always pains us. Whereas in winter the list was much longer and we would often gawp at nightly prices beginning with a 1 instead of 3 or 5! And that was at hotels with top ratings and amazing locations.

We recommend booking a hotel somewhere in Midtown South if it’s your first visit. The closer to Bryant Park the better because you’ll have easy access to lots of subway lines and the touristy areas in Midtown Manhattan. Central Park is perfect for families, or if you want more residential, go for the likes of Greenwich Village, Lower East Side or Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

Our advice is to shop around and put a bit of effort into finding the perfect location for your plans. Winter is the only time of year you’ll be able to pinpoint a location and get a great deal on a great hotel, so make the most of it. Just be aware that hotels in the last 2 weeks of December book up a long way in advance, so they can be more expensive if left until the last minute.

Here are four excellent hotels we recommend to our friends and families (priced low to high):

• Cambria Hotel Chelsea
• MOXY NYC Times Square
• CitizenM Times Square
• The Archer Midtown Manhattan

5. It’s A Great Time To Eat Out

Sampling local delicacies is one of the things we love most about travel. And every time we visit New York City, we climb aboard the cheap on-the-go foods train which means endless bagels, pizza slices and hot dogs – which we know sounds so unhealthy, but they’re a rite of passage!

And it’s not just us overindulging, everyone else does it too. We just got back from our latest trip to New York in July 2025, and some of the pizza and bagel places had lines stretching around blocks. Seriously, it was wild.

In terms of restaurants, this is New York City so there’s every type of cuisine spanning every price and quality range. What we can tell you from experience is that we’ve struggled to get into restaurants, waited in long lines at bagel and pizza places, and given up entirely on some coffee shops in peak visiting months.

But in winter, we walked straight into any place that took our fancy. It was actually such a welcome relief not having to think about making reservations or going early to avoid being turned away. We could walk straight up to the bar and order a beer, and we didn’t lose time waiting in lines – which we find so frustrating in summer.

And there’s another massive perk to visiting NYC in January or February: Restaurant Week. Since 1992, Restaurant Week has celebrated New York’s world famous culinary culture by allowing the average local or tourist to taste luxurious food samples from high-end eateries by the best chefs in the city, and all at bargain bin prices.

If you’re right now thinking “man, I hope our trip falls into restaurant week”, you’ll be happy to know that it actually lasts for a full month (around Jan 20th-Feb 20th). We weren’t able to take advantage because it didn’t run the winter we lived there due to the covid pandemic, but we’d be all over it if we visited in early February.

Insider Tip: Read our helpful guides on the top NYC pizza joints and the top NYC bagel spots so you know exactly where to go.

6. Central Park Is Stunning When It Snows

Central Park is one of our favorite places to visit in New York, no matter the season. We’ve seen it with cherry blossoms in spring, emerald green leaves in summer and rustic burnt foliage in the fall. But there’s just something so special and nostalgic about Central Park in the winter, especially on a snow day.

We’re sure Central Park is near the top of your NYC bucket list. It’s such a fun place to explore and see locals running, cycling or walking dogs as other tourists venture into every nook and cranny of the surprisingly vast and diverse park. We’d always stock up with a big hot coffee before accessing the park, and we always planned a specific route so we didn’t end up aimlessly walking around in the cold.

We must have walked around Central Park in our thick winter coats, gloves and hats a dozen or so times in bone-chilling temperatures until we finally got that snow day we desperately wanted. But when it finally came, it was even better than we’d hoped. There were kids sledding, pro photographers out in droves and ice skaters blanketed in thick snow flakes. It was honestly so cool.

If you need a bit of a hand here’s the route we recommend walking in order: The Mall, Bethesda Terrace, Bethesda Fountain, Bow Bridge, Strawberry Fields, The Ramble, Belvedere Castle and end at The Met (one of our favorite museums). This is the exact route we always take our friends and family when we meet them in NYC, it hits the park’s highlights and gets back into the warmth pronto.

7. There’s Even More Fun Things To Do

Worried that you might not be able to see or do certain attractions because it’s cold, dark or quiet? You don’t need to be. One of the things we loved most about being in New York City in the winter was doing all the same top attractions and hidden gems but with one major difference – a fraction of the crowds.

Over the years we’ve done just about all there is to do as tourists in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and there wasn’t one thing we couldn’t do because it was winter. The observation decks were deserted (and we really mean like an apocalypse), museums weren’t crammed and we even booked things last minute. We’d never leave things until the last minute in summer, but it’s fine when there’s nobody else around.

There are far too many fun things to do in New York so we won’t mention everything, but here are the things we tell our friends and family to prioritize:

• Go up New York observation decks
• Take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty
• Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
• Explore Central Park
• Walk around trendy neighborhoods
• Visit the top NYC museums
• Walk The High Line
• Relax in a rooftop bar at night

And here’s the kicker: If you visit NYC in winter you get the added benefit of Christmas festivities that you won’t get any other time of year. So in reality there’s actually even more to do than in summer, which we thought was a nice little bonus for putting up with the cold.

Here’s what you can only do at this time of year:

• Visit the legendary Rockefeller Christmas Tree
• Take a tour of Dyker Heights incredible Christmas decorations
• Watch the ball drop in Times Square for New Years
• Go ice skating at Wollman Ice Rink, Winter Village or Rooftop Skyline Ice Rink
• See holiday displays at Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue
• Watch the Radio City Rockettes Christmas special
• Enjoy Broadway Week (2 for 1 tickets) Jan-Feb

Insider Tip: If you want to see lots of attractions at a discounted price, take a look at the Go City Pass. We used them in July 2025 and saved a bunch of money. Click this link and add “MORGANS5” as a promo code to get 5% off your order. Or read our Go City New York Pass review here to learn more.

8. Itinerary Planning Is Easier

Here’s another planning aspect that will be music to your ears: You do not have to adapt your dream NYC itinerary if you decide to visit in December, January or February.

After planning itineraries in every season, we can confidently tell you that everything is exactly the same in winter as it would be any other time of year, with just two major differences – colder weather and fewer crowds.

We’ll admit, we took a few more subways than we usually would due to those pesky ice-cold temperatures, but all that did was make our itinerary even more efficient because we didn’t lose time walking long distances between attractions.

And better still, our itineraries would flourish even more because we wouldn’t have to factor in long waits for observation decks or pizza slices. In essence, what we’re trying to tell you is that your itinerary will be even easier to achieve than it would be during busy, hot and booked-up summer months.

The best piece of advice we can give you for NYC itinerary planning in the winter is to get organized and figure out exactly how you want to spend your days so you don’t spend any more time than you have to freezing your behind off on the streets of Manhattan.

We were pretty serious about making sure we knew our route, our next turn and our ultimate destination before leaving the warmth of a coffee shop or attraction. The cold would grind us down, but having solid plans helped us stay efficient.

9. The Christmas Buzz Is Special

If you’ve been reading this guide and thinking “yeah, there’s no way I’m going in January or February, I’m only interested in Christmas” then you’re in for a real treat.

We absolutely loved being in NYC in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There was such a fun festive vibe with people rushing around shops and popping into pubs for a quick pint. At least that was our version! It was great as a couple, but we can’t wait to do as a family in a few years when our kids are a bit more grown up.

What did we do around Christmas? Well, we walked up and down Fifth Avenue far too many times, took plenty of romantic holiday season walks around Central Park, paid well over the odds to ice skate in Bryant Park and combined great views with great vibes at rooftop bars like 230 Fifth. They’re so much fun because everyone comes together from all around the world.

We also saw at least a few dozen Christmassy marriage proposals at places like Bethesda Fountain in Central Park and Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn. There were days we saw two or three proposals in the space of a few hours. It is New York City at Christmas, after all.

One thing we never did (and we’re not sure if we regret missing it or not!) was watch the ball drop in Times Square for New Years. It looks like a lot of fun but also a lot of effort and far too much waiting around in the cold. If you decide to go, make sure you arrive early to get a good spot.

The downside is that December is a hugely popular time for families and couples to visit NYC, and we have noticed spikes in prices for flights and hotels so it will cost a bit more.

Insider Tip: Book your hotel and even reserve at restaurants as far in advance as you can. The last thing you want is to miss out on a place you really want to eat or end up staying in a low quality hotel because you weren’t organized.

10. Packing Can Be Challenging

Packing for any trip is what you make of it. Some people go wild for options, whereas others go for a more minimalist approach. The problem with packing for NYC in the winter is that you need lots of heavy, thick and warm clothes.

We lived there so we didn’t have issues with suitcase weight limits for flights, but this will be your biggest challenge. Here’s how we’d approach it:

Knowing it’s going to be cold, we’d start by trying on all our heavy sweaters, hoodies, coats, jeans and pants. We would only pack items that fit well, could be dressed up or down, and wouldn’t be one of those “maybes”. You don’t have enough space in your suitcase for if, buts or maybes. Everything must be functional otherwise you’ll exceed your weight limit and get charged at the airport.

The things we couldn’t live without were of course huge thick coats (we honestly wouldn’t have survived without them), gloves, scarves and hats. Footwear was also a problem. Comfortable running shoes might work any other time, but it was freezing cold with snow on the ground so we almost always wore heavier water and wind proof boots to stay warm.

We also wore tight fitting base layers underneath heavier layers on the coldest days. It won’t be fun forcing yourself to walk around New York with your teeth chattering because you forgot layers. Sunglasses were also essential for us because the sun was low in the sky and we needed them on clear days, especially if there was reflective snow on the ground.

One thing we struggled with was balancing warmth with comfort. We’d be freezing outside, then go inside a museum or restaurant and start sweating immediately. So we learned to wear layers that we could easily pull on or off as required.

Finally, and we know this sounds like a contradiction, but you never know when a warm front is going to arrive. We had days in December with temperatures in the 50’s or 60’s so you should also pack a few things that will work if you get lucky with the weather.

Insider Tip: Keep a close eye on live weather conditions in New York in the days leading up to your trip so you can pack accordingly.

Next Steps

We hope our guide helps with planning your trip to New York City this winter, but please let us know if you have any questions in the comments box a little further below.

If you’d like expert help, we can give you personalized tips and advice for your NYC trip, answer any questions you have or walk through your itinerary to make sure it’s the best it can be. Get expert guidance.

Still researching for your trip?

• Here are the must-see attractions in NYC.
• This is our perfect 4 days in NYC itinerary.
• Here’s exactly where to stay in NYC.
• These are the top NYC photo spots.
• Here are our favorite pizza places in NYC.
• These are our favorite bagel spots in NYC.

Finally, if it’s your first time we highly recommend reading our full New York City travel guide for more tips and advice from our experiences.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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