10 Important Things We Learned From Our 4-Day Trip To NYC In April

We absolutely loved our 4-day trip to New York City in late April 2022. We’d actually spent 4 months living in the city during a harsh winter the year before – but we left at the end of March, so we couldn’t wait to go back in spring to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The weather was changeable but mostly dry, we enjoyed famous attractions like Top of the Rock and Brooklyn Bridge crowd-free, we paid less than usual for our hotel and we got the added bonus of those vibrant cherry blossoms, so we couldn’t have asked for more.

Our favorite part? The city was transitioning out of its icy cold winter season, lush green grass and leaves were bursting into color, and the atmosphere was really starting to liven up. We’ve visited NYC in pretty much every month of the year, and we can honestly say our April trip was up there with the very best experiences for us because it struck the perfect balance between crowds, costs and weather conditions.

On the fence about whether to visit in April? Our overall feeling is that it’s perfect if you want to avoid the summer crowds and costs, as long as you don’t mind risking mixed weather and packing a lot of clothes to cover every eventuality. Honestly, we’d happily go back in April – but we’d definitely go later in the month again because it’s warmer and cherry blossoms are in peak bloom.

In this guide we walk you through the 10 most important things you should know about visiting New York City in April based on our experiences. Let’s dive in!

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1. The Lack Of Crowds Is A Big Deal

We found late April to be refreshingly stress-free when exploring the city’s best attractions and neighborhoods. There were barely any lines or crowds at observation decks like Edge and Top of the Rock, which was a complete contrast to our visits in May and July. Even the popular cherry blossom spots were quiet, and we were expecting them to be horrendous after doing the famed cherry blossom season in Japan.

But it wasn’t just crowd-free attractions that we benefited from. The comparative lack of crowds also meant we could walk straight into restaurants, bagel spots and pizza joints without having to wait in long lines flowing outside. Plus, hotels had lower occupancy rates than peak months, so they were priced far more reasonably. A few hundred dollars saved on a hotel goes a long way.

During our visit we both agreed that April is the transition month from the colder and quieter low season to the warmer and busier high season. We visited the city again in May 2024, and the difference in crowds between the end of April and the middle of May was astonishing.

In 2025, the expected amount of international tourists to NYC was downgraded due to border issues putting off many visitors from abroad. We can attest to that after our most recent trip in July 2025, when it was much quieter than we expected. So bearing in mind we had no issues with crowding in late April before these border issues, there would be even fewer people around if you decided to visit in early April when it’s colder and less desirable.

2. Weather Conditions Are Changeable

Aside from the crowds, we learned that April is also the month New York City’s weather transitions from brutally cold to extremely changeable. There’s a 10-degree Fahrenheit increase in average high and low temperatures from the start to the end of the month, which is pretty significant, so factor in the colder conditions if you choose to visit early in the month.

But the main take home from our trip was how unpredictable the weather can be this time of year. We had a few cold mornings and some thick grey clouds dropping heavy rain (April is technically the wettest month of the year but it’s only slightly wetter than May-October), but for the most part we enjoyed clear blue skies and beautifully warm daytime temperatures. It did get pretty windy though, which hit us hardest on top of observation decks.

The major weather issue we had was struggling to choosing the right clothes to wear before leaving our hotel each morning for a full day exploring the city. We ended up layering the best we could, so we could remain comfortable when going from outside to inside and back to outside. And it worked for the most part, but there were definitely a few times we were either too hot or too cold.

NYC Temperatures In April

April 1st:

• Average highs – 56°F (13°C)
• Average lows – 42°F (6°C)

April 30th:

• Average highs – 67°F (19°C)
• Average lows – 51°F (11°C)

Source: Weather Spark

The biggest difference for us visiting near the end of the month wasn’t the warmer average highs (although we weren’t complaining!), it was the warmer average lows which meant we didn’t have to carry heavy coats for the evenings. We did a few sunsets on observation decks but didn’t need to wrap up because it never got too cold.

Kristen’s top weather tip: Manhattan’s grid-like streets are like wind tunnels, and strong gusts can suddenly make the “real feel” temperature plummet dramatically. Even on clear days we tried to wear light wind-proof outer layers.

3. Hotels Cost Less Than Summer

After staying in at least 20 hotels in New York City across most months of the year, we’ve learned that prices inflate and deflate heavily based on seasonality. And the difference between a hotel stay in January vs July can be enormous. It sounds obvious, but we’ve traveled the world and NYC hotels have some of the biggest cost swings between season we’ve ever seen.

In the winter months (we stayed at lots of hotels when we lived in the city to learn more about different neighborhoods) and even during our April trip, we were able to stay at quality hotels with excellent guest ratings for seriously good value. Why? Because less demand leads to lower occupancy rates, and there’s hundreds of hotels that need to fill rooms, so they slash prices to tempt off-season travelers.

By May, hotel prices are really starting to ramp back up as they get an early start on the peak season. Historically, we’ve paid considerably more for hotels during trips in May, July and September than any other time of year. We always know it’s going to be a punch in the gut when we load up our Booking app, put in NYC and peak season dates, and see the eye-watering nightly rates.

Our Top Hotel Picks

If you visit New York City in April and it’s your first time, we recommend booking a hotel around Midtown Manhattan near Times Square, Bryant Park or the Empire State Building. We think it’s the best spot for a first time visitor to have a central location, lots of transport links and countless places to eat out.

Here’s five affordable Midtown hotels to consider:

• Archer Hotel – One of our top picks near Bryant Park with views over the Empire State.
• Henn na Hotel – Excellent location near Penn Station and two superb bagel places.
• CitizenM – Centrally located in Times Square, close to Broadway and Rockefeller Center.
• MOXY NYC – Rooftop bar and good value between Penn Station and Times Square.
• Cambria Hotel – Highly rated cheap hotel with rooftop terrace between Midtown and Chelsea.

We loved the Archer Hotel when we stayed there back in early 2021, Henn na Hotel had great value for money and a fantastic location on 35th Street, and we stayed at the Cambria for 4 nights with our daughter on our most recent visit to NYC in July 2025 – it was one of the only hotels we could find that would reserve a crib for us.

Mark’s top planning tip: If you’re not sure which area to book a hotel, we help you get a better feel for the popular neighborhoods in our where to stay in NYC guide.

4. It’s A Great Time To Eat Out

Late April was a fantastic time to be out and about eating food in New York City. It was warm at lunch time and comfortable enough at breakfast and dinner to eat on tables spilling outside bagel places, pizza joints and restaurants.

And better yet – it was quiet enough to get into restaurants without reserving months in advance, and the pizza and bagel spots didn’t have ridiculous lines. We’ve had some seriously long waits for pizza slices and breakfast bagels, so this was a huge result.

The three classic foods we always overindulge in when we visit NYC are pizza, bagels and hotdogs from street vendors. They’re easy, quick and cheap. Or if you like food markets, don’t miss Smorgasburg – the largest weekly open air food market in America. Every weekend beginning in April, dozens of vendors set up food stalls in Williamsburg, Prospect Park and the World Trade Center.

Our Top Restaurant Recommendations

New York City is home to some of the finest restaurants on the planet, and there’s thousands of cheap, expensive, unique, fun, hidden or exclusive places you can eat at. Unless you’ve lived in NYC for a good few years, we don’t think you can profess that you’re an expert on food in the city – we certainly won’t try to claim that we are.

But what we can do is offer you the following suggestions to consider based on our experiences so far. The following places were all fantastic:

• Italian – Carmine’s Italian (Times Square)
• New American – Gramercy Tavern (Flatiron)
• Ukrainian – Veselka (Ukrainian Village)
• Italian – Rubirosa (Nolita)
• Korean – Thursday Kitchen (East Village)
• Steak – Keens Steakhouse (Midtown South)
• Deli – Katz’s Delicatessen (Lower East Side)
• Bakery – Dominique Ansel (SoHo)

Our favorite bagel spots in NYC are Liberty Bagels and Best Bagel & Coffee, both near each other on 35th Street. When we stayed at Henn na Hotel it was literally the building next door to Best Bagel & Coffee.

And our favorite pizza spots in NYC include L’Industrie in Williamsburg, Rubirosa in Nolita, Joe’s Pizza for a classic slice near Times Square and Underground Pizza for a hidden gem no-frills in the Financial District.

5. Expenses Are More Reasonable

We’ve been traveling the world professionally since 2018, visiting hundreds of cities, towns, national parks and rural areas across the globe. And honestly, we think the whole “New York City is so expensive” thing is a little bit of a myth. Sure, it can be outrageously expensive if you make it that way, but it can also be done on the cheap. Trust us, we’ve done both.

Our April trip to NYC didn’t break the bank, and it doesn’t have to for you either. The two biggest expenses typically come from flights and hotels, right? Well we’ve already covered hotels being cheaper, but it’s also a great time of year to book cheap flights with low-cost airlines domestically and internationally. Compared to summer when the kids are school holidays, flight prices are a steal.

So you save hundreds (maybe even thousands if you take a 5+ day trip) on flights and hotels. What other expenses are there? On the downside, attractions like the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty ferry don’t change price based on season, but on the plus side Broadway shows do tend to run flash deals in the quieter months, so you can pick up discounted rates.

After living in city and visiting countless times, we don’t think NYC is any more expensive than other major cities we’ve visited like San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tokyo or London.

How Much Money Should You Budget?

Everyone visiting New York City arrives with a different budget, goals and itinerary ideas. There’s no one size fits all budget calculator because you might want to eat and drink your way through the city, you might want to just visit attractions and museums, or you might be doing your trip on the cheap.

We’ve taken every type of trip to NYC from shoestring budget to luxury splurge, but let’s say the average couple spends the following (excluding flights):

• Hotel: $300/night
• Food: $150/day
• Attractions: $150/day
• Miscellaneous: $50/day

We think the average couple planning a 3-night and 4-day trip to NYC should budget for a minimum of US $2,300. This number would allow for a comfortable trip, but remember you absolutely can do it much cheaper than that (and we have in the past).

Here are some of our top money saving tips:

• Book a hotel offering free breakfast to cut out one meal a day
• Eat cheap pizza slices, hotdogs or truck stand food for lunch (not the healthiest but cheap)
• Don’t splurge on dinner, keep it simple instead
• Book a cheaper than average hotel (there are highly rated hotels at lower prices)
• Stay away from alcohol, the drink price + tax + tip adds up very quickly!
• Stick to free attractions like Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park
• Walk instead of using the subway every time

Another great way to save money on attractions is to buy a New York CityPASS or Go City New York Pass. When used correctly, these passes can save a small fortune when visiting multiple observation decks, museums and attractions. We’ve used both and they did save us money. (Add MORGANS5 as a promo code to save 5% on your entire Go City order.)

Not sure which pass to buy? Read our New York pass comparison to learn more about how much we saved with each pass and which is best for your plans.

6. Major Attractions Are Easy To Visit

One of our favorite things about going to New York in April was being able to do all of the same things we could do in summer, but without the crowds. In pure terms of visiting top attractions, we didn’t miss out on anything vs our summer trips – except warmer weather.

We’ve been up the observation decks when they’re busy and it’s hard to enjoy the experience. Not being able to get a ferry time slot for the Statue of Liberty is frustrating, joining long queues to get into museums grows tiresome, and standing in even longer lines just to get a bagel is worse yet. But in April we walked straight into everything with no queue at all, which made a huge difference to our timing and sanity.

It was also a wonderful time to explore New York’s vibrant neighborhoods (which are like tourist attractions) because they weren’t overrun. The spring air was crisp and the famously pungent smells of summer hadn’t yet begun. Paired with the comfortable weather, we spent a lot of our trip just walking around the likes of SoHo, Lower East Side, Williamsburg, Bushwick and Upper East Side.

Our Favorite NYC Things To Do In April

We’ve done pretty much all there is to do as tourists in New York, here are some of our favorites:

• Exploring the famous NYC neighborhoods (free)
• Taking the ferry to Statue of Liberty (cheap)
• Finding the iconic spots in Central Park (free)
• Walking the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset and night (free)
• Visiting several of the best museums in NYC (cheap)
• Going up one or two of the best NYC observation decks (moderate)
• Watching a Broadway show (expensive, but often cheaper in April)

And here are some the things we did that are unique to April:

• Taking photos of stunning cherry blossoms (free)
• Enjoying the Macy’s Flower Show (free)
• Being wowed by the Orchid Show at NYBG (cheap)
• Sampling foods as Smorgasburg opened for the year (cheap)

7. The Cherry Blossoms Are Stunning

A massive part of the reason we chose the end of April to visit NYC in 2022 was because we wanted to see radiant pink and white cherry blossoms. Naturally, we thought Central Park would be the best place (and it was great), but actually the New York Botanical Gardens in The Bronx had the most amazing display. And it was full of other lovely flowers, so we highly recommend visiting in spring.

We were actually quite surprised to see cherry blossoms blooming in random places all over the city, like Madison Square Park near the Flatiron Building. In fact, most parks and green spaces across the city had beautiful cherry trees erupting into a beautiful pink and white light show.

And the best part? There were barely any crowds at all. After being massively overstimulated every time we arrived to a cherry blossom spot in Japan in April, we kind of expected a similar thing in NYC, but it never happened – not once, not even in Central Park.

Where To See Cherry Blossoms In NYC

If we planned another trip to NYC in April just to see cherry blossoms, here are the places we would prioritize:

• New York Botanical Gardens
• Central Park
• Madison Square Park
• The High Line
• Sakura Park
• Flushing Meadows Corona Park
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden
• Roosevelt Island

In Central Park we found a fantastic spot near Bethesda Fountain with huge bright pink and off-white flowers. The sun was beating down and the fountain was directly behind – it’s a stunning photo spot, so don’t miss it.

8. Central Park Is Bursting Back Into Life

Central Park is one of the most famous green spaces on the planet, and it’s a non-negotiable place we go every single time we’re in New York. It’s lush green in summer, the foliage colors in fall are stunning, and we even had a magical Central Park snow day in the depths of winter which felt like we were in a movie. It wasn’t quite as attractive in April, but we still loved seeing yellowy-green leaves beginning to light up the park.

We’ve already mentioned that we saw cherry blossoms, but where exactly? Well, according to centralpark.com:

“The cherry blossom trees can be found mainly between 72nd Street and 96th Street, with the highest concentrations around the Reservoir, Cherry Hill, Pilgrim Hill, Great Lawn, Cedar Hill, and the area just south of Cedar Hill between 74th and 77th Streets.”

Our Central Park Walking Route

Central Park is massive and there’s tons more to do other than take photos of cherry blossoms if you visit in April. Remember, The Met, Guggenheim and American Museum of Natural History are on either side of Central Park. Out of the three, The Met is by far our favorite.

We’ve walked through Central Park so many times that we know the most efficient walking route off by heart. We always grab a hot coffee before entering the park on the southeast corner near The Plaza, and we always walk slowly so we have plenty of time for photography.

Follow this exact walking route:

1. Wollman Ice Rink
2. The Mall
3. Bethesda Terrace
4. Bow Bridge (don’t cross)
5. Wagner’s Cove
6. Strawberry Fields
7. The Ramble
8. Belvedere Castle

Our typical walking route ends a few minutes walk from The Met, which is the perfect next destination. Most tourists only visit the southernmost part of Central Park and that’s a mistake. We encourage you to explore further into the park, as long as you have enough time on your NYC itinerary.

9. It’s A Fantastic Month For Urban Photography

New York City is one of the most iconic urban landscapes on Earth, and no matter how many times we visit, we always end up blown away by its towering skyscrapers and unique architecture. But walking around New York with a camera is both a blessing and a curse for us because there’s a great photo to be taken at every turn, every building and every iconic landmark.

We’re travel photographers and NYC is exceptionally photogenic, so naturally we’ve taken thousands of photos across our many trips and we’re sure there’ll be a few thousand more to come in the future. Honestly, we think any month is a good month to take amazing photos in NYC, but April gave us some pretty unique perspectives.

Here’s what we loved about NYC photography in April:

• Fewer crowds make photography easier and more relaxing
• Much quieter at observation decks and top attractions
• Cherry blossoms scattered across the city
• Diverse range of weather including clouds, sun and rain
• Steam billowing out of vents and drains on cold mornings
• Brooklyn Bridge is quieter than summer at sunrise and sunset
• It’s not dangerously cold to stay out on mornings or evenings

10. Packing Is A Serious Challenge

Packing for our trip to New York City in April was tricky because we knew the weather and temperatures would be changeable. We did some research and learned that we were likely to experience cold, mild, warm and cold again throughout the day. And let’s face it, this is NYC, so we wanted options!

We asked ourselves how much we planned to go out drinking and partying, how many classy restaurants we planned to visit and if we’d be using the hotel gym at all. Then we factored in daytime clothes for walking non-stop (considering the changeable weather) and we quickly filled our suitcases.

So what did we do? We unpacked completely, and only repacked multi-purpose clothing items that could be dressed up or dressed down. No ifs, buts or maybes went back in. And this transformed the way we packed for our trip.

Our trip goal was to walk and explore all day every day, so running shoes with lots of spring and bounce, quality socks, moisture wicking shirts, and comfortable underwear were our top priorities. After that it was all about layering – light and medium layers mostly, with just two heavier layers for the mornings and evenings. We didn’t take our serious winter gear, and we’re glad because we didn’t need it.

Our Packing List For NYC In April

• Quality underwear and socks
• Shorts, pants, leggings, dresses and jeans
• Moisture wicking t-shirts
• Light and medium layers
• Heavier sweater or hoody
• Smart casual multi-use gear (for dinner and drinks)
• Sunglasses and hats
• Gloves and scarves for sunrises and sunsets
• One pair of comfy worn-in shoes for walking
• One smarter pair of shoes for everything else
• Camera, lenses, tripod and plenty of data storage

After that it comes down to your personal travel style. Some people like to dress up smart for walking around the city, whereas others go all out for comfort. There’s no right or wrong in New York, everyone just does whatever they feel comfortable doing. We lean towards stamina over style and practicality over presentation when we visit cities because we tend to walk non-stop. How will you pack for your trip?

Next Steps

We hope our guide answers the questions you have about whether April is a good time to plan your visit NYC.

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments box below, and remember you can schedule a travel planning call with us if you’d like expert help figuring out how to make the most of your trip to New York.

Still researching for your trip?

• Read our action packed 4 days in NYC itinerary.
• Book your hotel in one of these NYC neighborhoods.
• Don’t miss these top attractions in NYC.

Finally, if you’ll be heading upstate on the same trip, we recommend reading our New York State travel guide for more helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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