Having the right travel guide with you when you visit New York City will have a huge impact on your New York City visit. These are some of the best New York City travel guides, for all sorts of visitors to New York City.
Frommer's New York City
Good Mainstream New York City Travel GuideFrommer's is a good choice for folks seeking an all-encompassing New York City travel guide. It has good information for hotel choices, restaurants and attractions and has suitable choices for a wide range of budgets. Tips throughout the book will help you make the most of your New York City visit from getting to attractions early to avoid crowds to a list of NYC experiences to avoid (which was surprisingly on-point). While the pullout map is fairly detailed, the fact that it doesn't have streets integrated with subway stops can be a bit of an inconvenience, but the maps contained within the book have both subways and streets marked on them, making up for this oversight.
The Rough Guide to New York City
Best Travel Guide for Visitors Who Want to Explore Beyond the BasicsThe Rough Guide to New York City does a great job of covering New York City's history and landmarks, with solid coverage beyond Manhattan and the major tourist attractions as well. Maps in the rear of the book cover Manhattan thoroughly, as well as Brooklyn, and there are helpful maps within the individual sections on Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. This travel guide is particularly helpful for visitors as they plan their trip and want to consider the many options that New York City has to offer.
Fodor's New York City's Best
Great Guide for Short TripsWith so much to see and do, it can be overwhelming to try and make choices about how to spend your time in New York City, especially if you're making a short weekend trip to New York City. Fodor's New York City's Best simplifies New York City's possibilities into a series of lists -- from comprehensive coverage of New York City's top 25 sights to helpful lists of the best views, best delis and more. This New York City travel guide is really helpful for visitors who want to narrow down their focus and have more choices made for them.
Eyewitness Travel New York
Best New York Travel Guide If You Love PicturesEyewitness Travel's New York travel guide is great for visitors planning their trips to New York City. Every page has beautiful color photographs, illustrations and maps, as well as helpful information for visiting a variety of New York City neighborhoods and attractions. There are detailed walking tours that make it easy to explore new areas without needing to participate in a formal tour. Maps throughout the book and particularly at the end of the book are helpful for navigating, but the book is fairly limited on restaurant/hotel coverage.
Night+Day New York
Great for Visitors Who Want to Explore New York City's Hip SideVisitors to New York City interested in discovering New York City's hippest shops, restaurants, and hotels will find Night+Day New York to be a great guidebook. Night+Day New York narrows down the overwhelming choices, leaving you free to enjoy all the fabulousness that New York City offers.
Eyewitness Travel New York Pocket Map & Guide
Great Small New York City Travel GuideIf you want something small enough to carry in your pocket while you explore New York City, Eyewitness Travel's New York Pocket Map & Guide is a good choice. The foldout map successfully combines a fairly compact size with all the necessary details you'll need for getting around -- most (but not all) streets are marked on the street map and subways are marked on both the street map and on a separate Manhattan subway map. The guide itself is conveniently organized by neighborhood with just a small amount of information about a wide variety of attractions.
Not For Tourists Guide to New York City
Best Choice for Repeat Visitors and Local New YorkersThe Not For Tourists Guide to New York City is compact in size and loaded with essential information and great maps, but doesn't have a lot of detail about various attractions and landmarks. If you want to find a nearby pharmacy, post office or library, this New York City travel guide is a great choice. Personally, I have one stashed in the glove box of my car, because it can be so helpful while exploring New York City.
