Fareboom>
News>
Fareboom Explorer

FOLLOW Fareboom

The best things to do in New York City this winter

By Fareboom Staff, Mon, Dec 4, 2017

New York seems to sparkle in the winter – and it’s not just because of all the holiday lights. Here are some of the best ways to enjoy the Big Apple in winter 2017-2018:

Iconic attractions for less

It’s off-season, which means less crowds and less time waiting in line at the sites you’ve always wanted to visit.

Holiday ambiance

- Visit the huge, world famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree (and cap off the day with ice skating or going to the “Top of the Rock” –30 Rockefeller Plaza’s 70^th-floor observation deck).

- Enjoy holiday markets throughout the city.

- Meet (maybe the real) Santa at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square. This is where the Santa from the classic movie “A Miracle on 34^th Street” worked, and Macy’s continues to bring the holiday magic today, with Santaland, an indoor winter wonderland that leads up to a shared seat and photo op with the Jolly One himself.

- Ring in the new year in Times Square. Most locals avoid it (New Yorkers actually aren’t crazy about crowds), but if you’ve always dreamt of doing it, go for it!

Eat, drink…

- NYC Restaurant Week means discounts at hundreds of restaurants every day but Saturday (January 22 -February 19, 2018).

Take in a show

- Check out one (or many) of the plays, concerts, operas, Broadway shows, and other performances that the city has to offer, like the traditional Radio City Christmas Spectacular, featuring the Rockettes.

Museum-go

From dinosaur skeletons to avant-garde artwork, the city’s museums always offer something amazing to see. Here’s a list to help you find the perfect exhibit.

Good sports

- See a professional basketball, football, or hockey game.

Winter thrills

- Ice skate at Rockefeller Center or Central Parks’ Wollman Rink, or other spots.

- Take a horse-drawn carriage ride in Central Park.

- Join the Coney Island Polar Bear Club for their annual New Year’s Day swim in the bone-chilling waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Do you like being the first to know?

If you enjoy always getting the best tips, deals and insider news before everyone else then make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Alysa Salzberg is a writer and trip planner. She lives in Paris with an eccentric Frenchman, a train-obsessed toddler, and a dog-like cat. Besides them, she loves travel, books, and cookies. You can read about her adventures here, or feel free to stop by and check out her website.

MORE FAREBOOM EXPLORER

How to take a kid- or teen-friendly vacation just about anywhere

5 Reasons Why I Might Need to Move to Stockholm

Central America – 9 Top Tips for Planning Your First Trip

5 Things that Make Italy a Great Winter Destination

Cities in Thailand Worth Leaving the Islands For

Back

TIPS

RADIUS

FROM Clear

RADIUS

TO Clear

DEPART

Current

TIME

+ More options

help

PASSENGERS

CABIN

BACK SEARCH FLIGHTS CANCEL

Logo

Passenger and Cabin Tips

Infant Travel

Infant tickets for children not reaching 24 months on the return flight typically cost up to 10% of adult fare when the infant stays in your lap or in an airline provided bassinet. On most long haul flights you can get a free bassinet for infants weighing up to 22 lbs (10kg). Bassinets may be requested on Fareboom.com at the time of booking the infant passenger using the Assistance request form. Some US carriers do not provide bassinets (Delta, American Airlines - except on Boeing 777). Better foreign carriers are typically more child friendly. On long haul flights you might consider booking infants older than 6 months as children and pay for their own seat, typically costing 70% of adult fare. You should bring your own approved car seat onboard when purchasing a child seat.

Cabin Selection

We prefer booking Premium Economy on long haul international flights when it costs up to 50% more than the lowest available coach class fare. Foreign carriers, such as British Airways, Virgin, Air New Zealand, Air France, Qantas, Eva Air, ANA and Japan Airlines are our favorites. Premium Economy has wider seats, a foot rest and slightly better service to help you get to the destination refreshed and relaxed.

For deeper pockets Business class on long haul flights is king. Ensure that you pick the right airline with lie-flat seats. Paying the Business class premium for partially reclinable seats does not make much sense so you might pick Premium Economy instead (when available).

Close tips

Flight Search Tips

Multi-city and Stopover Savings

We let you see and do more for less by providing virtually free stopovers in major cities on the way to your destination. Say you are going from New York to Rome but would like to stopover in London or Paris on the cheap. Simply create three flights: 1) NYC-LON, 2) LON-ROM and 3) ROM-NYC. You can get even more creative by adding another flight stopping in Paris on the return. You may decide to see more of Italy and head north to return from Venice instead of Rome. Simply search as follows: 1) NYC-LON, 2) LON-ROM and 3) VCE-NYC. Our powerful search will try to optimize the fare to apply a single, low round trip price even when you stop at major airports or when you return from a different city than your arrival.

Five leg search tip: When you’ve got to visit many places you might find that booking four legs plus one separately is cheaper than five at once due to search limitations. Try booking up to four legs with a separate one way booking for the fifth and compare with a full five leg search to see which combination yields a better total price.

Radius Search

You likely noticed cool sliders above From/To airport selectors. They let you search for lower fares up to 175 miles around your origin or destination. This feature is especially useful when your origin or destination airport is surrounded by larger airports that might have considerably lower fares due to their size. This feature is especially useful in densely populated areas, such as within Europe where driving 100 miles to an alternate airport might mean several hundred dollars in savings. Combine Radius search with Best Value sorting on Flight Results page to ensure that the cost of driving to alternate airports is considered when picking the best flight.

When to book

This is something we get asked a lot. That’s why we developed a unique fare analysis tool called the Real Deal. Look for the orange Real Deal logo displayed with select flights. When you see it - book it, because the price will most likely not get any better. As a rule of thumb the best time to book depends on fare seasonality that is based on destination seasons. Winter is typically cheapest with summer being the most expensive, except for peak Christmas season when airlines are anything but generous with discount seats. To get the best deal you should book low season up to three months in advance and high season up to six months in advance. If you know that you need to go on a particular date in the future and want to play it safe book up to eight months in advance. If you don’t really care about specific dates wait a bit longer and look out for the Real Deal right here on Fareboom.com – it just doesn’t get any better.

Close tips

Book with confidence^* No change penalty on qualifying itineraries. Restrictions may apply. Learn more

Currency

How to take a kid- or teen-friendly vacation just about anywhere

5 Reasons Why I Might Need to Move to Stockholm

‘I’ve Missed My Flight!’ Here’s what To Do

Answered! What Are The Best Time to Book Flights to Europe?

Abidjan Ivory Coast Deal $874

Melbourne, Best Deal on the Web