Planning a trip to New York City with a teen? Here’s exactly how we spent three days in NYC, including where we stayed, what was worth it, what we’d do again, and how we made the trip affordable using travel points.

Quick Trip Snapshot

📍 Trip length: 3 days

👩‍👧 Who traveled: Mom + teen daughter

🏨 Hotel: Hotel 50 Bowery (Hyatt)

✈️ Flights: Southwest Companion Pass

🚶 Average steps: ~20,000/day

💳 Used points? Yes!

Why NYC Was the Perfect Mother-Daughter Trip

I recently took a trip to New York City with my daughter, and it reminded me how different traveling with just one kid can be. It’s such a great experience and I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you can. I can’t wait to take a trip with just my son next year!

Instead of trying to balance everyone’s interests, we could be more spontaneous. We spent time shopping in SoHo, walking through Central Park, eating late-night tacos after Broadway, and exploring neighborhoods without feeling rushed. We could linger and we were able to have conversations that we don’t usually get to at home.

The trip felt both exciting and surprisingly easy. This is exactly the kind of trip I love sharing—memorable family travel that doesn’t have to break the budget.

One of the biggest takeaways from this trip was how special it is to travel one-on-one with your teen. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s worth planning a trip with just one child, I wrote more about why I think every parent should do it.

➡️ Why Every Parent Should Take a One-on-One Trip With Their Teen

Where To Stay in NYC with a Teen

For the first two nights of the trip, we stayed with friends in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It’s a great neighborhood with beautiful tree-lined streets, great cafes, restaurants and cute shops to explore.

For the second half, we stayed at the Hotel 50 Bowery in Chinatown using Hyatt points that we earned through our Chase Sapphire card.

The location was excellent for exploring Lower Manhattan, SoHo, Little Italy, and the Brooklyn Bridge. It also had an amazing rooftop with 360 degree views of the city.

Looking for a hotel in NYC? Hotel prices in NYC can vary a lot depending on the season. We always compare cash prices before deciding whether to use points.

Day 1: Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown & The Color Factory

One of our first stops was walking the Brooklyn Bridge.

Even though it’s one of NYC’s most famous attractions, it was 100% worth it. The views of the skyline and the experience of walking between Brooklyn and Manhattan made it one of our favorite memories. We started on the Brooklyn side, which I recommend because you get incredible Manhattan skyline views. If we were to do it again, I would also visit the Brooklyn Bridge Park and eat breakfast or lunch at Time Out Market.

Chinatown

After the bridge, we spent time exploring Chinatown and then wandered into NoLita for a slice of pizza. If I had my other kid with me, we would have gone on a dim sum tour (in particular I would have checked out the Nom Wah Tea Parlor), but with this teen, pizza is always the safest bet.

We still had all afternoon ahead of us with nothing planned, so we decided to explore SoHo and booked online tickets for The Color Factory.

SoHo & The Color Factory

We had a lot of fun at The Color Factory, and I would recommend it if you have time, but I wouldn’t call it a must-see.

One thing that helped keep this trip enjoyable was not trying to squeeze too much into every day.

We planned a few highlights and left room for breaks. When we found ourselves with a free afternoon, we booked last-minute tickets to The Color Factory in SoHo and wandered past lots of shops to get there, making note that we would need to devote some time to shopping the next day.

We spent about an hour there and it was a lot of fun. There are lots of opportunities to take selfies in different colorful rooms with fun props – the rooms we enjoyed most were ones where you throw confetti in the air and take photos and the giant ball pit you can get in. You get a QR code to scan and take selfies in each room and they send them to your phone or email address. It was a fun thing for the two of us to do together and we got a lot of great pictures. It’s definitely more for teens and kids than a group of adults.

If this sounds like something your teen would enjoy, you can book online tickets to the Color Factory here.

Day 2: Staten Island Ferry, Chelsea Market & Little Island, SoHo, Broadway

Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry can be one of the best free experiences in NYC. I had been on this many times when visiting friends in New York in my 20s.

You get incredible views of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty without spending a dime. My daughter liked seeing it, but overall found it kind of boring and wanted to get back to SoHo to explore the shops, so I’d consider what your teen is into first.

I’ll be putting together a guide to our favorite free things to do in NYC with teens because some of our favorite moments didn’t cost anything.

Chelsea Market

We took the subway from the Staten Island Ferry into Chelsea. My daughter loved navigating all of our subway trips.

Chelsea Market was a great spot to stop for lunch (more pizza). It has a great selection of food stalls – everyone can find something they’re in the mood for. I love going to markets and food halls with teenagers – even the pickiest eaters can find something they’re excited to try.

Little Island

Little Island was one of our favorite spots. If you’re looking for a hidden gem in NYC, I highly recommend checking it out.

It has great views, beautiful gardens, and walking paths – it’s a perfect break from the crowds and a place to relax. We wandered around for about 15-20 minutes, but you could definitely sit and stay longer, get a snack and enjoy the views if you wanted to linger. They also have lots of events and performances, so I would recommend checking out the schedule. It would be a really fun place to attend an affordable event.

Little Island deserves a post of its own, so keep an eye out for my full guide to visiting this hidden gem.

SoHo Shopping

My daughter could have spent an entire day shopping in SoHo.

If you’re traveling with a teen girl, I would definitely leave time for this neighborhood.

It was so fun for her to see stores for her favorite skincare and clothing brands and go into the shops. She was particularly excited about trying samples at the huge Glossier store.

Wicked on Broadway

Seeing Wicked was one of the highlights of the trip.

My daughter loved it, and it quickly became one of her favorite experiences in NYC. It was also my first Broadway show!

We go to see plays together at home in Denver, but she was amazed walking through the theater district and seeing the crowds, the lights and the different theaters for each of the shows.

If Broadway is on your NYC bucket list, it’s worth checking current theater and activity options before your trip.

Late-Night Tacos

After the show, we strolled through Times Square, which my daughter loved (and I hated!). We waited in the long line and grabbed late night tacos from Los Tacos No. 1. Delicious and totally worth the wait! This is the type of spontaneous stop off that would have been difficult with the whole family, but was a blast just the two of us.

Day 3: Central Park, SoHo & Dinner in the West Village

One of the best things we did in NYC was completely free. We browsed in the famous FAO Schwartz shop (had to see those Jellycats!) and then strolled over to Central Park for most of the afternoon.

We spent time wandering through Central Park, relaxing, and stopping for drinks at the Central Park Boathouse.

We needed a little greenery break and hanging out in the park was the perfect choice for us. We walked all over the park but I think it could also be really fun to rent a boat or rent bikes to ride through the park.

We got the subway back to SoHo and did a little more shopping before resting at the hotel. I wanted to get more of a neighborhood feel, so that evening we walked over to the West Village for a great, casual dinner at The Grey Dog.

We love to walk, so Hotel 50 Bowery’s location in Chinatown was perfect for us. We got in about 20,000 steps a day, but we were also near tons of subway stops, which we used when we got tired. You could easily get around quickly on the subway, we just loved being able to walk to all the different neighborhoods and spot new things.

How We Made NYC More Affordable

One question I get often is how we afford family travel.

For this trip we:

✈️ Used Southwest Companion Pass for flights

🏨 Transferred Chase Sapphire points to Hyatt to book Hotel 50 Bowery

🍴 Paid cash for food, shopping, and experiences

Covering our flights and hotel with points meant we could spend our budget on Broadway, restaurants, shopping, and spontaneous stops without feeling guilty.

If you’re new to travel points, don’t worry—it can be much simpler than it sounds, and I’ll walk you through exactly how we do it in the article below.

Planning Your Own NYC Trip?

If you’re planning a trip to NYC with a teen, I recommend focusing on:

Walkable neighborhoods
A few key attractions each day
Flexible time for shopping and food
Leaving room for spontaneous moments

That’s what made this trip feel enjoyable rather than exhausting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few questions I get most often about this itinerary.

Is 3 days enough for NYC with a teen?

Yes! We never felt rushed because we planned just a few highlights each day and left room for exploring.

Where should you stay in NYC with a teen?

We loved Chinatown because we could walk to several neighborhoods and easily access the subway.

Is NYC worth visiting with teenagers?

Absolutely. Shopping, Broadway, great food, parks, and neighborhoods made this one of our favorite trips together.

Coming Soon

Why Every Parent Should Take a One-on-One Trip With Their Teen
Best Free Things to Do in NYC With Teens
Why Little Island Was One of Our Favorite Stops in NYC

Hi, I’m Steph, family travel planner, teacher and mom.

I share easy, memorable trips for families with teens.

Planning your own family trip? Browse my travel itineraries, points guides, and favorite travel gear to make your next adventure easier—and more affordable.

The Perfect NYC Itinerary for Moms and Teen Girls (3 Days in New York City)

Why NYC Was the Perfect Mother-Daughter Trip

Where To Stay in NYC with a Teen

Looking for a hotel in NYC? Hotel prices in NYC can vary a lot depending on the season. We always compare cash prices before deciding whether to use points.