Sample itinerary — plan your own, free → See all sample trips
Sample itinerary · MNL <-> JFK

New York at Christmas

🖨 Print scrapbook 📅 Add to calendar
🛂 Visa required for a PH passport — B1/B2 visitor visa required, including an interview.

New York in its holiday lights: the Rockefeller tree, skating in Bryant Park, the Statue of Liberty by ferry, Central Park, a Broadway night and the over-the-top Christmas houses of Dyker Heights. Tap any slot to make it your group's.

Every time slot has 3+ options — tap a card to make it your pick. Choices save automatically.

MNL → JFK

THU 03 DEC 2026

Depart
19:00
Arrive
22:00
Terminal
NAIA 1 -> JFK
Philippine Airlines

JFK → MNL

MON 07 DEC 2026

Depart
23:55
Arrive
05:55 +2
Terminal
JFK -> NAIA 1
Philippine Airlines
~16h
nonstop flight
$3
a subway ride (tap your card)
5
boroughs — we do 3
~7°
daytime high — real coat
On the forecast: Early December in New York: ~7 °C by day, around freezing at night, and short days — dark by 16:30. Proper winter clothes, not a Manila jacket. Live numbers fill in inside the ~16-day forecast window.
Thu · Dec 3

Land at JFK, straight to bed

📅 Add Day 1 to calendar
7°
Near freezing at night — have the coat in your hand luggage, not the checked bag. indoor
Striped top, jeans, sunglasses Idea 1
Sneakers, sunglasses, tote bag Idea 2
Jeans, scarf, sneakers Idea 3
winter coatthermal layerbeanie + glovesclosed shoes
JFK → Midtown ManhattanToday's area
22:00
Land at JFK free
Immigration can take an hour at night. Keep your hotel address and return ticket handy for the officer.
23:00
Into Manhattan ~$12–100
Getting to the hotel
Yellow cab — flat fare to Manhattan Pick
mid USD 25–30
~45–60 min · flat fare plus tolls, surcharges and tip — Split four ways it's close to the train, and it's door to door.
AirTrain + subway
budget USD 12
~75 min · AirTrain fee + $3 subway — Cheapest, but stairs and transfers with big suitcases at midnight.
Pre-booked car service
splurge USD 30–40
driver waits at arrivals — Worth it if anyone in the group is a nervous first-timer.
00:00
Check in — Midtown
Midtown puts Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Bryant Park and most subway lines within walking distance. A deli sandwich on the way up.
Why it's worth it: You land the same evening you left, after ~16 hours. Get to the hotel, eat something, sleep — tomorrow starts the real trip.
Possible hiccups:
  • The US needs a B1/B2 visitor visa for a Philippine passport, with an interview — apply months ahead; a new visa-integrity fee is pushing the total cost up, so check the current fee.
  • MetroCards are gone: tap a contactless card or phone at the subway gate ($3). After 12 paid rides in 7 days the rest of the week is free (a $35 cap).
  • The AirTrain from JFK charges its own fee on top of the subway fare — with four people and luggage late at night, a car is easier.
  • Jet lag: New York is 13 hours behind Manila. Stay up until ~21:00 local tomorrow.
Fri · Dec 4

Midtown in its Christmas lights

📅 Add Day 2 to calendar
7°
Cold and bright most December days. Duck into shops and lobbies to warm up — every block has one. outdoor
Striped top, jeans, sunglasses Idea 1
Sneakers, sunglasses, tote bag Idea 2
Jeans, scarf, sneakers Idea 3
winter coatthermal topscarfgloves (touchscreen)comfortable boots
Midtown — Fifth Avenue to Times SquareToday's area
08:30
Breakfast — bagels ~$8–15 food
A New York bagel with cream cheese and coffee. Get it to go and walk.
09:30
Rockefeller tree + St Patrick's Cathedral free
The tree and the skating rink below it without the evening crush, then the cathedral across Fifth Avenue.
10:30
Fifth Avenue holiday windows free
The department-store windows are a show of their own — walk from Saks up toward Central Park South.
12:30
Lunch ~$12–40 food
Lunch
Halal cart + hot dogs Pick
budget USD 10–15
street food, eaten standing — Chicken over rice from a cart — a New York rite.
Food hall
mid USD 18–28
Urbanspace or the Plaza Food Hall — Warm, seated, everyone picks their own.
Classic deli
splurge USD 30–40
pastrami on rye — Huge sandwiches — one feeds two.
14:00
Bryant Park Winter Village free–$40
The free skating rink and the holiday shops in little glass booths, under the New York Public Library. Pop into the library's Rose Reading Room to warm up.
16:00
Sunset from above $45–60
Which view
Top of the Rock Pick
mid USD 47–60
timed entry, $47–60 — The view with the Empire State Building in it — and the tree right below.
Empire State Building
mid USD 45–55
the classic — The 86th-floor open-air deck — cold, iconic.
Skip it — Times Square lights instead
budget Free
free — The ball, the billboards, the crowds. 20 minutes is enough.
19:00
The tree, lit up free
Back to Rockefeller Center for the tree after dark — and the light show on the facade of Saks across the street, if it's running this year.
Why it's worth it: Fifth Avenue windows, the tree at Rockefeller Center, skating in Bryant Park and the city from the top of a skyscraper at sunset.
Possible hiccups:
  • Rockefeller Center is shoulder to shoulder from ~17:00 to 21:00. See the tree in the morning, come back at night only for the lights.
  • Top of the Rock is timed-entry and $47–60 depending on the hour — sunset slots sell out first in December, so book before you fly.
  • Bryant Park's rink is free to enter, but skate rental costs extra and weekend evenings have queues.
  • Sunset is around 16:30 — plan the sightseeing that needs daylight before 16:00.
Sat · Dec 5

Lady Liberty, downtown, Brooklyn Bridge

📅 Add Day 3 to calendar
6° / -1°C
The harbour is windier than Midtown — the warmest layer goes on today. outdoor
Striped top, jeans, sunglasses Idea 1
Sneakers, sunglasses, tote bag Idea 2
Jeans, scarf, sneakers Idea 3
windproof coatbeaniegloveswalking shoes
Lower Manhattan → BrooklynToday's area
08:30
See the Statue of Liberty free–$26
How close
Ferry to Liberty + Ellis Island Pick
mid USD 26
from Battery Park · $25.50 — Walk around the statue, then the immigration museum on Ellis Island. Half a day.
Staten Island Ferry
budget Free
free, ~25 min each way — Passes close to the statue with the skyline behind you. An hour round trip.
Ferry + pedestal access
splurge USD 26–30
book ahead — Climb into the pedestal for the view over the harbour.
13:00
Lunch near Wall Street ~$12–30 food
Stone Street's cobbled lane of pubs, or the food stalls at the Oculus.
14:00
9/11 Memorial + the Oculus free ($33 museum)
The two reflecting pools in the footprints of the towers, with every name cut into the bronze. The white-ribbed Oculus station next door.
15:30
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge free
~30 minutes across on the raised walkway — the skyline gets better behind you, so stop and look back.
16:15
DUMBO at dusk free
The Manhattan Bridge framed between old warehouses on Washington Street, then the waterfront park as the skyline lights up.
18:00
Dinner — New York pizza ~$8–30 food
Brooklyn has the famous coal-oven pizzerias by the bridge (expect a queue), or a $4 slice anywhere. Subway back to Midtown.
Why it's worth it: Ferry to the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial pools, then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO for the skyline at dusk.
Possible hiccups:
  • The Statue of Liberty ferry is $25.50 and has airport-style security — take the first ferries of the day. Pedestal and crown access need separate tickets, and the crown sells out months ahead.
  • The 9/11 Memorial pools are free; the museum is $33 — allow 2 hours if you go in.
  • The free Staten Island Ferry passes the statue without stopping — a good budget swap if the paid ferry is sold out.
  • Rain swap: the 9/11 Museum and Oculus in the morning, then the Brooklyn Bridge only if it clears.
Sun · Dec 6

Central Park, the Met, a Broadway night

📅 Add Day 4 to calendar
7°
A mostly indoor afternoon — the museum is the warm-up. outdoor
Striped top, jeans, sunglasses Idea 1
Sneakers, sunglasses, tote bag Idea 2
Jeans, scarf, sneakers Idea 3
coatcomfortable shoes for museum floorsa nicer layer for Broadway
Central Park → Upper East Side → Theater DistrictToday's area
09:00
Central Park in winter free
In at Columbus Circle: the Mall's tree-lined avenue, Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, Bow Bridge, and the Wollman ice rink with the skyline behind it.
11:30
A museum to warm up in $25–30
Which museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Pick
mid USD 30
$30 for non-New Yorkers — Egypt's Temple of Dendur, the armour hall, and the rooftop if it's open. Pick 3 sections, not 30.
American Museum of Natural History
mid USD 28–30
west side of the park — The dinosaurs and the blue whale — the pick for families.
Skip it — Grand Central + the library
budget Free
free — The Grand Central main concourse and the library's reading room, both free and warm.
14:30
Late lunch ~$15–35 food
Upper East Side diner, or back toward Midtown for ramen in the cold.
17:00
Your night $0–200
Pick one
A Broadway show Pick
splurge USD 90–200
TKTS same-day, or book ahead — The one splurge New York is famous for. Dinner before, near Times Square.
Dyker Heights Christmas lights
budget USD 6–15
subway to Brooklyn, free — Whole streets of houses competing with lights, giant toy soldiers and inflatables. Hot chocolate from the vendors.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular
splurge USD 80–180
the Rockettes — The high-kicking holiday show — a December-only classic.
Why it's worth it: A winter walk through Central Park, a museum to warm up in, then the night is yours: Broadway, or the Christmas houses of Dyker Heights.
Possible hiccups:
  • The Met is $30 for visitors from outside New York State (pay-what-you-wish is for NY residents only).
  • TKTS in Times Square sells same-day Broadway tickets at a discount — the line is shortest right when it opens; the biggest hits rarely appear there.
  • Dyker Heights is a ~1-hour subway ride to Brooklyn and the lights are on from dusk — go after 17:00 and go together.
Mon · Dec 7

High Line, last shopping, fly home

📅 Add Day 5 to calendar
7°
An easy day. Keep the coat on top of the suitcase. outdoor
Striped top, jeans, sunglasses Idea 1
Sneakers, sunglasses, tote bag Idea 2
Jeans, scarf, sneakers Idea 3
comfy travel layerscoatsneakers
Chelsea → Midtown → JFKToday's area
09:00
Checkout — bags held at the hotel
10:00
The High Line free
A park on a 1930s elevated freight railway, 2.3 km from Hudson Yards (the Vessel) down to the Meatpacking District.
11:30
Chelsea Market ~$12–30 food
An old biscuit factory turned food hall — tacos, lobster rolls, doughnuts. Lunch here.
13:30
Pasalubong run ~$30–200
Where to shop
Macy's Herald Square + Midtown Pick
mid USD 50–200
the giant department store — Everything under one roof, plus the Christmas floors.
Souvenir and snack shops
budget USD 30–80
I ❤ NY shirts, Hershey's, M&M's stores — The classic take-home bag for the family.
Woodbury Common outlets
splurge USD 100–400
day-trip bus, ~1 hr each way — Only if shopping is the point of the trip — it eats the whole day.
19:30
Collect bags → JFK ~$12–100
Same choices as Day 1, in reverse.
23:55
Fly home to Manila
Lands early on Wednesday morning, Manila time. Trip complete.
Why it's worth it: Check out, walk the old elevated railway to Chelsea Market, do the pasalubong run and head to JFK in the evening.
Possible hiccups:
  • Leave Midtown for JFK by ~19:30 for a 23:55 flight — international check-in closes about an hour before, and Monday-evening traffic to Queens is slow.
  • Hotels hold bags after checkout; ask for the claim ticket.
  • Sales tax isn't refunded to tourists in New York — the price on the tag is not what you pay.
Trip cost

Budget worksheet

Every figure is editable — change any amount and the totals, chart, and per-day numbers update instantly. Your edits stay on this device.

$0
total (per person)
₱0
total in PHP
$0
total, all travelers
$0
avg. per day

Line items — per person

Transpo$0
Round-trip airfareMNL ⇄ JFK nonstop, December
$
PH travel tax + terminal fee
$
Subway$3 a ride, capped at $35 a week
$
Airport transferscab split 4 ways, both ways
$
Accommodation$0
Midtown hotelDecember rate, quad ÷ 4 × 4 nights
$
Meals$0
Per diem~$20 / meal × 3 × 5 days
$
Rail & entry$0
Top of the Rock, Liberty ferry, the Met
$
Broadway showoptional
$
Shopping$0
Pasalubong + winter gear
$
Insurance$0
Travel insuranceUS healthcare is expensive — get medical cover
$
Communication$0
eSIM~5 days
$
Visa$0
US B1/B2 visacheck the current fee
$
Total per person$0

Where it goes

New York in its holiday lights: the Rockefeller tree, skating in Bryant Park, the Statue of Liberty by ferry, Central Park, a Broadway night and the over-the-top Christmas houses of Dyker Heights. Tap any slot to make it your group's.
NEW YORK CITY, USA · 2026