Where to Stay in New York City with Kids: Best Areas & Hotels for Every Budget
Where to stay in New York City with kids, including the best areas, Manhattan vs Brooklyn, hotel suggestions and tips for families.
NORTH AMERICANYCWHERE TO STAY
5/21/20265 min read
Where to Stay in NYC With Kids Under 10 (What Matters Most)
When travelling with children under 10, where you stay in New York can have an even bigger impact on how enjoyable the trip feels. Energy levels, walking tolerance and crowd fatigue all come into play much faster with younger kids.
For this age group, the key priorities are:
Shorter travel times back to the hotel
Easy access to parks, playgrounds and rest breaks
Hotels that offer larger rooms or space to unwind
Minimising late‑night travel after busy sightseeing days
What we’d recommend for under‑10s
Midtown Manhattan works well if this is your first trip and you’re packing a lot into each day. Being close to Central Park, playgrounds, museums and observation decks makes it easier to duck back to the hotel when kids need a break.
Brooklyn or Queens can still work well with under‑10s if you’re comfortable using the subway and choose accommodation close to a station. The payoff is more space, quieter evenings and lower costs — which can make the trip feel calmer overall.
If you’re planning museum visits, Central Park time, observation decks and early evenings, staying closer to Manhattan attractions often makes days feel less rushed with younger kids.
For a full planning run down, it’s worth reading How to Plan a Family Trip to New York from the UK, as deciding where to stay works best when it’s done alongside your itinerary and budget.
This guide shares what we learned from planning and staying in New York with kids, with links to the exact places, tools and resources we used or considered to make planning simpler. Some links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever recommend places and services we’ve personally used and genuinely enjoyed, and hope this helps you plan a trip that feels exciting rather than overwhelming.
Manhattan vs Brooklyn (or Other Outer Boroughs): What Works Best for Families?
Most families automatically start by looking at hotels in Manhattan, because that’s where many of New York’s headline attractions are — Times Square, Central Park, observation decks, museums, and Statue of Liberty ferries.
That makes sense, but it’s not the only option — and it’s not always the best one.
Staying in Manhattan: Pros & Cons for Families
Manhattan works best if you want convenience and minimal travel time.
Pros
Close to major attractions
Easy to walk between sights
Less time spent on transport
Very convenient for short trips
Cons
Hotels are expensive
Rooms are often small
Busy and crowded, especially around Times Square
Good family‑friendly Midtown hotels:
Hilton Garden Inn Times Square / Midtown
Large, central, easy access to Midtown attractions
Approx August price: £240–£300 per nightResidence Inn by Marriott Manhattan/Times Square
Larger rooms + breakfast included (great for families)
Approx August price: £260–£320 per nightPod Times Square (Budget Option)
Small rooms but excellent location and value
Approx August price: £140–£180 per night
If this is your first trip to New York and you only have a few days, staying in Manhattan can make sightseeing much easier. Many major attractions are concentrated in Midtown, so you can walk between places like Times Square, Central Park and several observation decks.
This becomes especially important if you’re following a short itinerary, like our 2‑Day New York City Itinerary for Families with School‑Aged Kids, where location directly affects how much you can fit into each day.
Staying in Brooklyn or Queens – Pros and Cons for Families
This is the option we chose, and it worked very well for our trip.
Pros
Much cheaper hotels
Larger rooms, better for families
Quieter evenings and more space
Feels less overwhelming after busy sightseeing days
Cons
You’ll use the subway every day
Slightly more planning involved
Travel time into Manhattan (usually 20–40 minutes)
Good family‑friendly Brooklyn hotels:
Brooklyn works really well for families who want more space and better value, and are happy to use the subway to get into Manhattan. This is the option we chose, and it worked brilliantly for our trip.
Hotel 42 Brooklyn (where we stayed)
Modern, good‑value hotel close to multiple subway lines and easy to reach Manhattan.
Approx August price: £100–£130 per nightVery family‑friendly, with breakfast included — helpful for keeping costs down.
Approx August price: £160–£200 per nightNew York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
A more upscale option with larger rooms and an indoor pool, ideal for longer stays.
Approx August price: £220–£260 per night
We stayed at Hotel 42 Brooklyn and paid £322 for 3 nights, which was significantly cheaper than comparable Manhattan hotels. The key factor was being close to a subway station, which made getting into Manhattan straightforward.
These hotels offer a good balance of comfort, space and price, especially if you’re staying for more than a couple of nights or travelling with younger kids.
If you’re unsure about using public transport, read Getting Around New York City with Kids: Subway, Walking and Taxis — it will help you decide whether staying outside Manhattan is right for your family.
Long Island City (Queens)
Long Island City is another popular option for families, especially if you want a balance between cost and convenience. It’s just across the river from Midtown Manhattan, with very quick subway connections into the city.
Why families often choose Long Island City:
Cheaper hotels than Manhattan
Fast subway access into Midtown
Lots of newer hotels with larger rooms, which work well for families
This area can feel like a good compromise if you want easy access to Manhattan without Manhattan‑level prices.
Family Hotel Recommendations – Long Island City
Home2 Suites by Hilton Long Island City
Spacious rooms with kitchenettes, ideal for families staying more than a few nights.
Approx August price: £170–£210 per nightFamily‑friendly hotel with breakfast included, which helps keep costs down.
Approx August price: £180–£220 per nightModern hotel with excellent subway access and good value for its location.
Approx August price: £160–£200 per night
Long Island City is a strong option if you’re travelling with younger children and want less walking, faster returns to the hotel, and better value without feeling far from the action.
Quick takeaway
Choose Manhattan if this is your first visit, you have limited time, and want maximum convenience
Choose Brooklyn or Queens if you want better value, more space, and don’t mind using the subway
If you’re still deciding, the best choice is the one that fits your itinerary, budget, and energy levels — not just the map.
plan your NEW YORK FAMILY trip
If you’re planning a New York family trip, these are the key guides that will help you pull everything together. Start with the itinerary — it makes everything else easier to plan.
About Plan Family Escapes
We’re a UK-based family sharing real, experience-led travel guides based on trips we’ve taken with our school-age son Joshua across destinations like Lapland, Turkey and India.
Everything we share is based on what we’ve personally experienced — with honest advice on what actually works when travelling with kids, focusing on making family travel easier, more comfortable and genuinely enjoyable.
