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
5/21/20267 min read
If you’re trying to decide where to stay in New York City with kids, this guide is for families who want to choose a location that actually works for how you’ll travel — not just what looks good on a map.
New York is one of the best cities to visit with children, but it can also be tiring. Days are long, there’s a lot of walking, and the difference between a good location and a poor one quickly becomes obvious — especially with younger kids.
This guide is for families looking for a clear, practical answer to:
where to stay in NYC with kids without too much walking
the best location to stay in NYC for sightseeing with kids
whether Brooklyn is a good place to stay with kids in NYC
and how to choose between Midtown vs Brooklyn when travelling with family
Quick Answer: Where Should Families Stay in NYC?
For most families — especially on a first visit — Midtown Manhattan is the best area to stay in NYC with kids. It keeps you close to the main sights, reduces travel time, and makes it much easier to structure your days without constantly relying on transport.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s the only option.
Midtown Manhattan → best for first-time trips and easy sightseeing
Brooklyn → better value, more space, quieter evenings
Queens (near subway lines) → affordable, practical, and well-connected
From our experience, the right choice depends less on the hotel itself and more on how easy your days will feel, particularly with younger children.
Where This Guide Helps (And What Makes It Different)
Rather than listing generic hotel options, this guide focuses on:
the best areas to stay in New York for families
how to minimise walking and travel time
where to find family hotels in NYC near the subway
and how to balance budget vs location vs convenience
Because in reality, the “best family hotel in NYC” is simply the one that makes your trip easier. If you’re travelling from the UK, this becomes even more important. Jet lag, time constraints, and busy itineraries all add up — which is why understanding where to stay in New York with kids from the UK can make a big difference to how the trip feels overall.
If you’re still planning, this works best alongside How to Plan a Family Trip to New York from the UK, because your accommodation decision should align with your itinerary.
Where relevant, we’ve included the hotels and booking options we used or would recommend. Some links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever recommend places we believe genuinely make travelling in New York with kids easier and more manageable.
Manhattan vs Brooklyn (or Outer Boroughs): What Works Best for Families?
This is one of the biggest decisions when trying to work out where to stay in New York City with kids — and it has a huge impact on how the trip actually feels day to day.
Most families automatically start with Manhattan, and that makes sense. It’s where many of the headline attractions are — Times Square, Central Park, museums, observation decks, and ferry access for the Statue of Liberty.
But once you look at it properly, the decision isn’t just about location — it’s about balancing:
walking vs transport
convenience vs cost
and how much energy your kids realistically have
Staying in Manhattan: Best for First-Time Trips and Minimising Walking
If your priority is keeping things simple, Manhattan is the best area to stay in NYC with kids — especially for a first trip.
The biggest advantage is how much you can do without relying on transport. Many key attractions cluster around Midtown, which means you can:
walk between sights
pop back to the hotel if needed
avoid long subway journeys at the end of the day
With younger kids, this matters more than most guides suggest. The ability to shorten your day without planning around transport makes a big difference.
What Works Well for Families
less time commuting
easier to structure shorter days
ideal for trips like 2–3 day itineraries where time is limited
If you’re following a shorter trip, like our 2-Day New York City Itinerary for Families, staying centrally makes it much easier to fit things in.
The Trade-Off
Manhattan is:
expensive
more crowded
and hotel rooms are often smaller
For families, that usually means paying more for less space — but gaining convenience.
Where to Stay in Manhattan with Kids
When looking at family hotels in NYC near subway access or walking distance attractions, the key is location first, then room type.
Good options tend to be:
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 you’re staying in Manhattan, prioritise: location + subway access + room layout over “luxury”
Staying in Brooklyn or Queens: Best for Value, Space and a Calmer Trip
This is the option we chose — and it worked extremely well for us. If you’re comfortable using the subway, staying outside Manhattan can completely change the feel of the trip.
Instead of:
busy evenings
small rooms
and constant movement
you get:
more space
quieter surroundings
better value
Our Experience Staying in Brooklyn
We stayed at Hotel 42 Brooklyn and paid £322 for 3 nights, which was significantly cheaper than anything comparable in Manhattan.
The key decision wasn’t just Brooklyn — it was choosing somewhere:
close to a subway station
on a direct line into Midtown
Once we had that, everything worked.
We still spent most of our day in Manhattan, but:
getting in was easy
returning in the evening was manageable
and having a quieter base made a noticeable difference
If you’re wondering is Brooklyn a good place to stay with kids NYC, the answer is yes — if you pick the right location near transport.
What to Expect Day-to-Day
This is the key difference vs Manhattan - instead of walking everywhere, you:
plan around subway routes
allow 20–30 minutes travel time
structure your day slightly more
For us, that trade-off was worth it.
Where to Stay in Brooklyn with Kids
Look for:
strong subway connections
family-sized rooms
areas that feel safe and easy to navigate
Good options include:
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
If you’re trying to find affordable family hotels NYC with good location, this is where you’ll find them.
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): The Best Balance Option
If Manhattan feels too expensive and Brooklyn feels slightly too removed, Long Island City is the middle ground.
It offers:
much cheaper hotels than Manhattan
very fast subway access (often under 10 minutes)
newer hotels with larger rooms
From a family perspective, this is often the best value option if you want:
quick access to Midtown
less walking
and easier returns to the hotel
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
This is especially useful if you’re asking: where to stay in NYC to avoid too much walking with kids.
Manhattan vs Brooklyn: What Actually Matters Most
Looking back, the decision comes down to one thing: How easy do you want your days to feel?
Want everything simple, walkable, minimal planning → stay in Manhattan
Want better value, more space, calmer evenings → stay in Brooklyn or Queens
From our experience as a UK family, the right answer depends on:
how long you’re staying
how much you want to fit in
and how comfortable you are using the subway
So, Where Should You Stay in NYC With Kids?
If this is your first trip and you want things to feel as easy as possible, staying in Manhattan makes the biggest difference. You’ll spend less time travelling, it’s simpler to structure your days, and getting back to the hotel when kids need a break is much easier.
If you’re staying longer, want more space, or are trying to keep costs down, Brooklyn or Queens can work really well — as long as you’re comfortable using the subway and choose somewhere close to a good line.
From our experience, the decision isn’t really about the “best area” on paper. It’s about how you want your days to feel.
If you want simple and walkable, choose Manhattan. If you want space and value, choose Brooklyn or Queens.
The best choice is the one that fits your itinerary and keeps the whole trip feeling manageable — not exhausting.
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.
