Hotels in New York City

New York City is the largest city in the United States and one of the most influential cities on earth, spread across five boroughs at the mouth of the Hudson River. Manhattan is the dense, vertical heart most visitors picture - Times Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park and the towers of the Financial District - but the city's character is just as defined by Brooklyn's brownstones and waterfront, the cultural mosaic of Queens, the energy of the Bronx and the quieter pace of Staten Island. It is a global capital of finance, art, fashion, food and theatre, packed into roughly 800 square kilometres.

Few cities reward wandering as richly as New York. World-class museums like the Met, MoMA and the American Museum of Natural History sit alongside icons such as the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the High Line and the 9/11 Memorial. Each neighbourhood feels like its own village, from the boutiques of SoHo and the nightlife of the Lower East Side to the Italian and Chinese enclaves of Lower Manhattan and the immigrant food scenes of Flushing and Jackson Heights. Broadway anchors a theatre and live-music scene that runs every night of the week.

The 24-hour subway makes the whole city accessible at any hour, and most of Manhattan and central Brooklyn is highly walkable, so a car is unnecessary and often a liability. New York has four distinct seasons - hot, humid summers, crisp and colourful autumns, cold winters that can bring snow, and a lively spring - meaning the city offers a different mood depending on when you arrive, while its restaurants, galleries and shows make it a compelling destination year-round.