What to Pack for New York, Season by Season

Pack the shoes you’ve already walked ten miles in, layers you can peel off indoors, and a small bag that zips shut. Everything else is a detail of the season.

New York is a walking city with stairs. You’ll cover seven to nine miles a day, carry what you brought up subway steps, and go from a cold street into a hot shop twenty times an afternoon. Pack for that, not for how you want to look in a photo.

The things that matter every season

Shoes. The most important thing in your bag, and the one people get wrong. Bring the most comfortable pair you own, broken in before you fly. A second pair lets the first one dry out after a rainy day.

A bag that closes. A crossbody or a small backpack with a zip, worn in front in crowds. Not an open tote. Times Square and the subway at rush hour are where a phone walks off.

A refillable water bottle. The tap water here is good. Refill it at your hotel, at museum fountains and at restaurants.

A phone charger and a small battery pack. Your phone is your map, your subway ticket, your ride home and your camera. It will run out by 4pm.

A small umbrella. Rain comes through in every season. A compact one that fits in your bag beats a cheap street umbrella that dies in the first gust.

Less than you think. Every neighborhood in New York has a drugstore. If you forget toothpaste, a phone cable or a sweater, you can buy it ten minutes after you notice.

Winter: December to February

Average highs run around 40F, with nights below freezing, and the wind between tall buildings makes it feel colder than the number. February brings a real chance of snow.

• A warm coat, ideally one that blocks wind. Long is better than short.
• Light layers under it, not one heavy sweater. Every shop, museum and subway car is heated, and you’ll be taking the coat off and putting it back on all day.
• A hat, gloves and a scarf. You’ll wear them every time you’re outside for more than a block.
• Waterproof shoes or boots. Slush piles up at crosswalks, and the curb puddle is deeper than it looks.

Dress for ten degrees colder than the forecast if you’ll be out at night. December is its own season, with the tree, the windows and the markets: NYC in December has what’s on.

Spring: March to May

The least predictable season. March can be spring or January. April is jacket weather, around 62F by day, and May is warm with long evenings.

• A light jacket that layers over a sweater in March and over a T-shirt in May.
• A sweater or fleece for evenings, which cool off fast.
• The umbrella, for real. Spring rain comes often.

Summer: June to August

Hot and humid. July averages 85F, and August adds thunderstorms. The subway platforms are much hotter than the street.

• Light, breathable clothes. Cotton and linen. You’ll want to change shirts before dinner.
• A light layer anyway. Restaurants, museums, theaters and subway cars run the air conditioning hard. Going from 90 degrees outside to a freezing museum is its own kind of tired.
• Sunscreen and sunglasses, especially for a beach day or the ferry.
• A swimsuit. The city has real ocean beaches you can reach by subway. Our NYC beaches guide has which one.
• Sandals you can walk in, not flip-flops. You’ll still be covering miles.

Fall: September to November

The best weather of the year. September carries summer warmth, October averages 65F and turns the parks, and November is crisp, around 54F.

• A light jacket for October and a warmer one for late November.
• Layers again. October nights average about 14 degrees below the afternoon high.
• Your good walking shoes, because this is the season you’ll walk the most. NYC fall foliage has the parks worth the miles.

Plugs and power

US outlets take two flat pins, sometimes with a round third pin, at 120 volts. If your plugs are different, bring an adapter. Most phone and laptop chargers handle the voltage on their own. A hair dryer or straightener from a 230-volt country may not, so check the label, or use the one in your hotel room.

Leave at home

• Anything you can’t carry up two flights of stairs. Many subway stations have no elevator, and plenty of hotels have small rooms. One bag each is the right amount.
• Brand-new shoes. Yes, again. It’s the most common way a trip goes wrong.
• Clothes for every possible occasion. New Yorkers wear black, dark denim and comfortable shoes to almost everything.

The other half of getting ready happens on your phone: cash, an eSIM and the ride apps. Before you fly to New York has that checklist, and best time to visit NYC has every month’s weather.

Questions about anything in this guide? Reach MUSEENYC at museenyc.art@gmail.com or @museenyc on Instagram.

Pack the good shoes. We’ll tell you where to wear them out → museenyc.com