Continental flavors, Coney Island budget.
Together Travel costs to Europe A “record number” of travelers are flocking overseas despite a weak dollar, meaning a classic summer destination could be out of reach for many New Yorkers in 2024.
“Demand for travel has increased massively over the past three years, leading to price increases in many places,” says Graham Carter, director of Unforgettable Travel. He told CNN“People are wondering, ‘Is it worth going to Europe?'”
For many people, the answer appears to be no.
According to a survey conducted by Titos, 55% of respondents are planning a staycation at or near their home this summer, citing travel costs, tight budgets, pet care and the fact that “there are just as many fun things to do back home.”
Luckily for Gotham residents, a stroll through the neighborhood brings a world of entertainment, history, and culture to your doorstep — more than enough to recreate your dream trip to Europe.
“There are so many places to go and things to see, and it’s so vast that even travel writers barely scratch the surface,” says Matthew Kepnes. Travel Blogger “New York offers so many opportunities to be a tourist,” the best-selling author told the Post.
With a staycation, you want to “recreate the emotion and experience of travel in your own town,” so no airfare is required, he added.
Check into London or Paris without leaving the city
“The first big rule of a staycation is to break your routine and get out of the house,” says New York resident Kepnes, known online as Nomadic Matt. “If you stay at home on a staycation, you end up just running errands and stuff.”
To take your mind off the piles of laundry and dishes that need to be done, booking a hotel can help you escape your everyday routine and feel like a tourist, even if you live just a stone’s throw from your apartment.
So take the money you might have spent on airfare and splurge on one of New York’s luxury hotels, recently awarded the Michelin Guide’s highest honor, a 3-key rating.
Experience the best of London hospitality by checking into Soho’s fabulous Crosby Street Hotel, part of the British capital’s beloved Firmdale Group, or find relaxation in a quaint suite at TriBeCa’s Hôtel Barrière Fouquet’s, sister to the Parisian original.
You can also get away from New York completely by booking accommodation inside a castle. Oheka Castle In Long Island “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift Where the music video was shot, or in Tarrytown Castle Hotel & SpaIt was built to look like a fort in the British Isles.
Found in Europe
Tourism-wise, art is always a great place to start: While you can see the latest works at the Met or MoMA, there are over 100 museums in each borough.
“We want to have that feeling of doing something new and being somewhere new,” Kepnes said.
“If you don’t feel like you’re traveling, you end up doing what you normally do.”
While it may be in a neighborhood you’ve never been to before, there are plenty of places in the Big Apple that will transport you to Europe without you having to leave the city or its suburbs.
When in doubt, Kepnes suggests traveling to another borough or even further afield.
A quaint cul-de-sac in Forest Hills Gardens It may give the illusion of being in the English countryside, but Villa Charlotte Bronte in the Bronx is a near perfect replica of an ocean-view townhouse in Italy.
If you want to feel like you’re in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, head to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, while the cool stone walkways and sunlit courtyards of The Met’s Cloisters evoke France and Italy.
For an experience similar to that of Budapest’s thermal baths, QC Spa This luxurious oasis on Governors Island features an outdoor pool and views of the city’s skyscrapers, and it’s also just a short ferry ride from Staten Island’s quirky Jacques Marchais Museum to Tibet (though you probably won’t be able to dine on sfogliatelle and lobster tail afterwards at one of the neighborhood’s many fine Italian bakeries).
The city also offers a variety of dining options, from José Andrés’ Little Spain Food Hall in Hudson Yards to a Portuguese restaurant in Newark’s bustling Ironbound, giving New Yorkers a taste of cultures from around the world.
“Little Paris” on Centre Street in Manhattan and a Greek restaurant in Astoria. Taverna Cyclades or Souvlaki Lady.
Missing Germany? Head to Heidelberg on the Upper East Side and grab some sausages at Schaller & Weber next door to take home.
Not keen to travel all the way to Copenhagen to dine at the legendary Noma? Co-founder Mads Refslund also has his own spot across the East River in Greenpoint called Ilis.
Italian shops still line the streets of the Bronx’s vibrant Arthur Avenue neighborhood: look for the Calabrian Pork Store, with its bold sausage chandelier, and the shellfish vendors selling oysters sidewalk on weekend mornings.
And of course, for anyone wanting to visit Ireland, there’s always the authentic pubs in Woodside, Queens, or on cobblestone Stone Street in Lower Manhattan: Sláinte!
