The things to do alone in New York City are great if you're by yourself. Solo travel in New York City is very fun because of that!
New York City is one of the most famous cities in the United States. The city is well-known because of its skyscrapers and sights.
One of the most famous places in the city is Central Park. Furthermore, the city is home to Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, and many other sights.
Traveling to New York City is an amazing thing to do. And solo travel in New York City is also incredible!
Whether you want to have fun, explore the city, relax, or make friends, it's possible! That's because this place has so much to offer.
For example, you can do a pizza walking tour of Brooklyn. This is very fun if you like pizzas. Or you can learn how to make your own New York pizza!
If you want to learn more about NYC, you can do a yacht cruise of Manhattan. During this cruise, you'll learn about the architecture of Manhattan. And if you love nature, you can see the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Garden!
Furthermore, there are great options if you want to make friends. For example, you can play soccer with a group. Or you can join a beach volleyball group.
Here are the 50 best things to do alone in New York City!
Table of Contents
1. Tour Broadway with a Broadway Actor: Unique and Fun Thing To Do Alone in New York City
One of the most famous places in the city is Broadway for sure.
Doing a tour of this place in the city is amazing during solo travel in New York City.
A great tour for this is the "Broadway Theaters and Times Square with a Broadway Actor" tour. During this tour, you go to various theaters and learn everything there is to know about this area in the city.
Furthermore, you learn about the Broadway stars that perform here.
What's great is that the guide of this tour is a Broadway performer. And thus, this tour gives you an insider experience, which is awesome!
Another reason why this is one of the best things to do alone in New York City is the social aspect. That is, you do this tour with other people. And you can socialize with others at the same time!
2. Do a Pizza Walking Tour of Brooklyn
If you want to learn about New York-style pizza during solo travel in New York City, this is the activity for you!
During a Brooklyn Pizza Walk, you walk through Williamsburg with a guide.
During this walk, you get to know the borough of Brooklyn. You learn about various sights and you also learn about the history of pizza in the city. It's one of the most interesting things to do alone in New York City.
Besides that, you do several tastings of delicious pizza along the way! In total, you sample five different types of pizza. And this also includes other types of pizza, besides the New York slice.
What's great is that vegetarians can join this tour and have a great time!
3. Relax at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Amazing Thing To Do Alone in New York City If You Love Nature
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is amazing to visit during solo travel in New York City.
You can find this garden in Brooklyn and you find here a large variety of plants and flowers, which is amazing!
There are several specialty gardens in the botanic garden.
For example, there is a garden with a lot of cherry trees. Also, there is a water garden, and there is a Japanese garden. Going here is definitely one of the most relaxing things to do alone in New York City.
Moreover, you find the Steinhardt Conservatory here where you can see the C. V. Starr Bonsai Museum.
When you go here on your own, you can relax for sure! You can completely focus on nature when you walk through the gardens, which is very soothing.
4. Play Baseball Together With Other People in NYC
If you like playing baseball, this might be one of the best things to do alone in New York City for you!
You can join the NYC Casual Baseball Club.
Through the club, you can play baseball with other people.
They organize events throughout NYC where you can practice and play games.
This is a fun way to meet other people and to get active playing baseball. And besides that, you can discover many great places in the city. It's perfect for solo travel in New York City!
What's great is that you can join the events no matter your skill level!
5. Join a Yoga Class in Central Park
If you want to relax your body and your mind, you can take part in Yoga in Central Park. This is definitely one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
This is a lovely experience that takes part in the famous Central Park.
You lay down your yoga mat and have a wonderful class.
The atmosphere of this place makes it an even better experience! What's great is that you can both find nature and the city here. That's because you can see the skyscrapers of NYC from the park. This is very unique!
6. Join a Food Tasting Tour of Little Italy
One of the best things to do alone in New York City is doing a food tour of Little Italy.
This area in New York City is great to visit because of all the Italian venues you find there.
The highlight of this is the large number of Italian restaurants that you can find there.
During a 2-hour food tour of Little Italy, you can get to know the food of this area. A local guide takes you to make places in this area where you can sample food. There is pizza, pasta, and much more!
These tastings are enough to replace your lunch, which is great!
What's great as well is that you do this activity with a group of other people.
That way, you can have food with others. This is great during solo travel in New York City, as you then don't need to have food on your own. This social aspect makes the tour awesome!
7. Make Your Own Diamond Ring: Unique Thing To Do Alone in New York City
Another great solo activity is a "make your own diamond ring" experience.
During this class that takes about 3 hours, you get very creative!
This experience takes place at a jewelry studio and it is amazing during solo travel in New York City!
You'll learn about everything there is to ring making.
In the end, you leave with a beautiful ring that has a 2mm diamond inside of it!
What's great is that you don't need to have any experience. There is a jeweler that can help you out with everything!
What's fun as well is that you can do this class with other people. That's because this is a group class.
Because of that, this can also be a social activity, which is lovely!
8. Go Running by Joining a Running Club
If you like running, you can join the Dashing Whippets Running Team. This is one of the best things to do alone in New York City if you want to be active.
This is a running team that hosts runs in and near NYC.
Through it, you become better at running and you get to be active, which is great!
Besides that, you go to lots of different places in New York City. This means, that you can discover the city through these meetups.
Also, the meetups are a great way to meet new people. And you may make some friends when running at any of these events!
9. Go to an Event at the New York Public Library
One of the best places to visit during solo travel in New York City is the New York Public Library.
What's great about this place is that there are many events taking place there.
For example, there are lectures that are very interesting. Furthermore, there are film screenings, discussions, performances, and more.
Going to these events on your own is a lot of fun! You can learn new things, and you might make some new friends as well.
10. Take Part in a Coffee Class: Amazing Thing To Do Alone in New York City If You Love Coffee
If you like coffee, this is one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
You can take part in a coffee class at Coffee Project New York. This is amazing if you like learning new things.
You can become a certified barista here, which is awesome. Through several sessions, you learn all there is to know to make a good cup of coffee.
But you can also do a workshop for one day only. During this, you learn some great coffee skills.
For example, you can do a coffee roasting experience. During this, you learn everything there is about the roasting process!
11. Rent a Bike and Tour New York City on Your Own
Renting a bike is another one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
You can rent a bike at various places. For example, you can do it at Central Park.
Besides that, you can use the bike share system of the city to get a bike as well. The name of this system is Citi Bike.
Traveling by bike is a lot of fun for solo travel in New York City! You can decide where to go and when to go there. And you can often do that in a quick way, which is great! Also, this is very fun if you love being active.
12. Learn How to Make Your Own New York Pizza at Pizza School NYC
The New York-style pizza is one of the most famous types of pizza in the world. Besides that, it is one of the most iconic foods in the city.
Because of that, it is great to learn how to make your own pizza during solo travel in New York City.
You can do this at the Pizza School NYC.
Here you can learn all about what it takes to make the perfect dough. Furthermore, you learn how to make a great sauce. And there is a lot more to learn!
What makes it also one of the best solo activities in New York City is that you can eat the pizza together with others. That's because you can eat the pizza after the workshop in the company of other people!
13. Ride a Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour: Nice Thing To Do Alone in New York City To See the Sights
One of the best ways to explore the city is this activity.
You can ride a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus in NYC to explore the city.
With a hop-on hop-off bus you ride through the city and learn about many of the sights through narration.
There is an audio guide that gives information about every place that you visit.
Some of the places that this bus goes along are Times Square, the Empire State Building, and many others!
What's great is that you can leave the bus anytime you see a place that you want to explore. You can then explore it, and when you want to somewhere else, you can board the bus again.
This makes the bus a very convenient way to explore the city. Especially when you are alone in the city, this is awesome! It is one of the best things to do alone in New York City for exploration!
14. Take a Speedboat Tour of New York City
One of the most spectacular activities in the city is the Circle Line Beast Speedboat Ride.
During this activity, you do a speedboat tour through NYC
You'll go through the waters of NYC in a very fast way, which is amazing! Furthermore, you get some information about the city along the way.
It is definitely one of the best activities for solo travel in New York City if you like a thrill ride!
15. Join a Beach Volleyball Club: Great Thing To Do Alone in New York City If You Want To Be Active
If you like playing beach volleyball, this is one of the best things to do alone in New York City for sure!
You can join the "Beach Volleyball NYC Club".
This group has meetups where you can play beach volleyball with others.
This is a great way to get active in NYC. And you may also make new friends when you go to these events!
16. Enjoy a Broadway Show on Your Own and Visit Times Square
No visit to NYC would be complete without visiting Times Square.
Times Square is one of the most popular places in the city.
You find here shops and a lot of entertainment. Besides that, it is famous for the billboards that you can find there!
Several streets come together at this intersection. And one of these streets is Broadway.
Broadway is another iconic place in New York City.
You find here lots of theaters where you can see a musical.
Doing so is awesome! Even if you are doing solo travel in New York City, I recommend seeing a show!
These shows are so spectacular that they are also amazing to experience all by yourself!
17. Learn How to Make Fresh Pasta in New York City
Making your own fresh pasta during a workshop in NYC is great! It is one of the best food-related things to do alone in New York City!
During a class that takes about 3 hours, you learn about and prepare the dough. In total, you make 3 types of pasta, which is awesome!
After that, you'll learn about 3 sauces for the pasta. And you make a delicious salad.
You spend the last hour eating the food your ade during the class.
You do this with other people, as this cooking class is a group experience.
Having food with others is great to experience! It is much more fun to have food in the company of others!
18. Go for a Relaxing Walk at Central Park: Relaxing Thing To Do Alone in New York City
One of the best things to do alone in New York City is going to Central Park.
Central Park is a very famous park that you can find in the middle of New York City. Moreover, it is a very popular place to visit, and almost 50 million people visit it every year.
You find here a lot of beautiful nature. Furthermore, there are many attractions at the park. For example, you find the Central Park Carousel here, and there are several theaters.
Besides that, many events take place in this part of New York City.
This makes it perfect for a stroll through the park when you are doing solo travel in New York City.
19. Do a Tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
One of the most famous and best museums in the world is definitely The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
It is the largest museum in the United States, and you find here an incredible amount of works.
There are more than 2 million objects at the museum.
You can find art at the museum from all over the world, and from all periods in time.
For example, you find here works from ancient Egypt. But you can also find here contemporary works.
If there is a type of art you want to see, you can likely do so at the Met! It's great for solo travel in New York City if you like art.
What's great is that you can also find a large variety of types of works. There are paintings, musical instruments, costumes, weapons, and much more!
At the museum, you can see the art in different galleries. There are galleries for each part of the world. But there are also galleries for specific types of objects, such as costumes.
20. Take Part in a Walking Tour and Enter the One World Observatory
Doing a full-day walking tour of NYC is another one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
During this experience, you visit many of the most famous sights of the city.
A local guide takes you everywhere.
Some of the places you visit are Times Square, Fifth Avenue, the Chrysler Building, and many other ones.
If you want to do a tour where you get the most out of your day, this is the one!
What's great is that the tour ends with going to One World Observatory.
From there, you can get a wonderful panoramic view of the city. This allows you to see all the places you visited throughout the day!
21. Learn How To Do Pottery in New York City
Another one of the best things to do alone in New York City is learning how to do pottery.
A great place for that is MUGI Pottery.
They have introduction classes to pottery where you can learn everything there is. If you love being creative, this is wonderful.
Keep in mind that you practice here, and you don't leave the place with a finished piece. That you can do in another full session.
22. Relax at Prospect Park
Prospect Park is great to visit during solo travel in New York City.
This is a park that you can find in Brooklyn and you find here a lot of beautiful nature. It's perfect for a relaxing walk on your own.
Doing this on your own makes it a very relaxing activity! It's only you and nature, which is great!
23. Learn About Architecture During a Yacht Cruise of Manhattan
Want to learn about architecture in Manhattan? Then doing the "Manhattan Architecture Yacht Cruise" is great!
During this experience, you cruise along the island of Manhattan.
Along the way, you can listen to live narration and learn about architecture. The guide of this tour comes from the NYC chapter of the American Insitute of Architects.
Furthermore, you can see a lot of famous sights from the water which is great as well!
24. See an Exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art: Great Thing To Do Alone in New York City If You Love Art
Another one of the best things to do alone in New York City is going to the Museum of Modern Art or MoMA.
This is another very famous museum that you should visit! It is a must during solo travel in New York City as well.
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum that is all about modern art.
It is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
You find here a large variety of art of the genre.
For example, there are paintings, sculptures, photos, and much more.
Furthermore, you find here artworks by many famous artists from all over the world. Some of these are Van Gogh, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, and many others.
What's great is that you can often find temporary art exhibitions at the MoMA. This makes the place even more interesting to visit!
Each temporary exhibition focuses on a particular artist or type of art.
On your own, you can immerse yourself in all the art you find here, giving you a much better experience!
25. Take Part in a New York Catacombs Tour
You can do a catacombs tour at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.
You can find this cathedral in Lower Manhattan, and it is here where you meet the guide that shows you around.
The guide takes you inside the church and tells you all about its history, which is very interesting!
Besides that, you visit the catacombs underneath the church.
26. Discover Many New Places Together with Other People Through a Meetup Group
If you want to explore many places in the city together with other people, this activity is great for you!
You can join the Meetup group "Places NYC" for this. Doing so is definitely one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
This group hosts events at a large variety of places in the city. There is not a particular type of activity that they focus on.
Because of that, it is a wonderful group to explore many places in the city!
Besides that, you can meet a lot of new people when you do this activity, which is great. It is also a perfect way to make new friends when you are in NYC.
27. Read and Discuss Philosophy Books with a Group: Interesting Thing To Do Alone in New York City
If you like philosophy, this is one of the best activities for solo travel in New York City for you.
You can join the group "Reading Philosophy".
This group hosts philosophy events where you read and discuss philosophical books together.
This is a very fun and a great way to socialize with other people.
Besides that, it can be very enlightening as well! You'll likely learn new things when you go to the meetups of this group.
28. Do a Tour of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum
Doing a tour of the 9/11 memorial and world trade center is another one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
Here you can learn a lot about what happened on 9/11 together with a local guide.
29. Go to an Art Exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim is an awesome museum to visit when you are doing solo travel in New York City.
You can find here several types of art. There are Impressionist, post-impressionist, modern and contemporary works.
Moreover, there are temporary exhibitions at this museum. These focus on one kind of art or artist, and let you explore this in detail, which is great! You might discover art you like a lot!
30. See the Cupcake Bakeries of Greenwich Village: Special Thing To Do Alone in New York City
Doing a tour of the cupcake bakeries of New York City is another one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
During a walking tour, you can walk with a local guide to several boutique bakeries.
Here you can sample some of the most delicious cupcakes!
Besides that, as you walk from one bakery to the next, you can learn more about the city and the bakeries in general. That's because the local guide gives you a lot of information!
What's great is that you do this tour with a group of other people. Because of that, you have food with others, which is great during solo travel in New York City!
31. Learn About Wall Street with a Finance Professional
Wall Street is yet another iconic place that you find in NYC.
It is here where you can find one of the most significant places in the finance industry.
That's why learning about this place is great.
You can do a "Wall Street Insider Tour with a Finance Professional".
During this walking tour, you visit some of the most famous sights in the area of Wall Street. For example, you go to the New York Stock Exchange.
Another reason why this is great for solo travel is that you do it with other people. I definitely like the social element of this experience!
32. Take Part in a Brooklyn Graffiti Lesson
One of the most fun things to do alone in New York City is doing a Brooklyn Graffiti Lesson.
During this, you can learn how to make art with graffiti. A graffiti artist from New York City helps you with this!
What's great is that you can do this experience without needing any experience. So anyone can do it!
33. Walk Through Bryant Park: Great Thing To Do Alone in New York City if You Want To Relax
Bryant Park is a lovely place to visit during solo travel in New York City.
It is a small urban park in the middle of the skyscrapers of New York City.
Because of that, it is a perfect place to relax on your own when exploring the city.
34. Discover the Street Art of Brooklyn During a Tour
You can find street art at a lot of places in Brooklyn.
Seeing this is one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
What's great is that you can do a Brooklyn street art walking tour.
During this experience, you see several amazing murals, which is awesome! Besides that, a local guide tells you all about the artists that make this art.
Another lovely aspect of this activity is that it takes place in small groups. Because of that, it still feels like a personal experience, but you can also socialize, which is fun!
35. Do a Day Trip to Washington D.C.
Close to New York City, you find various other cities, including Washington D.C.
Doing a guided day trip from NYC to Washington D.C. is great during solo travel in New York City!
Through this experience, you can see all the highlights of Washington D.C, which is great!
For example, you go to the White House, the Capitol, and some famous museums.
Also, you do this day trip with other people, which makes it possible to meet other people as well.
36. Take a Tour of the American Museum of Natural History
There are so many great museums in NYC. One of these is the American Museum of Natural History.
This is an amazing natural history museum that you can find in Manhattan. It is definitely worth visiting!
The museum is very large and holds more than 30 million objects. These objects vary a lot. For example, there are plants, fossils, rocks, meteorites, and more items.
Doing the Museum Highlight Tour is one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
Through this tour, you can see only the best items of the museum. Moreover, a guide tells you all there is to know about this art!
37. Take Part in a Tour of the Statue of Liberty
One of the most iconic sights in the city is the Statue of Liberty. Because of that, you have to see it when you are doing solo travel in New York City!
During a tour of the Statue of Liberty, you go to the statue and learn about it. Moreover, you go to the observation deck of the statue from where you have a lovely view of the city!
What's great is that this is a group tour. Because of that, you can socialize with others while doing this activity!
38. Connect with Others To Play Tennis in NYC: Perfect Thing To Do Alone in New York City To Meet Others
If you like playing tennis, you can join the "BKMN Tennis" Meetup group.
This is a group of people that meet to play tennis together.
They often host events where you can get active with other people.
Besides that, they have social activities as well where you can socialize with others! And they also go to tennis events together.
This makes it great during solo travel if you are into tennis!
39. Explore the City on Your Own Through a Self-Guided Tour of NYC
Another great way to explore the city is by doing it on your own!
There are so many amazing places in the city that are wonderful to explore on your own.
You can do this through a self-guided tour. A self-guided tour is definitely one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
The self-guided tours of NYC by Free Tours by Foot are great! There is a tour of a lot of different places in the city.
For example, there is a tour where you can discover the High Line. Moreover, there is a tour that goes to Midtown Manhattan. And there is a tour of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Each tour is awesome! And these tours allow you to stay in control of your explorations of NYC. You can decide on how long to stay everywhere, which is great!
40. Make Your Own Tapestry
Another one of the best solo activities in New York City is doing a tapestry workshop with Mindful Zen Arts.
This is a lovely experience where you create your own tapestry.
But that's not it, the place where you do this is very peaceful because of the atmosphere. There is light music and there are pleasant colors, which is great!
It is very easy to create your own tapestry and you can start within a few minutes. Moreover, you don't need to have any experience!
What's great is that you can be very creative when you do this. There are a lot of colors and materials to choose from!
After two hours, you have your own tapestry piece, which is amazing!
What's great is that you may meet others when you do this experience. That's because it is a group experience that others can join. This makes it even better during solo travel in New York City.
41. Discover Nature Near New York City with a Group of Other People
If you like exploring nature when you are in NYC, this is one of the best things to do alone in New York City for you!
You can join "The Trail Blazers", which is a Meetup group.
This group hosts hikes in Harriman State Park, which is to the North of New York City. But they also have hikes that take place at other places.
When you go on a hike, you can hike with other people, which is a lot of fun during solo travel in New York City.
42. Join a One Day Neon Workshop at Brooklyn Glass: Special Thing To Do Alone in New York City
Doing a one day neon workshop at Brooklyn Garden is another one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
During this workshop, you learn about all the parts of a neon tube. You learn about the tools and the techniques, which is great!
Through this workshop, you can create an abstract piece of neon, which is amazing!
43. Explore Manhattan Through a Sightseeing Bus Tour
One of the best solo activities for exploring is the Manhattan Sightseeing Bus Tour.
During this tour, you drive past a lot of famous sights in the city.
Examples of sights are the Empire State Building, Central Park, and the Lincoln Center.
Along the way, you can listen to a live tour guide, which is very interesting.
Through this tour, you can get a good introduction to the city. This is convenient during solo travel in New York City as it makes your solo trip is easier to do!
44. Connect with Artists and Discover New Art
If you love art, you can go to join NYC Art Meetup. This is a group where artists can connect with each other.
Besides that, art lovers can go here as well. And through the events, artists and art lovers can connect, which is great!
45. Join a New York City Cycleboat
Another one of the best things to do alone in New York City is joining a tour of New York City Cycleboats.
During a ride, you sit at a central bar in the middle of the boat. Here you can pedal to propel the boat forward.
Besides that, you can also relax at a lounge seat and look at the view.
In total, 12 people can pedal at the same time.
What's great is that you can switch seats at any time.
Through the boat ride, you can see the city from the water, which is amazing!
What's great is that you can book a single seat on the boat. You then join a group of other people and have a fun time together.
This social aspect is great during solo travel in New York City.
46. Play Soccer with Other People in New York City: Great Thing To Do Alone in New York City To Make Friends
Another one of the best things to do alone in New York City is joining a soccer club.
The "Five Borough Futbol Club" is great for this.
You can go here if you want to play a pick-up game of soccer without having any commitments for playing often. You can play soccer here whenever you want!
This is a lot of fun during solo travel in New York City, and you can socialize with others, which is great as well!
Keep in mind, that the people that take part in this group have experience. So this isn't a group if you have no experience yet!
47. Do a Food Tour of Chinatown with a Chef
Doing a food tour in Chinatown NYC is also fun.
During this experience, you walk through NYC's Chinatown with a guide and learn about the area.
You then visit the largest Chinese market in Manhattan.
Furthermore, you visit three venues where you can taste Chinese food, which is amazing!
48. Jump Rope at Punk Rope
At Punk Rope you can jump rope during solo travel in New York City.
Jumping rope is a very fun activity and it is also very healthy to do!
At Punk Rope, you can do jump rope lessons. And you can take part in jump rope events.
Both are great when you are in the city. And going here is definitely one of the best things to do alone in New York City.
49. Do a Self-Guided Tour of The Frick Collection: Very Interesting Thing To Do Alone in New York City
Another fun solo activity is going to The Frick Collection.
This is an art museum where you can see Old Master paintings and other types of art from Europe.
Some of the artists whose work is on display here are Rembrandt, Goya, and Vermeer.
What's great is that you can do a self-guided tour of the museum through an app.
That way, you can learn about the collection of the museum all by yourself.
50. Find Your New Favorite Book at an Independent Bookstore
There are so many independent bookstores in NYC, it's amazing!
If you are into books, one of the best things to do alone in New York City, is going to some of these stores.
You can go here to browse through the books and to buy a book you want to have! It's very fun for solo travel in New York City!
Save this post to Pinterest if you like it!
Blog comments (0)