13 best nyc travel books

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HELPFUL PLANNING ADVICE

Find what you need faster with color-coded category icons and easier-to-read two-column text.

GORGEOUS COLOR PHOTOS

Beautiful photos packed throughout will fuel your wanderlust.

ITINERARIES AND MAPS

Itineraries, maps, travel tips, and neighborhood guides will acquaint you with your destination and help you maximize your time.

IN-DEPTH FEATURES AND EXPLANATIONS

Learn about history, culture, and more with in-depth spotlight features

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Get Inspired

Moon’s local authors share the best things to do, see, and eat for a variety of travelers, so you’ll find your bliss whether you’re a beach bum, a history buff, a foodie, or still figuring it out

Plan Your Adventure

Travel your way with customizable itineraries and strategic lists that highlight all of your must-sees, as well as hidden gems you’ll love

Travel with Confidence

Moon provides everything you need, including helpful background, insider tips, and detailed maps, to experience your perfect trip

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My dad is a Rasta man. He was born in the mountains. A real, real Rasta man...

He had a marijuana farm, so we only ate when people bought our weed. And we never ate meat. Whenever we caught fish in the sea, he’d make us throw them back. There were ten of us, so we never had a big education. But he taught us to love people. And to love God. And to be happy. Sometimes after school we’d all go swimming at a place called Pirates Cave. The land was owned by a man named Dread Lion, and he had lots of dogs. We could never walk across the property so we swam the whole way there. And if Dread Lion ever saw us, we had to quickly jump off the cliffs. That’s how I learned to dive. Now I dive for the tourists and they give me tips. I save the coins in a little pan, and pick at it when the seas are rough. I’d like to buy a little house one day. And maybe have a boat. And a nice woman to take care of me. But if I don’t get all the things I want, I won’t complain. I’m going to love God the same way. And treat people the same way. And be happy the same way.

NEGRIL, JAMAICA

My husband got involved with a younger woman at work...

I was relaxed about it at first. He’s thirteen years younger than me. But then she got pregnant. Luckily through the divorce process I had the opportunity to take over this hole-in-the-wall place with no heating, which I turned into an art studio. And now I’m living my best life. Everything is for sale except the pink chandelier and the dog. Anyone is free to stop by at any time. You can eat or drink whatever you want. All the young people in the neighborhood love me. I’m the oldest person in our friend group. Everyone else is in their twenties or thirties. They call me Queen Mama. I call them my adopted kids. I always help them with their school projects and resumes and interviews. I only ask one thing in return. Each of them has to teach me one new thing every week: a piece of music, a trend, an idea. Just so I can stay up to date. Before you take the photograph, let me go inside and put on some makeup. We were out until two last night.

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

My parents aren’t giving me the freedom to be responsible...

Mama’s fine. But Papa is an Egyptian father. He wants me to always be in a safe, cozy home. Recently I wanted to go on an educational trip to Sri Lanka. I begged him. I said, ‘Please, I’ll be living with a family. I’ll call you ten times a day.’ But he wouldn’t listen. I locked myself in my room and cried. I wanted that experience. I wanted to meet beautiful people, and eat beautiful food, and take beautiful photos. I know my dad very well. He just doesn’t trust people. He thinks that I’m naïve. He thinks that everyone who helps you wants something in return. But that’s not why I help people. I love people. I love languages. I can even speak a little Hindi. I want to see every village and every city. I even want to work for NASA one day. I love physics and astronomy. But Papa thinks astronomy is a bad idea. He doesn’t get it. It’s not that he doesn’t understand the stars. He just doesn’t understand me.

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT

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Welcome to New York City

Explore New York City’s soaring skyscrapers, stately museums, sultry bars, bustling stores and so much more with the help of your DK Eyewitness guide. Whether you’re here for a quick visit or a grand tour, we’ll help you navigate the very best this incredible city has to offer.

In-depth area-by-area guides

Our in-depth area guides make traveling around New York City easy, whether you want to enjoy the spectacle of Time Square, escape the hustle and bustle in Central Park, cross the iconic Brooklyn bridge or discover the nostalgic delights of Coney Island ⁠— we’ve got you covered. And our selection of itineraries suggest several realistic ways to make the most of your time ⁠— whether you’re staying for a week or just a few days.

Look inside the biggest sights

Explore New York City’s favorite landmarks with our famous cross-section illustrations, including 3D guides to Ellis Island and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, as well as illustrated short walks through the city's neighborhoods.

Be inspired

With so much to see, we’ve created expert-led special features that show how to experience New York City your way. Across detailed page spreads, we take a look at how to sample the best cuisine, marvel at the most awe-inspiring architecture, visit the best galleries, relive the city’s rich history, catch a sporting event and discover the best experiences off the beaten track.

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Top 10 New York City Sights

Find out what to see and do at the Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Time Square and the Theater District, Central Park, MoMa, the Guggenheim Museum and the American Museum of Natural History.

Make the most of your time in New York City

This Top 10 guide also features the best museums, art galleries, skyscrapers, historic buildings, performing arts and music venues, stores, activities for children, things to do for free and must-see experiences off the beaten path.

Travel like a local

Discover the best sights, shops, nightlife, cafes, pubs and restaurants on offer in each of New York City's neighborhoods. The pull-out map makes getting around a breeze, whether you are traveling by foot, subway, bus, ferry or by New York City’s famous yellow cabs.

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The Travel Book

A Journey Through Every Country in the World.

From Flavorwire:

'A journey through every country in the world' is the theme of this epic coffee table book and, indeed, it is. Get your red pen and Post-it notes prepared to spend hours flipping through photos and facts about every single country and region on the globe, from Barundi to Saint Lucia. It’s light-hearted and gorgeous, showing off the best of every nation. If you don’t salivate over this enormous wishlist, you might not have wanderlust after all.'

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

'It's Lonely Planet's ambitious, alphabetized tribute to more than 200 countries and their customs. A whopping 448 pages, this coffee table book provides two pages of info (and images) per country - regardless of size - and showcases destinations that don't always receive their fair share of ink and airtime. The succinct travel tips and smatterings of trivia allow the reader to quickly get the gist of a country.'

From Bookpage:

'This weighty tome provides photographic and textual coverage of every nation and commonwealth on the planet, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Each destination is covered in a colorful two-page spread featuring photos, both small and very large, which capture glimpses of local terrain and cityscapes, but which more keenly focus on indigenous people, flora and fauna, and cultural customs. The accompanying text efficiently whets the appetite of the prospective world traveler with once-over-lightly discussion of peak travel periods and things to do, incisive tidbits about the character of the country, an instructive phrase or two in the native language, and a small map delineating key areas and urban centers... Perhaps no less astonishing is the book's price tag, since this kind of pictorially opulent coffee-table item often costs twice as much.'