Queens in New York

Queens in New York is one of the five boroughs of New York City. It includes Long Island City, Astoria and Flushing, among others. Queens is located to the east of Manhattan and above Brooklyn. More than 2.3 million people live in Queens, making it the second-largest borough in New York in terms of population. There are several places worth visiting. And sports enthusiasts should certainly not skip this area!

Things to do in Queens

Not sure what to see in Queens? I can understand that, as it’s not a well-known part of New York. However, there are several nice places to visit when you are here.

• Queens tour: This interesting tour takes you to the highlights of Queens and other boroughs.
• Citi Field Stadium: Attending a New York Mets baseball game is a great experience that I definitely recommend.
• Skyline views: Long Island City offers great views of the Manhattan skyline.
• Chinatown in Flushing: The ‘real’ Chinatown, where you can almost forget that you’re in New York.
• Museum of the Moving Image: A fun museum about the art and craft of filmmaking.
• Corona Park: See the Unisphere, stroll around the park and take a look at the grounds of the US Open.

Queens neighbourhoods

Queens is very large and, for the most part, is not so interesting for tourists. There are, however, a couple of places that are worth a visit when you have already seen all that Manhattan has to offer.

Queens Tour

If you really want to explore Queens and other boroughs, I recommend taking this bus tour to The Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, which shows you all the highlights of these neighbourhoods.

Long Island City

Long Island City in New York is the waterfront neighbourhood in Queens that offers great views of the Manhattan skyline. Don’t confuse Long Island City with Long Island, the elongated island to the east of New York.

Long Island City is a great place to find a hotel if you want to avoid Manhattan’s high prices. The hotels in Long Island City are easily accessible by metro, and the average price per night is relatively low.

Astoria

Astoria is located north of Long Island City, making it the second neighbourhood in Queens to be adjacent to the East River. You can easily get here by subway or on foot across the Roosevelt Island Bridge. In the neighbourhood next to it, you will find LaGuardia Airport.

Astoria itself is one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Queens, with residents from as many as 100 countries. Many of them are of Brazilian or Croatian descent. Are you in Astoria, and do you like comic books? Then pay a visit to the Midtown Comics Outlet, where you will find thousands of comic books, action figures and other related items.

Flushing

Flushing in Queens is one of the neighbourhoods located to the east of LaGuardia Airport. It’s home to some of Queens’ most notable sights, like the ‘real’ Chinatown and Corona Park.

Jamaica

If you’re flying to New York, chances are your stay will start in the Jamaica neighbourhood. This is where one of New York’s two airports is located: JFK Airport. Travelling from JFK to Manhattan is very easy by subway, taxi or shuttle bus.

Attractions in Queens

Although Queens isn’t a very attraction-dense borough, there are still some places that are worth a visit.

Museum of the Moving Image

Have you always wanted to see the puppet used in The Exorcist? Or know the stories behind productions like The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and others from Jim Henson? Then head to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.

This media museum is all about the history, technology and art of film and television shows. Located in the former building of the Astoria Studios, the setting for this museum in Queens could not be more fitting.

MoMA PS1

This is the attraction in Queens for art lovers. In Long Island City, you can visit MoMA PS1, which belongs to the world-famous Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. MoMA PS1 focuses on modern art. You can get there by subway or NYC Ferry to Long Island City or Hunters Point South.

I recommend combining a visit to MoMA PS1 with breakfast, lunch or dinner at the nearby Court Square Diner. At this authentic American diner, dine amongst real New Yorkers as you hardly see any tourists.

Chinatown in Queens

Queens is home to quite a sizeable Chinese community, located in Flushing, and the area is often referred to as the ‘real’ Chinatown. Unlike the neighbourhood in Manhattan with the same name, Chinatown in Queens is not touristy. Instead, the focus is on the Chinese people who live there. No less than 55% of this district is of Asian descent.

In addition, it is one of the largest and fastest-growing Chinatowns in the world, as well as a very unique area in New York. During the Chinese New Year, you can see a huge Lunar New Year Parade in Flushing.

You can get here by taking the subway 7 all the way to the endpoint (Flushing Main Street). Bear in mind that you may encounter a language barrier here because not everyone speaks English.

NYC Ferry

A great way to explore the Long Island City waterfront is to take the NYC Ferry from Manhattan. For example, hop on the Astoria Route from East 34th Street and get off at the Long Island City stop. From there, you can walk along the waterfront to Hunters Point South, and then take the East River Route ferry back to Manhattan. You can even include Roosevelt Island in your journey.

The waterfront is a lovely park, populated mostly by locals since tourists haven’t discovered it yet. People are grabbing coffee or walking their dogs, which creates a nice atmosphere.

Corona Park

Also situated in Flushing Meadows, Corona Park is home to the Unisphere: a large metal globe that you have probably seen a photo of before. The globe has a circumference of around 120 feet (36 metres)! It is, therefore, the largest in the world.

This metal structure was built for the 1964 World Fair. In the surrounding park, you can find the courts used for the US Open. It is possible to take a walk through them – an especially nice activity for a sunny day. To get there, take subway 7 to Mets – Willets Point, from where the park is a short walk. Close by, Queens Botanical Garden can be found too.

Sports Games in Queens

Queens is best known for its sporting events: besides the annual New York Marathon, which runs through this borough.

The Mets stadium, Citi Field, is also located here. The Mets are the second most prominent baseball team in New York (after the New York Yankees). The New York City FC also has games at the stadium. Can’t attend a game? Then you can book a Citi Field Tour to explore the venue.

In addition, Queens is also host to the US Open Tennis, which takes place annually in Flushing Meadows.

Hotels in Queens

If you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel, then Long Island City in Queens is a good option. It isn’t a very cool or cosy neighbourhood, but it is a good base for your visit to New York.

Long Island City is safe and offers an abundance of subway lines that can take you to the middle of Manhattan within around 15 minutes. I recommend a hotel in Long Island City to everyone looking to be close to Midtown but finding the hotels in Manhattan too expensive.

How to get to Queens in New York?

You can easily travel from Manhattan to Queens with the New York subway. This is the fastest and cheapest option. If you have an Unlimited MetroCard, travelling by subway doesn’t even cost you anything extra. Several trains run between the boroughs: NRWFME7.

You can also take the NYC Ferry. The ferry has two routes that head to Queens, with three stops: one in Astoria and two in Long Island City.