New York City
Practical Information for visiting New York City
Connectivity & Internet
Coverage is excellent everywhere, and all subway stations have mobile service and Wi-Fi — though the tunnels between them largely do not.
LinkNYC kiosks provide free public Wi-Fi across the five boroughs.
Free Wi-Fi is standard in cafés, hotels, libraries and most public parks.
Stay Safe (2026 security update)
New York City is one of the safest large cities in the United States and has been for three decades. The parts a visitor is likely to be in are busy and well policed at essentially all hours.
The realistic risks are pickpocketing in dense crowds — Times Square, the subway at rush hour, the big holiday markets — and street scams around the main tourist sites, including costumed characters who demand payment after a photograph and unlicensed ticket sellers.
Use licensed yellow cabs or a recognised app rather than anyone approaching you at an airport arrivals hall.
Late at night, the front carriages of a subway train near the conductor are the busiest, and waiting in the marked off-peak area of the platform is standard practice.
Health Considerations
No vaccinations are needed and the tap water is famously good — it arrives unfiltered from upstate reservoirs.
Summer heat is the main seasonal risk, made worse underground; carry water in July and August.
Air quality is generally fine but can deteriorate sharply when wildfire smoke drifts in, as it did in 2023. Anyone with a respiratory condition should check before spending a day outdoors.
The city has world-class hospitals and American prices to match. Travel insurance covering medical costs is essential for non-US visitors.
Expect to walk considerably more than you plan to — several miles a day is normal here, and many subway stations have stairs and no lift.
Emergency Information
911 reaches police, fire and ambulance. 311 is the non-emergency city services line and is genuinely useful.
Major trauma centres include Bellevue, NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai, and no part of the city is far from an emergency department.
Pharmacies are plentiful and many are open 24 hours.
In the subway, every platform has an emergency intercom to reach station staff, and every train has a conductor.