New York · United States
Queens travel guide
Queens is a city in New York, United States, home to about 2,405,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- LGA8 km · LaGuardia Airport
- Currency
- USDUnited States dollar
- Time zone
- America/New York
- Language
- Carolinian, Chamorro, Hawaiian
About
About Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the five boroughs of New York City, and the second most populous, with a population of 2,405,464 as of the 2020 census. Since 1899 the borough is coextensive with Queens County, the second-most populous county in New York state, behind Kings County (Brooklyn).
The geographical center of New York City is in nearby Brooklyn, and Queens is home to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the site of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. The area around the park still includes an interesting museum and some architectural and artistic relics of the events (including the Unisphere, a 300-ton spherical grid of steel, the world's largest globe, as featured in "Men In Black").
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Queens
See
Queens is quite diverse in density and character. While western Queens (closer to Manhattan) is urban, much of eastern Queens is relatively suburban. As in every borough, the closer you get to Manhattan, the rarer it is to find a stand-alone house. The more urban clusters are in the northwest: Astoria and Long Island City (LIC). LIC also contains Queens' most prominent skyscrapers, including the "other" Citibank building, located directly across the East River from the more prominent angled-roof skyscraper in Manhattan.
Do
- New York Hall of Science Farmers Market
- Jamaica Farmers Market
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Queens to stay in
There are a number of hotels in Flushing that serve LaGuardia Airport, including a Sheraton. There are also many hotels near Kennedy Airport in Jamaica, but the location is generally considered undesirable for visitors, except for its proximity to the airport. Some hotels in Jamaica are listed as three stars but are nevertheless poorly kept. Other hotels are scattered through Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Elmhurst, Long Island City, and various other neighborhoods.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Queens
Queens has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; March is the wettest, with about 111 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Queens: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is LaGuardia Airport (LGA), about 8.0 km from the city centre in a straight line; John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK, 9 km) and Teterboro Airport (TEB, 25 km) are also within reach.
LGA · LaGuardia Airport
JFK · John F. Kennedy International Airport
TEB · Teterboro Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Queens
Eat
The snobby feel of Manhattan may not always make it to Queens, which is one of its great appeals for those who live there. There are a few top-notch bars in Queens, but it's the restaurants that really shine, for a simple reason: If Manhattan food is Yuppie food, Queens food is created by and aimed towards genuine ethnic inhabitants. To put it another way, come here if you like spicy food. If you want a real taste of Hong Kong--or Tibet, Indonesia, Colombia, Peru, India, Argentina, or just about anyplace (including France)--you'll find it in Queens.
Drink
If you like bubble tea with sago and tapioca, there are several good spots within a few blocks of the Flushing-Main St stop on the 7 train. One of the best is on the corner of Main St. and 39th Av. Queens is home to one of the most entertaining and pleasant places to sip a brew, the Bohemian Hall (known citywide simply as "The Beer Garden"), near the Astoria Boulevard subway stop. This bar, popular in the summer, covers an entire city block, is walled and filled with trees, indoor and outdoor picnic tables and a cool crowd, and serves great Czech and German beer. Drink ales by the pitcher at wooden picnic tables under leafy canopy, surrounded by hundreds.
Stay safe
Queens doesn't have any really dangerous neighborhoods anymore, though of course you should not put down your guard completely and should continue to do sensible things like use only your front pocket for valuables and keep your wits about yourself. But that said, the most dangerous thing you may do is cross Queens Boulevard, nicknamed the Boulevard of Death because of the number of people who've been killed trying to cross this broad thoroughfare which, though not a controlled-access highway, is a major artery where drivers tend to drive fast.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Queens: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Queens?
Queens has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; March is the wettest, with about 111 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Queens?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is LaGuardia Airport (LGA), about 8.0 km from the city centre in a straight line; John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK, 9 km) and Teterboro Airport (TEB, 25 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Queens?
United States dollar (USD).
Nearby
Destinations near Queens
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.