Distance, honestly
Every hotel in Manhattan claims to be near something. The problem is that a block running north to south and a block running east to west are nothing like the same distance, so “a few blocks away” can mean four minutes or twenty. This page explains the difference, then names the closest hotels to the six landmarks people actually search for.
Compare live New York ratesNorth to south, a Manhattan block is about 264 feet, so twenty of them make a mile. Crosstown, between avenues, a block runs 750 to 900 feet, so it takes only about seven to cover the same mile. The grid is not square, and that catches visitors out constantly.
Ten blocks north or south is about half a mile, ten or twelve minutes. Ten blocks east or west is about 1.4 miles, closer to half an hour. If a hotel describes itself as a few blocks from something, the direction matters more than the number.
At an ordinary walking pace, count one minute per street block going up or down the island, and three minutes per avenue block going across it. It is rough, but it will keep you out of trouble when a listing says "moments from Times Square".
How we worked these out
Walking times below are calculated from each hotel’s street address using the Manhattan grid, counting roughly a minute per north-south block and three per crosstown avenue block. They are not measured routes, and your own pace, the crossings and the weather will all move the number. Treat them as a guide to which hotel is closer than another, not as a stopwatch.
By landmark
Most Broadway houses sit between West 41st and West 54th, either side of Seventh Avenue and Broadway. Anything in that box is a genuine walk to a curtain, and the difference between one block and four is a couple of minutes, not a decision.
On a theatre block on West 46th, a street east of the crush.
West 43rd, with breakfast and an evening reception included.
On Broadway itself at 47th, so the square is the view.
In the TSX Broadway tower, about as central as the square gets.
Penn Station and the Garden share a building at Seventh Avenue and 33rd. This is the one landmark where a few minutes genuinely matters, because twenty thousand people leave an arena at the same moment and the pavements do not cope.
Directly opposite the Eighth Avenue side of Penn Station. Nothing on this list is closer.
On Seventh Avenue at 36th, three blocks straight up from the Garden.
West 35th Street, and one of the more comfortable options this close.
West 35th between Fifth and Sixth, handy for Herald Square as well.
Grand Central sits at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. Staying close matters if you are taking Metro-North, connecting onward by rail, or want to cross Midtown without using the subway.
A 33-suite townhouse hotel on East 39th, quiet and very close.
East 42nd Street, about a block from the terminal itself.
Built in 1926 as part of the Terminal City scheme around the station.
West 44th, so you get Grand Central and Bryant Park in opposite directions.
The park's southern edge runs along 59th Street, known as Central Park South between Fifth Avenue and Columbus Circle. Hotels on that stretch are literally across the road from the park; a few blocks south is still a short walk.
On Central Park South itself, so the park is across the road.
Also directly on Central Park South, in the old St. Moritz building.
A block south on Sixth Avenue, and the sustainability-led choice here.
At Fifth Avenue and the park's south-east corner, by Grand Army Plaza.
The convention centre sits on Eleventh Avenue between 34th and 40th, on the far west side. It is a long crosstown walk from most of Midtown, which is exactly the mistake the block maths above is meant to prevent.
In Hudson Yards, the closest quality option and the one with 400 square foot rooms.
Manhattan West on 33rd, also handy for Moynihan Train Hall.
West 36th Street, and considerably cheaper than the two above.
West 35th Street, a practical option for a trade show.
The terminal is on Twelfth Avenue at 55th Street, where transatlantic sailings to Southampton leave from. Nothing is genuinely walkable with luggage, so treat these as short taxi rides rather than walks, and budget for one.
On Eleventh Avenue, the closest hotel on this site to the terminal.
West 55th Street, so the same street as the terminal, just a long way east.
West 48th, a five-minute taxi and a good last night before sailing.
West 56th, if you want Central Park on your final morning.
Fast answers
It depends which way you are walking. North to south a block is about 264 feet, so roughly a minute. East to west, between avenues, a block is 750 to 900 feet, closer to three minutes. Twenty street blocks make a mile; only about seven avenue blocks do.
About 14 blocks north, which is roughly three quarters of a mile and fifteen to twenty minutes on foot. It is one of the easier Midtown walks because it runs up the island rather than across it.
Of the hotels we have reviewed, The New Yorker is directly opposite Penn Station's Eighth Avenue entrance, and the Garden sits above the station. That proximity matters more here than at any other landmark, because of the crowds leaving after an event.
Not really. Nothing is comfortably walkable with luggage, so you will take a taxi regardless. Choose a hotel you actually want to spend your last night in and budget for a short ride across town.
They are careful estimates rather than measured routes, worked out from each hotel's address using the Manhattan grid. Treat them as a guide to relative distance; your own pace, crossings and the weather will all move the number.
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Sources and update notes
Last updated: 17 August 2026. Hotel rates, fees, rules and transport details can change.