The Ultimate 10-day USA East Coast Itinerary

Ten years ago, I went to the US for the first time. I was feeling nostalgic about it this spring so we decided our summer vacation would be going back to America. We booked a trip around the East Coast including three different destinations. Three big cities, all of them important for different reasons:

• Boston: where US history started

• Washington DC: the nation's capital

• NYC: the capital of the world.

We spent 10 amazing days in the US. We planned our trip carefully so we saw everything we wanted to see but we arrived to the hotel every night exhausted from so much walking. However, despite the exhaustion, we felt very happy after each sight-seeing day.
Our itinerary started in Boston and we flew from one place to another instead of renting a car or taking the train. Let's take a look at the ultimate 10-day USA east coast itinerary.

10-day USA East Coast Itinerary: BOSTON (3 nights)

DAY 1
We arrived in Boston at 3pm on the 4th of July. Our hotel was the Boston Park Plaza. It was a very nice hotel with an unbeatable location next to Boston Public Garden but our room was rather small for two people, something surprising since we are used to huge rooms when we travel in the US.

After checking-in, we headed out. We were very eager to explore the city on such an important date and even if it was hard to stay awake, we made it to to the Fireworks Spectacular by river Charles.

DAY 2
We explored Back Bay, the impressive Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Harvard University.

DAY 3
We started the day at the beautiful Boston parks: Public Gardens and Common, then we saw the Boston Harbor and tried the world famous New England Lobster, finishing our day at the Tea Party Ships and Museum.

Read: How to Spend 3 Unforgettable Days in Boston

BOSTON ITINERARY MAP

This Boston map includes all the things you need for your trip. The blue pins are the sights, yellow pins mark places to eat and the green ones are the location for my favorite shops. Click on the star next to the title to save to your maps in Google.

10-day USA East Coast Itinerary: WASHINGTON DC (2 nights)

DAY 4
Our flight to DC departed at 11:00. It's a little over an hour, so we arrived early enough to take advantage of our first day in the capital of the USA. After checking-in at the Capital Hilton Hotel near the White House -the room was great, very big and luxurious- we had lunch at Duke's Grocery and walked on M street all the way to Georgetown University.

DAY 5
When we woke up it was pouring rain and floods were expected. We had booked a tour of the Capitol and were not sure what to do. Fortunately, the weather improved soon enough for us to get there on time. We spent the rest of the day exploring the impressive National Mall.

Read: 2 days in Washington DC:all you need to see, eat and do

DC ITINERARY MAP

This DC map includes all the things you need for your trip. The blue pins are the sights, yellow pins mark places to eat and the green ones are the location for my favorite shops. Click on the star next to the title to save to your maps in Google.

10-day USA East Coast Itinerary: NYC (4 nights)

DAY 6
10 am flight to NYC. Our hotel here was the Row NYC at Times Square. It's a huge modern hotel very close to the E metro line and to Times Square.

DAY 7
We started our day at Top of the Rock. Going up to the top of the Rockefeller Center is pricey but worth it. $42 per person, 10 extra if you go there at sunset. We spent the rest of the day at Central Park ending with some shopping at the Columbus Circle mall.

DAY 8
We took the metro to WTC, saw the 9/11 Memorial and headed to Brooklyn Bridge. We crossed it to get lovely views of it and the Manhattan bridge from Dumbo. We ate at Nomo Kitchen in Soho and continued north to the Flatiron building. Once again we were caught by heavy rain -it rained one day on each destination- so we called it a day and went back to the hotel.

DAY 9
Lady Liberty was waiting for us. Piece of advice: the only place to get official tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is the ticket office at Castle Clinton. There are people all around Battery Park trying to sell tickets so beware.
If you don't want to spend any money and still get a view of Lady Liberty you can take the ferry to Staten Island which is free.

After the ferry brought us back, we saw Wall Street and the Charging Bull, then went back to the WTC for lunch. Our last full day in NYC ended seeing the United Nations building and surrounding landmarks like Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler building.

DAY 10
Last minute shopping on 5th Avenue before heading to the airport. Our flight back to Madrid departed at 6:30 pm.

Read: How to Make the Most of 4 Days in NYC

NYC ITINERARY MAP
This New York City map includes all the things you need for your trip. The blue pins are the sights, yellow pins mark places to eat and the green ones are the location for my favorite shops. Click on the star next to the title to save to your maps in Google.
Need more to plan your East Coast trip? Check out the following posts
A European's Guide to Shopping in the US
Best NYC photo locations for first-time visitors

WHEREVER YOU ARE GOING DON'T FORGET...

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