Planning a trip to New York City—or just dreaming about one? Podcasts are one of the best ways to connect with the city before you even arrive. They let you hear the voices, stories, and rhythms that define New York long before you step onto a subway platform or order your first slice of pizza.
This updated 2026 edition brings together 15 of our favourite New York City–focused travel and food podcast episodes. Each one adds context, personality, or practical insight that will help you experience the city more deeply—whether you’re planning your itinerary, flying in, or wandering the streets with headphones on.
The Top 15 NYC Travel & Food Podcast Episodes (2026)
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: “Lower East Side”
If you want to understand New York, this is where you start. In this episode, Anthony Bourdain returns to the Lower East Side — the neighborhood that shaped his worldview, his taste, and his attitude toward food and culture. We recommend it because it’s not a guidebook version of NYC; it’s raw, personal, funny, and deeply rooted in the idea that food is inseparable from identity. This is New York as lived, not staged. This was his final podcast and a fitting tribute to our favourite travel writer and host. - The Frommer’s Travel Show: “Hidden Landmarks of New York”
Pauline Frommer is a life long New Yorker who has spent her lifetime helping travellers see more clearly, and this episode is a perfect example. Instead of the obvious icons, she focuses on overlooked buildings and forgotten spaces that quietly define the city. We recommend it because New York rewards curiosity — and this episode trains you to look up, slow down, and notice. - SubwayTakes: “Woody Harrelson Told Me He’s an Anarchist (Uncut)”
This is New York distilled: a subway car, a stranger, and an unexpected conversation. Raw, funny, and unfiltered, this episode captures the city’s openness to randomness. We recommend it because no place does spontaneous interaction like New York. - Travel in 10: “New York, New York”
Travel in 10 does what New York itself does best: delivers a lot, quickly. World travellers Tim Johnson and David Brodie break down the city into something manageable without losing its energy. We recommend this episode because it gives you a smart, no-nonsense framework — neighborhoods, highlights, and logistics — so you can spend less time planning and more time wandering. - GoNOMAD Travel Podcast: New York City Episode
GoNOMAD has always been about meaningful travel, and this NYC episode leans into that philosophy. Rather than racing through landmarks, it focuses on experience, mood, and connection. We recommend it for travelers who want New York to feel personal — not like a checklist. In this episode host Max Hartshorne takes a look at an overlooked attraction, the Morgan Library. - Amateur Traveler: “Travel to New York City”
This is one of the most reliable, well-rounded New York episodes out there by long time travel podcast host Chris Christesen. It balances classic attractions with practical advice on how to structure your time. We recommend it because it helps you build a trip that feels full — not frantic. - Know Time: “Pizza History & New York Pizzas”
This episode goes deeper, tracing how New York became one of the world’s great pizza cities. Featuring Scott Wiener, it’s part history lesson, part love letter. We recommend it for travelers who like knowing the story behind the slice. - Better Together Here: “Chelsea Market Review: Guide to Best Shops & Places to Eat”
Chelsea Market can be magical or maddening, depending on your plan. This episode offers honest, boots-on-the-ground advice about what’s actually worth eating. We recommend it because good food decisions matter in New York — there are too many bad meals hiding behind hype. - Women Who Travel: “New York’s Chinatown Through the Eyes of a Family That’s Been There for Generations”
This episode is about far more than food or geography. Through one family’s story, it explores migration, resilience, and cultural preservation in Chinatown. We recommend it because New York only makes sense when you understand the communities that built it. - Undiscarded: Stories of New York: “Display Cake”
A bakery cake becomes a lens for examining gentrification, memory, and loss in Brooklyn. This episode is intimate, quiet, and powerful. We recommend it because New York isn’t just changing skylines — it’s changing lives. - Sounds of New York City: “Brooklyn Bridge”
No narration, no explanation — just sound. Footsteps, traffic, wind, voices. We recommend this episode because sometimes the best way to understand New York is to shut up and listen. - Coming to New York City Podcast: “Our Top 10 Hidden Gems in NYC”
Designed for visitors and newcomers, this episode highlights places that don’t always make the Instagram reels. We recommend it because New York rewards repeat curiosity — and the best spots are often the quiet ones. - This Is TASTE: “An Epic NYC Pizza Tour…”
Pizza isn’t food in New York — it’s identity. This episode dives into styles, neighborhoods, and the fiercely held opinions that come with them. We recommend it because understanding pizza is understanding the city. - Travel More: “How to Plan the Perfect Weekend Getaway to New York City”
New York will happily exhaust you if you let it. This episode is about restraint, pacing, and making smart choices when time is limited. We recommend it for weekend travelers who want memories — not burnout. - The Bowery Boys: “#447 Bob Dylan’s Greenwich Village”
The Bowery Boys are historians with soul, and this episode is a love letter to Greenwich Village at its creative peak. By tracing Bob Dylan’s early years, the hosts reveal how music, politics, and cheap rent collided to shape a neighborhood. We recommend listening before walking the Village — suddenly, every block feels like it has a story.
Bonus: The Soundtrack to Your New York Trip
To fully get into the mindset, here’s the Spotify playlist I always listen to when planning a New York trip — or missing it once I’ve left:
Voyascape CEO David Brodie’s Favourite New York Grooves on Spotify.
Final Thoughts
These 15 episodes don’t just tell you where to go in New York — they help you understand how the city thinks, eats, moves, and changes. Listen before you arrive, while you’re there, or when you’re craving that New York energy from afar.