By Plane
Below, you’ll find a list of nearby airports, along with the best ways to get from those airports to Manhattan. There are nearly 90 air carriers traveling to the New York City area from all over the country and the world.
Air travelers to New York City may arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or LaGuardia Airport (LGA), both in Queens, or Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in neighboring New Jersey. LaGuardia primarily serves domestic destinations, and also offers flights to select Canadian destinations. Kennedy and Newark both serve domestic and international destinations. Visitors can reach Manhattan from all three airports by using taxis, buses and subways and/or commuter trains. Other metropolitan-area airports include Stewart International Airport (SWF), Westchester County Airport (HPN) and MacArthur Airport (ISP). For those interested, there are a number of hotels conveniently located near the City’s airports.
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Jamaica, Queens, NY 11430
718-244-4444
New York’s largest airport serves more than 70 airlines, most of which are international. It is approximately 15 miles from Midtown Manhattan. Here’s how to get to Midtown Manhattan from JFK:
• Taxi: $52 flat fare (non-metered), plus a 50-cent MTA state surcharge, a 30-cent improvement surcharge, a $4.50 rush-hour surcharge (4 to 8pm weekdays except legal holidays), bridge and tunnel tolls, and gratuity. It’s 30 to 60 minutes to Midtown Manhattan, depending on traffic and road conditions; destinations other than Manhattan are metered. For more information, dial 311 in NYC or visit the Taxi & Limousine Commission website.
• AirTrain JFK: $5 (children under 5 are free); AirTrain links the airport to the subway and Long Island Rail Road. AirTrain also offers free service between points in the airport.
• Subway: One ride is $2.75 (in addition to AirTrain fare) from the A subway stop at the Howard Beach/JFK station or the E, J or Z subway stop at the Sutphin Blvd./Archer Ave./JFK station; 40 to 60 minutes to Midtown Manhattan.
• Long Island Rail Road (LIRR): $7.50–$10.25 (children under 5 are free; family fare is $1 apiece for up to four children ages 5–11 per adult for off-peak and pm peak trains; child fare is 50 percent off full fare for am peak trains), depending on the time of day (in addition to AirTrain fare), for the trip between LIRR’s Jamaica Station and Penn Station; on Saturday and Sunday, the CityTicket fare is $4.25. The trip is 20 minutes to Midtown Manhattan (not including the AirTrain ride).
• City bus: For details, visit tripplanner.mta.info.
• Shuttle bus: NYC Airporter and Go Airlink NYC.
• Private car service: Find a handful on this list of providers.
• Car rental: Companies at JFK include Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National.
LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
East Elmhurst, Queens, NY 11371
718-533-3400
This is New York’s second-largest airport, with nine airlines serving mostly domestic destinations, as well as Canada, from four passenger terminals. LaGuardia is on the northern shore of Queens, across the East River (about 8 miles from Midtown Manhattan). Here’s how to get to Midtown Manhattan from LaGuardia:
• Taxi: Approximately $29–$37 metered fare, plus a 50-cent MTA state surcharge, plus a 30-cent improvement surcharge, plus a $1 surcharge (4 to 8pm weekdays except legal holidays) or a daily 50-cent surcharge (8pm to 6am), plus bridge and tunnel tolls and gratuity; 20 to 40 minutes to Midtown Manhattan. For more information, dial 311 in NYC or visit the Taxi & Limousine Commission website.
• City bus: Two express buses serve LaGuardia: the M60 and Q70. The Q70 goes nonstop to Roosevelt Avenue/Jackson Heights and 74th St./Broadway, a major subway hub in Queens with five lines. The M60 runs to Harlem and connects to all the major subway lines in Manhattan. For details, visit tripplanner.mta.info.
• Shuttle bus: NYC Airporter and Go Airlink NYC.
• Private car service: Find a handful on this list of providers.
• Car rental: Companies at LGA include Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National.
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
3 Brewster Rd.
Newark, NJ 07114
973-961-6000
Newark Airport, with more than 30 airlines (many of which are international), is across the Hudson River (and then some) from New York City—about 16 miles from Midtown Manhattan. Here’s how to get to Midtown Manhattan from Newark Liberty:
• Taxi: Approximately $50 to $75 metered fare, plus round-trip bridge and tunnel tolls and gratuity (group ride rates, depending on number of passengers and drop-off location in Manhattan, are approximately $18–$26 per person); 45 to 60 minutes to Midtown Manhattan. During weekday rush hours (6–9am and 4–7pm) and on weekends (Saturday–Sunday, noon–8pm), there is a $5 surcharge for travel to anywhere in New York State except Staten Island. There’s a $5.50 surcharge for all credit card transactions as well as a charge for each piece of luggage that’s more than 24 inches, but there’s a 10 percent senior citizen discount (for those 62 and older). When traveling to the airport from Midtown Manhattan, service is via New York City’s regulated yellow taxis. Approximately $69 to $75 metered fare, plus a $17.50 Newark surcharge, plus a 30-cent improvement surcharge, plus round-trip bridge and tunnel tolls and gratuity.
• AirTrain Newark: Costs vary by destination, but it’s $5.50 for the AirTrain and $13 for NJ Transit fare to or from Penn Station in Manhattan; the fare for military, senior citizens, disabled passengers and children ages 5–11 is $9 (all other travel via NJ Transit is otherwise half off the regular fare); up to three children 4 and younger ride NJ Transit for free with a fare-paying passenger. On weekends (beginning at 7pm on Friday and ending at 6am on Monday) and holidays (typically beginning at 7pm the day before a holiday and ending at 6am the day after), up to two children ages 5–11 ride NJ Transit for free with a fare-paying passenger. AirTrain links to the airport via NJ Transit and Amtrak’s Newark Liberty International Airport train station; about 45 to 60 minutes to Midtown Manhattan, requiring a transfer from the AirTrain line to the NJ Transit line (be sure to keep your ticket after using it to exit the AirTrain station, as it is also used for the NJ Transit fare) or Amtrak. AirTrain also offers free service between points within the airport complex, including transfers to other airline terminals and locations for hotel shuttles, car rental and parking.
• Shuttle bus: Go Airlink NYC and Newark Airport Express.
• Private car and limousine service: Find a handful on this list of providers.
• Car rental: Companies at Newark include Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National.
Stewart International Airport (SWF)
1180 1st St.
New Windsor, NY 12553
845-838-8200
Stewart International Airport is about 60 miles north of New York City. Here’s how to get to Midtown Manhattan from Stewart:
• Bus: $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 5–11 on Coach USA’s Stewart Airport Express, which is especially geared toward those flying via Norwegian Air; approximately 90 minutes to Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan
• Bus/train: Leprechaun Lines runs a $1 shuttle bus on its Newburgh-Beacon-Stewart commuter line on weekdays (except holidays) that stops at the Beacon train station. There, use Metro-North Railroad for direct service to Grand Central Terminal ($22 for peak, $16.75 for off-peak); the fare for senior citizens and disabled passengers is $11; except on morning peak trains to Grand Central, the fare for up to four children ages 5–11 is $1 each with a fare-paying adult, otherwise the fare for children ages 5–11 is $11 peak and $8.50 off-peak; children 4 and younger ride Metro-North for free); approximately 120 minutes to Midtown Manhattan.
By Train
New York City has two main rail stations in Midtown Manhattan: Grand Central Terminal (on the east side) and Penn Station (on the west side). There is access to numerous subway and bus lines from each station. Grand Central is home to Metro-North Railroad, which goes to NYC suburbs in New York and Connecticut. Penn Station is home to the following: Long Island Rail Road, a commuter railroad serving Long Island and parts of Queens and Brooklyn; Amtrak, the US national passenger railroad, serving many points throughout the United States and Canada; and NJ Transit, a commuter railroad serving New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania.
Rail Terminals:
Grand Central Terminal
89 E. 42nd St. (between Vanderbilt and Park Aves.)
212-340-2583
Grand Central is the main terminal for Metro-North Railroad services. Subway lines here include the 4, 5, 6, 7 and S (shuttle between Grand Central and Times Square). For MTA bus details, visit tripplanner.mta.info.
Aside from being a transit hub, Grand Central is also a landmark and an attraction unto itself. The Main Concourse boasts an immense 88,000 square feet of space, and on sunny days is bathed in light from its giant arching windows. Grand Central’s 12-story-high ceiling is painted with stars and gilded zodiac constellations. Not only might Grand Central be the globe’s most beautiful train station, the 49-acre terminal is also one of the world’s largest. There are numerous shops of all varieties here, including an Apple Store, M.A.C Cosmetics and Tumi. Vanderbilt Hall holds a Danish food hall; the lower level has the Oyster Bar restaurant plus a dining concourse on the lower level that features a wide selection of eateries; and in Grand Central Market, fresh and prepared foods—including meats, cheese, baked goods and gourmet teas—are available.
Penn Station
Seventh to Eighth Avenues (bet. W. 31st and W. 33rd Sts.)
Penn Station is the main terminal for Long Island Rail Road, and a terminal for Amtrak and NJ Transit. Subway lines here include the 1, 2, 3, A, C and E. For MTA bus details, visit tripplanner.mta.info.
Penn Station features information booths, restaurants, waiting rooms and public restrooms to accommodate the more than 600,000 passengers who pass through the terminal each day. In 2017, the new West End Concourse opened; it provides additional access to the station from Eighth Avenue. Car rental offices and departure/arrival points for bus companies are nearby. The Pennsy Food Hall sits above the station, as does sports and music venue Madison Square Garden.
Rail Services
Amtrak
800-872-7245, 212-630-6400
Amtrak is the national passenger railroad of the United States. New York City’s Penn Station is its busiest station in the nation—in 2017, Amtrak reported nearly 10.4 million boardings and alightings there. The company offers numerous packages and deals, including sightseeing opportunities for both US residents and international visitors to make multiple stops throughout the country.
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
718-217-5477, 511
This commuter railroad, the busiest in the United States, operates out of Penn Station and serves 124 stations on 11 branches over nearly 600 miles of track in Nassau County, Suffolk County, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, transporting around 90 million customers each year. Destinations include Citi Field (via the Mets–Willets Point station), Belmont Park racetrack and popular Long Island destinations like the Hamptons and Montauk.
Metro-North Railroad
212-532-4900, 877-690-5114, 511
Metro-North operates out of Grand Central Terminal. Part of its roots date back to 1832, with a horsecar line in Lower Manhattan that operated under the name New York and Harlem Railroad. Today, with 787 miles of track, Metro-North goes to 123 stations [in seven New York State counties—Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Bronx and New York (Manhattan)—and Connecticut’s New Haven and Fairfield counties] and serves more than 86 million customers annually.
NJ Transit
973-275-5555, TTY 800-772-2287
This commuter railroad features 12 lines with service throughout much of New Jersey (Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore are popular destinations) and even in New York (Rockland and Orange counties) in partnership with Metro-North Railroad—and, of course, into and out of New York City via Penn Station and serves more than 88 million customers each year.
PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson)
800-234-7284
PATH provides rapid transit between several stops in New York City, along with locations in Newark, Harrison, Jersey City and Hoboken in New Jersey. Air travelers from Newark Liberty International Airport can connect to the PATH via AirTrain Newark to Newark Liberty International Airport Station and by taking an NJ Transit or Amtrak train from there to Newark Penn Station (not the same as Manhattan’s Penn Station). At Newark Penn Station, they can catch a PATH train that goes directly to Lower Manhattan, but this is on weekdays only; the World Trade Center station will be closed for repair work on weekends—from 12:01am Saturdays through 5am on Mondays—except for major holidays, through December 2020. PATH service will otherwise end at the Exchange Place station, and affected customers can take the NY Waterway ferry from Harborside Ferry Landing in Jersey City to Brookfield Place/Battery Park City Terminal in Manhattan for free from 7am to 11:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Additional service will be provided on the Journal Square to 33rd Street line when the ferry is not in operation. For service to Midtown Manhattan, they must get on the PATH train and transfer to another at Journal Square. The PATH’s 33rd Street station (on Sixth Avenue, in Herald Square) in Manhattan is one avenue from Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit trains at Penn Station.
By Bus
There are a number of affordable, convenient bus lines that travel to New York City from around the United States and parts of Canada. These include BoltBus, Megabus and Greyhound.
By Car
Use Google Maps for driving directions to New York City. Also, make sure you know where to park: you may want to use an app like SpotHero to find and compare parking spots and locations and make reservations.
Advertisement