Traveling to New York City

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By Plane 
Below, you'll find a list of NYC-area airports, along with the best ways to get from those airports to Manhattan. Here, find air carriers traveling to NYC. You can also use sites such as travelocity.com to book flights and travel packages to New York.

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 and Caribbean destinations. Kennedy and Newark each serve both domestic and international destinations. Visitors can reach Manhattan from all three airports by using taxis, buses, subways and/or trains. Other metropolitan-area airports include Stewart International Airport (SWF), Westchester County Airport (HPN) and MacArthur Airport (ISP).

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Jamaica, Queens, NY 11430
718-244-4444
New York's largest airport serves more than 90 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: $52.50 flat fare (non-metered), plus bridge and tunnel tolls and gratuity; 30 to 60 minutes to Midtown Manhattan. For more information, call 212-NYC-TAXI or visit the Taxi and 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 (in addition to AirTrain fare) from the A subway stop at the Howard Beach/JFK Airport station or the E, J or Z subway stop at the Sutphin Blvd./Archer Ave./JFK Airport station; 60 to 75 minutes to Midtown Manhattan.
• Long Island Rail Road (LIRR): $5.75–$8 (children under 5 are free), depending on time of day (in addition to AirTrain fare) for the trip between LIRR's Jamaica Station and Penn Station; 20 minutes to Midtown Manhattan (not including AirTrain ride).
• City bus: For details, visit tripplanner.mta.info.
• Shuttle bus: NYC Airporter, Go Airlink NYC and SuperShuttle.
• Private car and limousine service: Regency Limousine.
• Car rental: Companies at JFK include Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National.

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Jackson Heights, Queens, NY 11371
718-533-3400
This is New York's second-largest airport, with more than 20 airlines serving mostly domestic destinations, as well as Canada and the Caribbean, from four passenger terminals. LaGuardia is on the northern shore of Queens, directly across the East River (about 8 miles from Midtown Manhattan). Here's how to get to Manhattan from LaGuardia:
• Taxi: Approximately $29–$37 metered fare, plus bridge and tunnel tolls and gratuity; 20 to 25 minutes to Midtown Manhattan. For more information, call 212-NYC-TAXI or visit the Taxi and Limousine Commission website.
• City bus: For details, visit tripplanner.mta.info.
• Shuttle bus: NYC Airporter, Go Airlink NYC and SuperShuttle.
• Private car and limousine service: Regency Limousine.
• Car rental: Companies at LGA include Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National.

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Newark, NJ 07114
973-961-6000
Newark Airport, with more than 30 airlines (many of which are international), is across the Hudson River from New York City—16 miles from Midtown Manhattan. Here's how to get to Midtown Manhattan from Newark Liberty:
• Taxi: Traveling to Manhattan, metered fare; approximately $60 to $75, plus bridge and tunnel tolls and gratuity; 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. When traveling to the airport from Midtown Manhattan, service is via New York City’s regulated yellow taxis. Metered fares range $69–$75, plus a $5 surcharge in addition to tolls and gratuity.
• AirTrain Newark: Costs vary by destination. AirTrain links the airport to NJ Transit and Amtrak; 45 to 90 minutes to Midtown Manhattan. AirTrain also offers free service between points in the airport. Look for signs marked "Monorail/AirTrain Link" (do not follow signs for Ground Transportation).
• Shuttle bus: NYC Airporter, Go Airlink NYC, Olympia Airport Express and SuperShuttle.
• Private car and limousine service: Regency Limousine.
• Car rental: Companies at EWR include Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National.

By Train 
New York City has two main rail stations in Midtown: Grand Central Terminal (on the east side) and Penn Station (on the west side). Each is also served by numerous bus and subway lines. Grand Central is served by Metro-North Railroad, which goes to NYC suburbs in New York and Connecticut. Penn Station is served by the following: Long Island Rail Road, a commuter railroad serving Long Island; Amtrak, the US national passenger railroad, serving many points throughout the United States; and NJ Transit, a commuter line serving points in New Jersey.

Rail Terminals
Grand Central Terminal
Park Ave. and E. 42nd St. (bet. Lexington and Vanderbilt Aves.)
212-532-4900
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 City 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 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.

Penn Station
Seventh to Eighth Aves., 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 City bus details, visit tripplanner.mta.info.

Penn Station's main concourse features information booths, restaurants, waiting rooms, public restrooms and car-rental offices nearby to accommodate the thousands of passengers who pass through the terminal each day.

Rail Services
Amtrak
800-872-7245, 212-630-6400
Amtrak is the national passenger railroad of the United States. The company offers numerous packages and deals, including special passes allowing international visitors to make multiple stops throughout the country.

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
718-217-5477
This commuter railroad operates out of Penn Station and serves 124 stations in Nassau County, Suffolk County, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, transporting some 81 million customers each year. Destinations include the Belmont Park racetrack, Citi Field, Jones Beach, the Hamptons and Montauk.

Metro-North Railroad
800-METRO-INFO, 212-532-4900
The second-largest commuter train line in the United States, Metro-North operates out of Grand Central Terminal. The historic roots of the operation go back to 1832, when the enterprise was known as the New York & Harlem Railroad, a horsecar line in Lower Manhattan. Today, with 775 miles of track, Metro-North goes to 120 stations (in five New York State counties—Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, Bronx and New York (Manhattan)—and Connecticut's New Haven and Fairfield counties).

NJ Transit
973-275-5555, TTY 800-772-2287
This rail system features 11 lines in three divisions (Hoboken, Newark and the Atlantic City Rail Line) with frequent service throughout New Jersey (Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore are popular stops) and New York (Rockland and Orange counties)—and, of course, into and out of New York City. For schedules and fares, visit the NJ Transit website.

PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson)
800-234-PATH
The 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 can connect to the PATH from Newark Liberty Airport. The service operates round-trip from the Penn Station in Newark (not the same as Manhattan's Penn Station) to Lower and Midtown Manhattan. 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—here are NYC & Company's member parking garages. You may want to use a site like bestparking.com to compare parking rates and locations from a number of companies. Be aware, though, that the site's listings are not complete.