By Bus
Busing to and from New York City from major East Coast cities has become the single most cost-effective way to get into town. A number of companies offer frequent, regular service between most of the major cities in the east for a fraction of what you’d pay by train or plane. From Philadelphia, the average ride might range from $10 to $20; for Boston or Washington, D.C., you’ll pay $15 to $35, but occasional specials reduce the fares. The website GoToBus.com provides a comprehensive list of options, but I’ve had good personal experiences with Megabus (tel. 877/GO2-MEGA [462-6342]) and Vamoose (tel. 212/695-6766).By Car
From the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) and points west, there are three Hudson River crossings to the city’s West Side: the Holland Tunnel (lower Manhattan), the Lincoln Tunnel (Midtown), and the George Washington Bridge (upper Manhattan). From upstate New York, take the New York State Thruway (I-87), which crosses the Hudson River on the Tappan Zee Bridge and becomes the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) through the Bronx. For the East Side, continue to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly called the Triborough Bridge) and then down the FDR Drive. For the West Side, take the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) to the Henry Hudson Parkway, or the Taconic State Parkway to the Saw Mill River Parkway to the Henry Hudson Parkway south.
From New England, the New England Thruway (I-95) connects with the Bruckner Expressway (I-278), which leads to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and the FDR Drive on the East Side. For the West Side, take the Bruckner to the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) to the Henry Hudson Parkway south. Note that you’ll have to pay tolls along some of these roads and at most crossings. If your state has an E-ZPass program (www.ezpass.com), as most states in the Northeast do, your pass will allow you to go through the designated E-ZPass lanes.
Once you arrive in Manhattan, park your car in a garage (expect to pay $45+ per day) and leave it there. Don’t use your car for traveling within the city. Public transportation, taxis, and walking will easily get you where you want to go without the headaches of parking, gridlock, and dodging crazy cabbies. In addition, depending on where in the city you park, you may have to ante up a $15 congestion fee.
By Train
Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL [872-7245]; www.amtrak.com) runs frequent service to New York City’s Penn Station, on Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets, where you can get a taxi, subway, or bus to your hotel. To get the best rates, book early (as much as 6 months in advance) and travel on weekends. If you’re traveling to New York from a city along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor—such as Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington, D.C.—Amtrak may be your best travel bet now that they’ve rolled out their high-speed Acela trains. The Acela Express trains cut travel time from D.C. down to 2 1/2 hours, and travel time from Boston to a lightning-quick 3 hours.
By Plane
To save money on airfare into NYC, we recommend the following strategies:
Book at the right time. It sounds odd, but you can often save a good amount by booking domestic airfare 28–35 days in advance of departure. That figure comes from a study of over 40 million airfare transactions that an industry group called the Airlines Reporting Corporation undertook in 2023. Book earlier than that, and you won’t have access to the lowest-priced seats, as the airlines only release them when they have an idea of how the plane is selling. Book too close to departure, and the airline knows they’ve “got you” and will charge more. That same study found that those who purchased their tickets on a Sunday spent 5% less statistically—not a huge amount, but still a savings (the savings are higher for international fares).
Fly when others don’t. Those who fly Friday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and who stay over a Saturday night, generally pay less than those who fly at more popular times, according to the study cited above.
Do a smart Web search. Such search engines as Momondo.com and Skyscanner.com will search all the discount sites as well as the airline sites directly, so that you get a broader and more impartial search. The only airline that won’t come up is Southwest Airlines, so be sure to search it separately, as it now flies into LaGuardia and Newark airports.
Don’t be particular about airports. Go to whichever airport is offering the cheapest fares. None of the three New York City airports are any more or less convenient to the city than the others (although LaGuardia is somewhat closer). JFK currently has a slightly better record than the other two in terms of delays and lost luggage, but it’s not enough to influence your buying decision.
We should note that MacArthur Airport on Long Island and Stewart Airport in the Hudson Valley are now hubs for such low-cost carriers as Allegiant and Frontier (into Stewart) and Breeze (into MacArthur). You might be able to save by flying one of those carriers into these airports but, before buying, you MUST factor in the cost of transportation to the city. Both airports are much farther away than LaGuardia, JFK, or Newark, and the cost of a car or taxi into the city could wipe out any savings on the flight (public transportation would be very complicated).
Be anonymous in your search. Clear your cookies and engage the privacy setting on your browser, or better yet, use a different browser or computer than you usually do when searching for airfares. The airlines and airfare booking sites do track users (though they deny it) and are getting increasingly expert in serving up fares tailored to customers’ past buying history. To see the actual lowest rates, you may have to cloak your identity.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
