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A while ago, I took my daughter on a special birthday trip to New York City, just the two of us. Since we were staying in , none of the three airports ( / LGA / ) were markedly better than any of the others.
After searching the various options for paid and award flights into New York, we ended up flying Delta from Cincinnati to . So, because we were going to be landing at (adding an ‘E’ to my list of airport code arrivals!), we needed to find the cheapest and best way to get from Newark airport to Manhattan.
I did a bunch of research, so I thought I would share it with you to help you figure out the best way to get from Newark Liberty International Airport to New York City. (If you’re flying round-trip to NYC or are otherwise departing from EWR , I’ve also written a guide to find the cheapest and best way to get *from* Manhattan to Newark Liberty airport.
Getting from Newark Liberty International airport (EWR) to Manhattan by taxi
You can absolutely take a taxi or (or even limo service!) from Newark airport to Manhattan, but it will be fairly expensive. Depending on where you want to go in Manhattan, a taxi from Newark Liberty to Manhattan is likely to cost anywhere from $40 to $70, exclusive of tips and tolls.
If you do want to take a from , you’ll likely save money by using a service like Taxi2Airport.com — plus you can save $5 off using this link with coupon code T2A5OFF
Note that during weekday rush hours — mornings (6AM to 9AM) and afternoons (4PM to 7PM) and on weekends (Saturday and Sunday from 12PM to 8PM) — there is an additional $5 surcharge to all points in the state of New York, except Staten Island.
And obviously you will be in a , so you’re subject to New York City traffic, especially if you’re traveling in (which seems like every hour!).
Getting from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Manhattan by shared car service like Uber or Lyft
Uber gives an estimate of $43 – $50 to go from Newark airport to Manhattan:
Lyft is similarly priced from , though both Uber and Lyft often run promotions, especially in , so be sure to check with them before you go.
[The time my Lyft driver went the wrong way down a one-way street]
If you do sign up for Uber or Lyft, if you use my referral code you will get a bonus on your first ride.
Getting from Newark Liberty (EWR) to Manhattan by express bus or airport shuttle
A variety of express buses go from Newark airport to Manhattan in the $15 to $20 (one-way) range. These are large buses designed for airport runs, so most of them have plenty of storage underneath the seats for luggage. Newark Airport Express is one such shuttle bus. It’s $17 for a one-way ticket or $30 round-trip, and children under 5 are free. GO Airlink Shuttle is another such bus — it costs $21 one-way. It runs every half hour on the half hour and it will pick you up at a variety of hotels and transportation hubs (, , Port Authority bus terminal, etc). Try promo code to save 5%.
If you want to travel on a single public from to the city … you can’t. That’s because different transit authorities serve New York and New Jersey. NJ Transit bus lines 28, 37, 62, 67, and 107 all serve Liberty Airport.
Of course, buses also go on the road, so when going from Newark to New York City by , you’ll be subject to traffic during .
The cheapest and best way to get from Newark airport (EWR) to Manhattan
Although those classic , Ubers or Lyfts, buses, , , and even limos are all feasible options to get from Newark to , the absolute best way is by . (Plus, taking makes you feel like a local.)
Taking the train into midtown Manhattan costs $13, which includes the fees for both (1) the AirTrain Newark, which takes you from Newark airport to Newark Liberty Airport Station, and (2) for the NJ Transit train, which runs from Newark Liberty Airport Station to New York Penn Station. The Newark Airport AirTrain runs every 3 minutes for most of the day.
Note for families: The whole train ride from Newark airport to Penn Station costs $13 for adults. The AirTran portion of the trip ($5.50) is not charged for children 11 and under, AND the other portion is half-price, making a child’s ticket $3.50.
Adult ticket from Newark Airport to Manhattan on the right, child ticket on the right
Another advantage of taking the train from Newark to Manhattan is that you’re not on the road (duh), so you don’t have to deal with all the traffic. When we visited NYC, our flight arrived at about 8:45 a.m., still in the ending stages of rush hour , so a ride in a taxi or bus could have taken over an hour. Our train from Newark Liberty International to Penn Station in Manhattan was about 30 minutes end to end.
Step-by-step instructions on how to take the transit train from Newark International Airport to NYC
Make your way through the , following the signs for the AirTrain. (We landed at Terminal B, and with all the signs, it was quite clear where we needed to go.) As we walked toward the AirTrain, we found a ticket kiosk to purchase tickets AND a helpful employee who helped us understand which ones to buy and how to buy them. Continuing to follow the signs for the AirTrain led us to a waiting area that looked like this:
We lined up on the right to go to P4 and RailLink. We just missed a when we got there, so we had to wait a few minutes for the next one. We were there a little after 9 a.m. and it was quite busy — our was pretty crowded with but with only one carry-on, it wasn’t too bad.
A few stops later, we were at the . There you will have to scan your ticket to go through the turnstiles. Once you do, you will get to a doorway that looks like this:
IMPORTANT NOTE: You need to show your ticket twice! You’ll use your ticket to scan through the turnstiles when going from Newark into the and then AGAIN once you’re on your . The conductor will come through the asking to see tickets. You might think that once you scan your ticket at the turnstiles, you won’t need it again — but make sure to hold on to it!
Taking the NJ Transit train from Liberty International Airport to Manhattan
Follow the signs to Tracks 1 / A, where you will go downstairs and take the first you see. Some Amtrak trains also stop there, so make sure you’re on an to get from Newark to , or you’ll have to pay the Amtrak . Unless you are trying to go from Newark to in the middle of the night (and probably even then!), there will be a ton of other – just follow the crowds. :-).
You will take the for about 3 to 5 stations. The first one is — that is NOT the same as New York , so don’t get off there! The that goes from Newark to ends at New York (NYP), so really, you just have to wait till it ends. Again, that’s where most will be getting off, so it’s a good policy to just follow the crowd.
Once you’re at , follow the signs to the street, and you’ll pop out in the middle of – between 7th and 8th Avenues and 31st and 33rd streets! You can then take a , , or the — or even walk — to your final destination.
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I hope this guide has helped – what are your tips for the cheapest and best way from EWR to Manhattan?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
There are cheaper ways. You can take a local bus from EWR to Newark Penn Station and then switch to the Path train. This is the cheapest but if you’re going to Midtown your way is prob the best way to get to Midtown.
Thanks a million! I just saw another article stating the bus cost is $1.60 and to have exact change. My only concern now is that there will be four of us traveling(each with a carryon) and my husband will have one checked bag. I read that it’s up to the discretion of the driver if he will allow you to ride with a larger checked bag. Carryon’s are fine.
Another option is Uber/Lyft to PATH stations Newport or Exchange Place in NJ (or two any other PATH stations. That cost about $19. From there ride with PATH $2.75 to any Manhattan location.
Bit of an error in this. Amtrak is significantly more expensive, around $30 or so, and they do not honor NJ TRANSIT tickets. You should make sure the train is a NJ Transit train before boarding or you will have to pay the onboard Amtrak fare.
Overall, this is an easy way to into Manhattan. If you are headed to Wall Street, then your best bet is to get off at Newark Penn Station and grab a PATH train for $2.75.
Thanks for the tips – I’ve clarified that in the post
As said above, the cheapest way is the bus to Newark Penn, then the PATH, which is a hair over five bucks total. I also personally feel that’s the best way to do it, too. I wish you’d put a line in your post letting people know that there actually is a real cheap way to do the whole trip – for the same price as the airtrain portion of your proposed route above.
It’s the way I’d recommend as cheapest. I will note that that bus limits luggage, so if you’re flying with multiple bags, you may wanna take the train (and there are options there, some involving path, others not)
How far do you have to walk to get to the bus? I will be needing to get to NYC from Newark Airport and I want to do it the cheapest way possible. I’m afraid of having to travel too far to get to the bus.
Newark Airport to NJ Train to Penn Station is the way to do it – you don’t have to walk very far at all and the cost is IMO very reasonable
Thanks for the article. My wife and I will have an 18 hour stopover at Newark soon and want to spend a few hours in Manhattan. This is perfect!
Glad it could help!
Great guide for the rookie tourist, like me. Bravo!
A slightly more expensive car service would be to use Uber Pool or Via. Both are between 25-30 before tolls (roughly 40-45 all in). You’ll be sharing the car with someone else (possible more than one other “someone else”)
Also, if going to WTC or elsewhere on the PATH line, NJT to Newark Penn is around $8.50, and then grab the PATH to wherever you want to go.
You should fly to LaGuardia next time. Take the public bus and subway. It’ll cost you 2.75 per person to get to Midtown.
Yes that is certainly an option, if your travel plans allow. Though I’ve heard currently Laguardia is a giant mess of traffic / construction right now…
Thank you for your post. This is our first time to the city. We will be there for some time. We will be traveling with 2 suitcases each, plus a bag. Will using this route to get to Manhattan be difficult? We are flying in on a weekday at 5pm. Thank You
Riding the train as I did will be difficult with 2 suitcases and a bag each. There is nowhere really to store luggage. You might want to try either an express bus or an Uber / Lyft / taxi
Thank You so much for your input. I was really worried about riding the train with that much luggage. That helps make our decision!! Happy New Year!!
Glad I could help!
Hello Dan! I’m gonna to Manhattan from Newark with 1 large/medium luggage and 1 backpack I think is good to go by train right?
Thank u
The train will not have really anywhere to put your luggage near your seats / aisles – it’s a regular train. It has places for luggage above the seats, so if it’s small enough (think rollerboard carryon) to put up there, you should be fine.
Once you are at the Newark Airport station are there different PATH trains to take? Some people have mentioned going to WTC instead of Penn Station. Once in Manhattan we are taking the subway to our hotel so if it’s significantly cheaper to go to WTC then that might be a good alternative.
Thanks for your post! I have searched all over for easy directions and yours have been the best by far.
Hi Sharon, where is your hotel approximately? You can either take PATH to WTC or Herald Square, Whole NJT will bring you to Penn Station. Let me know and I can give you some better advice 🙂
My husband and I have only carry-on. Once in Manhattan, we need to end up at the Brooklyn cruise terminal, red hook area. What do you suggest?
I’d use Google Maps to get some options. It looks like taking public transportation will take a couple of transfers. So depending on how adventurous you feel and how much time you have, you could either just hire a car / bus, or take the PATH to Penn Station and Uber from there, or try public transit all the way.
10th Ave & 41st
I take the train from EWR to Manhattan often.
Was in the middle of writting notes on how to do this for a friend.
Found your post and it was way better than my notes.
Very nice job.
I need to hire you to travel everywhere before me and give me the easy travel notes !!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for this . This is very helpful & very informative .May I please have your referral code for Lyft or Uber please ? Do you happen to know when the best time in the morning to go to Woodbury outlet from Port Authority Bus station? I was thinking of getting the coach at 8am , it will be on a Wednesday .
Once again thank you for this , please continue doing this as it really helps people like us .
My uber code is https://www.pointswithacrew.com/go/uber
This is very informative, thanks! My husband is meeting me at Newark airport with our 1-year-old and we will head from there to NYC. It’s difficult to avoid the car seat question of transportation and this sounds like the way to go. Do you think it will be equally convenient to get back into Newark from NYC for an 8am Friday morning flight? TIA!
Yes – it works pretty much the same way on the way from Manhattan to Newark airport
I just want to say, as a visual learner, your photos that accompanied your very clear step-by-step instructions were SOOOOOO helpful! The staff at the airport (I arrived at terminal A) were so helpful, as well, in pointing me in the direction of the AirTrain. And once I got up to the platform and recognized it from your photo, I was relieved. Again, upon arriving at the NJ Transit rail station (Newark Liberty Airport Train Station), the signs to platform A were helpful! And thanks for the tip about keeping your ticket out for the conductor! For people from the area, maybe there are other alternatives. But for someone from way out of town, your guide was perfect! This is the easiest trip I have ever made by myself in a new place! And it beats paying the $50+ that I paid a month ago to take an Uber (the traffic surcharge got me!) from midtown to LaGuardia!
Jean – I’m glad it was helpful! I also found that the airport staff was super nice and helpful
This was incredibly thorough and helpful. An easy and quick read. I landed unsure of how I’d get to Manhatan but after reading this I felt so comfortable. Just wanted to say thank you! 🙂
Ashleigh – I’m glad it helped! If you have to get back to EWR when you’re done, I also have a guide for how to get from Manhattan to Newark Airport
Dan,
Thanks so much for this thorough post! My husband and I are making a trip to Manhattan in January, and neither of us have been to New York without a guide. I’ve got a much better peace of mind now after reading… and note taking haha. Again, this is much appreciated!
Torrey – I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Good luck and happy travels in New York!
Thank you very much for the exceptional post!!
Thank you so much for this very helpful post!
Thanks for the very informative post. Will be flying into EWR next week , staying in Manhattan. So will use the information on this post to get to our midtown hotel
Great! I’m glad that it can help you!
Helped me a ton! Thank you so much for making this.
Glad it could help!
thanks a lot for the crystal clear information on the transportation of NY. keep informing us about such useful things thru your posts.. its very much helpful for tourists like me coming first time to NY from altogether different continent. 🙂
also it would be of great help if you can guide me how to reach the rector street station from Newark liberty international airport in cheapest way! 🙂
Take the train to Penn Station then transfer to the 1 train south to Rector Street.
Thanks!!
Hi Dan,
thanks for the great post. Question: My hotel is in Tribeca….is it best to go to nyc Penn stain and then the subway or Newark Penn and take PATH
I’d imagine that it won’t make a big difference. I’d put your hotel address into Google Maps (transit directions) and see what it says
My daughter and I are coming in around 1am Saturday. Would this be an option you still take? Or would Uber/Lyft be a better option?
I would check the Google Maps transit directions. It looks like there are public transit options, but not as convenient. I’d probably consider either one of the private airport bus transfer companies or use Uber / Lyft, depending on how much you value convenience vs price
Hi Dan,
I would be travelling to NYC and landing at Newark in the early morning. I need to travel to Columbus Circle – 6 Columbus Hotel. What would be the easiest and cheapest way. I am comfortable walking at the start or at the end but not in middle. I would be having a checked luggage and a small laptop bag.
I’d follow the instructions in the post and take the Air Train / NJ Transit to Penn Station. Then take the A, C or 1 subway trains to Columbus Circle. Google Maps transit instructions are usually very helpful as well