Getting Around in New York

Buses run every 30 minutes between the city and JFK International Airport; the trip takes at least an hour. You can also take a subway to the Howard Beach-JFK station then transfer to a bus, a journey of about 75 minutes. Buses run every 30 minutes between the city and La Guardia; a water shuttle also runs along the East River, or you can catch the subway to Roosevelt Ave-Jackson Heights and transfer to a bus, but it will take you well over an hour. To get from Newark Airport, you can get a private or public bus from the city. Taxis from all three airports into the city are expensive.

New York has more than enough public transport options: driving your own car is tantamount to insanity in a city where traffic is horrendous, parking costs astronomical and petty thievery commonplace. New York car rentals are also notoriously expensive - you’ll have to budget at least $95 a day (plus tax and insurance) for a medium-sized car - and petrol in the city costs far more than elsewhere in the US. If you really must rent a car, you’ll need a license and a major credit card. The major agencies are in all three airports.

New York is infamous for its allegedly incomprehensible, dangerous subway. Although it’s noisy, confusing and sometimes hot as hell, the subway is really not that difficult and is statistically safer than walking the streets in daylight. It’s the fastest, most reliable way around town and most of Manhattan’s sights are on its lines. Subway tokens, which let you ride the system as far as you want, are a bargain, or you can get a Metrocard. Both are acceptable currency on New York’s blue-and-white city buses. New Jersey’s Port Authority Trans-Hudson trains are a separate-fare system running from Manhattan to Newark and northern New Jersey.

City buses run 24 hours a day. Bus maps are available at subway and train stations, and well-marked bus stops have ‘Guide-a-Ride’ maps showing the stops and nearby landmarks. Between 10pm and 5am you can ask to be let off anywhere along your route, even if it’s not a designated stop. Ferries run up the Hudson River Valley, from Midtown to Yankee Stadium and from Hoboken to the World Financial Center.

New York taxi drivers must be the most maligned group of workers in the world. Sure, they’ll try to make a few extra bucks, but let’s face it, they’re bound to have a better idea where they’re going than you do. Tip around 10% to 15% with a minimum tip of 50 cents. If you think you’re being ripped off, either let the driver know or get a receipt and note the license number - the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission wields some serious clout, and cabbies are justifiably nervous of being reported to them.