Car Travel

Unless you plan to stay in one town or resort for the duration of your visit, a car is necessary for exploring and getting around on Long Island. Although train and bus service is regular, you may have to wait around for connections, depending on your destination. Taxi and car services can get you from place to place, but this is an expensive way to go if you're using them as your only mode of transportation.

The good news about driving onto the island is that there are many options. The bad news is that you can expect moderate to heavy traffic almost any time of the day. Providing access from the Bronx, New England, and points north are the Queens Midtown Tunnel (leading to the Long Island Expressway), Queensboro Bridge (Northern Boulevard, Route 25A), and Triborough Bridge (Interstate 278), which connect Long Island with Manhattan. The Throgs Neck Bridge (Interstate 295) and Bronx Whitestone Bridge (Interstate 678) provide access from the Bronx and New England. From points south, take the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (Interstate 278). Rush hours are 7–9:30 am and 4–6:30 pm, but there is very little actual "rush," as traffic generally slows to a crawl. The heavily traveled Long Island Expressway (aka the LIE or Interstate 495), and the Northern State and Southern State parkways are the most-utilized east–west thoroughfares. The Meadowbrook and Wantagh state parkways and Seaford–Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135) are major north–south connectors in Nassau, and the Sagtikos Parkway connects Suffolk.