I would like your advice on how to plan a four day trip from NYC to the Niagra falls an back toJFK. Where should we spend the 3 nights we have? With short time we have,what are the highlights we should see?
I would love to see some pottery studio along the way...
We are a couple traveling with our 25 y.o. son. We are also trying to decide where we should rent the car? We will be staying upper eastside. Any suggestions oabout whether to rent in Manhatten or some where else?
Thanks,Ruth

We just went last week but drove from Syracuse, NY with relatives. Niagara Fall is worth a 1/2 day. You must judge how much time traveling there and back is worth the effort, when you can see so many other.

Please note the spelling is Manhattan and that renting most apartments for less than 30 days is illegal.

>> Any suggestions oabout whether to rent in Manhatten or some where else?> . . . and that renting most apartments for less than 30 days is illegal.think the OP meant where to rent the car . . .

Although it is not pottery, the Corning Glass Museum is a worthy stop along the way... with three nights you can stop on night one in the Finger Lakes, night two in Niagara Falls, and night three in another part of the Finger Lakes...

Where you stop is based on your interests... the Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown... Watkins Glen or Letchworth State Park are great nature areas... there is a vast wine region... tons of historical stops... lake cruises, casinos, and antique regions...

You need to research pottery stops to pick a destination before planning your route...

Have fun...

I would never rent a car in New York City. I would either fly or take a train to Syracuse, Rochester or Buffalo.
If all you want to see is Niagara Falls, you can take the Maple Leaf train to either Niagara Falls NY or Niagara Falls Ontario. Most agree that the Canadian side of the falls is better but make sure that you can return to the US.
Could you return home from Toronto instead of returning to JFK/New York?

The view on the Canadian side is far superior.

We have taken that train from to NYC to Syracuse and it is highly erratic. It rarely runs on time.

Driving would take about 9-10 hours with a stop and at a normal pace

When I need a car while in NYC, I rent from Thrifty or Dollar in Manhattan. I get good value and good service.

However, there are so many wonderful things to see and do much closer to NYC that I wouldn't spend two days of my time there driving to and from Niagara Fall.

HTtY

I'm a bit late to this thread but it's about a 400 mile drive from NYC to Niagra Falls - that's a minimum of 7.5 to 8 hours without traffic and stops for meals, rest room breaks or gas so IMDonehere's estimate of 9 to 10 hours with stops is spot on - add another 20 to 30 minutes or so if you decide to cross the Border to view the falls from the Canadian side.

That's an awful lot of driving to see something that can been seen/experienced in a couple of hours especially when you only have total of 4 days for your entire trip.

Plenty of time in 4 days to see a lot...

I'm not clear - are you staying in NYC and then spending 4 days to go to and fro Niagara Falls? Since you say you are staying on the east side of Manhattan that would seem to indicate you have some days there before heading to the Falls.

If the whole 4 days is spent going to/fro and at the Falls why have a place to stay in NYC?

Also don't see when you will be doing this trip - which could make a big difference on the recos. Granted that the Falls and sights can really be done in one day you wold have plenty of time to stop in a variety of places - from the Finger Lakes to Cooperstown baseball hall of fame, etc.