EWR to Manhattan
 

I have a 5 hour layover at the Newark airport and I'm wondering if I'll have enough time to get from the airport to Manhattan (Times Square area) and back without missing my flight. I am supposed to arrive at EWR at 1:20 pm on Monday, December 29, and my international flight to Paris is scheduled to leave at 6:20 pm. I was thinking about taking the AirTrain from Newark Penn Station that leaves every 20 mins. to Manhattan. How long would this trip take? Is this at all possible without missing my flight?

That shouldn't be a problem. Trains come every 20 minutes or so during the afternoon and take 20-25 minutes. It's then one stop on the subway to Times Square, or you can walk it in about 10 minutes. Assuming you get in on time and all you have to do is get through security and not check in, I'd give yourself about three hours in the Humongous Apple before you make the return trip, i.e. be on the train back by 4:30. Enjoy.

I believe I would be on the train by 3:30 for an international flight. I don't think it is worth it.

No way! First of all, if you are anything like me...there would be no fun in dashing around looking at my watch every 5 seconds to see how much time I have, there is no telling what kind of freak condition will cause a major traffic/train delay, security is tight for international flights out of Newark and what in the world will you see in such a little bitty amount of time? What would you do with your luggage, you cannot leave it at the airport?
Check in for International flights is 3 hours.

I don't see how or why this would would be a good idea.

The "Airtrain" is a combination of airport monorail to get to the train station and the NJ or Amtrak train that comes in to Penn Station New York. Yes, you could get lucky and buy a ticket and make all the connections and get into the city with in about 30 minutes, but then again it might take more like an hour. The trains do not leave exactly every 20 minutes (monorail comes when it comes, NJ Transit schedule is about that, but at some times of the day, might be a little less frequent).
As others have mentioned, Newark is a very busy airport, and 3 hours in advance is not too much time to be there to check in for an international flight.

If you're really itching to get out of the airport, there's an outlet mall (with movie theaters) very close by, Jersey Gardens, and they used to have a free shuttle bus from the airport to there.

If you are checked through to Paris at your original starting point and thus won't need to check in at EWR, you could pull this off. I'd allow an hour transit time each way just to be safe, so you'd have a couple hours to tool around Manhattan. The train arrives and departs Penn Station and from there you can walk to Times Square. There's a 2:07 departure arrivng Penn Station at 2:38, and a return from Penn Station at 5:05 that gets to EWR at 5:27. Yeah, it's cutting it close, but it is possible.

Thanks for all the info! I think I'm going to take the chance considering I will be checked through to Paris. Seamus, where did you find the departure times? Thanks again!

Not the smartest move but good luck!

I don't travel internationally very often, but I don't see the big deal. The OP said that he/she will already be checked in in Paris meaning no need to collect luggage and no need to check-in again at Newark. So unless I am missing something, the only thing that is needed is to go through security again. Is there a difference between domestic security and international? And actually, it isn't even international since it seems like the person is returning from Paris to another US city. So to me, it seems like being at security an hour before the flight is plenty of time.

I am more curious than anything else.

Your intentions are good, but I would not try it. Yo never can rely on a NYC/NJ train schedule. Especially if the weather is bad, like today's blizzard,

Where are you flying in from? Your best bet would be to have a nice lunch, walk around the terminals, shop and just relax. The time will fly by.

There are links to AirTrain info on the Continental site under Travel Center - Airport info. The schedule is online at http://www.continental.com/travel/ai...6AirTrainb.pdf

Be aware thatPenn Station can be crazy because they only announce the track the train is leaving on 10 minutes before the train leaves for the NJ routes. Make sure you get there in plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the layout.
I think you are cutting it close-see what time you actually land in Newark and plan for at least an hour to get to NYC. The airtrain moves very slowly to the EWR station and you may have to wait there for a train to NYC.

The track numbers in Penn Station are hard to find.