I am planning an early may NYC trip, what would be the best way to get there from the harrisburg pa area? I was thinking amtrack, but i have never used them. Another option is greyhound. DO you have any input on best way and also aprox prices for 2 people? I have been to NYC several times, but it was always with a local bus charter company.

If you go to

www.Greyhound.Com

and enter these cities (and the day you want to travel), you'll get EXACT prices and schedule for this trip. You can even buy your tickets in advance.

Likewise for www.Amtrak.Com

According to Amtrak.com, a train ticket from Harrisburg to NY Penn Station would be $51 each and take about four hours. There are additional discounts on top of that for AAA, seniors, etc.

Try also the Capital Trailways Bus - http://www.capitoltrailways.com/

Their bus service seems to take 4-5 hours, not sure about prices. Unless you are on a budget, I would definitely go Amtrak instead.

Can you drive to Philly? I think it is only about 100 miles from Harrisburg.

If so you can take New Jersey Transit (www.NJTransit.com) each way for $17.50. If you are seniors it is $6.20 each way.

Here is the link for the route:
http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/itin.pl

Actually, from Philly you take SEPTA from Philly to Trenton, then change to NJT. It's much cheaper than the same Amtrak, but some of the connection times aren't that great.

If the OP can drive, might better drive to NJ and take a NJT.

Or if they can get some tix that can be cancelled without penalty, Amtrak often has "rail sales" by clickin "Hot Deals" then "Browse our Weekly Specials". However the "window" is usually quite narrow. Today I find fares of $18 but only for dates of Jan 6-27, but not every date available.

The OP didn't say how long he/she planned to stay in NYC. I'd assume it was not a day trip, but if so, the best bet probably would be to drive to a NJT station like Princeton Junction and park there for the day, then take the train. It works well, I've done it before.

For more than a day, I'm not sure you can park your car overnight at a NJT station - so parking the car would be an issue there.

If you really want to save money, it's only $19 one-way from Harrisburg to PHL on Amtrak (cheaper with senior or AAA discount). Then take Septa and NJT to New York. You might save $10-$15 each way, but it will take a lot longer and require changing trains twice. Personally I'd just take the single Amtrak train for $51 (plus possible discount) - it would be the most direct, easy way.

Andrew

My husband travels a lot. He recently took the Amtrak from Harrisburg into NYC and highly recommends it. I think he paid $52

Hello, thanks for all great tips!! I live about 90 miles from philly and dont mind that drive. I plan on spending 2 nights in NYC, ( my boyfriend will also begoing with) He is still in college so maybe he can get sometype of student discount. I could drive to NYC but i'd rather not, and when you figure in the cost of parking it may be cheeper to take amtrack.

I definitely wouldn't drive to NYC for two nights. I drove in once. I had to pay all kinds of tolls at tunnels and such, too, besides parking! The train is so easy. If you can park your car in Philly for a few days, I would most definitely take the train from there to NYC, Amtrak if possible, but Septa/NJT via Trenton is not bad, just takes quite a bit longer.

I used to say the Amtrak trains are a lot nicer than the Septa and NJT trains, but I recently took Amtrak from Philly to Newark Airport (a Continental "connecting flight" actually). It was an unreserved train, and they had overbooked it, so I had to stand for an hour! Amtrak trains vary in type, too, and some are nicer than others. Amtrak trains do have bathrooms, power outlets by your seat (if you have one), and of course a bistro car if you want food/drink. NJT/Septa trains don't have these options but you might save a few bucks with two people traveling.

Andrew

Since you are students, you pay the student rate on NJ Transit. It would be $6.20 each way. That would save you around $175 if Amtrak is $52 each way.

I live in Harrisburg and have used Amtrak to go to NYC many times. It is the easiest and most comfortable way to get there. It does cost a little more than Greyhound or New Jersy Transit, but I feel that the convenience outweighs the cost. Have a great trip!