I have traveled by myself to London and Paris on vacation and next year, I'm considering a much scarier destination -- New York City. I'm just starting to plan now, have no idea what I'm going to see yet (museums? parks? ???). I'm also starting to price out airfare. What are the pros and cons of the various airports and getting to town from each? (I can easily handle CDG to Paris via the Metro or Gatwick to London via the Gatwick Express but have no idea about JFK or Newark or LaGuardia.)

Also, is the subway as easy to use and as well marked as London and Paris?

I won't even ask about areas to stay in until I do a bit more research but will probably have questions on that later.

Thanks.

I am not overly familiar with NYC, but I have been there and flown into Newark (EWR, soon to be called Liberty?) a few times. They now have a train link from EWR to Manhattan. However, I think all the airports have decent shuttle services into the city. If you can save a significant amount flying into one over another, you might let that determine your airport choice.

Every city's subway system is different, of course, and takes a bit of time to understand. I rode the subway in NYC only briefly when I was there (not much time) and found it slightly confusing. I think it is more like the RER in Paris than the Metro, because I think you can pick up trains for different destinations on the same platform. I'm sure people who know the NYC subways well will fill you in better than I can.

Andrew

It depends on where you're flying from, but I always try to fly into LaGuardia, it's closer to manhattan than JFK so cabs and the airport express bus are cheaper. If not, I'd fly into Newark, there's a monorail there that connects to the NJ transit train which will take you to Penn Station in the middle of NYC in less than 20 minutes.

Having been to both cities overseas, the NY subway is a bit more difficult to understand than the tube or metro because of ongoing construction here and there. But just grab a subway map and you'll figure it out, stations are well-marked and people are generally helpful if you ask for directions.

I like LaGuardia because it's closest to Manhattan via cab, bus or car service. The end result is where your airfare savings are. If you save a considerable amount flying into one airport, then go with that one. Also convenient flight times.

The NYC subway is not confusing if you have a map and a metro card. Our subway is not as pretty as Paris or London but one thing we do have is 24-hour subway service and no other subway in the world, to my knowledge, offers that. Paris and London close down about 1 a.m. A friend told me that in London she plans when she's going to leave a club or restaurant just to be able to get on the 'tube' before it shuts down. NY is a 24 hour town. You'll love it.

Laguardia:
PROS-closest to Manhattan...only a 15-20 minute cab ride ($20-$25ish)

CONS-has the worst delays of all the area airports. Public transportation from may be the most difficult (local bus to subway)

Newark:
PROS - the nicest & cleanest of the 3 airports. For under $12 you can take the "Airtrain" - a monorail that takes you to the train station, which takes you to NY Penn Station (34th St) in just 2 stops.

CONS - If you have lots of luggage, it's hard to drag it up those stairs at Penn! Also, cab ride is about 40 minutes, and almost $50 once you include tolls.

JFK :
PROS - The cheapest ride if you take the subway ($1.50). A free shuttle bus brings you to the subway station.

CONS - The subway ride is long (1-1.5 hours). The shuttle bus can be a pain because it lets off people in about 12 parking lots before it gets to the station. A cab ride (roughly $40) takes almost as long as the subway because traffic in this area is atrocious, and there's lots of construction going on.

ALSO...all three of the airports have their bus service ("NY Airport Bus Service") to 41st St/Grand Central, and I believe the buses also stop at Penn Sta. and Port Authority. Cost: about $11-$20 per person depending on the airport.

I would NOT take Supershuttle or similar services. They make a million stops, which takes forevver!

Suzanne gave you some great info about the different options from the airports. In my opinion, if you are in NYC for a decent amount of time (more than three days), just fly into whichever airport is cheapest. The (potential) inconvenience will be weighed out in saving money.

With regard to the subway, New York's is not as easy to use as either Paris or London. However, in the central part of the city (Lower Manhattan, Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side), it is more comprehensive than either of the other two.

The service is much more complex. In Paris or London, basically any train at a given station will go to the same place as the one before it or after it (some exceptions). In New York, there are multiple different services at any one station. The biggest difference is that in New York, there are express trains. They use bypass tracks to skip some less used stops.

The map in each station is quite clear and ask anyone on the platform and they will help you I must add, the signage is quite good for such a complex system. And ALWAYS check the "service diversion" notices in the stations.

Check out this website for complete information on transportation options from JFK, La Guardia, and Newark into Manhattan.


http://www.panynj.gov/aviation.html

Hi dfc
I am a New Yorker and have also traveled solo to London and Paris (just returned from there last week). What is scary to you? Don't know where you're traveling from, but as the above posters have said, traveling from each airport is not that difficult - depends on your best airline price, budget, destination, etc. So that is not too scary. If you think NY in general is scary, it isn't! However, personally I think traveling from CDG to Paris via RER and London from LHR via the Tube is more pleasant that NYC airport transportation. I have never used the new train service to Newark but am planning to if opportunity comes up. The subway in the city itself is not difficult at all and people are always helpful!