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Getting around New York

New York's public transport system is relatively good and cheap, including buses and the subway. There are also the ever-present, although more expensive, yellow cabs. Unlicensed gypsy cabs should be avoided. It is possible to get around the city using a combination of these, or simply on foot. Walking is often the best way to experience the city, and during rush hours, when buses and taxis are caught up in the gridlock and the subway is overcrowded or delayed, it can also be the fastest way to get around. Generally though, the most efficient way to get around is the 24-hour underground system with most of Manhattan's sights near subway stations, although it can be confusing at first. Much simpler but slower, is the bus system, which is a good option for shorter distances or for travelling across town. The subway and bus fare are standard ($2); note that buses require the exact change in coins, not dollar bills. MetroCards allow free transfer between buses and the subway within two hours. Driving in New York is not recommended as traffic is heavy, drivers aggressive and parking exorbitant.

Travel Info

Airports

John F Kennedy International

Location: The airport is located 15 miles (24km) southeast of central Manhattan.

Transfer Terminals: Passengers can travel between JFK's nine terminals on the free AirTrain. Terminals 2 and 3 are connected by a walkway, and terminals 8 and 9 are connected by an interior concourse. The entire loop takes eight minutes.

City Transfer: Ground Transportation Information is available in the baggage claim/arrival areas of all terminals and provides information on buses, shared-ride vans and limousines. The AirTrain links the airport to the subway, train and bus system, which go to the city centre. Taxis are available; journey time to Manhattan is between 40 and 60 minutes, longer in peak hours. 'SuperShuttle Manhattan' is a 24-hour, shared, door-to-door service to anywhere between Battery Park and 227th including all hotels, and the service also operates to Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten Island. The New York Airport Service provides a regular bus transportation service to and from Manhattan (New York City), LGA Airport, and Midtown Hotels.

Facilities: All terminals have ATMs, bureaux de change, bars, restaurants and a wide selection of shops. There is a cellular phone rental facility in the arrivals area of Terminal 3. Travellers will be able to find most services in the terminals, including wireless Internet access, medical facilities, information counters, shoe-shiners and conference facilities. Disabled facilities are good; those with special needs should contact their airline or travel agent in advance.

Parking: There are two kinds of public parking at JFK. The long-term parking is four miles (6km) from the terminals and is served by a free shuttle bus. Passengers are advised to allow 30 minutes to reach their terminal. The Central Terminal Area (CTA) parking is adjacent to the terminals and provides for daily parking needs. Signs to the parking facilities are colour-coded to indicate their proximity to the terminals. The yellow parking lot adjacent to Terminal 6 is currently closed as a bigger parking garage is being built to accommodate the newly expanded terminals.

La Guardia Airport

Location: The airport is located eight miles (13km) east of central Manhattan, in the borough of Queens.

Transfer Terminals: There are two bus routes connecting the five La Guardia Terminals. The Route A Bus is a free service running every 15 minutes stopping at all terminals in the central terminal area as well as the Marine Air Terminal (15 minutes travel time). The free Route B bus runs every 10-15 minutes between all five terminals except the Marine Air Terminal/Delta Shuttle. The journey time is 5-10 minutes.

City Transfer: Ground Transportation Information is available in the baggage claim/arrival areas of all terminals. All service arrangements can be made at these counters. Public buses service the city and connect with the New York subway; the Q33 and Q47 service Manhattan and Queens. The New York Airport Service Express Bus leaves regularly for all areas in Manhattan. The SuperShuttle Manhattan is a 24-hour, shared door-to-door services which goes to all areas of the city. Taxis are available at all hours and take 20-30 minutes to central Manhattan, longer at peak hours.

Facilities: All terminals have ATMs and currency exchange can be found at the Central and US Airways Terminals, as well as a wide selection of bars, shops and restaurants, but the best choice is at the US Airways, Delta and Central Terminals. There are business facilities at Laptop Lane in the Central Terminal including meeting rooms, dataports, Internet access, fax, phones, printers and photocopiers. Disabled facilities are good; those with special needs should ideally contact their airline or travel agent in advance.

Parking: Short-term parking is available next to the terminals. Long-term parking is available in Lot 3, although there are limited spaces. Additional long-term car parking is located very close to the airport and can be accessed by following the 'P' to the airport exit. For further parking information call 718 533 3850. Signs to the parking facilities in the terminal buildings are colour coded to indicate their proximity to the terminals. Free shuttle buses transport passengers to the terminal buildings.

Newark Liberty International

Location: The airport is located two miles (3km) south of Newark, 16 miles (26km) southwest of New York.

Transfer Terminals: The AirTrain is a free service that ferries passengers between the three terminals.

City Transfer: Newark Liberty International Airport offers travellers a wide range of Ground Transportation services. There are taxis, buses, shuttles, and limousines available in front of and beside all three terminals. Ground Transportation Information counters, located on the lower baggage claim level of all terminals provide information and reservations for buses, shared-ride vans and limousines. The AirTrain connects to regional and commuter trains. New Jersey Transit buses have various routes to destinations in New Jersey and Penn Station in Newark; bus 107 has a direct service to New York City. The Newark Liberty Airport Express provides a bus service approximately every 30 minutes to Manhattan and SuperShuttle Manhattan is a shared minibus service, which goes to all areas of Manhattan, including hotels. Taxis are also available.

Facilities: All terminals have ATMs and bureaux de change, a wide selection of bars, shops and restaurants and business facilities including fax, photocopying and courier services. Data ports can be found next to most public telephones in all terminals. Wireless Internet is also available at all terminals. Disabled facilities are good; those with special needs should ideally contact their airline or travel agent in advance.

Parking: There is short-term parking next to the terminals. Daily parking is a few minutes away on the free AirTrain and Economy parking is 20 minutes from the terminals via a free shuttle bus. In addition to the on-airport parking lots listed above, there are a number of privately operated parking lots located near the airport; see the airport website for details. Valet Parking is also available. Signs to the parking facilities are colour coded to indicate their proximity to the terminals.

Activities

The Statue of Liberty

The universal symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty was the first sight to be seen by the 12 million immigrants who passed through the Ellis Island Immigration Centre. Sculpted by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and modelled on the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue was donated by the people of France in 1886 to commemorate the alliance between the two countries during the American Revolution. Access to the monument is available by reservation only via a ranger-guided tour and a time pass is required; advanced reservations are possible by calling (866) 782 8834 or online at www.statuereservations.com. The interior of the statue itself is closed. The ferry calls at both Liberty and Ellis Islands.

Opening: Daily 9.30am to 5pm (except Christmas Day)

Admission: No fee is charged, but the ferry costs $11.50 (adults), $4.50 (children). Timed reservations cost $1.75 per ticket

Transport: Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry from South Ferry at Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis islands. Ferries operate from 9.30am to 3.40pm, with departures approximately every 30 minutes

World Trade Center - Ground Zero

The six-hectare (16-acre) work site that has emerged from the rubble of the twin towers has come to symbolise the dreadful events of September 11, 2001 when almost 3,000 people lost their lives. The 1,350ft (411m) World Trade Centre towers were the tallest buildings in New York and symbols of the city's skyline. Millions now come to pay tribute at the site and witness the devastation from one of the viewing sites. In April 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation launched a worldwide competition to design a memorial at the World Trade Center site to honour the victims of September 11. The LMDC received 5,201 memorial design submissions from 63 nations and 49 states making this the largest design competition in history. In January 2004 'Reflecting Absence' by Michael Arad and Peter Walker was unveiled as the design for the World Trade Center Memorial, and will feature a landscaped civic plaza with two massive voids aligned with the footprints where the twin towers once stood (www.buildthememorial.org). Currently the perimeter of Ground Zero is accessible to the public. The Tribute Center, across from Ground Zero, offers tours around the perimeter, and provides visitors with an accurate account of what the community endured during the attacks. The Memorial itself is scheduled to open 11 September 2009.

Opening: Museum: Daily 10am to 6pm, except Tuesday and Sunday when it opens at 12pm. Tours of the perimeter: Monday to Friday 1pm and 3pm, Saturday and Sunday 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm

Admission: Suggested donation to the Tribute Center is $10 for adults

Transport: Take the subway to Fulton Street, Broadway-Nassau Street or Cortlandt Street. Walk to Church and Liberty Streets and follow signs

Empire State Building

One of the enduring symbols of New York, and once again the city's tallest structure, the Empire State Building stands 436ft (145m) high. Completed in 1931, this Art Deco behemoth remains one of the most impressive engineering feats of all time; it was built in just 410 days and remains the fastest rising major skyscraper ever built. The building has been immortalised in many films - most famously the classic King Kong. The observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors offer magnificent views of the city.

Opening: Observatory: daily 8am to 2am; last elevator at 1.15am

Admission: $18 (adults), $12 (children 6-11), other concessions available. 102nd Observatory Floor tickets are an extra $15

Transport: Subway B, D or F to 34th Street

Central Park

With great foresight, the founders of New York set aside 340 hectares (840 acres) of central Manhattan as a public space. Central Park was officially opened in 1873 and today provides an essential 'green lung' within the concrete jungle that is New York. Originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the park contains themed gardens, tennis courts, lakes and even a small zoo. Much of the park is infused by the city's bustle and on nice days swarms with joggers, skaters, buskers and tourists, but there are areas beyond the range of baseballs and frisbees where tranquillity can be found in this beautifully landscaped park. During winter, two ice-skating rinks open up in Central Park, the Wollman Rink (mid-Park at 62nd St) is one of the most picturesque in the world, set among the trees and rolling hills and against the backdrop of Manhattan's skyscrapers.

Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), founded in 1929, owns the most important collection of modern art in the USA including works by Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Max Beckman, Ansel Adams, and Kiki Smith. What started as a gift of eight prints and one drawing has developed to a vast and varied collection of 150,000 paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs and other media, and the Musuem's Library and Archives boast an impressive collection of books, historical documents and photographs. Priding itself as an educational institution, the Museum of Modern Art offers various activities and programs for the general public, as well as special segments thereof, in order to broaden the community's knowledge of, and approach to, the exciting and puzzling world of modern art.

Opening: Daily 10.30am to 5.30pm (until 8pm on Friday); closed Tuesdays

Admission: $20 (adults), free for children under 16 accompanied by an adult. Free on Fridays from 4pm to 8pm

Transport: Subway: E or V train to 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue, or B, D, or F train to 47–50 Street Rockefeller Center. Bus: M1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to 53rd Street

The Guggenheim Museum

The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum was designed by US architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was completed shortly after his death in 1959. It is well worth a visit just to see this icon of Modernist architecture, which was designed specifically to showcase the modern art within. Inside, it features a highly commended collection of late 19th- and 20th-century art works, as well as touring exhibitions. From beneath the huge glass dome, a quarter-of-a-mile-long ramp spirals down the inside of the building, past the collection of art, including works by Camille Pissarro, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cézanne, Robert Mapplethorpe and Robert Gober.

Opening: Saturday to Wednesday 10am to 5.45pm; Friday 10am to 7.45; closed Thursdays and Christmas Day

Admission: $18 (adults), free for children under 12. Rates differ during special exhibitions

Transport: Subway 4, 5 or 6 to 86th Street; bus M1, M2, M3, or M4 on Madison or Fifth Avenue

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum possesses one of the greatest, and largest, collections of art in the world; it is a cherished New York institution and a must see for any visitor. Banners above the Met's Fifth Avenue entrance herald the current attractions - there are always a few exhibitions on-the-go displaying masterpieces from around the world alongside the Metropolitan's own collection. The highlights of the permanent collection are numerous - American collectors having had the foresight, and cash, to buy up a large number of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces from Europeans at the end of the 19th century. The Metropolitan Museum's collection now contains more than two million works of art from all points of the compass, from ancient through modern times, including great works by Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet and Cézanne to rival any gallery in the world.

Opening: Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday 9.30am to 5.30pm, Friday and Saturday 9.30am to 9pm. Closed Mondays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas

Admission: $20 (adults) is suggested; free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult. There is no additional charge, beyond the admission contribution, to attend an exhibition

American Museum of Natural History

Possibly with the exception of its counterpart in London, the American Museum of Natural History is the largest and most important museum of its kind in the world. More than 30 million artefacts are packed into 42 exhibition halls - quite enough to keep anyone busy over a rainy afternoon. The most popular exhibit is a 50ft (15m) tall skeleton of a barosaurus in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda. There are three more spectacular dinosaur halls on the fourth floor. Other halls include the Hall of Biodiversity, the Hall of Ocean Life, the Hall of Human Biology and Evolution and the fabulous Hayden Planetarium - a 90ft (27m) wide aluminium sphere that seems to float inside a massive glass cube, which in turn is home to the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Those tired of walking can check out the Museum of Television and Radio.

Opening: Daily 10am to 5.45pm, except Christmas Day and Thanksgiving

Admission: Suggested admission $14 (adults), $8 (children 2-12); plus Planetarium Space show: $22 (adults), $13 (children 2-12); plus special exhibition or Imax show: $21 (adults), $12 (children 2-11)

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