New York is a great city to explore on foot, but only one neighbourhood at a time.

During a typical visit, we usually combined the underground with walking. We tended to use buses, the cable car and ferries when they were part of the experience or when they took us somewhere the underground doesn’t go.

The good news is that you no longer need to spend time figuring out tickets or buying them in advance. On the Underground and buses, simply tap your own contactless card or mobile phone. A single journey costs 3 usd and you won’t pay more than 35 usd.

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Transport in New York – prices at a glance

Mode of transport	Price	When to use it
Underground and regular buses	3 usd	For the vast majority of journeys around the city
Roosevelt Island Tram	3 usd	Scenic views and a trip to Roosevelt Island
NYC Ferry	4,50 usd	Riverside journeys and views of Manhattan
Staten Island Ferry	Free	Views of Downtown and the Statue of Liberty
Citi Bike	from 4,99 usd	Shorter journeys along the river and away from the city centre
PATH to New Jersey	3,25 usd	Jersey City, Hoboken and Newark
Yellow taxis	from 3 usd + 0,70 usd per 1/5 mile	Luggage, overnight stays or multiple passengers

Metro and bus tickets

The MTA operates the underground, regular buses and the Select Bus Service. The standard fare is a flat rate and costs 3 usd.

As a tourist, you no longer need to worry about a paper MetroCard. From January 2026, paper MetroCards will no longer be sold or recharged, and the OMNY contactless system has become the standard.

Official information on fares can be found on the MTA website.

How do you pay using OMNY?

When boarding the underground or a bus, hold your card against the reader:

• A contactless debit or credit card
• A mobile phone with Apple Pay or Google Pay
• A smartwatch
• An OMNY rechargeable card

Wait until the green ‘GO’ message appears on the reader. You do not need to tap your card anywhere when exiting.

No registration, app or OMNY account is required.

In New York, I use my payment card (usually Revolut) or my mobile directly, as there’s no need to buy any additional cards.

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How much do the Underground and buses cost?

• A single journey on the underground or a regular bus – 3 usd
• Maximum spend over 7 days – 35 usd
• Express bus (as a tourist, you’ll rarely come across one) – 7,25 usd
• Single-use OMNY paper ticket – 3,50 usd

The seven-day period begins the first time you tap your card. It is therefore not a calendar week from Monday to Sunday, but effectively 168 hours.

Once you have paid for a total of 35 usd, any further journeys on the metro and regular buses are free until the end of this period. You do not need to buy anything in advance or collect a ticket from a ticket machine.

Keep an eye on your card, mobile phone and watch

Use exactly the same payment method for every journey .

The system treats a physical payment card, a mobile phone and a smartwatch as three different payment methods, even if they are linked to the same bank account. Their spending therefore 35 usd .

If you start paying by mobile, continue to pay by mobile for the duration of your stay.

Can more than one person pay with a single card?

Up to four passengers can be paid for in turn using a single card. However, when using a new card for the very first time, the system may not allow repeated taps until the bank has confirmed the first payment.

The main drawback is that group journeys do not count towards all passengers’ weekly limit.

If you are travelling in a pair or in a larger group, we recommend that everyone uses their own card or mobile phone.

How do transfers work?

When changing between metro lines within the same station, you don’t pay anything extra. As long as you don’t go out through the turnstiles, you can change between lines as often as you like.

If you use the same card or mobile phone, you’ll also get one free transfer within 2 hours:

• From the underground to a bus
• From a bus to the underground
• From one bus to another

If you exit a metro station onto the street and then enter another station, you will have to pay for a new journey in this case.

Where is the OMNY valid?

You can use the standard fare and weekly limit:

• On all New York City Subway lines
• On local MTA buses
• On Select Bus Service buses
• On the Staten Island Railway
• On the Roosevelt Island Tram

OMNY can also be used as a payment method on the JFK Airport AirTrain, but this has its own fare structure and a separate spending limit.

Standard MTA fares do not apply:

• On LIRR and Metro-North trains
• On PATH trains to New Jersey
• On NJ Transit trains
• On NYC Ferry boats
• On toll ferries to New Jersey

How can I pay without a payment card?

At every underground station, you can buy an OMNY rechargeable card from a ticket machine and top it up with cash. It works in the same way as a contactless bank card and is also subject to a limit 35 usd.

A single-journey ticket from a ticket machine costs 3,50 usd, so it isn’t worth it if you’re making multiple journeys.

Do children travel for free?

Up to three children under approximately 112 cm in height can travel for free when accompanied by one paying adult.

They pass through the turnstile together with the adult.

Metro

Due to its vast size, the New York Metro is served by 25 lines, each distinguished by a letter and a colour.

Many of them share the same routes within Manhattan itself and only diverge when travelling to the suburbs of the Bronx, Queens or Brooklyn.

The New York Underground runs 24 hours a day. During peak hours, trains run almost every few minutes, but at night the intervals can lengthen considerably, up to half an hour.

As the New York Underground is the most common form of transport you’ll use, we’ve compiled detailed information in a separate section Metro New York.

MTA buses

Buses aren’t used very much in New York, at least not when we’re talking solely about tourists. Buses are marked with a letter and a number, where the letter indicates the area in which the bus operates

• M = Manhattan
• Bx = Bronx
• B = Brooklyn
• Q = Queens
• S = Staten Island

The number then specifies the particular line.

You’ll find the bus service particularly useful for short local journeys, for example around Central Park or in Brooklyn and Queens.

Buses are particularly useful on Staten Island, where there is no underground network, and also when travelling toLaGuardia Airport(LGA), which is not served by the underground either. 

Express buses are designated, for example, by the codes BM, BxM, QM, SIM or X. They cost 7,25 usd and you’ll hardly need them during a typical tourist visit.

When boarding, tap your card or mobile phone on the OMNY reader. On standard buses, you board via the front door; on the Select Bus Service (SBS), you can board through any door using OMNY.

Stops are on request. Before getting off, press the ‘Stop’ button or pull the yellow cord running along the windows.

All city buses are operated by the MTA, the same organisation that runs the underground.

The Q70 bus between the underground and LaGuardia Airport is free. Other airport buses, such as the M60, charge the standard fare 3 usd.

Maps of individual routes by area:web.mta.info/maps.

Roosevelt Island Tram

When you’ve had enough of the underground, take the cable car to Roosevelt Island.

The cable car connects Roosevelt Island with the corner of East 60th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan. The journey is short, but offers lovely views of the East River and the surrounding skyscrapers.

The fare costs 3 usd; payment is via OMNY and it counts towards your weekly limit 35 usd.

Opening hours:

• Sunday to Thursday from approximately 6.00 am to 2.00 am
• Friday and Saturday from approximately 6.00 am to 3.30 am
• Approximately every 8 minutes during peak times
• Approximately every 15 minutes during off-peak hours

In our opinion, the best way is to take the cable car to Roosevelt Island and return on the F tube line. That way, you won’t be taking the same route back and you’ll get to walk through part of the island.

You can find official information on the rioc.ny.gov website.

NYC Ferry boats

NYC Ferry isn’t the fastest way to get around, but it’s certainly one of the most pleasant. The ferries connect Manhattan with Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and the beaches in Rockaway.

We tend to see the ferries more as a cheap sightseeing cruise than as regular public transport. The journeys between Wall Street, DUMBO, Williamsburg and Long Island City, for example, are lovely.

Neither MTA tickets nor the OMNY weekly pass are valid here.

• Single journey – 4,50 usd
• 10 journeys – 29 usd
• Unlimited travel for 48 hours – 15 usd
• Children under approximately 112 cm – free

A two-day ticket is worth it if you make 4 or more crossings within 48 hours and is available only via the NYC Ferry app.

Single-journey tickets can be purchased via the app or from a ticket machine at the ferry terminal. When transferring to another ferry route, you can continue your journey free of charge within 120 minutes, provided the transfer is within the NYC Ferry system.

Timetables vary depending on the route, day of the week and season. Check them on the ferry.nyc website.

Free ferry to Staten Island

In our opinion, the Staten Island Ferry is one of the best free attractions in New York.

The ferry departs from the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan, sails past the Statue of Liberty and arrives at the St. George Terminal on Staten Island in around 25 minutes.

• Fare – free
• Service – 24 hours a day
• Usual frequency – every 30 minutes
• During peak times – every 15 to 20 minutes
• Journey time – 25 minutes

For a better view of the Statue of Liberty, stand on the right-hand side of the boat on the journey from Manhattan. On the return journey, stand on the left-hand side.

All passengers must disembark at Staten Island. You will then walk through the terminal and board the next ferry back. Sometimes you can catch the very next service, but it’s best not to count on it when planning your journey.

The ferry tends to be at its busiest on weekdays during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Mornings, evenings or weekends are more pleasant for a sightseeing cruise.

You can find the current timetable at siferry.com.

Taxi, Uber, Lyft

Yellow cabs are a New York institution, but for everyday journeys around Manhattan they are often no faster than the Underground. During rush hour, you may spend much of the journey stuck in traffic.

We’ve found taxis to be the best option:

• When travelling in a group of 3 or 4 people
• With large pieces of luggage
• Late at night
• When travelling to a place far from the underground

The flag-fall charge for a yellow taxi is 3 usd. Thereafter, a charge is added 0,70 usd for every fifth of a mile or for every minute of slow driving or waiting. Various city, airport and transport surcharges are added to the final fare.

A journey between JFK Airport and Manhattan costs a fixed base fare for a yellow taxi of 70 usd. However, this is not the final amount – surcharges, any tolls and tips are added on top.

You can find the current rates on the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission website.

The Uber and Lyft mobile apps are also very popular in New York.

Particularly between around 7.00 am and 4.00 pm, Uber or Lyft tend to be cheaper than traditional taxis. Conversely, during peak times of the day when demand is higher, these services are often more expensive.

Transport from airports

Each airport in New York has a different transport system, and standard MTA fares do not apply everywhere.

JFK Airport

The cheapest option is usually a combination of the AirTrain and the Underground. The AirTrain costs 8,75 usd, and the Underground costs a further 3 usd.

You can pay for the AirTrain by card via OMNY, but the fare does not count towards the standard seven-day limit for the underground and buses.

For more details, see the guide to transport from JFK Airport.

LaGuardia Airport

There is no underground service at LaGuardia. You’ll always need to take a bus and then change to the underground.

The Q70 bus to the underground stations in Queens is free. The M60 bus via Harlem charges the standard fare 3 usd.

We describe all the options in our guide to transport from LaGuardia Airport.

Newark Airport

Newark Airport is located in New Jersey, so neither OMNY nor MTA tickets are valid here. You’ll most often use NJ Transit trains, airport buses or taxis.

You can find prices and connection details in the guide to transport from Newark Airport.

Transport to New Jersey

Accommodation in Jersey City or Hoboken can be cheaper than in Manhattan. However, this is mainly worthwhile if you’re staying within walking distance of a PATH train station.

MTA fares and the OMNY weekly cap do not apply to any transport between New York and New Jersey.

PATH trains

For most tourists, PATH is the fastest connection between Manhattan, Jersey City and Hoboken.

Trains run to the World Trade Centre and 33rd Street in central Manhattan. The journey across the river usually takes around 10–20 minutes, depending on the departure station.

• Single journey – 3,25 usd
• Service – 24 hours a day
• Payment – contactless card, mobile phone or TAPP card

PATH uses its own TAPP system, not OMNY. Whilst you can use the same bank card in both systems, spending and any discounts are calculated separately.

At weekends and at night, trains run less frequently and some routes are subject to change. Please check the PATH timetables before travelling.

NJ Transit trains

NJ Transit connects New York Penn Station with Newark and other towns in New Jersey.

Tickets are purchased for specific journeys from ticket machines or via the NJ Transit mobile app. Neither OMNY nor TAPP are accepted here.

You’ll mainly use the trains:

• When travelling to Newark Airport
• If you’re staying near Newark Penn Station
• When travelling to more remote parts of New Jersey

You can find current fares and timetables at njtransit.com.

NY Waterway ferries

Paid ferry services connect the New Jersey waterfront with several locations in Manhattan. They are comfortable and fast, but significantly more expensive than the PATH.

They are particularly worth it if you live right by the ferry terminal or want to treat the journey as a sightseeing cruise.

You can find routes and prices at nywaterway.com.

Is it worth living in New Jersey?

If the price difference is small, we’d personally stay in New York. You’ll save time and money on transport, and it’ll be easier to get back to your hotel in the evening.

New Jersey makes sense if you can find a significantly cheaper hotel right next to a PATH station, for example in the following areas:

• Exchange Place
• Grove Street
• Journal Square
• Newport
• Hoboken

When comparing prices, always factor in the daily fare and the time spent commuting.

• Compare hotels in Jersey City
• Compare hotels in Hoboken

Transport on Long Island

Please note a common misunderstanding: Long Island City is not the same as Long Island.

Long Island City is a neighbourhood in Queens, directly opposite Manhattan. It is easily accessible by the Underground and is a practical place to stay.

Long Island, as a geographical area, extends far beyond the boundaries of New York City. If you’re staying in more remote parts of the island, you’ll mainly use the LIRR – Long Island Rail Road – trains.

Although the LIRR is operated by the MTA, standard metro and bus fares do not apply here. You must buy a separate ticket based on the distance travelled and the time of day.

If you’re travelling only within New York City, you can use the CityTicket:

• Off-peak – 5,25 usd
• During peak hours – 7,25 usd
• Weekday All-Day CityTicket – 14,50 usd
• Weekend all-day CityTicket – 10,50 usd

Please buy your tickets before boarding from a ticket machine or via the TrainTime app. Buying a ticket on the train is usually significantly more expensive.

You can find current prices and timetables on the MTA – LIRR website.

 

How do I get around New York?

When visiting New York, I’d stay within walking distance of a tube station and combine most journeys with the tube and walking.

• For everyday journeys, I use the underground and my own contactless card
• For the views, add the Roosevelt Island Tram and the free Staten Island Ferry
• I use the bus very rarely, mainly when travelling across Manhattan from east to west and to LaGuardia
• Taxis or Ubers are mainly worth it if you’ve got luggage, at night, or when travelling in a larger group

You’ll find further practical information about neighbourhoods and choosing a hotel in the chapter on accommodation in New York.

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