The Underground is the best way to get around New York. It takes you to practically all the tourist attractions, and its extensive network extends as far as the outlying areas of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

Ideally, choose accommodation that’s within walking distance of the Underground – then you’re all set, and getting around New York will be a breeze.

Choose a hotel near a metro station

With a total network length of over 380 km, the New York Underground ranks 12th in the world. The first trains set off on their routes as early as 1904, making the New York Underground the 8th oldest underground railway in the world.

Although travelling on the New York Underground may seem complicated at first, you’ll soon get used to the system and, after a few journeys, you’ll be travelling like a true New Yorker. Stations are clearly signposted, as are any necessary changes.

Here are our tips on how to travel on the New York subway without any problems.

New York Metro Map

The key to stress-free travel around New York is to always carry a map of the underground lines with you.

Although maps are displayed in all carriages and at stations, it’s a good idea to also have a map downloaded onto your phone to help you plan your journey smoothly. 

The underground map is available to view and download atweb.mta.info/maps.

How do you find your way around the metro maps?

On some metro maps, stations are marked with circles of different colours:

• black – only local services stop at this station (on some routes, only local trains run, which is why all stations are marked in red)
• white – both express and local trains stop at this station

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Metro Card / OMNY ticket prices

From 2026, you will only be able to pay by contactless in the New York Underground:

1. OMNY contactless payments using your debit or credit card (via mobile phone, smartwatch, etc.)
2. Traditional paper Metro Cards(discontinued in December 2025)

Fares for 3 usd

A flat fare applies to every journey on the New York Metro or city buses, regardless of the time or distance travelled 3 usd.

The fare is calculated from the moment you first enter the underground until you exit; you may change lines provided you do not pass through a ticket barrier at the interchange point (this is not always possible).

A 7-day pass costs 35 usd

There are no 24-hour or 3-day tickets in New York; the shortest validity period is 7 days. It costs $35 and is valid for unlimited travel anywhere on the underground, buses and the cable car to Roosevelt Island.

The system works by deducting $3 after each journey, up to a maximum of 12 times, resulting in a final total of $35.

From the 13th journey onwards, you still have to tap your card, mobile or watch against the readers, but no amount will be deducted.

Where can I buy tickets?

Fares can only be paid for contactlessly using your own payment card.

How do I use the tickets?

When entering and exiting the station, you will pass through the turnstiles. Hold your card, mobile phone or smartwatch up to the reader marked ‘OMNY’ and walk through the turnstile.

When leaving the station, you will pass through the turnstile again, but you do not need to tap your card on the reader this time. You can open the turnstile manually by pushing it with your hand.

You do not pass through the turnstiles when changing trains.

Local vs. express services

This is probably the aspect of the New York Underground that causes the most confusion amongst tourists.

You look at the map, see that the blue subway lines pass through the nearest station – great, let’s go! However, you’ll wait in vain for your specific service; trains on the other line – the one you don’t need – keep stopping there, whilst the train you want to catch rattles past every few moments on the third track, just outside the platform.

Always double-check exactly where the metro is going so that you don’t miss your stop and end up waiting a long time for the next train. On the metro map, stations are shown in black or white, along with the letter of the line that stops at that station.

• White stations – all trains stop here
• black stations – only local services stop here

If an express train is running, it will not stop at black stations but will simply pass through them.

For example, lines A, C, B and D appear to run along the western side of Central Park, but all the stations are marked with black circles, which means that only local services stop there. In this case, only lines B and C ever stop there.

Timetables, finding connections

You can easily find the quickest connection between two stops on the transport authority’s official website, mta.info.

Within the city centre, metro trains run on average every 2–3 minutes on weekdays and approximately every 4–7 minutes at weekends. The further you are from the city centre, the longer the intervals will naturally be, though they rarely exceed 10 minutes at major stations.

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Only in the very outlying parts of the city – which you’re unlikely to visit – and at night do intervals tend to range between 15 and 20 minutes.

Some lines run 24 hours a day, whilst others simply take a break at night.

• The followinglines run all night: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, A, D, E, F, G, J, L, M, N, Q, R, Staten Island Railway
• Approx. 6.00–22.15: Lines B, C, W
• Lines 5run fromapproximately 5.10 am to 11.30 pm

It is also a good idea to keep an eye on the information displayed at stations, as there are relatively frequent service disruptions, during which some stations may be inaccessible or parts of the route may be served by replacement buses. However, the information is usually very clear and easy to understand.

Interchange stations and stop names

Some ‘interchange’ stations are not actually interchange stations. You have to exit the metro and go through the ticket barrier again. If you’re using the 7-day pass 34 usd, you don’t need to worry about this, but with single-journey tickets you would need two tickets.

In principle, however, most stations where several lines converge – and which are shown on the map as overlapping with a single circle or connected by a black line – are interchange stations.

There’s no need to go through the ticket barriers; just follow the signs and directions carefully to the interchanges. Feel free to stop for a moment to work out where you’re actually going and which line you need, and then carry on.

Also, pay attention to station names. For example, ‘Canal Street’ appears three times on three different lines, yet the stations are as much as 2 km apart and are not interchange stations at all.

Uptown or Downtown?

Most stations have separate entrances for each direction. Each entrance is always marked with the line’s letter or number and its terminus. To make it easier to find your way around Manhattan, there’s also an indication of whether the station is ‘Uptown’ or ‘Downtown’, so you don’t have to search for where the terminus is. But what does that mean?

• Uptown – trains heading north
• Downtown – trains heading south

Colours or numbers/letters?

Metro lines in New York are identified by both a colour and a letter or number. Although locals usually find their way around by colour, we recommend that you pay particular attention to the letter or number used to identify each line.

Colours are particularly useful in central Manhattan, where several lines often converge into a single, very busy line. On the outskirts of the city, however, they often branch off in different directions, or some lines may terminate at an earlier station.

Station facilities and signage

All entrances to underground stations are marked with a green-and-white or red-and-white lantern.

• green lantern – this entrance is open 24/7
• red lantern – this entrance is closed during the night (usually between 18:00 and 06:00), or all day at weekends

The stations themselves are generally not equipped with any facilities.

There are no public toilets in the underground; there are usually no vending machines for drinks or food, and there are rarely any shops in the station concourses.

On the New York Underground, you can connect to Wi-Fi at every station, where you can enjoy free internet access.

Safety on the New York Underground

Forget everything you’ve seen in TV series and films for a moment. Yes, the New York Underground is full of loiterers, Black people dancing and rapping, street performers and homeless people, but it’s also full of ordinary people.

It’s only because you have time to observe what’s going on around you that you’ll notice even the smallest details and realise just how diverse the inhabitants of this metropolis are.

There are CCTV cameras and security staff at every station and even inside the carriages themselves.

It may take you a while to get used to the diversity of passengers, but you certainly needn’t worry about your safety.

We’ve visited New York several times and have never once felt particularly unsafe on the local Underground. Compared to other cities, the New York Underground is quite standard.

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