Getting Around New York City

New York City has one of the busiest and most developed transportation systems in the world. Whether it is private or public transportation, visitors are guaranteed to find the right options for getting around New York City.

For visitors, traveling by car is the least recommended method transportation. Manhattan experiences plenty of vehicle traffic on a daily basis, and any extra cars would simply place extra stress on an already overloaded road system. Additionally, expensive bridge tolls and overpriced parking fees are some other reasons to avoid driving around New York City by a private or rental car.

Public transportation is by far the most popular form of transportation in New York City. There is an extensive rail and bus system that serves all five boroughs of New York City. The New York City subway system is by far the most common option for getting around the city. The subway consists of 24 lines which serve all areas of NYC. The subway lines are color coded and named by numbers or letters, making it easy to identify. Many of the trains operate 24 hours a day, but there are different service schedules depending on the time of the day.

Since Manhattan is a tourist hot spot, visitors should be familiar with the subway transportation in this area. There are multiple subway lines which serve various parts of Manhattan. For example, lines 4,5,6,A,C, and E run in the north-south direction on the west side of Manhattan. Lines 4,5, and 6 run in the north-south direction on the east side of the borough.

This layout means that most of the subway stops are within walking distance from Manhattan's famous attractions. For example, lines A,C, and E stop right near the American Museum of Natural History. Lines 4,5, and 6 stop only a few blocks away from Museum Mile, which includes the Metropolitan Museum and Guggenheim. All of these also provide service to lower Manhattan, which is home to Wall Street and the departure area for the Statue of Liberty.

The New York City subway system does not use tokens but rather a Metrocard to pay for subway rides. The card is available in various money denomination and it can be bought at ticket machines with cash and credit cards. The Metrocard must be swiped before entering a subway platform.

New York City also has an extensive bus transportation system which consists of more than 100 routes. In Manhattan, there are virtually bus stops every couple of blocks with marked posts indicating the route number and displaying the route map. The Metrocard is also used to pay for rides on the public buses.

For complete information regarding schedules, fares, and more, tourists should contact the MTA, which operates the subway trains and buses.