Travel to New York State

Flying to New York State

International flights to New York land at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or New Jersey's Liberty International Airport (EWR). Domestic flights land at JFK, LaGuardia (LGA), or EWR.

New York is a popular year-round destination. Flights tend to be highest for winter holidays and around New Year's, and lower in the height of summer. But most major airlines do hold regular fare sales.

International carriers offer regular, if not daily, flights to and from New York City. British Airways (www.britishairways.com) and Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) are the two UK-based airlines with most frequent service to New York.

For air travel within the state, low-cost carriers like JetBlue (www.jetblue.com) provide affordable, regular service, often with multiple flights per day, between the state's major cities.

Major airports are: New York LaGuardia Airport, Long Island MacArthur Airport, New York John F Kennedy International Airport, Westchester County Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

Air notes:

Though all three of the area's airports are among the nation's busiest, there are no current plans to add any new airports in the New York City area. There are capital development projects, however, to improve upon and expand existing infrastructure at all three airports. All three airports are easily accessible by public transportation.

Flight times:

From London to New York City is approximately 7 hours.

Air passes:

Star Alliance member airlines (Air Canada, Continental Airlines, United and US Airways) offer a Star Alliance North America Airpass (www.staralliance.com/en/fares/regional-fares/north-america-airpass) for travel on the continent.

Departure tax:

None.

Airport guides

Airport Code: JFK. Location: New York John F. Kennedy International Airport is located 25km (15.5 miles) southeast of Manhattan. Money: Bureaux de change and ATMs are available in all terminals. Read more

Airport Code: LGA. Location: New York LaGuardia Airport is located 13km (8 miles) east of Manhattan, in the Flushing... Money: ATMs are located in all terminals. Bureaux de change services can be found in Terminal B (Central... Read more

Airport Code: BUF. Location: Buffalo Niagara International Airport is situated 14km (9 miles) east of Buffalo. Money: ATMs are located after security on the upper level (next to the Monarch gift shop) and in the... Read more

Airport Code: EWR. Location: Newark Liberty International Airport is located 3km (2 miles) south of Newark and 26km (16 miles)... Money: ATMs and bureaux de change services are located in all terminals. A bank is situated in Terminal C. Read more

Airport Code: ISP. Location: Long Island MacArthur Airport is located in Ronkonkoma on Long Island, some 80km (50 miles)... Money: ATMs are located in the terminal building, both pre- and post-security. Read more

Airport Code: HPN. Location: Westchester County Airport is situated 56km (35 miles) northeast of New York City, and 9km (6 miles... Money: An ATM is located in the terminal building, on the second floor. Read more

Travel by rail

New York City's Pennsylvania Station (“Penn Station”) serves the Long Island Railroad, with routes to Long Island; NJ Transit, with routes to New Jersey; and Amtrak, with service to other stations in New York state and nationwide (tel: 1 800 872 7245, in the USA only; www.amtrak.com).

New York City's Grand Central Station is the terminus for services to upstate New York (via Metro North rail services) and Connecticut. There are daily trains to Montréal and Toronto in Canada as well.

From New York on the 'Maple Leaf' to Niagara Falls is 9 hours; on the 'Silver Meteor' to Orlando (Disney World) is 21 hours; and on the 'Crescent' to Atlanta is 16 hours. There are frequent shuttles to Washington D.C. and Boston, taking 3 hours 15 minutes and 4 hours 30 minutes respectively.

Rail passes:

Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) offers USA rail passes in 15-, 30-, and 45 day increments. Prices vary.

Driving to New York State

The major interstates within New York State are I-78, I-84, I-87, I-90, and I-95. Parts of these interstates may have tolls.

By road note:

In general, roads in New York State are safe, well-maintained and efficient.

Getting to New York State by boat

New York is located on the northeastern coast of the United States and so is easily accessible by water. New York City is a port city, as is Buffalo in the upstate; however, Buffalo is solely a cargo port.

Cruise ships:

Most major lines dock in New York City. Carnival, Crystal CruisesHolland America, and Norwegian all list New York City as a port of call. The major cruise line providing service to and from the UK is Cunard's Queen Mary 2.

Ferry operators:

In New York City, the Staten Island Ferry, departing from Battery Park, operates between lower Manhattan and Staten Island.

Being the only authorised official tour operator to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, only Statue Cruise Line provides access to the Statue of Liberty Crown and Pedestal.

Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (tel: (212) 563 3200) provide guided tours around the island of Manhattan and along the Hudson River, departing from Pier 83, West 42nd Street. Frequent ferry services also run from Manhattan to Brooklyn, New Jersey and Queens. Operators include NY Waterway and SeaStreak.

New York Water Taxi offers several sightseeing cruises and hop-on-and-hop-off trips around Manhatten Island and has many iconic attractions on its itineraries, including the skyline of NCY, the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge.

In upstate New York, Lake Champlain Ferries (tel: (802) 864 9804) provide several crossings on Lake Champlain, between New York State and Vermont. Routes include: Plattsburg, NY-Grande Isle, VT; Port Kent, NY-Burlington, VT and Essex, NY-Charlotte, VT.

Wolfe Island, Ontario, is connected to Cape Vincent in New York by a ferry service which operates daily during the summer. A service from Wolfe Island to Kingston, Ontario, operates daily throughout the year.




Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.