Getting to (and Around) Lower Manhattan

Whether your client is a first time FIT tourist looking for a classic trip to the Big Apple or a group of seasoned NYC visitors looking for an insider New York experience, basing your stay in Lower Manhattan puts everyone right in the heart of the city’s most exciting, vibrant neighborhood. 

Getting To Lower Manhattan from the rest of NYC + New Jersey

Lower Manhattan makes up one square mile at the tip of Manhattan, and its location places it only 20 minutes to almost anywhere in the city — from Broadway and Midtown to Brooklyn and beyond.

Public transportation

14 subway lines from around the city and dozens of buses all converge at the Fulton Center and World Trade Center transportation hub in Lower Manhattan, available for the $2.75 swipe of a MetroCard. 

Six ferry lines from all five boroughs and New Jersey also land in Lower Manhattan. Ferry routes connecting Lower Manhattan to all five boroughs leave from Pier 11: Lower East Side, the Bronx, Astoria, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, North Brooklyn and the Rockaway beaches and now St. George on Staten Island. You can also catch the Staten Island Ferry from Lower Manhattan, and you’re also able to travel by ferry between Elizabeth, New Jersey and Pier 15 at The Seaport. The New Jersey ferry has also added a stop at Newark Airport. All NYC Ferry lines cost $2.75 per trip. More info here. 

NJ Transit PATH ends Downtown at the World Trade Center, which will get you to/from Exchange Place in Jersey City in just one stop, with access to Hoboken, Newark and beyond. 

Citi Bike 

For those who choose a more active route, there are 35 Citi Bike stations strategically located around the Downtown area. Protected — and scenic — bike routes along the Hudson and East River greenways make for carefree travel even for biking beginners. See the full map of Citi Bike docks in the neighborhood and beyond here. 

Iconic fun

Other fun ways to get to and from Lower Manhattan include a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge or a trip across the New York Harbor on the iconic Staten Island Ferry.

Getting Around Lower Manhattan 

The Downtown Connection Bus 

The Downtown Alliance operates its own free circulator bus that runs from Brooklyn Bridge on the East Side, around the bottom tip of Manhattan and up to Tribeca on the West Side. See the full map and more info about service here. 

Lower Manhattan on foot

Lower Manhattan is also walkable and surrounded by water on three sides, making it a pleasant spot to commute by foot (plus, you never know what historic site or icon you’ll bump into — hello, Charging Bull!). 

Too hot? Too cold? Too rainy? Too tired? You can walk indoors and underground from Fulton Center through the Oculus all the way into Brookfield Place without having to face the elements. 

Getting to Lower Manhattan from the Airports 

John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK):  A pre-arranged taxi, on-the-spot taxi or charter bus will get you to Lower Manhattan in roughly 45 minutes. Alternatively, take the AirTrain to the Howard Beach A train station; the A will get you right into Lower Manhattan. 

LaGuardia Airport (LGA): 

A pre-arranged taxi, on-the-spot taxi or charter bus will take roughly 30 minutes to get to Lower Manhattan. The Q70 bus — aka the LaGuardia Link — is a free bus service that connects LaGuardia Airport to the 74th Street/Broadway/Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue subway station, where the E and R trains will get you into Lower Manhattan. 

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR):  A pre-arranged taxi, on-the-spot taxi or charter bus will take you to Lower Manhattan in roughly 30 minutes.