What Is The Best Way To Travel From Philadelphia To New York City?

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How do I travel from Philadelphia to New York City?

I get asked this question a lot from my friends who live in other cities and my colleagues.  I grew up in an around Philadelphia.  I have traveled between the two cities multiple times.  Going to New York during the December holiday season is something I like to do.  When my friends come and visit me, I enjoy taking them to New York City for a day trip.

New York and Philadelphia are only 95 miles apart.  I say only because the United States is a huge country and 95 miles is a small distance to travel (For example Philadelphia to San Francisco is 2872 miles and Philadelphia to Anchorage (Alaska) is 4332 miles!!).

Philadelphia and New York are huge cities.  Population of New York is around 8.3 million and that of Philadelphia is 1.5 million.  But these numbers do not show the true picture.  Both New York and Philadelphia have major suburbs.  Some of these suburbs are in other States. 

The New York “metropolitan area” includes New York City, Long Island, Hudson Valley (State of New York), 7 largest cities of the state of Connecticut (like Bridgeport and New Haven) and the five largest cities of the State of New Jersey (like Newark). The total population of the metropolitan area is approximately 20 million (one of the biggest and most densely populated metropolitan areas on the planet).

The Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area includes the City of Philadelphia, its immediate suburbs in Southeastern Pennsylvania (like Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware Counties), cities in the State of Delaware (like Wilmington) and cities in the State of New Jersey like Camden and Mount Laurel (there are three bridges, like the Ben Franklin bridge that connect the city of Philadelphia to the State of New Jersey).  The population of the Greater Philadelphia region is about 6 million.

Where are you located in Philadelphia?

• How to travel to New York City from Philadelphia will greatly depend on where you are located in Philadelphia. Are you in Center City, the Museum area, South Philadelphia or University City? The 30th Street Station and I-95 are close to these areas.

• Are you in Northeast Philadelphia or in Bucks County? I-95 is an option but if you want to take the train, the Trenton Train Station might be closer.

• Are you in the Western Suburbs like King of Prussia, Exton, Downingtown, or the Mainline area? Taking I-276 and traveling to the New Jersey Turnpike or taking the train from Trenton might a good option.

Which part of New York are you traveling to?

• If you are traveling to JFK, the Bronx Zoo or the Yankee Stadium, taking the car might be a good option in terms of time and effort. You would enter New York using the George Washington Bridge.

• Are you traveling to Midtown Manhattan (Times Square, Broadway Shows, Empire State Building, Central Park)? Taking the SEPTA/NJ Transit or the Amtrak trains to Penn Station New York might be the best option.

• Are you traveling to Downtown Manhattan (World Trade Center, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street)? Taking the SEPTA/NJ Transit or Amtrak Trains to “Newark Penn Station” and then taking the PATH trains to the World Trade Center might be the way to do it.

How to travel from Philadelphia International Airport to New York City?

• Philadelphia International Airport is located very close to Center City Philadelphia. You can take a cab from the airport and get to Amtrak 30th Street Station (the main train station of Philadelphia) in about 15 minutes. The ride will cost you about $28.00.

• You can also take Uber from the Airport to the 30th Street Station.

• You can also take the SEPTA train from the airport to 30th Street Station. The cost of the ticket will vary depending on whether you are traveling during peak or off-peak hours. You can purchase the tickets on the train (cash only). It will cost you less than $8 and the ride will take about 35 minutes.

• Once you reach the 30th Street Station, you can take the Amtrak or SEPTA/NJ Transit trains to go to New York (see instructions below).

• Philadelphia International Airport is very close to I-95. You can rent a car and then take I-95 North and then follow directions below to go to New York.

Traveling from Philadelphia to New York by car.

• Take Interstate 95 (I-95) North from Philadelphia until you hit I-276.  I-276 East bound and I-95 Northbound will merge.  I-95 will then cross the Delaware River (that separates Pennsylvania and New Jersey).  Once you cross the river, I-95 North will merge with “New Jersey Turnpike”.  New Jersey Turnpike is also I-95. The New Jersey Turnpike is a 12-lane highway (6 in each direction).  I normally stick to the three lanes marked “cars only”. The three “bus + car lanes” can get rough because of tractor trailer traffic (unless you enjoy driving in the middle lane at 85 miles/hour with two heavy duty tractor trailers driving on your left and right sides!!).

• If you are in the Western suburbs of Philadelphia like the Mainline area, King of Prussia, Exton, Downingtown or in areas like Fort Washington, Willow Grove etc. you would first head towards I-276. Once you are on I-276 East, you would connect to I-95 North.

• It is easy to take I-95 North from the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Center City Philadelphia or Northeast Philadelphia.  You can also cross over from Philadelphia to New Jersey by taking the Ben Franklin Bridge or the Betsy Ross Bridge instead of driving on I-95 to I-276.  But that is not my preferred way of doing it because of traffic.  Also, keep in mind that the New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road.  You should have cash (if you do not, there are rest areas on the Turnpike where you can get cash before you exit the Turnpike).  You do not need cash if you have EZ Pass.

Key exits on the New Jersey Turnpike

These exits are in order if you are traveling on I-95 North (New Jersey Turnpike) from Philadelphia towards New York.

• Exit 7A: From I-95 North, you would take Exit 7A to get to I-195.  I-195 will take you to the key shore points of New Jersey (including Belmar and Ashbury Park).  You will also take this exit to get to the Six Flags Great Adventure Park.

• Exit 11: This is a key exit.  From I-95 N you can take Exit 11 to connect to the Garden State Parkway and to Metropark Station (Which is a key stop on the New Jersey Transit Train line. During evenings and weekends lots of parking is available. You can park your car here and take the Transit train to Manhattan).  You should take Exit 11 if you are planning to go to Oak Tree Road.  Oak Tree Road and the areas around it (including Edison) is an important area for the Indian American community.  In the early 90’s there were very few Indian restaurants in Philadelphia and its suburbs.  I have gone to Oak Tree Road from Philly as a kid in search of good Indian food!!

• Exit 13: Take Exit 13 if you want to go to JFK airport or to Long Island. Before you reach JFK, you will pass Staten Island.  You can also take this exit, go to the Staten Island Ferry station and take the free ferry to Downtown Manhattan (Battery Park).  One of my favorite ways to see the Statue of Liberty is by taking this ferry.  But parking at the Staten Island Ferry Station can be difficult.

• Exit 13A: You should take this exit if you want to go to the Newark International Airport (EWR).  This is one of my favorite airports in the United States.  You can fly anywhere in the world from this airport.  It is one of the hubs of United Airlines, which is one of the largest carriers in the world. EWR is one of the three major airports in the New York metropolitan area, the other two being JFK and LaGuardia.

• Exit 14A-14B-14C: Take this exit for I-78 East towards Holland Tunnel.  Holland Tunnel will take you to Downtown Manhattan (Financial district, World Trade Center, Ferry to Statue of Liberty, Battery Park etc.).

• Exit 16E: Take Exit 16E to the Lincoln Tunnel.  This is the best exit to get to Midtown Manhattan (Central Park, Empire State Building, Times Square, Broadway, Rockefeller Center etc.).

• George Washington Bridge: If you keep driving on I-95, you will cross the George Washington Bridge (GWB) enter New York City (Bronx, Yankee Stadium, Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Gardens). After crossing the George Washington Bridge (GWB), you would continue driving on I-95 North if you are heading to places like New Rochelle, Greenwich, Stamford (Connecticut) or Boston.

Traveling from Philadelphia to New York by Train

There are two ways of traveling by train from Philadelphia to New York City.

Traveling to New York by taking SEPTA and NJ Transit:

SEPTA is the region train system of Philadelphia.  SEPTA has three major stations in Center City Philadelphia (30^th Street Station, Suburban Station and Jefferson Station).  From any one of these stations you can buy a ticket to New York City (I recommend buying the tickets from the counter rather than the machines). 

They will issue two tickets.  The first ticket is for your journey from any one of these three stations to Trenton.  The second ticket is for your journey from Trenton to Penn Station New York, which is located in Midtown Manhattan.  Before you buy the tickets, you should inform the agent about your travel plans (prices for peak and off-peak hours are different).

The NJ Transit line between Trenton and Penn Station New York is called the Northeast Corridor (indicated by the red line on the map).

The last stop for this train is Penn Station, New York City.  Sometimes the Trenton to Penn Station train can be an express train (limited stops). Most of the time, it is a local (will make all stops in New Jersey).  The tickets that you purchase in Philadelphia will be valid on both the express and local.

SEPTA has a regional line called the Trenton Line.  There will be a train at least once an hour.  This is the train you have to take to get to Trenton. The last stop for this station is Trenton (which is the capital of New Jersey). Philadelphia to Trenton will take about an hour.

Trenton is not a busy train station.  Typically, a NJ Transit train to New York will be waiting in the next platform. Trenton is the first stop for the NJ Transit train so there will be plenty of space available. 

The train will stop at the Newark International Airport.  I have taken the SEPTA/NJ Transit trains to fly out of Newark (EWR).  Flying to Asia and Europe from EWR is much cheaper than flying out of Philadelphia (PHL). United has direct flights to both New Delhi and Bombay from EWR.  16 hours non-stop.  My favorite way to fly to India!!

Traveling to Downtown Manhattan From Philadelphia.

Are you going to visit the World Trade Center, Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty or Wall Street (New York Stock Exchange)? Are you going to SOHO, Tribeca or to see the Brooklyn Bridge?

After the Newark airport station stop, the NJ Transit train will stop at “Newark Penn Station”. This is a big and busy station.  If you are planning to travel to Downtown Manhattan, you should get off at this stop.  From the Newark Penn Station, you should get a ticket for the PATH trains.  You can get the tickets from the vending machines.  The PATH trains will take you to Downtown Manhattan within 30 minutes (the last stop for the PATH train is right next to the World Trade Center building).

Traveling from Philadelphia to New York City by Amtrak

Traveling by Amtrak train is the best way to travel between the two cities.  .  Remember you can take the Amtrak train only from the 30^th Street Station (and not from the Suburban or Jefferson Stations).

Many Amtrak trains will stop at Newark International Airport and at the Newark Penn Station. Some do not (check the schedule and stops before you board the train). So, you can travel by Amtrak and get to Downtown Manhattan as well. You will get off at Newark and take the PATH trains like you would if you are taking SEPTA/NJ Transit. 

Most Amtrak trains will cover this distance (Philadelphia to New York Penn Station) in about 80 minutes.  The Acela can do it faster.  But I would avoid the Acela if I can (the extra money is not worth it. You will not save much time).

Amtrak trains are definitely more expensive, but if you are flexible and are willing to travel during off peak times, you can find good deals.  A one-way ticket will cost you around $50 to $65 compared to the $30 for the SEPTA/NJ Transit option.  SEPTA/NJ option will take twice the time (plus the hassle of switching trains in Trenton).

If you are in the Western suburbs of Philadelphia, you should head directly to Trenton (park your car at the station or Uber) and then take the train from Trenton to New York City. 

Traveling from Philadelphia to New York City by Bus.

• Traveling by bus is by far the cheapest way to travel from Philadelphia to New York City.  You can take the Greyhound, Megabus or the Peter Pan Lines from Philadelphia to New York City. 

• The Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (located very close to the Convention Center, Reading Terminal Market and the Jefferson SEPTA Station), is the key bus station in Philadelphia.  Peter Pan and Greyhound buses start from this station.  The Mega buses have a stop right next to the 30^th Street Station. 

• A bus ride can take anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours or more. Do not fall for the $1 tickets advertised by some of these companies.  They will take on additional changes depending on the time of travel, how far in advance you book the tickets etc.  Most of these buses will end their journey at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. 

Traveling from Philadelphia to New York City by Plane

Yes, you can travel from Philadelphia to New York by plane.  And many people do that.  Getting to JFK or LaGuardia from Philadelphia is not easy.  It is not that far, but you cannot get there easily by car or by train.  This is because of the number of connections involved and the traffic.  I have driven from Center City Philadelphia to Midtown Manhattan in under 90 minutes.  But on many occasions, this journey has taken more than 3 hours. 

So, for some travelers, particularly those who are flying out of JFK or LaGuardia, traveling by plane from Philadelphia makes better sense than getting on a limousine from Philadelphia.  You can fly from Philadelphia to LaGuardia for example for under $150. 

What is your preferred way to travel from Philadelphia to New York?  Comment below!

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