On one of my first ever trips to New York, I took my daughter on a special birthday trip to New York City – it was just the 2 of us.  Since we were staying in mid-town Manhattan at the Sheraton Times Square (click here to read the review), none of the 3 New York City airport options (JFK / LGA / EWR) were markedly better than any of the others.  After searching the various options for paid and award tickets into New York, we decided to fly on Delta from CVG to EWR.  If you are also landing at Newark, I’ve written a guide to find the cheapest and best way to get from Newark airport to Manhattan.  After a great time in New York City, it was time to head back from Manhattan to Newark, and since we did a bunch of research to find the best way from Manhattan to Newark, I thought I would share with you some of my information to help you figure out the best way to get from New York City to Newark Airport.
Manhattan to Newark airport by Uber or Lyft
Uber has an estimated price of $59-72 to go from Manhattan to Newark Airport, though obviously that depends on where you start out in New York City and probably time of day (how long it takes)
Lyft is similarly priced from Manhattan to EWR though both Uber and Lyft often are running promotions especially in New York City so be sure to check with them before you go
[The time my Lyft driver went the wrong way down a one-way street]
If you do sign up for Uber or Lyft, signing up through my referral code you will get you $10 off on your first ride.
Getting from Manhattan to Newark airport by taxi
You can absolutely take a taxi from Manhattan to Newark airport but it will be fairly expensive.  Depending on where you are coming from in Manhattan, a taxi from New York City to Manhattan is likely to cost anywhere from $40 to $70, exclusive of tips and tolls.
If you do want to take a taxi from Manhattan to Newark Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, you’re likely to save money by using a service like Carmel Limo — plus you can save $4 off using this link
And obviously you will be in a car, so subject to New York City traffic, especially if you’re traveling in rush hour (which seems like every hour!)
How to get from Manhattan to EWR by bus
You can find several express buses that go from Manhattan to Newark airport, in the $15 to $20 (one-way) range.  These are large buses designed for airport runs, so most of them should have plenty of storage underneath the seats for luggage. GO Airlink Shuttle is one such bus – it costs $21 one-way.  It runs every half hour on the half hour and they will pick you up at a variety of hotels and NYC transportation hubs (Grand Central, Penn Station, etc). Try promo code SHUTTLE to save 5%
It will drop you off at Newark Liberty airport at either Terminal A, B or C.
If you want to travel on a public bus from EWR to New York City, you won’t be able to do it in one trip – since different public bus companies serve New York and New Jersey. NJ Transit bus lines 28, 37, 62, 67, and 107 all serve Newark Airport.
Another option would be to take the PATH train from WTC to Newark Penn Station and then take one of those NJ Transit buses from Newark Penn Station to Newark airport. This is probably the absolute cheapest way from Manhattan to Newark airport, but I don’t think it is quite the best way from Manhattan to Newark Liberty airport.
And remember, buses also go on the road, so when going from New York City to Newark by bus, you’ll be subject to traffic during peak traffic periods.
The cheapest and best way to get from Manhattan to Newark airport
While taxi, Uber, bus and even other ride share services or limos are all options to get from Manhattan to Newark airport, in my opinion, just like getting from Newark Airport to Manhattan, the absolute best way to get from Manhattan to Newark airport is by train.
The train costs $13 which includes both the NJ Transit train from New York Penn Station to Newark Liberty Airport Station as well as the AirTrain Newark which takes you from Newark Liberty Airport Station to the actual Newark airport. The Air Train inside Newark Airport runs every 3 minutes for most of the day.
The cost of a ticket from New York Penn Station is $13, which includes the AirTrain portion of $5.50.  The Newark AirTrain is free to ride if you stay at Newark Airport but if you go to Newark Liberty Airport station, it is $5.50.  The $5.50 portion is not charged for children 11 and under, AND the other portion is half price, making the child’s ticket $3.50
Adult ticket on the left; child ticket from Manhattan to Newark Airport on the right
Another advantage of taking the train from Manhattan to Newark is that you’re not on the road (duh), so you don’t have to deal with any of the famous New York City traffic.
Step by step instructions for riding the NJ Transit train from Manhattan to Newark
After we had our fun weekend in New York (SEE: 5 awesome things I did in New York City), my daughter and I took the subway and then walked to New York Penn Station, between 7th and 8th Avenues and 31st and 33rd streets in Manhattan.
Once inside NY Penn Station, follow the signs for NJ Transit. Â If you bought roundtrip tickets on your way from Newark to Manhattan, you won’t need to buy tickets again. Â There is a small waiting area / lounge for NJ Transit passengers. Â It doesn’t have any type of food / drink, but it does offer phone charging stations. Â In our case, we had just missed a NJ Transit train, so we had to wait for awhile for the next one. Â Since you’re just going a few stops to Newark Airport station, you can take just about any NJ Transit train.
While you’re waiting, it won’t say what platform the train will be at, but once a train is announced, they will tell you – at that point, join the masses of humanity as you all go to that platform.  Board the train and then get off at Newark Liberty Airport Station
How to take the train from Newark Penn Station to Newark Airport
Once you’re at Newark Liberty Airport Station, follow the signs to the Air Train (it’s easy to find). Board the Air Train and then get off at the terminal that your flight is in.
I hope this guide has helped you travel from New York City – remember, I also have a guide on the best way to get from Newark Airport to Manhattan, if you need to make this a round trip
What are your tips for the cheapest and best way from Manhattan to Newark Airport?
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Good article, but an even better one would be the best way from JFK to LGA and EWR and vice versus for those other airports. Often pricing flights might have you coming into JFK, but you have to depart from EWR.
This same sort of thing for the airports in DC would be a great service too.
I think you completely ignored all the comments in your previous post, which offered additional (and cheaper) options for PATH, bus, etc. Not a good way to engage your readers.
Umm actually I did include a section on the PATH / bus routing, per feedback given
Cheapest (but not necessarily best way) from EWR to Manhattan: Go28 bus to Newark downtown + PATH.
DCA to IAD: metro to Wiehle/Reston East. Then take silver line express.
DCA to BWI: metro to Greenbelt, then take B30 bus. OR metro to Union Station, then take Marc Penn line train.
IAD to BWI: silver line express to Wiehle/Reston East. Then take metro to Union Station, then take Mark Penn line train. Alternatively, after arriving at Wiehle/Reston east, take metro to Greenbelt, and then take B30 bus.
LOL@enthusiast is living in the past:
DCA to IAD – take Silver Line to IAD (it’s been operating to Ashburn via Dulles for over a year.
DCA to BWI – Yellow line to Mt Vernon Square and then transfer to Red. MARC Penn Line to BWI Airport Rail Station and then free shutle bus (it’s a bit of hike though if you have baggage. B30 was cut during the pandemic and never restored. Also the Yellow line no longer goes to Greenbelt, only has far as Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center.
IAD to BWI – Just take an Uber or taxi, it’s a very long trip by public transportation between the two airports, especially with no B30.
Another option is a traditional car service like http://www.dial7.com instead of Uber/Lyft/Taxi. We used them 3 years ago to take a family of 4 from JFK to mid-own Manhattan. It was a nice big Lincoln Town Car with a friendly driver and the final total was something like $60-$65 including tolls/tip. Plenty of space for our stroller and luggage which would have been impractical for the train. They frequently have coupons which are not too hard to find.
PATH
WRONG WRONG WRONG Newark PENN Station is NOT at the airport!!!
Take NJ Transit NE Corridor train from Manhattan to Newark Liberty Airport Station to get the Air Train to the airport terminal.
Newark PENN Station is the stop BEFORE the airport in downtown Newark.
Thank you for a great article. I use the same train route. One correction: you have to get off the NJTransit train at EWR Station, not Newark Penn Station. The Air Train doesn’t go to Newark Penn Station.
Thanks guys – got my 2 stations confused 🙂
My question is related but more esoteric: how can I most easily and cheaply get from Weehawken to EWR?
I’m struggling to use the NJ transit app to figure out what ticket I need to get from NJ (Weehawken aka W) to EWR. I see lots of route options based on times in google but they don’t always correspond to station names for NJ transit. It looks like I need to travel 3 zones to get from W to EWR. Can I just buy one ticket from NJ transit for 3 zones? Do I need multiple tickets for 108 and GO28? Any advice appreciated. I so wish the NJ transit app were easier to use!
I’m going to follow your exact path this coming weekend (sans child). Any suggestion on how much time from end to end, worst case scenario (had to wait at each stop)? Thanks!
I’d budget at least 90-120 minutes, depending mostly on how long you have to wait at Penn Station for a train
Great information! I would like to add (based on my own recent experience) for anyone considering transport options between Manhattan and Newark or vice versa, do NOT take the Newark Liberty Airport Express bus. It is terrible. It sounds great – $17 one way, direct from Manhattan to Newark (so no changes required), bus comes every 15 minutes, but it is a total disaster. Buses are notoriously running late and are overcrowded to the point that they are often completely full when they arrive to your stop. People are often left stranded and often end up missing their flights. Limited to no information/communication and employees are extremely rude and unprofessional. Whatever you do, do not buy your tickets online in advance. They are often unable to scan or accept them. Only pay cash once you are on the bus. But if at all possible, don’t take this bus. If there are 3 or more people in your group, take a car or taxi. If less people/you are on a budget, use the train option from Penn Station – NJ Transit & then Air Train. Whatever you do, allow plenty of time (more than you think you need) because all transport options for NYC are often delayed and unpredictable because of such heavy traffic. The train option if probably the fastest/most efficient as well as one of the cheapest.
I had a very pleasant experience on the Coach USA bus from Port Authority on 41st between 8th and 9th avenues. The bus comes every 45 min, which is its duration. I rode 8 am on Saturday without issue. Cash or use the app, $18.50.