MetroCards!
Your first order of business is to purchase a MetroCard, your ticket to ride the city's bus and subway transportation system. You can buy a MetroCard at a vending machine or a station booth.
A pay-per-ride MetroCard can be purchased in any amount between $4 and $80. Every $10 spent on a MetroCard produces a $2 credit. So a $10 MetroCard purchase will give you a $12 credit, or 6 rides. An $80 MetroCard purchase will give you a $96 credit, or 48 rides.
An unlimited MetroCard can be a much better deal. An unlimited MetroCard 1-Day Fun Pass costs $7, and can be used from the moment of validation until 3 a.m. on the day following validation. So if you're going to use a 1-Day Fun Pass, validate it as early in the day as possible. You will only need to validate your 1-Day Fun Pass once.
An adult 7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard, a particularly fantastic deal, costs $24. An adult 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard costs $76.
In order to prevent Unlimited Ride MetroCards from being used by more than one rider, said MetroCards cannot be used at the same subway station or on the same bus route for 18 minutes after validation. While this regulation may seem unimportant, it often bugs fast-moving New York residents who pop out of the subway for this or that errand and then find their reentry temporarily blocked.
In addition to being used on New York City subway lines, express buses, and local buses, MetroCards can be used on Long Island Bus lines, the Staten Island Railway, the PATH commuter train, the JFK Air Train, and most New York City private bus lines (note that unlimited passes aren't accepted on the PATH train and JFK Air Train).
For more information visit the official site of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Subways
New York subways are an essential part of life for millions of people. Trains run all night long (albeit on a reduced schedule at night and in the very early morning). 24 subway lines stretch across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. The subway costs $2 per ride.
Subways to and from Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens often operate with limited schedules on weekends.
A $2 subway fare can be used for one bus transfer.
See a map of the New York City subway system.
Bus
The New York bus network adds crosstown versatility to the subway's mostly north-south coverage. Bus fares are identical to subway fares at $2 per ride. Exact change in coin form can also be used to pay for a bus journey.
A $2 bus fare can be used for one transfer.
Find a full list of New York City bus route maps here.
Taxi
Taxis, while pricey, are on occasion the most convenient transportation option, particularly late at night. For short distances at rush hour, however, taxis aren't a great option. The New York City taxi entry charge, or flag drop, is $2.50. Each additional unit runs $.40. A unit designates every one-fifth of a mile traveled at 6 miles (or faster) per hour or every 120 seconds when taxis are idling or traveling slower than 6 miles per hour. There is a peak weekday surcharge of $1 on Mondays through Fridays between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and a night surcharge of $.50 between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Check out the Taxicab Rider Bill of Rights for more information.
Before you think about nabbing a taxi to get between the airport and Manhattan, check out our Getting Into New York guide.
Foot
New York is a walking city. In addition to exploring parks and paths throughout the city, New Yorkers walk to work, run errands, and meet friends. Population density and traffic congestion together help explain why many native New Yorkers never learn to drive cars, as well as why many transplants to New York allow their driver licenses to lapse. You might as well join the natives in their mad walking habits. Pack some good walking shoes!
A Getting Around Tip
Numerical avenue addresses in New York tell you very little. Always be sure to obtain the nearest cross-street of any Manhattan destination.
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