Road trips from New York City ↗
Tested routes, real drive times and where to stop for gas, coffee and a view. Plus everything you need to drive and park in the city.
Popular drives from Manhattan
Distances and times are from Midtown with normal traffic. Leave before 7am on Fridays in summer.
Hudson Valley & Beacon
The closest real escape from the city: river views, small-town main streets and some of the best hiking within reach of Manhattan.
Montauk & the Hamptons
Ocean beaches, fishing villages and the lighthouse at the very end of Long Island.
The Catskills
Mountain towns, waterfalls and forest roads, with a creative streak inherited from Woodstock.
Philadelphia
American history, a great food market and an easy drive down the New Jersey Turnpike.
Mystic, Connecticut
A New England seaport town with tall ships, a coastal drive and pizza stops on the way.
Cape May, New Jersey
Victorian houses, wide beaches and sunsets over Delaware Bay at the southern tip of New Jersey.
Driving in New York City
The questions every visitor asks before picking up a rental car.
$Tolls & E-ZPass
Bridges, tunnels and the Manhattan congestion charge, and how rental companies bill them.
PParking
Street rules, garages and the apps that let you book a spot for less.
✈From the airports
JFK, LaGuardia and Newark: where renting costs less.
!Rules visitors miss
No right turn on red, alternate side parking, speed cameras.
Book the essentials
Rental cars
Compare prices across major companies at JFK, LGA, EWR and Manhattan.
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Every route, ready to drive
Hour-by-hour itineraries, GPS files for Google Maps, offline PDF guides and partner discounts. From $40 a year.
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