La Guardia to Manhattan – Is It Really That Difficult?

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La Guardia to Manhattan – it can’t be that difficult, right? Flying into New York City offers visitors three different international airports, each of which offers very different transportation methods into Manhattan. Having flown into JFK and Newark several times and found them both to be pretty easy to navigate into Manhattan, we recently headed to La Guardia (LGA) hoping for the same experience.

Unfortunately, we suffered the traumatic experience of a 3 ½ hour journey into Manhattan (more on that later). We wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone so let’s take a look at the best way to get from La Guardia to Manhattan…it shouldn’t be that difficult right?

New York Airports – Which One?

Booking flights and arranging accommodation may seem like the most important aspects of organizing an upcoming trip, but what about actually getting to and from the airport? It’s inevitable that the airport will be located quite a distance from the destination you are visiting and unless you are renting a car, it’s likely that you will be considering a myriad of options to get from the airport to your hotel.

jfk airport

As I mentioned, traveling to New York City offers three different options. Newark and JFK both offer direct methods of transportation into either Penn Station or Grand Central Station in NYC using the New Jersey Transit and AirTrain respectively.

Both of these airports are further out than La Guardia, so you would think that for convenience, LGA would be the best option. This will depend on the form of transportation you choose to take to Manhattan, so let’s go ahead and take a look at your options.

la guardia to manhattan

Super Shuttle

Prior to visiting New York City on our recent trip to experience the Millenium Memories package at the Millenium Hilton in New York City, we decided to book a Super Shuttle from LGA directly to our hotel. We made this decision hoping for a much smoother and efficient service.

la guardia to manhattan

It’s only 12 miles from La Guardia to Lower Manhattan, so we were anticipating a journey of maybe an hour at most. Perhaps we were being a little optimistic here but nothing could have prepared us for the journey that ensued.

la guardia airport

I want to add a caveat here that our driver was awesome. He was incredibly friendly and apologetic but the reality is that the service was flawed. Our driver indicated that he was called in at the last minute to make an LGA pick-up because “drivers didn’t want to deal with the traffic caused by the La Guardia construction”.

la guardia to manhattan

We were the first passengers on the bus at 4:40PM and made several other pick-ups at various LGA terminals before our bus was completely full by around 5:30PM. That’s when the fun started. It took a little over an hour to actually get out of the airport and we arrived in Manhattan, specifically Broadway and Times Square at around 6:45PM. 2 hours later we arrived at our hotel at 8:30PM! By the way, we were the last passengers to leave the bus.

times square and broadway

So the moral of this story is…if you are flying into La Guardia, do not use Super Shuttle, especially if you are staying in Lower Manhattan!

Best Way to Get from La Guardia to Manhattan

M60 Bus

There has to be a better option…and thankfully there is! It’s called public transportation and involves two different methods. It is efficient and cost-effective…which I am sure is what you are looking for when visiting NYC because everything else is pretty expensive.

m60 bus service

Let’s start with the M60 bus which is what you will use to leave La Guardia Airport. Be sure to purchase your tickets prior to getting onboard the bus. Ticket machines are available and LGA staff will be on hand to point you in the right direction if you need assistance. Tickets are only $2.75 for a one-way trip.

la guardia to manhattan

If you are ahead of the game and already have a Metro card filled with credit, you can utilize this in exchange for a bus ticket.

new york city subway system

The above map shows a red star at La Guardia and then three alternative spots where you can alight from the M60 bus before heading on to the NYC subway.

m60 la guardia to manhattan

Here are a couple of iconic locations around New York City that you may be heading towards from La Guardia and our recommended M60 bus stops.

  • Lower Manhattan/Wall Street/Statue of Liberty – Astoria Boulevard (Yellow – N/Q line)
  • Times Square/Broadway – 125th and St. Nicholas Av.
  • Grand Central Station – 125th and Lexington Av.

A relatively new M60 SBS service now runs limited stops for transportation to and from the airport which definitely speeds up the service.

columbus triangle near astoria boulevard

The journey on the M60 bus is pretty comfortable and efficient. If you are alighting at Astoria Boulevard, it will likely take about 15-20 minutes from La Guardia (or vice-versa) which is much quicker than the Super Shuttle route we opted for.

m60 bus

New York City Subway

You have a couple of options once you are on the bus. Depending on whether you want to stay on the bus for longer or spend more time on the subway will determine which route you take. It will also depend on your final destination in Manhattan.

new york city subway

Of course, our journey was reversed because we took the subway from Lower Manhattan (Fulton Center) to Astoria Boulevard on the N/Q Line (Yellow). From here, it is a short journey on the M60 bus to La Guardia. Alternatively, you could take the M60 bus to 125th street but again, it’s going to solely depend on your final destination and which is the most convenient subway station to board.

astoria boulevard new york city

The subway system in New York City is undoubtedly the best way to get around the city. If you choose to take an alternative approach to get from La Guardia to Manhattan, you will soon realize that the subway is a cost-effective way to get around rather than the iconic yellow cabs that are cool but rather expensive.

new york city taxi

We encourage you to refill more money on your MTA Metrocard because you receive a bonus depending on how much you add. Each ride will cost you $2.75 regardless of the distance you travel, so be smart and make the most of your journey. You will find that New York is a very walkable city, so use the subway wisely and you will have a great experience.

fulton center new york city

Summary

Traveling between La Guardia and Manhattan may seem like a trivial task but the reality is that unless you are familiar with the options, you may well end up experiencing a similar fate to our Super Shuttle experience. I want to reiterate that this was nothing against our Super Shuttle driver who did his best to alleviate our concerns and create a positive atmosphere, but over 3 hours on a bus for only 12 miles is a little excessive.

We hope that you will reap the benefits from this post when you next travel to New York City and are looking for the best ways to get from La Guardia to Manhattan. The M60 and subway combination is a simple and effective method. Just be sure to follow the directions and have $5.50 handy and you will be in downtown Manhattan in no time!

Total Costs

M60 Bus – $2.75
Subway (Metrocard) – $2.75

Do you have any handy tips to travel between an airport and downtown area? What are the common mistakes travelers make when arranging transportation from an airport?

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Chris Boothmanhttps://abritandasoutherner.com
Chris Boothman is the co-founder of A Brit and A Southerner. Born near Manchester, England, Chris moved to USA in 2006 where he soon after met his wife and travel partner in crime, Heather. They have since embarked on an amazing journey of travel as they challenge others to follow in their paths of working full-time but also being able to travel frequently! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Chris at [email protected]

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