JFK · Layover Guide
New York
Stop in New York.
Best layover: 4–24h
LayoverScore™
Base city score. Your route score varies by savings and timing.
Exit realism
Comfortable window
Enough room in New York for a real stop. Keep the buffer at the end anyway.
Landside playbook
If time slips
- Drop the last stop. Go straight to the train, taxi rank, or ride pickup you already chose.
- Add 15 minutes to map ETAs for the return leg at rush hour.
- One ticket for the whole trip protects you when the inbound is late. Separate tickets do not.
Worth knowing
- Do not stack three stops. One solid block in the city beats a rushed loop.
- Do not treat one map time as gospel for immigration lines. Pad on your first pass through this hub.
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Places to stay
Search hotelsLayoverScore™ breakdown
Score 71 · Discover 51 · Ease 10
Why New York scores 71
Getting there
AirTrain + Subway $11 · AirTrain + LIRR $19
min to center
metro- 01AirTrain + Subway (60-75 min to Manhattan)
- 02LIRR from Jamaica Station (35 min to Penn Station)
- 03Taxi/Uber (45-90 min depending on traffic)
- 01Walk the High Line elevated park in Chelsea
- 02Pizza slice at Joe's Pizza or Di Fara
- 03Times Square and Broadway theater district
- 04Central Park loop from Columbus Circle
- 05Brooklyn Bridge walk to DUMBO for Manhattan views
Experiences in New York
Timed tours and tickets for New York are listed on our partner site.
Open listingsOpens in a new tab.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~90 min63 min walk
- Brooklyn Bridge~90 min100 min walk
- Le Bernardin~60 min150 min walk
- Katz's Delicatessen~60 min113 min walk
- Broadway Theater District~75 min150 min walk
- High Line~75 min163 min walk
Need a room for your layover? Browse hotels near the airport.
Where to stay →Drop your luggage. Don't drag it around the city.
TWA Hotel
On-airport, connected to Terminal 5
$199/day
5 min walk
Bounce Luggage Storage
Multiple Manhattan locations
$8/bag
0 min walk
LuggageHero
Penn Station, Grand Central, Times Square
$6/bag
0 min walk
From the terminal to the good part.
AirTrain + Subway
to Manhattan
AirTrain $8.50 + MetroCard $2.90
70 min
$11.00
AirTrain + LIRR
to Midtown
Faster option to Penn Station, peak pricing varies
45 min
$19.00
Taxi (flat rate)
to Manhattan
Flat fare to Manhattan excluding tolls and tip
60 min
$70.00
Uber/Lyft
to Manhattan
Surge pricing common during rush hour
55 min
$55.00
New York CityPASS
Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Met or Top of the Rock, choice of 2 more
Better for 2+ day visits; skip for short layovers
$146
per day
Getting there
Get an Uber from the airportAt the airport
- 01TWA Hotel - retro 1960s terminal with rooftop pool and runway views
- 02Terminal 4 dining: Shake Shack, Deep Blue Sushi
- 03Terminal 5 (JetBlue): rooftop terrace with plane spotting
- 04Centurion Lounge in Terminal 4
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