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new York

Cheapest and easy transportation from Laguardia to Times Square, arriving tues, nov 14 around 3 pm. 1 person travelling.
Any info is appreciated.

Posted by
6431 posts

Rome2rio.com is useful for planning something like this. It shows several options, including bus plus subway (slow), taxi (expensive), and various shuttles (in between). "Cheapest and easy" isn't realistic -- most likely it will be one or the other. If it were me, I'd take one of the shuttles as a good compromise between easy and cheap.

Posted by
4137 posts

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings , but none of the above are a good choice , and cheapest and easiest don't go together . The answer is which is the least headache. IF you are traveling light ( one small bag ) the bus subway combination will absolutely be the least stressful , and cheapest . Evening rush hour will be getting underway by 3pm and the roads in and around the city are mobbed , getting to midtown will be especially bad with a cab or other road vehicle . With the subway , you will be traveling , roughly , in the opposite direction of outbound traffic flow which will be an advantage . Also bear in mind , that the likelihood of your being out of the airport by three are slim . Use the bus subway combination , you will be glad you did .

Posted by
7181 posts

You might wish to read the blue FAQ on the desktop version of Trip Advisor. Your post is too late for a definitive, single, answer to a complex question. Among the issues are your next activity time of day, quantity of luggage, last-mile routing to the (illegal?) AirBnB, physical capabilities, plans for a Metrocard purchase, departure plans, familiarity with mass transit.

Posted by
23 posts

Thank you for the replies..
I will try the Airporter shuttle..
Last question, how much taxi cost from Laguardia to Time Square?

Posted by
8293 posts

You have already been advised to use rome2rio.com. Try it.

Posted by
4137 posts

I always pay attention to Norma's posts ( I am a fan of hers , as I have said to her in the past ) . Her response intrigued me , so I looked at the link that Dave provided . The OP has made her choice , and I write now , not to alter her thinking , but to alert anyone reading this thread to the inaccurate information provided on the Rome to Rio site . They show a drive time from LaGuardia Airport to Times Square ( regardless of mode ) of eleven minutes . If you attempted this drive in the dead of night ( 3 to 4 AM ) , when the roads are deserted , you could not possibly do this in under 30 to 45 minutes . Having spent eight years driving a NYC taxi in my early years , I can attest to this from first hand experience . I cannot imagine from where they get these numbers . ( well , I can , but I won't go into that now. ) My point at this point , is that I would take Rome to Rio with a large grain of salt !

Posted by
4137 posts

I must give credit to my wife ( and travel companion ) that you could , indeed , do this in the allotted time if you were a crow ;-- )

Posted by
6431 posts

Steven is right, these websites tend to estimate drive times as if there were no traffic and no reason to make any stops (as you would on an all-day drive somewhere). Susie is arriving during commuting hours so it will take her awhile to get into Manhattan by any method. The bus and subway may be faster but will be crowded. A shuttle or taxi will go slowly in heavy traffic.

Enjoy the experience, you'll get there, think of it as a form of people-watching. Have a good trip!

Posted by
14812 posts

First, be aware, LaGuardia is going through a major renovation and it is something of a disaster area.

Traffic will be bad. (I'm a New Yorker and have done the drive from LGA to Midtown many times.)

While the bus/subway is a cheap way of going, it can be confusing for a first timer and a hassle if you have more than carry on luggage.

You will be stuck in traffic. Accept it. (It's NYC.) The Airporter does have wifi on board and you will get a seat. (Can't guarantee that on the bus and subway). It won't be too bad. Figure about an hour.

For your next trip, think about JFK instead of LGA. Airtrain to either subway or LIRR and it's an easy ride into Manhattan. It's my first choice at this point.

Posted by
9099 posts

think about JFK instead of LGA

Also consider Newark Airport. It's the same distance from Times Square as JFK, and it has an Amtrak/NJ Transit rail station on property with direct service to Penn Station.

Posted by
3985 posts

The NY Airporter is a mistake -- a waste of time and money. I fly out of LGA often as I am from NYC. If you want the cheapest & easiest, take the M70 bus to the 7 train which takes you to Times Sq. Lightyears faster than the NY Airporter tomorrow afternoon.

It is very easy to take the bus and subway to Times Sq. If you're landing at Terminals B, C, or D, take the M70 bus just one stop to Broadway/74th St subway station in Jackson Heights; it's huge. You can get a metrocard for the bus & subway at the ticket machines by the baggage carousel at LGA. The M70 is on the honor system so with the metrocard at the bus stop, use your metrocard at the SBS machine at the bus stop to get a white ticket. Hold on to it. When you arrive at the Broadway/74th, use your metrocard at the turnstiles and take the 7 train which is the only elevated subway at that station. It is a FREE transfer.

Total cost: $3.75 which is the $2.75 fare + the $1 fee for the metrocard. This is also the FASTEST way into town because the Airporter will sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the roads in Queens, on the bridge heading into Manhattan and then be in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Manhattan all the way to Times Sq. Why pay $15 for that headache???


Terminal A at LGA is the Marine Air Terminal; it's used for the Delta Shuttle from Chicago & DC.

Posted by
23178 posts

Taxi costs would be very variable. Frequently take the taxi from LGA to 72nd and West End. That ranges from $35 to $50. With the construction at LGA there is only one taxi line and it can be very long especially at that time of day. I would estimate that the taxi could be as high as $75 to Times Square. I have also used Uber. It is more reasonable and fixed. Uber does pick up at LGA. The subway option is fairly easy to use and only requires a change between bus to subway. Easy enough to do with a single rolling suitcase. More than that, stick to a cab.

Posted by
23 posts

Thank you all..I took NYC Airporter, worked out well. The taxi line was really, really long, so am glad did not take the cab. 😊

Posted by
3985 posts

It certainly wasn't the cheapest for which you asked in the OP but if it you enjoyed it, why not. :-)

Posted by
23 posts

Not cheapest, but certainly easier than bus n subway with some luggage. Good compromise btw bus and taxi..😊

Posted by
4137 posts

Wow !! Your flight landed two and a half hours ahead of schedule ? What luck !