Newark Airport to Lower Manhattan: AirTrain, NJ Transit, Then PATH

The short version

AirTrain, NJ Transit, PATH. That's the all-rail route, and it ends at World Trade Center, the closest rail station to us that isn't the subway. NJ Transit lists an adult ticket to Newark Penn at $12.30, plus $3.00 for PATH. The airport's own site lists a one-way AirTrain fare of $8.75 and notes that a PATH connection is charged separately, so buy your NJ Transit ticket to or from the airport station and let it cover the AirTrain leg. Fares change, so check njtransit.com and the PATH page before you travel rather than trusting a number you read here in September.

Leg by leg

AirTrain: it runs from every terminal to the Newark Liberty International Airport rail station. Follow the AirTrain signs out of baggage claim. Short ride, runs around the clock.

NJ Transit to Newark Penn Station: two stops, a few minutes. Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains both call at the airport station. Get off at Newark Penn, not New York Penn, if you want the PATH.

PATH to World Trade Center: the Newark to World Trade Center line runs direct, no changes. You come up inside the Oculus. From there it's roughly a ten minute walk east on Fulton Street to John Street. We're at 17 John, and there's a front desk person here 24 hours, so a 1am landing isn't a problem.

The version with one less change

If you're tired and don't fancy hunting for a PATH platform, stay on NJ Transit past Newark Penn to New York Penn Station in Midtown, then ride the A or C downtown to Fulton Street. It costs more than the PATH connection and it's usually slower, but it's one transfer instead of two. Fulton Street is about three minutes on foot from us.

When to just take a car

With three suitcases and a kid, rail is a bad time. A taxi or rideshare from EWR crosses the Hudson through the Holland or Lincoln Tunnel, and traffic decides how long that takes. Weekday evenings are the worst of it. Land at 6pm on a Thursday and the drive will take considerably longer than the trains would have.

After a long flight

One practical reason we point people at the rail route: you can stop for groceries on the walk in. Every one of our apartments has a full kitchen, from the 340 sqft Classic King Studio up to the 1,200 sqft Luxury 3 Bedroom, so if you land hungry at an hour when nothing is open, you're not stuck. The laundry room downstairs is free and always open too, which matters more than it sounds like it should after a transatlantic flight.

Coming back

Reverse it. PATH from World Trade Center to Newark Penn, NJ Transit one stop to the airport station, AirTrain to your terminal. Give yourself more buffer than you think you need going out: PATH runs less often late at night and on weekends.