From LGA to Newark, New Jersey, allow about 35 minutes with clear roads — and double that in weekday rush hour. To Newark Airport it is about 22 miles and the same 35 minutes by the same measure. There is no single honest number for “New Jersey” as a whole, because New Jersey is a state, not a town: the time depends on which side of the Hudson you are heading for, and this page gives you the two anchors most travelers actually mean — Newark and Newark Airport — so you can plan from a real destination instead of a state line.
Picture a traveler landing at LaGuardia at 6 PM with a meeting in Newark the next morning and a bag to claim first, deciding whether to drive straight across or take the train and sleep on the decision. The honest answer starts with the destination: Newark sits about 20 miles from LaGuardia by road, and every minute past the 35-minute baseline is decided by the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the hour you leave.
Written by Sarah Thompson · Fact-checked by Alex Freeman, Editor-in-Chief · Last verified November 2026
LGA to New Jersey by car
The standard route runs west on the Grand Central Parkway to the RFK Bridge, across the Bronx to the George Washington Bridge, then south on the New Jersey Turnpike to Newark. The alternate is the Queens-Midtown Tunnel west into Midtown, then the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey and on to Newark. From LaGuardia to Newark the drive is about 20–22 road miles and roughly 35–37 minutes with clear roads — and a 35-minute drive at 6 AM can be an 80-minute crawl at 7:30, when the bridge approaches back up, the Cross Bronx slows to a crawl, and the Grand Central Parkway does what parkways do. Bridge and tunnel tolls are cashless, with no booth stops, but expect multiple tolls each way. LaGuardia’s Terminal B and Terminal C have separate roadways, so confirm which terminal your airline uses before you leave. A private JetBlack car for this route is priced as a written per-trip quote, not a published flat fare, so ask for the number in writing before you decide — and tell the dispatcher about your luggage and any special requests when you book, so the vehicle fits your party and your bags.
- Name the New Jersey destination when you book — Newark, Newark Airport, and the Hudson riverfront towns are different trips
- Allow double the clear-road time in weekday morning or evening rush hour
- Confirm your LaGuardia terminal, since Terminal B and Terminal C have separate roadways
- Budget for multiple cashless tolls each way, on top of the fare
How long the same corridor takes in the other direction is a useful check: how long it takes to travel from JFK to South Nyack by limo shows the same Hudson-crossing arithmetic on a longer run north. And if your New Jersey trip is a longer booking rather than an airport hop, check whether there is a minimum rental period for limo services before you assume an hourly car will do.
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LGA to New Jersey by train
There is no direct bus from New Jersey to LaGuardia, and there is no direct train either — the transit route runs through Manhattan. Take the free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus from Terminal B or C to Jackson Heights, ride the subway to Penn Station, then take NJ Transit into New Jersey. From Penn Station, NJ Transit reaches Newark Liberty International Airport station in about 30 minutes on a $17.25 combined Rail Link ticket that includes the AirTrain Newark. All told, the public-transit trip from LaGuardia to Newark runs about 1 hour 40 minutes and about $20 per person, by a secondary estimate checked against MTA, Port Authority, and NJ Transit fares in October 2026. That is slower than a clear-road drive and faster than a rush-hour one, and it is immune to tunnel traffic in a way no car can be. If you are heading to Newark Airport itself, booking transportation from Newark Airport to Manhattan shows the same rail link from the other end. For a longer stay, customizing a private charter itinerary around your travel needs is the car-service version of the same planning.
Taxi, tolls, and the fare rules that do — and do not — apply
A yellow taxi from LaGuardia is metered, plus a $5 LGA surcharge, tolls, and tip — there is no flat fare for a LaGuardia to New Jersey trip, so the meter is the price and traffic is the risk. One surcharge does not apply here, and it is worth naming: the $0.50 MTA surcharge applies to trips ending in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam — New Jersey is not on that list. The exact taxi fare rule for trips into New Jersey was not verified against the TLC page for this build, so this page does not state one; ask the driver for the meter basis before you leave, and get a private-car quote in writing instead if you want a fixed number. A private car also answers the question a meter cannot: what a hot black car service is and why a booked car waits on your actual arrival rather than on the meter. JetBlack dispatch runs 24/7 at +1-646-214-4828, cancellation is free before your booking is confirmed, and an Economy Sedan runs $45 an hour with a 3-hour minimum for hourly service — the $44 figure you may see elsewhere is the first-mile per-mile tier, not an hourly floor. For other airport runs on the same corridor, how to transfer from Rye to JFK Airport and the taxi from JFK to Long Beach flat rate show how the same bridge-and-tunnel arithmetic plays out on different routes.
Questions travelers ask
How long does it take to travel from LGA to New Jersey?
It depends on the destination in New Jersey. From LGA to Newark, allow about 35 minutes with clear roads and double that in weekday rush hour. To Newark Airport it is about 22 miles and the same 35 minutes by the same measure. By public transit, LaGuardia to Newark runs about 1 hour 40 minutes.
How long does it take to drive from LGA to Newark?
Driving from LGA to Newark takes about 35 minutes with clear roads, over about 20 miles by road. In weekday rush hour, allow double that time or worse, because the George Washington Bridge approaches, the Cross Bronx, and the Grand Central Parkway all slow down at the same hours.
Can I take a train from LGA to New Jersey?
Yes, but there is no direct train. Take the free Q70 bus from LaGuardia to Jackson Heights, ride the subway to Penn Station, then take NJ Transit into New Jersey. From Penn Station, NJ Transit reaches Newark Airport station in about 30 minutes on a $17.25 combined ticket that includes the AirTrain Newark.
What is the fastest way from LGA to New Jersey?
A private car is fastest off-peak, at about 35 minutes to Newark with clear roads via the George Washington Bridge route. In weekday rush hour, public transit is often faster in practice, at about 1 hour 40 minutes to Newark, because it is immune to bridge and tunnel traffic. Name your exact New Jersey destination when you book, since the fastest route depends on it.
Sources
- Rome2Rio — Newark to New York La Guardia Airport (LGA): 20.1 miles by road, about 35 minutes driving; LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Newark Airport (EWR): 22.3 miles by road, about 35 minutes driving, accessed 2026-11-10
- MTA — LaGuardia guide: Q70 LaGuardia Link free, every 8–10 minutes, ~15 minutes to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue; subway fare $3.00, 2026 fare schedule, checked October 2026
- NJ Transit — Penn Station to Newark Liberty International Airport station: about 30 minutes, $17.25 combined Rail Link ticket including AirTrain Newark, 2026
- NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission — Taxi Fare: standard metered fare, $5 LGA surcharge, $0.50 MTA surcharge counties, accessed 2026-11-09
- JetBlack Transportation — owner-confirmed service facts (24/7 dispatch, written per-trip quotes, cancellation free before confirmation and $31 total after, 20% suggested tip, Economy Sedan $45/hr with 3-hour minimum), confirmed 2026-10-26
JetBlack Transportation · 34 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001 · +1-646-214-4828 · Prices verified November 2026 and subject to change — confirm your fixed quote in writing before you travel
