What Is the Best Way to Travel From Newark Airport to LaGuardia Airport LGA?

The best way to travel from Newark Airport to LaGuardia depends on your clock, not your wallet: a direct pre-booked car is fastest and simplest at roughly 38 minutes off-peak, while public transit is cheapest at $15 to $30 but takes 90 to 120 minutes or more across three legs. The two airports sit about 22 to 23 road miles apart, yet there is no direct bus or train between them — every route crosses New York City, either over the George Washington Bridge by road or through Manhattan by rail and bus. With less than three and a half hours between landing at Newark and taking off at LaGuardia, take the direct car; with time to spare and light luggage, transit works fine.

The drive: the fastest way, honestly timed

By road the trip is about 22.6 miles and roughly 38 minutes with clear roads, on the standard route north on the New Jersey Turnpike to the George Washington Bridge, across upper Manhattan and the Bronx to the RFK (Triborough) Bridge, then along the Grand Central Parkway to LaGuardia. The alternate runs through the Lincoln Tunnel into Midtown, then east to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the Grand Central Parkway — it can win at off-peak hours from western and central New Jersey. Do not plan on the clear-road number: a 35-minute drive at 6 AM can become an 80-minute crawl at 7:30 AM, when the bridge approaches back up, the Cross Bronx slows, and the Grand Central Parkway does what parkways do. In weekday rush hour, expect the drive to double or worse. A taxi between the airports is metered, not flat — estimates run $110 to $160 plus tolls — and rideshare can surge well above $150 at peak. A pre-booked car service removes the meter and the surge: one fixed price, agreed before you travel, with the driver tracking your flight.

Public transit: cheap, slow, three legs

There is no direct bus or train from New Jersey to LaGuardia, so transit means chaining three legs together. The realistic route runs AirTrain Newark from the terminals to the Newark Airport rail station, then an NJ Transit train to New York Penn Station — the train ride itself is only about 25 minutes — then the subway or LIRR to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue or Woodside, and finally the free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus to Terminals B and C. The Q70 is the genuinely good news: it is free, runs 24 hours, comes about every 10 minutes by day, and has luggage racks. The whole chain costs roughly $15 to $30 per person and usually takes 90 to 120 minutes, and with waiting time it can stretch toward two and a half hours. Check service alerts before you rely on AirTrain Newark, and budget an extra half hour if you are travelling with heavy bags, children, or a tight connection — every transfer is a place to lose time.

Shuttles and the middle ground

Shared airport shuttles sit between the car and the train: roughly $28 to $55 per person, with a door-to-terminal ride but shared stops and a schedule you do not control. A shared van between the airports typically takes 1 to 1.5 hours, longer than a direct car and shorter than the full transit chain, and the price is per person — so for three or four travellers a private car is usually cheaper than four shuttle seats. The Newark Airport Express bus runs from the terminals to Manhattan, but it does not go to LaGuardia, so it only helps if you are willing to cross Manhattan yourself from there. For a solo traveller with time and one bag, the shuttle is a fair compromise; for a family, a group, or anyone on a connection under three hours, it is the worst of both worlds.

Which option fits your trip

Choose by connection time, luggage, and headcount — not by the headline price. Under three and a half hours between flights, book the direct car and stop deciding: every minute on a platform is a minute you are not crossing the city, and a missed connection costs more than any fare difference. With four or more hours, light luggage and one traveller, the transit chain saves real money at $15 to $30. With heavy bags, children, or anyone who cannot manage stairs and bus transfers, the car wins at any connection time. A JetBlack car for the airport-to-airport run is booked through the booking form or by calling +1-646-214-4828, with the driver tracking your flight and no surge — and the LGA to EWR transfer facts page and the New Jersey to LaGuardia guide set out the same route from both directions. For the single-airport legs, the transfers from JFK Airport to Manhattan guide covers the JFK side, a JetBlack economy sedan from JFK to Manhattan is a $65 flat, and from LaGuardia the public route is the free Q70 bus to the subway, covered in how to get to LGA Airport using public transportation. If your trip ends at LaGuardia rather than starting there, the LaGuardia Airport transfer page covers the car option in detail. Flat rates exclude tolls, tip and governmental fees, and a 20% tip is suggested on a car service, not included.

Sources

• Rome2Rio — Newark Airport (EWR) to New York La Guardia Airport (LGA), 5 ways to travel, road distance 22.6 miles, 38-minute drive, bus 1h 46m $28, accessed 2026-11-07
• Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — Transferring Between Airports Guide, EWR, taxi 60–90 minutes, accessed 2026-11-07
• NJ Transit / MTA — NJ Transit Newark Airport station to New York Penn Station (~25 minutes), Q70 LaGuardia Link free, 24 hours, about every 10 minutes, accessed 2026-11-07
• JetBlack Transportation — owner-confirmed service facts (no surge, flight tracking, JFK–Manhattan economy sedan $65 flat, tip and toll exclusions), confirmed 2026-10-26