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When you come to New York City, you have to ride the subway.
It’s a rite of passage, and it’s still the fastest, cheapest way to get around the boroughs.
I promise it’s not as scary as you think!
I lived in New York for almost three years, and I’m a licensed NYC tour guide, so I’ve ridden this system at rush hour, on weekends with half the lines rerouted, and at 4 AM on the way to an early shift.
These days I live in Italy and lead trips around Europe, but whenever I’m back in the city, the subway is the main system of transportation I use.
A lot has changed since I first wrote this guide.
The MetroCard is retired, the fare is $3, and you pay by tapping your phone, watch or card.
Here’s how the NYC subway works in 2026: how to pay, how to read the map, local versus express, uptown versus downtown, getting in from the airports, and staying safe after dark.
The NYC subway in 60 seconds
- How it works: 472 stations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, open 24 hours a day. You pay once when you enter, then ride as far as you like and switch trains inside the system for free.
- How to pay: tap a contactless bank card, your phone, your watch or an OMNY card on the turnstile reader. One ride is $3.00.
- The weekly cap: tap the same card or device every time, and after 12 paid rides in 7 days ($35), the rest of the week is free.
- MetroCard: no longer sold or refilled since January 1, 2026.
- Local vs. express: on the map, white dots are express stops (every train stops), black dots are local stops.
- Uptown vs. downtown: in Manhattan, uptown means north and downtown means south. Everywhere else, look for “Manhattan-bound” or the name of the last stop.
- From JFK: AirTrain ($8.75) to Jamaica or Howard Beach, then the subway ($3). From LaGuardia: the free Q70 bus to the subway.
A brief history of the New York City subway
The New York City subway opened on October 27, 1904.
That first line, run by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), covered just over nine miles, from City Hall up to 145th Street.
New Yorkers have been complaining about it, and depending on it, ever since.
For its first few decades, the subway was really three competing systems:
- The IRT, the private company that built the first line.
- The BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation), a second private company that grew out of the older Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company.
- The IND (Independent Subway System), owned and run by the city, which opened its first line along Eighth Avenue in 1932. That’s today’s A train route, my favorite ride in the system (more on that later).
In 1913, the city signed the Dual Contracts with the IRT and BMT, which paid for a huge wave of new lines.
In June 1940, the city bought out both private companies and merged all three into one system.
The New York City Transit Authority was created in 1953 to run it, and in 1968 it came under the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which still runs the subway and buses today.
That three-company split is still on the map.
The old IRT lines are the numbered trains (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) plus the shuttle between Times Square and Grand Central.
The old BMT and IND lines are the lettered trains (A/C/E, B/D/F/M, N/Q/R/W, J/Z, G and L) plus the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park shuttles.
Want to see the old trains up close?
The New York City Transit Museum lives inside the old Court Street subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, and you can walk through vintage subway cars from different decades.
It’s open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM, and booking tickets ahead is recommended.
Planning a New York trip?
- Where to stay: pick a hotel a short walk from a subway station and you’ll rarely need a car. Find a hotel near the subway in Midtown here.
- Getting in from the airport: jump to my JFK and LaGuardia breakdown
- Free things to do once you’re here: grab my free NYC guide
How to read the NYC subway map
Your guide to the subway starts with the map.
The MTA’s official subway map is posted in stations, and it’s worth saving to your phone before you go.
Each color is a trunk line that several trains share.
Throughout most of Manhattan, those trains run together.
It’s only when you start moving into the outskirts of Manhattan and into Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens that they split up.
Take the blue line. It carries three trains: the A, the C and the E. All three run through Manhattan, but each has its own last stops. The C ends in Brooklyn, the E heads out to Jamaica in Queens, and the A runs all the way to the beaches of the Rockaways, also in Queens.
When in doubt, look at the map. It tells you which trains stop where, whether a stop is express or local, and where you can transfer.
What’s the difference between local and express trains?
When you look at the subway map, look at the dots that delineate the stops on a line. If you look closely, you’ll notice black dots and white dots that mark each station.
If the circle is white, that means it’s an express stop. Every train on the line will always stop at that station.
Alternatively, if the circle is black, it’s a local stop. Only specific trains will stop at that station, as well as stop at express spots. Since local trains have more stops to make, the ride is longer than taking an express.
For example, say you want to take the subway to One World Trade Center from Times Square.
Hop on any downtown red-line train. The 1 is the local, and it stops right at WTC Cortlandt, under the World Trade Center.
The 2 and 3 are express trains: they skip local stops and get you to Chambers Street faster, where you can switch across the platform to the 1 for one more stop.
Although this might sound confusing, every New York City subway map is marked with exact information.
Look at the station you’re heading to, and it will tell you exactly which train lines stop there.
Even New Yorkers have to break out a map sometimes to confirm if they need the local or the express!
What’s the difference between uptown and downtown trains?
For the most part, uptown trains run north in Manhattan and downtown trains run south.
Outside Manhattan, that system falls apart.
The Bronx and parts of Brooklyn sort of run north to south, but Queens and most of Brooklyn go every which way.
There, figure out your direction by whether the train is Manhattan-bound or by the name of its last stop.
Read the signs before you tap in.
At a lot of stations, each direction has its own entrance, and there’s no way to cross to the other platform once you’re through the turnstile.
Pick the wrong one and you’ll pay again to get to the right side.
I’ve done it. You’re cruising, you’ve fallen into the flow of New York commuter life, you feel like you own the city.
Then you tap in, look up, and realize every train on your platform is going the wrong way.
A little cloud follows you around for the next ten minutes. It’s funny later. If you’re running late, it’s a nightmare.
You have two ways out.
Eat the $3 and tap in again on the right side, which is your best bet if you’re short on time.
Or, if you have a few minutes, ride the wrong-way train to the next station where you can switch sides without leaving (often an express stop) and head back from there.
You lose a little time and keep your $3.
How do I know which subway line to take?
Apps. New Yorkers don’t wing it, and neither should you.
My go-to is Citymapper.
It’s free to download, and when I’m in New York I still open it about six times a day: to see when my train is coming, check for delays, and figure out which exit puts me closest to where I’m going.
Yes, it even tells you the best exit.
Put in where you are and where you want to go, and it lays out your options with travel times: subway, bus, walking, bike, ferry, and what a cab would cost.
It also saves the official subway map offline, which helps when your signal disappears underground.
I’ve used it on three continents now, and it’s as useful in New York as it is in Brazil. It’s my go-to transit app in Italy, too.
When I want a second opinion, I check Google Maps or the official MTA app.
Read More
- How to Understand NYC Streets: The New York Grid System Explained
- How to Take the Subway to the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center
- 37 Things to Do Alone in NYC (From a Licensed NYC Tour Guide)
NYC subway etiquette: the do’s and don’ts
I know some of this will sound like common sense, but you wouldn’t believe how much common sense just doesn’t always play into people’s actions and decisions when learning how to navigate New York’s subway.
The golden rule: Be the person you’d want to stand next to in a crowded train car.
Don’t: Get on the train before passengers have a chance to get off.
You will get crushed in the oncoming surge of people, and someone will swear at you. It’s pretty much inevitable.
Do: Let passengers off before you get on.
Subway social convention dictates that passengers are to get off the train before others start boarding.
You’ll often hear an announcement reminding everyone, too.
However, this advice goes unheeded by many subway riders. Don’t be that person. Let everyone else off the train before you try squishing yourself onboard. Most likely, there will be more space for you that way too!
OK, but what happens if it’s rush hour and there’s really no room for you, even after people get off?
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
At busy times of day, there are more trains running than at off-hours.
Chances are, the train you need will arrive at your station again in the next five minutes.
Try to be patient, and angle yourself to be the first in line for the next one.
Don’t: Eat messy or smelly foods.
Seriously, no one wants to smell street cart falafel, or whatever pungent food is being consumed, in an already smelly, crowded train.
Please wait and save your meal until you’re not on the subway.
Do: If you MUST eat on the train, try protein bars or other small snacks.
Really, anything that’s small and portable without crumbling or smelling is the way to go to combat train hunger. Or pop in a piece of gum, but please…
Don’t: Litter.
If you think smelly foods are bad on the train, stepping in someone’s chewed gum, just thrown haphazardly on the ground, is not fun either.
I’ve seen half-consumed soda bottles, piles of chip crumbs, and even a used hairbrush on platforms and floors of train cars.
Do: Throw trash away in the dedicated bins on the train platforms.
The governing branch of the subway system, the MTA is fancy now.
They even provide recycling receptacles on some subway platforms.
There really is no excuse for littering.
Maybe it seems like no big deal to throw trash onto the tracks, but really, don’t do it.
Don’t: Take up too much space holding the pole, or lean on the train car doors while in motion.
Especially during rush hour, people cram into subway cars.
It’s much safer to hold onto a pole or overhead bar than to lean on the sliding doors.
If the car is almost empty, then fine, hog a pole.
Even hug a pole if you really need to, even though GERMS abound.
But again, to be clear, not when it’s busy.
And although we’ve all done it before, it’s truly not safe to lean on the doors while the subway is in motion.
Sometimes there’s really no other space, but when there’s even a semi-open car, try to avoid the lean.
Do: Grab onto a pole and be respectful of the other people around you.
Holding onto a pole might be the only reason you’re standing upright on a bumpy train ride.
Please give others the same opportunity to not fall over.
Don’t: Get into an empty subway car.
It could be litter. It could be a critter. It could be a smell. No matter what it is, there is always a reason it’s empty. Always.
Do: Find a different subway car that is FILLED with other commuters.
Walk to a different car that you can see is occupied by a group of other people. There’s safety in numbers.
Don’t: Blast loud music.
Most New Yorkers think of their time on the subway each day as their “me” time.
They read books, listen to music or podcasts, and generally tune the rest of the world out until they reach their destination.
Do: Take this opportunity for self-reflection.
Y’know, as much relaxation as you can possibly muster on a crowded subway.
Or, go ahead and blast your music as loud as you want, but please wear headphones while you’re doing it.
How to pay for the NYC subway in 2026
Gone are the days of the MetroCard (RIP.)
But, it means that paying for the subway got a lot easier. You don’t buy a ticket anymore. You tap.
Every turnstile has a small reader marked OMNY (One Metro New York). Tap any of these and walk through:
- a contactless credit or debit card
- your phone, with a card in Apple Pay or Google Pay
- your watch
- an OMNY card
One ride is $3.00, and that covers your whole trip, however far you go, including switching trains inside the system.
When I’m in New York, I pretty much only use my phone.
I’ve used my watch too, and it’s the easiest of all: tap your wrist on the reader and walk through, phone still in your pocket.
I’ve never had an issue with any of them, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
So here’s my one rule: always carry a physical backup.
Phones die, usually at the worst moment, and I still need to get home. I keep a contactless card on me that I can tap instead.
The weekly fare cap (how unlimited rides work now)
The old 7-day and 30-day unlimited MetroCards are gone.
Instead, there’s a weekly cap: tap the same card or device for every ride, and once you’ve paid for 12 rides in 7 days ($35), every ride for the rest of that week is free.
Your 7 days start with your first tap, not on Monday. You never pay up front, so if your plans change, you only paid for what you rode.
One catch: the cap only counts rides on the SAME card or device.
If you switch between your phone and your physical card, your rides split into two separate caps.
Pick one and stick with it.
Traveling with friends or family?
One card or phone can pay for up to four people per trip: tap once for each person.
The very first time you use a new card or phone on the subway, though, you can’t pay for anyone else until your bank approves it, which usually takes a few minutes.
Separate cards also mean everyone earns their own weekly cap, so if you’re all riding a lot, everyone should tap their own.
Where to buy an OMNY card
Rather not tap your bank card? Get an OMNY card, a reusable tap card you load with cash or a card. You can buy one:
- from the OMNY vending machines in any subway station
- at stores around the city, including CVS, Walgreens, 7-Eleven and plenty of bodegas (the OMNY retail map shows the closest one)
A new card costs $1 right now, a limited-time price that the MTA says will rise to $2.
Reload it at a machine, a store or online.
Only need one ride?
The machines also sell a Single-Ride ticket for $3.50.
It’s good for two hours and includes a free bus-to-bus transfer, but not a subway-to-bus transfer.
What happened to the MetroCard?
The MetroCard retired after 32 years.
The MTA stopped selling and refilling them on January 1, 2026, and it will announce the date they stop working.
Have an old one with money on it?
An MTA Customer Service Center can move the balance onto an OMNY card.
Riding the bus
Your tap works on city buses, and a transfer between the subway and a bus is free within two hours when you use the same card or device.
Buses are moving to tap-only, so don’t count on paying in coins.
Where you stay makes a difference, too.
Staying in the heart of Midtown puts dozens of lines within walking distance, so you won’t need many rides a day.
Getting from JFK and LaGuardia Airport to Manhattan
How you get from the airport into Manhattan comes down to three things: your budget, how much luggage you have, and what time you land.
Here are your options, cheapest first.
From JFK by AirTrain and subway
Take the AirTrain from your terminal to Jamaica or Howard Beach station.
Riding between terminals is free; leaving the airport at Jamaica or Howard Beach costs $8.75, and you tap to pay just like on the subway.
From Jamaica, the E, J and Z head into Manhattan.
From Howard Beach, it’s the A. Add the $3 subway fare, and you’re in for $11.75.
In more of a hurry? From Jamaica, the Long Island Rail Road gets you to Penn Station or Grand Central in about 20 minutes, for a separate train ticket.
From LaGuardia by free bus and subway
There’s no train to LaGuardia, but the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus is free.
Catch it at Terminal B or C. It runs nonstop to the subway at Jackson Heights and to the Long Island Rail Road at Woodside, and from there it’s a regular $3 ride into Manhattan.
Landing at Terminal A? The M60 bus is the quicker ride into Manhattan.
Uber Shuttle
Uber now runs shared shuttles on fixed routes between the airports and spots like Grand Central and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
At JFK, they leave from Terminals 4 and 5.
You book a seat in the Uber app, and it costs far less than a private ride.
It’s a nice middle ground if you’d rather skip public transit but don’t want to pay for a whole car.
Check the seat price in the app before you book.
Yellow cabs from JFK charge a flat $70 to anywhere in Manhattan, plus surcharges, tolls and tip ($5 more on weekdays from 4 to 8 PM).
From LaGuardia, cabs run on the meter, plus a $5 airport surcharge.
Uber and Lyft prices change with demand.
These days I take Uber or Lyft because I like their safety features, but I’ve taken plenty of yellow cabs, too.
Which one I’d pick
- Carry-on only, daytime landing, hotel right by the subway with no transfers: the subway. It’s hard to beat $3 (plus the AirTrain from JFK).
- A heavy suitcase: a car. The convenience is worth it.
- Landing late at night: a car, every time. I don’t take public transit from the airport after dark.
Is the NYC subway safe at night?
A fun story ahead. When I first moved to New York City, I did not leave my apartment after dark.
For the entire first month.
It wasn’t until I got a late-night job that I had to travel after the sun went down.
Looking back, I was far too afraid of the unknown.
New Yorkers ride the subway at every hour, and with some street smarts you’ll be fine.
Here’s what I do after dark, and what I’d tell any friend riding alone:
- Skip the empty car. Yes, again. There’s a reason it’s empty.
- Ride with the crowd. Stay near people who look like they’re heading to or from work. When I commuted at 4 AM for early shifts, those were my people.
- Ride in the conductor’s car. The conductor usually rides in the middle of the train. Look for the black-and-white striped board hanging over the middle of the platform: the conductor’s window stops right in front of it.
- Keep your ears open. Headphones are fine, but keep the music low or off and skip noise cancellation, so you know what’s going on around you.
- Stay awake. Read a book or play a game on your phone, but don’t doze off. Waking up at the end of the line with no idea where you are is a story I never want to tell.
- Walk out with purpose. Know your route, or have the map loaded, before you head up the stairs. Shoulders back, head up, eyes on your surroundings instead of your screen.
If you don’t feel confident riding late at night or very early in the morning, take a car.
If I didn’t have to leave for at work at 4 AM, I’d have called one.
Uber, Lyft and yellow cabs are all easy options. I lean toward Uber for its built-in safety features.
Does the NYC subway run 24 hours?
Yes! The subway runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
It never closes.
It does NOT run the same way all the time, though.
Late at night and on weekends, trains come less often, and that’s when most track work happens, so some lines skip stations, run local instead of express, or reroute entirely.
Before you head out, check the MTA’s planned service changes or your transit app.
Give yourself extra time on weekends, especially if you have a timed ticket, like a Broadway show.
Should I just drive in NYC?
I don’t recommend driving into Manhattan.
Parking garages are expensive, many don’t allow multi-day parking, and you can spend an hour hunting for a street spot at every stop.
Since January 2025 there’s also a congestion toll: most cars pay $9 to drive into Manhattan below 60th Street at peak times (less overnight).
If you do drive in, book a hotel with parking included, or stay in another borough where hotels are often cheaper and parking is easier, then take the subway into Manhattan.
I promise, the subway isn’t that hard!
NYC Subway: FAQs
How much does the NYC subway cost in 2026?
One ride is $3.00. Tap the same card or device every time, and you’ll never pay more than $35 in 7 days.
Can I still use a MetroCard?
You can’t buy or refill one anymore (sales ended December 31, 2025). Existing cards still work for now, and the MTA will announce the date they stop.
What’s the best subway line?
My favorite is the A train. I spent a lot of time on the West Side, and the A goes from the top of Manhattan all the way to the beach in the Rockaways. At more than 31 miles from Inwood to Far Rockaway, it’s the longest one-seat ride in the whole system.
What’s the most beautiful subway station in NYC?
My vote goes to the World Trade Center. Technically, the Oculus is the hub for the PATH trains to New Jersey, but it connects underground to the subway, and it’s worth the detour. Next door, the 1 train’s WTC Cortlandt station has text from the Declaration of Independence on its walls.
Do New Yorkers say metro or subway?
Subway, every time (or just “the train”). You’ll hear “metro” in Washington, DC, and across Europe, but in New York it’s the subway.
Does the subway run all night?
Yes, 24 hours a day, every day. Trains come less often late at night, and track work often changes routes on nights and weekends.
How does the NYC subway work: Wrap-Up
It’s a lot to learn, and the subway can still be a challenge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
But once you’ve got the basics and a few rides under your belt, you’ll be tapping through the turnstile on your way to adventure!
Now that you know how the subway works, read my guide on how to understand NYC streets to master the city above ground, too.
Eva Keller says
I vaguely remember taking the subway when I visited NYC when I was 8, so I was just following along and didn’t have to figure it out luckily. I know if I ever went with my husband we would probably need the app and lots of planning ahead (or just have a sense of adventure in case we get it wrong). Great info and tips!
Lyndsay says
Thank you, what a great memory! The app is worth the free download, and yes, DEFINITELY keep a sense of adventure in the city!
Isabelle Huynh says
This is a great article! When I first visited my cousin, who lived in New York, she would speak to me using the subway vocabulary like “uptown” and “downtown” and I had no idea what it meant. Anyone confused about the subway system in NYC would learn a lot about reading this article!
Lyndsay says
I’m so happy this was helpful for you! Once you get the hang of it, the NYC subway is pretty easy to understand!
Kate Maddox says
Wow this is really helpful!! I will definitely download the CityMapper app for my next trip, the subway intimidates me!!
Lyndsay says
Thank you, I’m so happy you found this useful! Yes, Citymapper is my favorite app for getting around on the subway!
madhu sharma says
I wish I had this when I visited NYC last year..it was confusing to figure out stations.great guide.keepong it for next time
Lyndsay says
I’m so happy this has cleared up some of the confusion for you! Thank you, definitely save this for the next time you come!