Enjoy a Day Trip by Rail while in New York

A guide to using regional railways to travel to attractions on the outskirts of New York City

While most of the attractions featured on our site are easily reached by subway and/or bus, there are many great day trip opportunities you can enjoy beyond New York City. New York's regional rail service is ideal for this and getting there can be half the fun.

The two railroad companies, operating under the MTA extend the reach of New York's transportation system. Long Island Rail Road operates 11 different lines providing service to Long Island. More information and maps can be found at MTA Long Island Railroad. Metro-North Railroad operates 5 lines with some additional branch lines into the regions north of New York City. For more information and maps see MTA Metro-North Railroad.

Trips on the Metro-North Railroad originate from Penn Station or Grand Central Terminal in Southern Manhattan, depending on the route. Trips on the Long Island Rail Road originate from Penn Station. You can get to Penn Station on subway trains 1,2,3,A,C and E and to Grand Central Terminal on subway trains 4,5,6,7 and Shuttle

Long Island has miles of spectacular world class beaches and parks that can easily be visited during a day trip from New York. In fact Long Island Rail offers a number of one day beach getaway packages during the summer season. Any of these day trips would be an ideal way to spend a day during your New York vacation. For more information visit Long Island Getaways.

Likewise, the Metro North Railroad offers an abundant selection of Day Trip packages to destinations ranging from the Hudson River Valley, Connecticut and Beyond. These are available right up until the end of October. There is something for everyone: attractions, museums, special events and festivals, outdoor adventures, gaming and shopping - lots of great ideas for a day trip out of New York. See Metro North Railroad One Day Getaways for full details.

Each of the two railroads has their own independant fare structure. You can download a PDF fare table and Zone Map for either railway from the links below.

PDF Download: Long Island Railroad Fare TablePDF

PDF Download: Metro North Railroad Fare TablePDF