Ramapo College is reasonably accessible from four New York City area airports, ensuring that you have a variety of options in terms of price points, number of direct flights and layovers, and ability to tie in other aspects of your trip (like stopping over in Manhattan on the front or back end of your stay in the area!).
What Airport Do I Fly Into?
Here are the airports listed in order of preference by convenience. Please note that ALL routes listed below have tolls associated with them, ranging from ~$3.60 from Newark (Parkway each way) and ~$5.00 for the Gov. Cuomo Bridge (if arriving from Westchester County Airport), upwards of larger fees to cross the Whitestone Bridge ($8.50 each way if coming from JFK), the George Washington Bridge ($12.50 only on return trip to LaGuardia – there is no toll for entering New Jersey), and the New York State Thruway (if coming from Stewart International, north of the city).
- Newark Airport: Drive Time – 45 Mins | Miles: 38.3 *Newark has its own train station that you can take to Mahwah. More below.
- Westchester County Airport: Drive Time – 39 Minutes | Miles: 34.6 *This can be a very cheap airport to fly into at times!
- Stewart Airport: Drive Time – 42 Mins | Miles: 40.1 *Stewart is safest in terms of traffic since it is north of the city.
- LaGuardia Airport: Drive Time – 1 Hour, 15 Mins | Miles: 33.8 *This can be 2+ hours if there is a baseball game that day.
- JFK Airport: Drive Time – 57 Mins | Miles: 43.6 *We suggest JFK being a last resort given the time to cross Long Island and Uptown Manhattan. This can take 2+ hours if there is a baseball game that day.
It is up to each attendee to determine what airport is best value for them in regard to price, layovers or direct flights, time of arrival, etc. Please do take into consideration NYC area traffic. For example, arriving at LaGuardia at 3pm and attempting to cross Uptown Manhattan is not advisable as it could take you several hours to reach Ramapo. Plan your flights strategically and attempt to land at your chosen airport between 10am and 2pm.
We also encourage you to consider taking Uber or Lyft given the flat rate fees they offer, as a taxi cab can increase its price considerably when idling in traffic.
How Should I get to Ramapo from the Airports?
In the case of Westchester, Stewart, LGA, and JFK, we suggest Uber/Lyft. In the case of Newark, you can do the same, or you have the option to take the train from Liberty Station (Newark Airport Station) without ever stepping outside. The train will be $19.50 each way, though you can save some money downloading the NJ Transit app and purchasing your mobile tickets ahead of time (they have a fairly long expiration window, so no need to worry about delayed flights). The $19.50 is inclusive of the Air Train from the airport to the train station only if you purchase your ticket BEFORE boarding the train. Otherwise an additional $5.00 fee applies.
To take the train, you’ll simply hop on the Northeast Corridor Line or NJ Coast Line line to Secaucus Junction, at which you will take the Main or Bergen lines (both will take you there). The changeover at Secaucus Junction is only two stops into your trip, so be sure to get off at Secaucus Junction and then pick up the Main or Bergen line. As with any train schedule, they vary trip to trip due to changing stops, but generally speaking it is about an 80-minute trip with about one train per hour. Please note that the Northeast Corridor Line and NJ Coast Line transfer in Secaucus Junction to the Main / Bergen can be a tight transfer at times and you MUST have your ticket out and ready to changing trains.
The Main / Bergen lines will drop you off at Ramsey 17 Station or the Mahwah Station. From there you will need to grab an Uber/Lyft/Taxi for the final 5 minute drive to the campus.
If you want the NYC-area public transportation experience at a rather cheap price, then take advantage of the NJ Transit train system. But if you don’t mind spending maybe $20 more out of convenience, opt for Uber/Lyft (since you’ll be needing one anyway once at the Mahwah Station).
You can learn more about departure/arrival times, ticket prices, and schedules here: https://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainTo
Additionally, here is a PDF map of the lines mentioned.
As always, if you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Executive Operations Director Brandon Charpied at brandon@mobts.org