Things to do / Travel Guide
Taking the Train around Long Island, New York
Long Island Railroad (LIRR) is a comfortable, fast, and easy way to get around Long Island. LIRR runs frequently and has about 120 stations on Long Island; in just about every community. From the western center of Long Island around Hempstead rail lines branch off going to Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, down the South Fork all the way to Montauk, and the North Fork all the way to Greenport. For precise schedules and fares, consult the Long Island Railroad website.
LIRR also offers a 24-hour a day, seven days a week AirTrain between LIRR's Jamaica Station and the JFK International Airport.
Driving around Long Island, New York
Every New Yorker will tell you: driving on Long Island during the summer months can be a nightmare. While driving with the flow of commuters and weekenders will certainly allow you to experience this traffic, many of the attractions and smaller hamlets are on the less-crowded side roads.
The main east-west routes on Long Island are (from North to South):
- Route NY 25A (Northern Boulevard)
- Route NY 25 (Jericho Turnpike) ending at Orient Point on the North Fork
- The world-famous Long Island Expressway (aka I-495) ending at Riverhead
- The Southern State Parkway, the south shores twin to the Northern State Parkway
- Route NY 27 (Sunrise Highway) ending at Montauk Point
- Route 27A (Montauk Highway) ending in the South Fork
North-south routes cross Long Island every few miles. The main highways are (from West to East):
- Meadowbrook Parkway
- Wantagh Parkway
- Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway
- Sagtikos State Parkway
One of the better ways to take a comprehensive tour of Long Island is by car. If you're just looking to visit single destinations, however, good rail, bus, and ferry service will usually get you where you want to go.
Taking the Bus around Long Island, New York
The MTA Long Island Bus system is extensive and easy to use. You can travel one of 118 routes servicing nearly all of Long Island's towns, railroad stations, shopping malls, and beaches.
Ferries around Long Island, New York
Getting to Fire Island crossing the Robert Moses Causeway Bridge or the Smith Point Bridge by car is fine if you plan only to visit the Fire Island Lighthouse. Otherwise, no cars are allowed on a large portion of Fire Island, so a ferry or private watercraft is the way to travel. One ferry service covers eastern Fire Island and offers a service leaving from Patchogue on Long Island about every hour an a half between May and October and arriving at Fire War Seashore on Fire Island. The one-way ride takes 20 minutes. Running May through October, the Sayville Ferry Service services central Fire Island offers ferries between Sayville to Fire Island Pines and Sunken Forest. The 30-minute, one-way ferry leaves every two hours. There is also a service between Bay Shore and eight different western Fire Island locations. Costs and travel times depend on final destinations.
To get to and from Shelter Island board one of the convenient year-round ferries that take bicycles, motorcycles, and passengers to and from the island. North Ferry Company travels between the north side of Shelter Island and Greenport. The ferry usually leaves every 20 minutes to a half an hour, and takes about seven minutes each way. Shelter Island South Ferry travels between the south side of Shelter Island and North Haven (near Sag Harbor), and takes about five minutes for a one-way trip. Ferries run from early in the morning until late in the evening. There is no public transportation on Shelter Island, so visitors will generally need a car or bike to get around. There is, however, a Shelter Island taxi service that provides another transportation alternative.
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