Getting from Manhattan to Yonkers looks simple on paper: 15 to 20 miles, one county over, a city most New Yorkers have heard of. What the map does not show is that Yonkers has three separate Metro-North stations with different positions inside a city that stretches further than most visitors expect. Choose the wrong one and you add 20 minutes of local rideshare on top of a trip that should have been straightforward. That variable, more than traffic or cost, is what makes this route worth understanding before you travel it.
Manhattan to Yonkers
- Most predictable timing: Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central. 30 to 45 minutes. $9.25 to $12.50 depending on time of day.
- Door-to-door option: Uber or Lyft. 25 to 60 minutes depending on traffic, at a price the app sets rather than publishes, higher during peak hours.
- Group travel: Rideshare or private car service. Cost per person becomes competitive with Metro-North once you split the fare.
- Lowest single-trip cost: Metro-North off-peak. $9.25 one-way. Most predictable cost on the corridor.
- Avoid: Driving via the Bronx during weekday afternoon peak (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.). The Major Deegan can add 30 to 60 minutes with no viable alternative once you are committed to that corridor.
| Option | Time | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro-North Hudson Line | 30 to 45 min | $9.25 to $12.50 | Most reliable |
| Uber / Lyft | 25 to 60 min | $35 to $55 | Door-to-door |
| Driving via Henry Hudson Pkwy | 20 to 55 min | Gas + $9 return toll | Best for groups |
| BxM4C express bus | 45 to 75 min | $7.50 | Lowest fare, no transfer required |
Fares and travel times on this page are 2026 estimates and can change with the season, schedule updates, demand, weather, and service conditions. Confirm current prices and times with the official carrier before you travel.
The decision depends on your specific destination within Yonkers and the time of day you are traveling.
Understanding the route from Manhattan to Yonkers
Yonkers is the fourth-largest city in New York State and sits directly north of the Bronx, which makes it feel geographically simple to reach. That proximity is real. What it obscures is that Yonkers is not a single point on a map: it is a city of roughly 200,000 people spread across terrain that runs from the waterfront on the Hudson River to residential neighborhoods several miles inland. Where you are going inside Yonkers determines which transportation option is actually useful.
The Metro-North Hudson Line serves Yonkers with three stations: Yonkers, Glenwood, and Greystone. All three sit in the same fare zone, so the ticket price is identical. The difference is position. Yonkers Station is the southernmost and functions as the city’s main hub, closest to downtown. Glenwood sits in the middle section of Warburton Avenue. Greystone is the northernmost, near the border with Hastings-on-Hudson, and works best for destinations in the northern part of the city where some addresses fall within a mile of the platform.
The driving picture is different from what Google Maps suggests at first glance. The two main routes out of Manhattan toward Yonkers are the Henry Hudson Parkway (Route 9A) connecting to the Saw Mill River Parkway, and the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) through the Bronx. These are not equivalent. The Henry Hudson and Saw Mill are restricted to passenger vehicles only, which means no trucks and structurally lighter congestion. The Major Deegan is a freight corridor and behaves like one during afternoon peak hours. That asymmetry matters when you are deciding which route to take or how much time to budget. Travelers making similar calculations on other Westchester corridors, such as those planning transportation from New Rochelle to Manhattan, encounter the same highway-versus-rail tradeoff in a different geographic context.
What is the best way to get from Manhattan to Yonkers?
The best way to get from Manhattan to Yonkers is Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central Terminal for most travelers, costing $9.25 to $12.50 and taking 30 to 45 minutes. For door-to-door trips or destinations far from the three stations, rideshare is the practical alternative, at whatever the app quotes. Driving is competitive only off-peak and when the destination is not near a station.
In optimal conditions (off-peak, clear traffic):
- Metro-North: 30 to 33 minutes to Yonkers Station. Driving via Henry Hudson: 20 to 25 minutes.
In normal conditions (midday, typical weekday):
- Metro-North: 35 to 42 minutes. Driving: 30 to 45 minutes.
In peak traffic or incidents (weekday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.):
- Metro-North: 38 to 45 minutes (largely unaffected by road conditions). Driving via Major Deegan: 55 to 90 minutes. Henry Hudson route: 40 to 65 minutes.
Comparing your options
The options below reflect what actually exists on this corridor and when each one makes sense. The BxM4C is included because it serves a specific geographic slice of Yonkers that the train does not reach as conveniently.
| Option | Avg. price | Travel time | Frequency | Variability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro-North Hudson Line | $9.25 to $12.50 | 30 to 45 min | Every 20 to 60 min | Very low | Predictable timing |
| Uber / Lyft | $35 to $55 | 25 to 60 min | On demand | High (surge) | Door-to-door |
| Driving (Henry Hudson/Saw Mill) | Gas + tolls | 20 to 55 min | Anytime | Moderate off-peak, high peak | Schedule certainty (off-peak) |
| BxM4C express bus | $7.50 | 45 to 75 min | Scheduled | Moderate | Lowest single-trip cost |
| Private car service | $65 to $90 fixed | 30 to 55 min | Pre-booked | Low | Best for early arrivals |
Metro-North is the structural default on this corridor. The train’s 30 to 45 minute window barely changes between a Tuesday morning and a Friday afternoon because it does not share infrastructure with road traffic. That predictability is worth more than the raw time comparison suggests: a 25-minute drive that might become a 75-minute drive is not actually a 25-minute option.
Detailed transportation options
Metro-North Hudson Line
Metro-North is the backbone of this corridor for a structural reason that goes beyond convenience. Grand Central Terminal sits in Midtown Manhattan and delivers you directly to one of three Yonkers stations without a transfer, a bridge toll, or exposure to the Bronx highway network. The train takes the same amount of time on a Monday morning as it does on a Friday afternoon. That consistency is the asset.
The fare structure as of January 2026: $12.50 one-way during peak hours, $9.25 one-way off-peak. The monthly pass for Zone 3 is $243.50. One important operational detail: buying your ticket before boarding is not optional in practice. Travelers who purchase from the conductor on board pay a $7.75 to $8.50 surcharge for the same seat. The MTA’s app or ticket machines at Grand Central handle this in under two minutes. For commuters making this trip 22 days a month, pre-purchasing every ticket saves roughly $187 per month compared to buying on board, which is more than the cost of a monthly pass itself. That single habit, buying before boarding, is the highest-return decision a regular traveler on this corridor can make.
The station selection question is where most first-time travelers make a costly mistake. Yonkers Station is the right choice for downtown Yonkers and southern neighborhoods. Glenwood serves the mid-city Warburton Avenue corridor. Greystone is the right choice if your destination is in the northern part of the city, where some addresses sit within a mile of the platform. Getting off at the wrong station and needing a rideshare to cover the remaining distance adds both time and cost to a trip that should have been clean. The Yonkers Station transportation guide covers platform layout, connections, and the surrounding street network in detail.
Not all Hudson Line trains stop at all three Yonkers stations. Some trains skip Glenwood or Greystone and serve only Yonkers Station. Travelers arriving in Yonkers for the first time often discover this after the doors close. Checking the MTA app before boarding to confirm which stations a specific train serves takes under a minute and prevents the most common first-visit mistake on this corridor.
Service frequency runs every 20 to 30 minutes during peak hours and every 30 to 60 minutes off-peak. The last trains from Grand Central depart close to 2 a.m., which covers most evening plans but leaves a gap for late-night events. After that window, rideshare becomes the only realistic option.
When Metro-North is not recommended: Late-night travel after 2 a.m. Trips where the destination in Yonkers is more than a mile from any of the three stations and no local transit or rideshare is available at the arrival end. Trips with heavy luggage where stairs and platform distances add meaningful friction.
Driving via Henry Hudson Parkway and Saw Mill River Parkway
The Henry Hudson Parkway is the correct driving route from Manhattan to Yonkers for most travelers. It connects the Upper West Side directly to the Saw Mill River Parkway, which carries you north into Yonkers without touching the Bronx highway network. The restriction to passenger vehicles only keeps the corridor meaningfully lighter than the Major Deegan under equivalent conditions.
In off-peak conditions, this drive takes 20 to 30 minutes. During the afternoon peak window (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays), expect 40 to 65 minutes. The Henry Hudson is not immune to congestion, but its ceiling is lower than the Bronx alternatives. One note on cost: congestion pricing in Manhattan applies to vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone, not leaving it. The $9 peak toll is a cost you pay on the return trip if you re-enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, not on the outbound leg.
The Major Deegan (I-87) through the Bronx is the alternative that looks faster on a map and is not. It carries freight traffic, has fewer exit options once you are committed, and sits adjacent to the Cross Bronx Expressway, which can collapse with little warning during afternoon peak hours. The structural variability of that corridor can add 30 to 60 minutes with no meaningful way to recover once you are in it. Reserve the Deegan for off-peak trips or when the Henry Hudson has an active incident.
When driving is not recommended: Weekday afternoon peak hours, particularly if your departure from Manhattan falls between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Any trip where you need to be in Yonkers at a specific time and cannot absorb a 30-minute variance. Commuters making this trip five days a week: the monthly cost of driving (gas plus the $9 congestion pricing toll on return, roughly $317 per month) exceeds the Metro-North monthly pass of $243.50.
Rideshare (Uber and Lyft)
Rideshare on this corridor works as a door-to-door option, which matters more than the fare comparison initially suggests. If your destination in Yonkers is not near a Metro-North station, rideshare does not just save you the last-mile problem: it eliminates it entirely. That structural advantage is worth paying for in specific cases.
Neither app publishes a fare for this trip in advance, and weekday afternoon surge pricing raises whatever the quote would otherwise be. A $1.50 per-trip surcharge applies to high-volume for-hire vehicles originating in Manhattan. Driver availability in Yonkers is generally comparable to Westchester central, with slightly shorter pickup times due to proximity to the city. Drivers are more willing to accept Yonkers runs because the return distance to active demand is shorter than from further north in the county.
The breakeven calculation for groups is relevant here. Metro-North at $12.50 per person for a group of four costs $50 total. One Uber for the same group is a single fare rather than four, and delivers everyone to the same door. For groups of three or more traveling to the same Yonkers address, rideshare frequently wins the cost comparison even before factoring in the convenience of no station navigation.
When rideshare is not recommended: Solo travelers making this trip regularly. The monthly cost of a daily rideshare quickly becomes several times the Metro-North monthly pass. Peak-hour trips where budget matters: surge pricing on a Friday afternoon can double the fare in a 40-minute window.
BxM4C express bus
The BxM4C is a Westchester-Manhattan express bus that runs along Central Park Avenue in Yonkers, with stops at Yonkers Avenue and McLean Avenue before heading south into Manhattan via Fifth Avenue. The fare is $7.50, which makes it the lowest single-trip cost on this list. The MTA’s OMNY system handles payment (MetroCards were retired in January 2026).
The geographic limitation is significant. The BxM4C serves the Central Park Avenue corridor, which runs through the eastern part of Yonkers. If your origin in Manhattan or your destination in Yonkers is not near that corridor, the bus requires additional travel to reach the stop, which erodes the cost advantage. For the specific traveler whose Manhattan address and Yonkers destination both align with the Central Park Avenue spine, this option is genuinely competitive. For everyone else, it is a secondary consideration. Travelers who rely on bus-based mobility across the county more broadly will find the Bee-Line bus system guide useful for understanding how the BxM4C fits into the wider Westchester network.
Travel time runs 45 to 75 minutes depending on traffic, which makes it slower than Metro-North under most conditions. The bus shares road infrastructure with general traffic and does not have the structural insulation from congestion that the train provides.
When the BxM4C is not recommended: Time-sensitive trips. Destinations in western Yonkers near the Hudson River or the Metro-North stations on Warburton Avenue. Trips during afternoon peak hours when the bus is subject to the same congestion as any other vehicle on the corridor.
Local insider tips for the Manhattan to Yonkers route
Know your Yonkers station before you buy your ticket
The three Metro-North stations in Yonkers (Yonkers, Glenwood, Greystone) carry the same fare but serve different parts of a city that is larger than most visitors expect. Looking up the address of your destination in Yonkers and checking which station is closest takes about 90 seconds and can save you a rideshare at the arrival end. Yonkers Station for downtown and the south. Greystone for northern Yonkers, where some destinations fall within walking distance. Glenwood for mid-city addresses on the Warburton Avenue corridor.
Not every train stops at every Yonkers station
This is the piece of information that separates travelers who have done this trip before from those who have not. Some Hudson Line trains serve only Yonkers Station and bypass Glenwood and Greystone entirely. A traveler heading to the northern part of the city who boards the wrong train ends up at Yonkers Station with a rideshare ahead of them. The MTA app shows which stations each specific departure serves. Checking before you board costs nothing. Discovering it after the doors close costs time and money. The experienced traveler on this corridor verifies the stop list, not just the line.
The Henry Hudson is not the same as the Major Deegan
Both routes go north. They are not equivalent. The Henry Hudson and Saw Mill restrict truck traffic, which structurally limits how bad congestion can get. The Major Deegan does not. If you are driving and your GPS routes you through the Bronx via the Deegan, overriding it during afternoon peak hours removes exposure to a corridor that can collapse with no warning. The Henry Hudson adds a few miles but removes the variable that most frequently breaks this drive. The time floor on the Deegan in peak traffic has no reliable ceiling. Travelers who regularly drive between Westchester and Manhattan, including those making the Hartsdale to Manhattan commute, face the same Deegan-versus-Saw-Mill decision on every outbound trip.
The congestion pricing toll applies to your return trip, not your departure
A common misconception: congestion pricing charges vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone (Manhattan south of 60th Street), not vehicles leaving it. If you drive from Manhattan to Yonkers, you do not pay the $9 toll on the way out. You pay it when you return and re-enter the CRZ. For commuters making this round trip daily, that is $9 times roughly 22 working days, or about $198 per month in tolls alone, which changes the math on driving versus Metro-North considerably.
Plan for the last train if your evening has a hard end time
Metro-North runs until close to 2 a.m. from Grand Central, which covers most evening plans. If you are attending an event in Manhattan that ends after midnight, the last Hudson Line departure time is the variable that determines whether you take the train or pay for a late-night rideshare. Missing the last train means rideshare from Manhattan to Yonkers at whatever the late-night fare is, which can run $45 to $70 depending on demand. The Yonkers Station transportation guide is worth bookmarking if you make this trip regularly, including for last-train departure times and late-night platform access.
Risk factors
Wrong station selection in Yonkers:
- Getting off at Yonkers Station when your destination is near Greystone adds 15 to 25 minutes of local rideshare and its fare on top.
Boarding a train that skips your Yonkers station:
- Not all Hudson Line trains stop at Glenwood or Greystone. Boarding without verifying the stop list can strand you at Yonkers Station with an unplanned last-mile trip.
Driving via Major Deegan during afternoon peak:
- Exposure to Cross Bronx adjacency can add 30 to 60 minutes with no viable exit once committed to the corridor.
Buying Metro-North ticket on board:
- $7.75 to $8.50 surcharge added to the fare. On an off-peak ticket, this nearly doubles the cost.
Missing the last Metro-North train:
- After approximately 2 a.m., rideshare is the only option. Late-night surge pricing raises whatever the app quotes at that hour.
Surge pricing on rideshare during afternoon peak:
- A base fare of $40 can reach $70 to $90 between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays. The same trip on Metro-North costs $12.50 and takes a comparable amount of time.
Assuming the subway reaches Yonkers:
- The subway does not serve Yonkers. The closest station is in the Bronx. A traveler who arrives at the last Bronx subway stop expecting to be near their Yonkers destination faces a significant additional trip, often 20 to 40 minutes by rideshare depending on where in the city they are headed. This is the most common first-visit mistake on this corridor.
Related guides
For a broader view of how transportation connects Yonkers to the regional network, the local transportation guide for Yonkers covers local mobility patterns in more depth. Travelers coming from other parts of Westchester may also find the Mount Vernon to Manhattan transportation guide useful for understanding how the Hudson Line fits into the wider commuter rail picture alongside parallel corridors serving other cities on the same line.
Frequently asked questions
The Hudson Line from Grand Central to Yonkers Station takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on the specific train and time of day. Peak-hour trains run every 20 to 30 minutes. Off-peak service runs every 30 to 60 minutes. The three Yonkers stations (Yonkers, Glenwood, Greystone) are served by the same line and carry the same fare.
As of January 2026, a one-way peak fare for Zone 3 (which includes all three Yonkers stations) is $12.50. Off-peak is $9.25. The monthly pass is $243.50. Travelers who purchase from the conductor on board pay a surcharge of $7.75 to $8.50 on top of the standard fare.
Off-peak and on weekends, driving via the Henry Hudson Parkway can be faster at 20 to 30 minutes. During weekday afternoon peak hours (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.), Metro-North is consistently faster and more predictable. The train’s 30 to 45 minute window does not change with road conditions. A drive that takes 25 minutes at noon can take 75 minutes at 5 p.m. on the same route.
It depends on your destination within the city. Yonkers Station is the main hub and serves downtown and southern Yonkers. Glenwood covers mid-city addresses along Warburton Avenue. Greystone is the northernmost station and works best for destinations in the northern part of Yonkers, where some addresses fall within a mile of the platform. All three carry the same fare from Grand Central.
Yes, with caveats. Neither app publishes a fare under normal conditions. During afternoon peak hours, surge pricing can push that to $60 to $90. A $1.50 per-trip surcharge applies to high-volume for-hire vehicles originating in Manhattan. Rideshare is the practical default when your Yonkers destination is not near a Metro-North station, or for groups of three or more where the per-person cost becomes competitive with the train.
The congestion pricing toll applies to vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone (Manhattan south of 60th Street), not leaving it. Driving from Manhattan to Yonkers does not trigger the toll on the outbound leg. The $9 peak charge applies when you return and re-enter the CRZ. For daily commuters making this round trip, that adds roughly $198 per month to the cost of driving.
The last Hudson Line trains from Grand Central depart close to 2 a.m. After that, rideshare is the only realistic option. Late-night fares from Manhattan to Yonkers are set in the app at the moment of booking, with potential surge pricing depending on demand. Travelers whose plans in Manhattan have a hard end time after midnight benefit from knowing the last departure time in advance rather than assuming a late train will be available.
How to think about this trip
The Manhattan to Yonkers route is not complicated. It is misread. Most travelers approach it as a simple distance problem: 15 to 20 miles, one county over, probably a quick drive. What they are actually dealing with is a destination that has three entry points with different positions inside a city large enough that the wrong entry point costs real time. And a driving corridor that is fast under one set of conditions and genuinely unpredictable under another.
Metro-North solves most of this. The train delivers you to one of three stations in 30 to 45 minutes regardless of what the Bronx highway network is doing that afternoon. The decision to take the train is not about being transit-minded. It is about removing the variable that most frequently breaks this trip: road congestion between the Bronx and the Westchester line. For commuters making this trip regularly, the transportation from Yonkers to Manhattan covers the return direction and the monthly cost comparison in detail, and the same Metro-North logic applies in reverse.
The travelers who do this trip well are not the ones who always drive or always take the train. They are the ones who know which station is closest to where they are going, which route avoids the Deegan in the afternoon, and what time the last train leaves. Those three pieces of information cover most of what can go wrong. The rest is execution.
