On my first trip to New York, I asked a couple of my friends if it was worth staying in New Jersey. When they told me that they had chosen the city as a base to explore the Big Apple, I immediately imagined that they had spent long hours on the train that runs between the two cities. However, when I went to plan my own trip, I realized when I saw the hotel prices in Manhattan: I couldn’t afford to stay on the island. Even hotels brown people They were worth gold just for being there. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand paying 60 dollars for a shared hostel room. Not in NYC, not on Mars.
In these cases, most people’s first option is to look for a hotel in Brooklyn, but I remembered that, a few months earlier, we had received an invitation from the folks at Dharma Home Suites to stay at their branch in Jersey City. I did some quick research on the subject and thought: why not?
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Jersey City is a city in New Jersey, another American state, and is right there, on the other side of the Hudson River, just as Brooklyn is on the other side of the East River, on the other side of Manhattan. Crossing this simple watercourse is enough to make daily room prices plummet by as much as 50%. Furthermore, by paying much less you can get nicer hotels, with swimming pools, leisure areas, courts and other amenities that in Manhattan are either non-existent or cost a lot.
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Manhattan in the middle, NJ to the north and Brooklyn to the south (Photo: Cmglee – CC BY-SA 2.0)
And if you enjoy a view, then know that Jersey is a much better place to enjoy Manhattan than, well, Manhattan itself. In this case, choose a hotel right in front of the Hudson and be impressed by this:
In addition to Dharma Home Suites, other good accommodation options that offer great value for money are The Holland Hotel, Dream Home Luxury Suites and Holliday Inn.
Find hotels in New Jersey
How to get from New Jersey to Manhattan
The two cities are connected both by road and by the train system – which is what you will probably use if you stay there. The journey is very quick. From the moment I got on the train until I got off at a station in Manhattan, it took between 10 and 15 minutes. One day, I went to visit a friend in Brooklyn and the Brooklyn – Manhattan route took me longer than that.
However, as it does not belong to the same city hall – nor the same state –, the Jersey subway network is not the same as that of NYC. This means that you need a ticket for the PATH train, which is the line that runs between the two cities, and another to travel on the New York subway. But the stations where the PATH train stops are basically the same as those used by the subway, which means it’s very easy to switch from one system to the other. The service operates 24 hours. During the day, trains run every few minutes. Early in the morning, they usually leave every 40 minutes or an hour.
Newark, Harrison, Journal Square, Grove St, Exchange Pl and Hoboken stations are in New Jersey. When looking for a hotel there, make sure the establishment is close to one of them and you will be fine. I recommend Journal Square, Grove St. (where I stayed) or Hoboken for a quicker commute. The Exchange Pl. station is also very close to Manhattan, but staying there you will only have the option of the World Trade Center line, which reduces your possibilities of traveling to the island.
The World Trade Center, Christopher St., 9 St., 14 St., 23 St. and 33 St. stations are the options for getting off in Manhattan or taking the train back.
A taxi from Manhattan to Jersey City should cost between 25 and 50 dollars depending on where you are.
Disadvantages of staying in New Jersey
Besides the fact that you have to buy a different ticket for the PATH and it’s not there in the center, I think the biggest difficulty about staying in Jersey is when you want to go out at night in places in Manhattan that aren’t close to train stations. PATH. This is because the frequencies – both on the metro and the train – are reduced in the early hours of the morning and, when having to match the timetables of both means of transport, it can take a long time to get back. An alternative in these cases is to take a taxi back to New Jersey or the nearest PATH station.
But after all, is it worth staying in New Jersey?
Of course, staying in Manhattan is much more practical. After all, you will be in the middle of everything. But this has a price and it can be quite high. If you need somewhere more affordable or with a much more favorable cost-benefit ratio and you don’t mind using public transport, New Jersey is an option. I would consider staying there again on a next visit to New York.
New Jersey hotel tips
Booking.com has 41 accommodation options in Jersey City, many of which are apartments or hotels between 3 and 4 stars. Click here to do your research and find the best place for you.
