How to Get to Your NYC Heliport by Subway & Rideshare

New York City has two heliports that handle nearly all public helicopter tours, and figuring out how to get to your NYC heliport starts with knowing which one your flight actually departs from. Confirm this on your booking confirmation — it matters more than people expect, because the two sites sit roughly four miles apart on opposite sides of Manhattan, and mixing them up means missing your flight entirely.

Both heliports sit directly on the water, which is practical for takeoff paths over the Hudson River and the harbor but makes them oddly isolated from the regular street grid. Neither has a dedicated subway stop. That's the detail that trips up a lot of visitors coming from Times Square or Central Park hotels who assume there's a train that drops them at the door.

Downtown Manhattan Heliport

Downtown Manhattan Heliport sits at Pier 6, at the southern tip of the island near Pier 11 and the Staten Island Ferry terminal, with the address generally given as South Street at Wall Street. It's the busier of the two for scenic tour operators, largely because it sits closest to the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan's skyline — a short, dramatic loop that many operators sell as a 15 to 20 minute flight. The location is tight, wedged between the FDR Drive and the water, so arriving on foot from the Financial District involves navigating underpasses that aren't particularly pedestrian-friendly, especially with kids or luggage in tow.

East 34th Street Heliport

East 34th Street Heliport, officially the Atlantic Metroport, sits on the East River at the end of East 34th Street, east of FDR Drive, close to NYU Langone Medical Center. Getting to East 34th Street Heliport means heading to a stretch of Manhattan that's more residential and medical-campus than tourist zone, so there's less signage and fewer helpful bystanders than you'd find downtown. It handles some scenic flights but leans more toward charter and transfer traffic. If your tour departs from here, build in extra buffer time — the walk from the nearest avenue crosses a pedestrian bridge over the FDR that's easy to miss if you're not looking for it.

The MTA subway will get you within a 10 to 15 minute walk of either heliport, but not closer — that's the honest trade-off. It's the cheapest way in at a flat $2.90 fare, and for solo travelers or budget-minded couples it's a reasonable option if you're not hauling bags and you leave enough cushion before check-in.

Rideshare is fastest door-to-door for both heliports, while the subway is cheapest but requires a 10-15 minute walk at the end.

How to get to NYC heliport locations: transit time and cost compared

Typical figures based on normal traffic; times vary with weather, rush hour, and bridge or tunnel congestion, so check current conditions before you travel.

Getting to Downtown Manhattan via Subway

For Downtown Manhattan Heliport, take the 2 or 3 train to Wall Street, or the 4 or 5 to Fulton Street, then walk east toward South Street — roughly 10 minutes on foot from either stop. The J and Z trains to Broad Street work too and actually land you a bit closer. From Times Square, that's a straight shot on the 2 or 3 train, about 20 minutes of ride time. From Brooklyn, the 2 or 3 from Borough Hall or Court Street gets you there in about 15 to 20 minutes, which honestly beats the equivalent taxi ride once you factor in East River crossing traffic.

Reaching East 34th Street by Train

For East 34th Street Heliport, your best subway option is the 6 train to 33rd Street, followed by a 12 to 15 minute walk east across town to the FDR Drive pedestrian overpass. There's no subway line that runs close to the East River at that latitude, which is the heliport's biggest access weakness. From Central Park South, the 6 train from a stop like 68th Street takes about 15 minutes, then add the walk. If you're coming from Times Square, the walk-heavy nature of this route means many people just skip the subway here altogether and take a cab or rideshare instead.

Buses are slower than the subway in almost every case here, but they matter if you're staying somewhere the subway doesn't reach directly, or if you want to avoid stairs. I wouldn't choose a bus as a first option for either heliport unless you're already near a stop that lines up well — the walk-to-wait ratio rarely favors buses in Lower Manhattan or the East 30s.

M15 and Crosstown Bus Routes

The M15 runs up and down First and Second Avenues along the East Side, making it genuinely useful for East 34th Street Heliport — you can ride it to East 34th Street and First Avenue, then walk the remaining six or seven blocks east. For Downtown Manhattan Heliport, there's no single crosstown bus that gets you close; you'd typically combine the M15 south to South Street Seaport area and finish on foot, which adds time most travelers won't want to spend.

Travel Times and Frequency

M15 buses run roughly every 6 to 10 minutes during the day, less frequently late at night. From Midtown to the East 34th Street area, expect 15 to 25 minutes depending on traffic, plus the walk. Buses in Manhattan crawl during rush hour — if your flight departs between 4pm and 7pm on a weekday, a bus is a risky choice. Build at least 45 minutes of total transit buffer if buses are part of your plan.

For most visitors — especially families with children, senior travelers, and anyone arriving from outside the city — rideshare to the heliport in New York is simply the least stressful option. It costs more than transit, but it removes the guesswork around pedestrian bridges and underpasses that trip up first-timers at both locations.

Uber and Lyft Pickup Zones

Set your destination as "Downtown Manhattan Heliport" or "Pier 6" and the app will usually route you to a drop-off point on South Street near Wall Street — close enough that you can see the pad from the car. From Times Square, expect a 15 to 25 minute ride and a fare typically in the $20 to $35 range depending on time of day and surge pricing. For East 34th Street Heliport, drop-off is trickier because of the FDR Drive barrier; some rides will drop you on First Avenue near East 34th Street, leaving a short walk across the pedestrian bridge. From Central Park South, budget 15 to 20 minutes and a similar fare range.

Traditional Taxi Access

Yellow cabs work the same way and can often get marginally closer to Downtown Manhattan Heliport since drivers know the Pier 6 entrance well from years of airport and ferry traffic nearby. Taxis take credit cards at a flat meter rate plus tolls if you're crossing from Brooklyn, and there's no surge pricing to worry about, which can make costs more predictable than rideshare during peak hours. The trade-off is availability — hailing one curbside in the East 30s near the medical campus is harder than in Midtown, so you may end up waiting longer than you would for an app-based pickup.

If you're driving in from outside the city — common among families road-tripping in from the suburbs or visitors combining a heliport tour with a broader New York City itinerary — parking is the least convenient part of this whole trip. Neither heliport has its own public parking lot, so you're relying on commercial garages nearby.

Paid Parking Facilities Nearby

Near Downtown Manhattan Heliport, several commercial garages operate within a few blocks along Water Street, Pearl Street, and near the South Street Seaport. None of them are heliport-specific, so you'll walk five to ten minutes regardless of which one you choose. Near East 34th Street Heliport, parking options cluster around First and Second Avenues in the East 30s, partly shared with visitors to NYU Langone, which means weekday daytime availability can be tight.

Parking Costs and Availability

Expect to pay somewhere in the $20 to $45 range for a few hours in a Manhattan commercial garage, with Lower Manhattan generally running a bit cheaper than Midtown East. Street parking exists in both areas but is metered, time-limited, and genuinely hard to find — I wouldn't plan around it unless you enjoy circling blocks while your check-in clock runs down. If you're driving in, a garage reservation app used in advance beats showing up and hoping for a spot.