LaGuardia to Times Square: Q70 + Subway, Taxi or Uber?
LaGuardia is physically close to Midtown but has no subway station at the terminals. For most travelers arriving at Terminals B or C, the strongest public-transit choices begin with the free Q70 LGA Link and continue by subway. A taxi or ride-hail wins when luggage, group size or the hotel door matters more than the lowest fare.
Serves Terminals B and C and connects to Jackson Heights/74 St and Woodside.
The Q70 is free, so a standard subway continuation is the main public-transit fare.
Use Jackson Heights for the E or Woodside for the 7 toward Midtown.
LGA trips use the standard meter plus the current airport surcharge and applicable fees.
Q70 serves Terminals B and C; other airport buses and the terminal shuttle cover Terminal A access.
Compare LaGuardia convenience with the full Times Square airport choice.
The free Q70 makes LGA unusually competitive, but flight quality, Terminal A, luggage and taxi convenience can still change the decision.
Q70 + E subway is the simplest budget route from Terminals B and C
Take the free Q70 LGA Link to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74 St–Broadway, then transfer to the E toward Manhattan. The E serves 42 St–Port Authority, which connects to the Times Square station complex.
Because the Q70 itself is fare-free, the standard public-transit cost is essentially the current $3 subway fare for a full-fare rider. This is unusually competitive for an airport-to-Midtown trip.
Q70 service is designed around Terminals B and C. If you arrive at Terminal A, check LaGuardia’s current public-transport page before assuming the same transfer.
Q70 + 7 train via Woodside is another direct Midtown option
The Q70 also serves Woodside, where the 7 train runs directly to Times Sq–42 St. This can be a useful alternative when the 7 is operating normally or when your hotel sits closer to the east side of the Times Square complex.
Choose between Jackson Heights and Woodside based on live service, elevator needs and where your hotel entrance actually is rather than memorizing one universal route.
Taxi is straightforward but there is no JFK-style flat fare
LaGuardia yellow-taxi trips use the normal metered fare plus the current LGA airport surcharge and other applicable surcharges. Traffic therefore has a much larger effect on the final bill than on a JFK–Manhattan flat-fare trip.
A taxi becomes more attractive for several people sharing one vehicle, large bags, small children or a hotel entrance that is awkward from Times Square subway stations.
Ride-hail is useful when the live quote or vehicle type solves a real problem
Uber and Lyft use designated pickup areas that can vary by terminal. Follow current airport signs and the app rather than an old pickup map.
Compare the live ride-hail quote with a yellow taxi before booking. Demand pricing and vehicle size can make either option cheaper at a particular moment.
Luggage and stairs matter more than the raw map distance
The Q70-to-subway route is cheap, but you still have to move luggage through a transfer station and the large Times Square/Port Authority complex. For one carry-on this may be trivial; for a family with several suitcases it can dominate the decision.
If accessibility matters, check station elevator status before leaving the terminal and keep a direct-car fallback in mind.
A simple LGA → Times Square decision
- Terminal B/C + manageable luggage — start with free Q70 + E or 7
- Want the lowest fare — public transit is usually very hard to beat
- Family/group with several bags — compare a yellow taxi with the total party transit friction
- Terminal A — verify the current airport bus connection before using a Q70-based plan
- Late night or disrupted subway service — compare taxi and live ride-hail quotes