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Trip from Bath Beach, NY to Manhattan, NY

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

34m

Distance

15.5 mi

25 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 32m ★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 33m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Bath Beach, NY, NY

Bath Beach, NY

Sarah O'Shea

borough of New York City, New York, United States

Manhattan, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Bath Beach, NY to Manhattan, NY is 15.5 miles and takes about 34 minutes via Gowanus Expressway/West Street/12th Avenue, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. Expect a route that involves frequent turns and navigating local streets. Given its brevity, this drive is best suited for a quick transfer or as part of a larger itinerary, rather than a destination in itself.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Gowanus Expressway 4.1 mi 6m
West Street 2.4 mi 6m
12th Avenue 1.8 mi 5m
86th Street 1.4 mi 2m
West Side Highway 0.8 mi 1m
West 86th Street 0.4 mi 1m
11th Avenue 0.4 mi 1m
Broadway 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Gowanus Expressway — 4.1 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Bath Beach, NY and Manhattan, NY.

1

Start on Benson Avenue

251 ft · 11 sec · Benson Avenue
2

Turn right onto 18th Avenue

0.2 mi · 44 sec · 18th Avenue
3

Turn left onto 86th Street

1.4 mi · 2 min · 86th Street
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Toward I 278 East: Manhattan, Queens
5

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Toward I 278 East: Queens, Bronx Use the straight / right lanes.
6

Merge onto I 278

4.1 mi · 6 min · Gowanus Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight left at fork

2.3 mi · 4 min
Exit 25 Toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Manhattan Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Keep slight right at fork

230 ft · 10 sec
Toward NY 9A North: West Street, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, George Washington Bridge Use the right lane.
9

At end of road, turn right onto NY 9A

2.4 mi · 6 min · West Street
Use the right lane.
10

Continue on NY 9A

0.4 mi · 1 min · 11th Avenue
Use the straight lane.
11

Continue on NY 9A

1.8 mi · 5 min · 12th Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
12

Continue on NY 9A

0.8 mi · 1 min · West Side Highway
13

Continue on HH; NY 9A

0.2 mi · 13 sec · Henry Hudson Parkway
14

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Toward West 79 Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Turn right onto West 79th Street

0.2 mi · 35 sec · West 79th Street
Use the right lane.
16

Turn left onto Broadway

0.4 mi · 56 sec · Broadway
17

Turn right onto West 86th Street

0.4 mi · 1 min · West 86th Street
18

Continue on 86th Street Transverse

0.2 mi · 35 sec · 86th Street Transverse
Toward East Side Use the straight / left lanes.
19

Arrive at destination

86th Street Transverse

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 1.8 and 14.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

9
1.8 mi into trip | ~4m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 278 East: Queens, Bronx

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / right lanes. Toward I 278 East: Queens, Bronx
9
6.2 mi into trip | ~11m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Manhattan

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 25 Toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Manhattan
8
8.5 mi into trip | ~15m in

Keep slight right at fork toward NY 9A North: West Street, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, George Washington Bridge

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the right lane. Toward NY 9A North: West Street, Holland Tunnel...
6
8.6 mi into trip | ~15m in | NY 9A / West Street

At end of road, turn right onto NY 9A / West Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
7
14.2 mi into trip | ~30m in

Take the exit toward West 79 Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward West 79 Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.55 one way

$5.10 round trip

$4.18/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.52 $2.76 $5.52
premium $4.92 $3.00 $6.01
diesel $5.61 $3.42 $6.84

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.6 0 $1.63 $0.74
Efficient EV 3.9 0 $1.36 $0.62
EV Truck/SUV 6.2 0 $2.17 $0.99

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Bath Beach, NY

Morning in Bath Beach on Tuesday

Local time

9:26 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Manhattan, NY

Morning in Manhattan on Tuesday

Local time

9:26 AM

EDT

Current temp

88°F

Mostly Sunny

SW 3 to 9 mph 4% chance Live forecast

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

25 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

34m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

This route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive' with only 28% highway share. You'll encounter a mix of expressway and city streets, meaning frequent adjustments to your course. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 4.1 miles on the Gowanus Expressway, after which you'll likely transition to more urban driving. Be prepared for a dynamic driving experience that requires constant attention to navigation and traffic conditions as you weave through the cityscape.

Only 28% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.1 mi on Gowanus Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.8 miles in.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 15.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 34m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Bath Beach, NY and Manhattan, NY, road signs point toward Queens and Bronx.

Queens

1.6 mi in | ~3m

Bronx

1.8 mi in | ~4m

About the Cities

Arriving in Manhattan, NY

Full guide →

Founded 1624

Wall Street. Madison Avenue. 34th Street. Broadway. Times Square. Manhattan is so well known that even the names of its streets have become iconic and understood the world over. This long, thin island is only one of New York City's five boroughs, but it's Manhattan that has the concrete canyons and the inimitable skyline; Manhattan that has the world's brightest theater district; Manhattan that has Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Met; and Manhattan that includes iconic neighborhoods like Harlem, the Upper East Side, Times Square, and Greenwich Village. The rest of New York City has much to see and do, but it's Manhattan that represents the city—and sometimes the entire United States—to the world. You could spend a month on this tiny island and still not see all there is to see.

Top landmarks

  • Empire State Building — skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 34m. Total distance: 15.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

34m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 4.1 miles on Gowanus Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Manhattan, NY before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — African Burial Ground National Monument, Castle Clinton National Monument and Federal Hall National Memorial (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Manhattan, NY before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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