Origin
Great Neck Estates, NY
Morning in Great Neck Estates on Sunday
Local time
10:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Great Neck Estates, NY to Manhattan, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
18.3 mi
29 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Great Neck Estates, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Great Neck Estates to Manhattan is 18.3 miles and takes about 34 minutes via Long Island Expressway, Northern Boulevard, and the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, connecting suburban Long Island to the heart of New York City. Given its brief duration, it's a straightforward drive perfect for a single-day excursion. You'll transition from parkway cruising to urban traffic as you approach your destination.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 9.9 mi | 14m |
| Northern Boulevard | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Queensboro Plaza | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Madison Avenue | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| Douglaston Parkway | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| 3rd Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Bayview Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 9.9 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Great Neck Estates, NY and Manhattan, NY.
1
Start on Cedar Drive
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Cedar Drive
2
Turn left onto Bayview Avenue
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
·
Bayview Avenue
3
Continue on Great Neck Road
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Great Neck Road
4
Continue on Great Neck Road
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
Great Neck Road
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
5
Turn slight right onto NY 25A
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Northern Boulevard
6
Turn sharp left onto Douglaston Parkway
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Douglaston Parkway
Use the left lane.
7
Take the ramp
523 ft
·
12 sec
Toward I 495 West: Long Island Expressway, West Manhattan
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Toward I 495 West: Manhattan
Use the straight lane.
9
Merge onto I 495
9.9 mi
·
14 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn straight onto Laurel Hill Boulevard
80 ft
·
2 sec
·
Laurel Hill Boulevard
12
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Hunters Point Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Turn right onto Van Dam Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Dam Street
14
Continue on Van Dam Street
113 ft
·
8 sec
·
Van Dam Street
15
Turn left onto NY 25
0.4 mi
·
35 sec
·
Queens Boulevard
16
Continue on NY 25
0.7 mi
·
57 sec
·
Queensboro Plaza
17
Continue on NY 25
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level
18
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25
317 ft
·
11 sec
·
NY 25
Toward 60th Street West
Use the slight right lane.
19
Turn left onto East 60th Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
East 60th Street
20
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
3rd Avenue
Use the right lane.
21
Turn left onto East 72nd Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
East 72nd Street
Use the left lane.
22
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Madison Avenue
23
Turn left onto East 85th Street
507 ft
·
12 sec
·
East 85th Street
24
Continue on 86th Street Transverse
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
86th Street Transverse
Toward West Side
25
Arrive at destination
86th Street Transverse
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 2 and 16.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
Douglaston Parkway
Turn sharp left onto Douglaston Parkway
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
2.6 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the ramp toward I 495 West: Long Island Expressway, West Manhattan
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward I 495 West: Long Island Expressway, West...
8
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 495 West: Manhattan
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 495 West: Manhattan
8
12.9 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the exit toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point...
7
16.1 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
NY 25
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25 toward 60th Street West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward 60th Street West
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.97 one way
$5.95 round trip
$4.13/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $3.22 | $6.44 |
| premium | $4.87 | $3.51 | $7.01 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $3.89 | $7.79 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.5 | 0 | $1.92 | $0.88 |
| Efficient EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.60 | $0.73 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% 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.
Destination
Manhattan, NY
Morning in Manhattan on Sunday
Local time
10:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
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
5 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
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
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 a mix of highway and surface roads, with 58% of it on highways. You'll encounter a stretch of 9.9 miles on the Long Island Expressway, which is the longest continuous highway section. Expect the highway portion to conclude as you approach the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, where you'll transition to surface streets within Manhattan.
58% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
25 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.9 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2 miles in near Douglaston Parkway.
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 16 decision points packed into just 18.3 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 2 miles (Douglaston Parkway): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Great Neck Estates, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward 60Th Street West along the way.
60Th Street West
16.1 mi in
|
~27m
|
via NY 25
About the Cities
Starting in Great Neck Estates, NY
Full guide →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: 18.3 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.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (58%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.9 miles on Long Island 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 2 miles (Douglaston Parkway): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Manhattan, NY
More trips to Manhattan, NY
Explore more options from Great Neck Estates, NY or browse trips ending in Manhattan, NY.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NY road trips.