The 5 Ways to Get from NYC to Albany Without a Car (I’ve Ridden Them All)

Amtrak is the fastest and most comfortable way to get from New York City to Albany. I don’t think anyone argues with that. All else equal, I’d obviously prefer to just hop on an Empire Service Amtrak train.

But the problem is the price. Amtrak uses dynamic pricing, the same way the airlines do, so the fare depends on when you book and when you ride.

In September I paid $41 for an Empire Service train between Albany and Penn Station. When I checked fares for this article in early October, a Wednesday eleven days out was still $41 on almost every train. The next day, a Sunday, was $97 to $106 for most of the day.

That’s the same train and the same seat for more than double the price.

So unless you booked ahead or the off-hours trains work for you, you may be wondering whether you just have to eat the Amtrak price.

You don’t. There are a lot of buses between New York and Albany, and I’ve ridden every company that runs one. I run this route often because I’ve discovered that, to get to Vermont, I can connect to a VT Translines bus.

Below is how I’d rank them, where each one picks up and drops off, and which ones keep going past Albany.

TL;DR. The Best Ways to Get from NYC to Albany, Car-Free

Option	What I Saw (One Way)	Time	Leaves From	Arrives At	Best For
Amtrak	$41 to $106	About 2.5 hrs	Penn Station (Moynihan)	Albany-Rensselaer, across the river	Everything, if the price is sane
Trailways	$33 to $76	2.75 to 3.25 hrs	Port Authority	Albany Bus Terminal	The bus I’d check first
Greyhound / FlixBus	$24 to $84	2.75 to 3.25 hrs	Port Authority (Greyhound), 31st and 8th by Penn (Flix)	Albany Bus Terminal. Flix continues to SUNY Albany	When they’re cheap, or you’re headed to campus
BB Bus	$23 to $30	2.5 to 3.25 hrs	Chinatown, then 8th Ave and W 30th St	A curb on Central Ave	Saving a few bucks
Wanda Coach	$19 to $24 (I paid $20 cash)	2.5 hrs on paper, 3 for me	Chinatown, then Madison Ave and E 33rd St	A curb on Central Ave	The cheapest ride and east side NYC access

My order is simple. I check Amtrak first. If the fare is ugly, I check Trailways. That’s my preferred bus, but I’ll live if Greyhound or Flix works better for my schedule. And if I’m in the mood to save a few more dollars and I don’t have a connection to make, I look at BB Bus and Wanda Coach.

If you want to see all of them on one screen, I use Busbud. I wrote a full Busbud review here, and there’s more on it further down.

1. Amtrak. Check It First, Every Time

Amtrak runs about a dozen trains a day from Penn Station to Albany-Rensselaer. Most of them are Empire Service trains. The rest are longer routes that happen to pass through, like the Adirondack to Montreal, the Maple Leaf to Toronto, the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, and the Ethan Allen Express to Vermont.

The ride takes about two and a half hours and follows the Hudson River for most of it. Sit on the left side going north. You get big seats, a cafe car on most trains, outlets, and no traffic.

The catch is the pricing. Here’s what I found when I checked.

• A Wednesday eleven days out was $41 on nearly every train, all day.
• The next-day Sunday was $106 in the morning and $97 in the late afternoon. It didn’t drop to $43 until the 11:25 PM train.

Here’s how I think about the math. The cheapest decent bus is about $33 and takes three hours. At $41, I’m paying $8 more for a faster trip, a better seat, and a ride that can’t get stuck on the Thruway. I’ll pay that every time. Frankly, I’ll pay $50, maybe even $60 if I have to get work done on the train. At $106, I’m paying $73 more. That’s the point where I start looking at buses.

If you can plan ahead, I wrote up my strategies for getting cheap Amtrak tickets.

Keep in mind that the station is in Rensselaer, across the river from downtown Albany. It’s a short local bus or cab ride into the city. I’m always connecting, so to me it doesn’t matter, but the bus terminal is in Albany itself, so weigh that as well.

2. Trailways. My Preferred Bus to Get to Albany

If Amtrak is too expensive, Trailways is where I look next.

Adirondack Trailways runs about eight buses a day from Port Authority to the Albany Bus Terminal. A few make local stops in places like New Paltz and Kingston and take closer to four hours, so check the arrival time before you book.

The buses are usually in good shape, the drivers are professional, and the whole thing is uneventful in the best way. My full Trailways review is here.

This is a popular route, so I wouldn’t count on having your own seat. It’s pretty good about running on time, but like all buses, it depends on traffic.

Trailways fares change less than Amtrak’s. They aren’t flat, though. On the Wednesday I checked, fares ran $33.60 to $43.20 depending on the departure. On the next-day Sunday, they were $53 to $76. Trailways also adds a $2.99 processing fee at checkout (annoying).

Some Trailways buses start at Hudson Yards half an hour before they reach Port Authority. Book from Port Authority. It’s the same bus, and you save yourself thirty minutes of sitting on it.

3. Greyhound and FlixBus. Fine, If the Price Is Right

Greyhound and FlixBus are the same company in the U.S., and both run this route.

• Greyhound leaves from Port Authority and arrives at the Albany Bus Terminal. I counted six departures on a weekday.
• FlixBus leaves from the curb at 31st Street and 8th Avenue, next to Penn Station. It stops at the Albany Bus Terminal and then continues to SUNY Albany. I counted two departures on a weekday and four on a Sunday.

Both use dynamic pricing. On the same Wednesday, Greyhound had a $24 bus at noon and an $84 bus at midnight. Flix ranged from $29 to $58.

That’s why they sit third on my list. All else equal, I prefer Trailways. But if there’s a big price difference or the schedule makes more sense for me, I’ll take one of these.

With Flix and Greyhound, you don’t know what the quality will be. I’ve had new coaches with working outlets and wifi, and I’ve had old ones with neither. I plan to not have those things on Flix or Greyhound. Here are my Greyhound tips, my Flix review, and what I pack for a bus trip.

4. BB Bus. A Few Bucks Cheaper, No Station

BB Bus is one of the two Chinatown-style buses on this route. They’re cheap, start in Chinatown, and go fast. I rode it overnight from Virginia and liked it more than I expected. You can read my BB Bus review here.

BB Bus starts at 150 East Broadway in Chinatown and picks up again half an hour later at 8th Avenue and West 30th Street. That second stop is a block from Penn Station, so you don’t have to go downtown to catch it. I counted five departures a day.

The fare was $30 on almost every departure, on both days I checked, with one at $23. It doesn’t matter whether you book for tomorrow or for next month.

In Albany it drops you at 128 Central Avenue, which is just a curb on the side of a street.

5. Wanda Coach. The Cheapest, and It Shows

Wanda Coach was the cheapest option every time I looked. I paid $20 in cash to the driver in September.

I also got some of the worst legroom I’ve had on a bus. And bring your own hand sanitizer for the bathroom. But it’s not a scam. It’s just a very cheap bus. My full Wanda Coach review has the details.

Wanda runs twice a day. It leaves 120 East Broadway in Chinatown at 9 AM and 4:30 PM, then picks up at Madison Avenue and East 33rd Street half an hour later.

I chose it because it left from the East Side of Manhattan, so it was easier for me to get to. But it was not a pleasant experience.

I’d only take it if you’re really pressed for cash and just have a $20 bill in your pocket. But again, it’ll get you there. If both Chinatown buses fit my schedule, I’d pick BB Bus.

Where Each One Leaves From in Manhattan

This can decide it for you, especially if the prices are close.

• Penn Station. Amtrak leaves from Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station. Flix leaves from the curb at 31st and 8th right next to Moynihan. BB Bus picks up a block away at 8th and 30th.
• Port Authority. Trailways and Greyhound both leave from here. You wait indoors.
• Chinatown. BB Bus and Wanda both start on East Broadway, a short walk from the F train.
• The east side. Wanda is the only one. It stops at Madison and 33rd, a block from the 6 train.

I live on the east side, so Wanda’s stop saves me a crosstown trip. If you’re coming from Brooklyn or downtown, the Chinatown stops may be the closest one.

My standing advice applies here. Look up the pickup address on a map before you book. I do it for every bus company.

Where Each One Drops You in Albany (and Where It Keeps Going)

There are three different arrival areas in Albany, and they aren’t close to each other.

• Albany-Rensselaer station. Amtrak stops here. It’s across the Hudson from downtown.
• Albany Bus Terminal. Trailways, Greyhound and Flix all use it. It’s downtown, at Hamilton and Green. It’s also better connected to local transit in Albany.
• Central Avenue. BB Bus and Wanda both stop on the street here, a local bus ride from the terminal or the train station.

If you’re connecting somewhere else, I’d factor in which option makes that connection easier.

A lot of these also keep going, which is useful if Albany isn’t your last stop.

• Flix continues to SUNY Albany.
• Trailways sends several buses north to Saratoga Springs, and two a day go all the way to Montreal.
• Greyhound sends about half its buses on to Saratoga Springs and Montreal.
• BB Bus and Wanda both continue to Schenectady. Wanda also makes a second Albany stop farther out, at 1256 Central Avenue.
• Amtrak keeps going in three directions. Trains head west to Schenectady, Syracuse, Buffalo and Toronto, north to Saratoga Springs and Montreal, and northeast to Vermont.

Albany is also where I catch the bus home to Vermont. VT Translines stops at the train station, the bus terminal and the airport, and I cover that whole trip in my guide to getting from NYC to Vermont.

What About the Airport?

None of these buses stop at JFK, LaGuardia or Newark. If you’re landing in New York and heading upstate, you’ll need to get into Manhattan first. In that case, I’d lean toward Amtrak or Flix, since both leave from Penn Station. The LIRR and the AirTrain connect Penn Station to JFK, and NJ Transit connects it to Newark Airport. Here’s how I get between Manhattan and JFK or Newark.

Use Busbud to See Them All at Once

That’s six companies, four pickup areas in Manhattan and three arrival areas in Albany. I don’t check six websites.

I search the route on Busbud, which is like Skyscanner for buses and trains. Every option above showed up in one search, with the stop names, so I could see the prices side by side in about ten seconds. It’s also how I found Wanda Coach in the first place.

I use it to compare, and then I usually book direct with the company. My Busbud review explains how I use it and when I don’t.

A Few Tips for the NYC to Albany Trip

Check Amtrak, Even if You Assume It’s Expensive

I’ve been surprised in both directions. A $41 train beats every bus on this list.

Fridays and Sundays Cost More on Almost Everything

Albany is a college town and a government town, so the weekend rush is real. The Chinatown buses were the only ones that didn’t budge.

Leave a Buffer if You’re Connecting

Buses get stuck in traffic. Give at least an hour, maybe more, if you need to catch another bus or train.

Pack Like the Bus Has Nothing

It might have outlets and wifi. It might not. I bring a charged battery, snacks, water and hand sanitizer on every one of these.

Check out my article on what I pack for every bus trip for more.

New York Almost Had a $40 Train to Albany

In October 2025, the governor announced that Metro-North would run a daily train from Grand Central to Albany, with a fare of around $40. In January 2026 the plan was canceled, once Amtrak restored its full schedule.

This plan was a commuter-style train with a price that doesn’t change based on how badly you need to travel that day. That’s how Metro-North already works on the rest of the Hudson Line, and it’s how most of the world prices a two-and-a-half-hour train ride.

Until we get that, the buses are the price ceiling. They’re the reason a last-minute trip to the state capital costs $30 and not $106. I think they deserve better than a curb.

I haven’t owned a car in seven years, and trips like this one are a big part of why I don’t need to. Here’s how I live in the U.S. without a car.

If you’re headed somewhere else from New York, I’ve written the same kind of guide for Boston, Philly, D.C. and Vermont.

Did I miss a bus? Tell me in the comments. I want this to be the most thorough guide to this route out there.