Most travellers think of Newark as a starting or stopping point on the way to somewhere else, giving little thought to the city itself. Few realise that Newark is the largest city in New Jersey and the third-oldest major city in the US. Visitors coming off their Newark flights will discover a city with a wealth of historic sites and diverse cultural attractions.
Newark's Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the fifth-largest cathedral in the United States with towers reputed to be taller than those at Westminster and Notre Dame. The cornerstone was laid in 1899, and construction was completed in 1954, which is a short time for a Gothic cathedral of this size. The Cathedral is located in Branch Brook Park, one of Frederick Law Olmsted’s parks. The park is more than four miles long and has more than 2000 cherry trees — a greater variety and number of cherry trees than the Washington, DC display. Branch Brook Park’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival is held in April. So the next time you stop over on a long layover off a flight to Newark, make sure take in some of the sights.
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Summer temperatures are in the high 20s (Celsius). In September and October the temperatures drop to the 20s and teens. Winter is mild with temperatures about zero and in the single digits, although it can go down into the minus figures. Spring starts in March with temperatures reaching ten.
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Peak Season:
July is the warmest month, but also the wettest, so expect some rain.
Off season:
Winter time, when the city is coldest is the least popular time for travellers to book flights to Newark. January is the coldest month of the year.
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Many travellers arriving at Newark are trying to get to Manhattan. The Transportation Options pages on the airport website has fare and schedule information for buses, AirTrain, and the SuperShuttle to Manhattan and the boroughs as well as points in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. You can also book tickets in advance from online.
If the amount of information on the website looks daunting, the "How to Ride the System" page walks you through the process of deciding which station you want to go to and which train or bus to take.
Here are some tips about navigating from the airport to Manhattan:
- The Path train runs from Newark Penn Station to Manhattan. It’s a 15-minute ride, but the scenery isn’t the greatest.
- If you’re taking a cab, the dispatcher for New Jersey taxis gives you a slip of paper with a flat rate (toll and tip are extra), depending on where you're going in Manhattan (you have to be precise about your destination). Keep in mind that New York yellow cabs aren't permitted to pick up passengers at Newark, and New Jersey cabs aren’t allowed to pick up passengers in New York.
- AirTrain Newark is fast, affordable, and easy to use. Each arrival terminal at Newark Airport has a boarding station for the AirTrain. All AirTrains head to Newark International Airport Station, where you transfer to a NJ Transit train, which takes you to the New York Penn Station.
- You can also use AirTrain to get to JFK airport.
- If you have lots of luggage, several small children, or any mobility problems, it will be much easier to take a taxi, car service, or shuttle that can give you door-to-door service.
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The rental car companies serving the Newark Airport are adjacent to the airport. The list of companies and how to get to them is available on the EWR Car Rental Information page of the airport website.
Newark’s public transport can get you around town. If you choose to rent a car, there are several parking lots in the downtown area.
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- Newark’s neoclassical and art deco Penn Station (not to be confused with New York City’s Penn Station) is in the Ironbound District, a vibrant Portuguese community, and its Ferry Street is lined with excellent restaurants, pastry shops, and music.
- To see works by local artists, the Aljira Center for Contemporary Art showcases work by established and emerging African American artists. Artists of all disciplines perform, exhibit their work, and interact with visitors at the Sumei Multidisciplinary Arts Centre. City Without Walls offers career development opportunities to new and emerging artists, showcasing the work of more than 200 new artists each year in on-site, off-site, and travelling exhibitions.
- The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra performs a full and varied program for diverse audiences, serves the community by performing classical music throughout the state, and offers a number of programmes to foster music education for all ages.
- For history buffs, The New Jersey Historical Society, based in Newark, is the oldest cultural institution in the state with exhibitions, publications, archives, and programs of the political, social, economic, and cultural history of New Jersey.
- The New Jersey Performing Arts Centre (NJPAC) was the last great performing-arts centre opened in the 20th century. The stages of the two performance halls have been graced by renowned artists, orchestras, and dance and theatre troupes.
- The Newark Museum has 80 galleries, a planetarium, a sculpture garden, a mini zoo, and one of largest and most varied Tibetan collections in the US. One wing of the museum is the luxurious Victorian mansion that was the home of Jeannette and John Holme Ballantine of the Newark beer-brewing family.
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