Xevus

I'm flying into JFK at 21.00 with D.C. as destination next day. The best plan i've come up with is to sleep at one of JFK hotels, catch an AirTrain and then PATH to NJ and rent a car there. The only drawback i see is that renting downtown location usually means pretty poor car selection. Driving to D.C. via Manhattan in the night after TATL is not really an option here.

Is there any better option i'm maybe missing ?

Analise

Neither JFK Airtrain terminates at a PATH train. You still have to go to into Manhattan for PATH.

Why not just take Amtrak to DC the following morning; you're already planning on staying in NYC for the night. Stay in Manhattan near Penn. Take an early morning train. You'll arrive in DC more quickly than renting a car in Manhattan or taking public transport to car rentals at EWR.

Or you can take a 3:25am train arriving at 7am in DC. No need for a hotel room if you don't mind taking the train overnight. If not….

Morning trains to DC:

Northeast Regional trains: 5am - 8:38, 6:02 - 9:30, 7:25 - 10:45

The earlier the better especially considering there is Amtrak construction this summer at Penn. There are Acela trains which are Amtrak's premier product. They leave on the hour beginning at 6am and take just under 3 hours.

swag

Unless you'll be completely exhausted when you land, why not pick up a rental car at JFK, drive to NJ (via Staten Island if Manhattan worries you), and get the hotel there. Traffic should be reasonable at that hour.

That avoids messing with 3 trains during morning rush hour (unless it's a weekend).

Often1

OP - What is your goal here? Money, time, love of interstate traffic jams?

I suspect that by the time you add up all the additional expenses, you will find that you are much, much, much better off on Amtrak. There are 9 trains between NYP & WAS departing NYP prior to 9:30 AM. Three of those are Acela with <3 hour travel time.

You should also consider the nightmare of traffic on the route you are contemplating.

cestmoi123

Agreed - I would go to substantial lengths to avoid driving NYC-DC.

joejones

I'd also consider simply flying straight from JFK to DC, which is often surprisingly inexpensive.

gfunkdave

Agree that the train is the best option. Or, is there a reason you have to fly into JFK? Can you change your ticket to arrive at IAD?

ijgordon

I know I often am on those late-evening arrivals from Europe! Even if I fall asleep (despite not usually wanting to).

I think the "easiest" option is taxi to a hotel near Penn Station, then just hop on Amtrak in the morning. Or you could take AirTrain and LIRR/E train to Penn Station upon arrival to save some $$. Rent a car when you get to DC if you need one.

Xevus

Airtrain goes to Penn, which is only couple of blocks away from PATH 33rd.

For some reason decent NJ hotels for my date (21-22 August) is more expensive than JFK, 270+ vs. 160 (before taxes)

Money was the main reason, for my dates JFK was significantly cheaper than IAD.

Re: train - besides D.C. i will also be visiting downstate NJ and coastal MD, so renting the car for entire trip still seems like the best option.

FlyinHawaiian

You are missing the leg to get you from the JFK AirTrain's terminus at Jamaica Station to NY Penn via the LIRR or E Train.

Xevus

Oh, it seems that i've badly misinterpreted what PA website says about AirTrain.

Often1

If this is a budget issue, have you looked at the cost of a JFK hotel + airfare in the AM to DCA? Also, check LGA-DCA because Uber over to LGA + LGA hotel can be a good deal as well.

JFK-DCA can be dirt cheap and certainly a whole lot less than Amtrak + you avoid all the hassles of getting yourself to NYP or further down the line.

Xevus

Do you mean traffic ? I would assume that on weekday morning the traffic wouldn't be an issue when driving out of NYC ?

eyeballer

What day/time do you plan to depart in the morning? If it's early-ish I'd just get a car from JFK and get going. I don't think you'd save much headache traffic-wise by wasting an hour getting to NJ to pick up a car. Where were you going to pick up from in NJ anyway?

eyeballer

There will be traffic.