Origin
Chelsea, NY
Late night in Chelsea on Saturday
Local time
4:43 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Chelsea, NY to Manhattan, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
45m
Distance
22.5 mi
36 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 42m
★
6 AM
0h 46m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 48m
12 PM
0h 48m
3 PM
0h 49m
5 PM
0h 53m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Chelsea, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning just 25.5 miles, this trip from Chelsea to Manhattan is a quick journey within the Northeast region that can easily be completed in under an hour. You should budget approximately 48 minutes for the commute, making it a highly efficient day trip that requires no overnight stops. With a fuel cost of only $4, it is an economical route for those navigating within New York. Since the entire distance is covered on local roads, you won't need to worry about long-distance highway planning or complex logistics. This transit is best viewed as a simple, direct connection between two points in New York, ideal for when you need to get from the neighborhood to the heart of the city.
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 45m. Total distance: 22.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
45m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive as you make your way through the city streets. This route features a 0% highway share, meaning your entire journey consists of navigating urban intersections and neighborhood turns rather than high-speed interstate travel. Because there is no long-distance highway stretch to settle into, you will need to remain alert to constant changes in traffic patterns and local maneuvers. The personality of this drive is strictly functional and urban, requiring your full attention as you progress through the 25.5-mile path. It is a technical, low-speed experience that demands patience and focus behind the wheel.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 28 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Bayonne Bridge is the longest continuous segment at about 4.6 miles.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
107 ft
-4 ft
Total Climb
188 ft
Total Descent
89 ft
Highest Point
107 ft
~22.5 mi in
Elevation Range
111 ft
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 2.5 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 18 decision points packed into just 22.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.5 miles (I 78 / Holland Tunnel): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 18 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
8
2.5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the ramp toward NY 440 North, I 278 West: Bayonne Bridge, Staten Island Expressway, Goethals Bridge
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward NY 440 North, I 278 West: Bayonne Bridge...
8
9.5 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 78 East, NJTP East: Holland Tunnel
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 78 East, NJTP East: Holland Tunnel
6
14.5 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
I 78 / Holland Tunnel
Keep slight left at fork onto I 78 / Holland Tunnel toward Holland Tunnel, Manhattan
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward Holland Tunnel, Manhattan
7
21.2 mi into trip
|
~41m 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
6
21.4 mi into trip
|
~42m in
|
West 79th Street
Turn right onto West 79th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
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 Chelsea, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Njtp: Newark along the way.
Njtp: Newark
8.9 mi in
|
~16m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bayonne Bridge | 4.6 mi | 7m |
| New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension | 4.3 mi | 5m |
| Holland Tunnel | 1.9 mi | 4m |
| 12th Avenue | 1.8 mi | 5m |
| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Victory Boulevard | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| West Street | 1.2 mi | 3m |
| West Side Highway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Bayonne Bridge
— 4.6 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Chelsea, NY and Manhattan, NY.
1
Start on Meredith Avenue
43 ft
·
3 sec
·
Meredith Avenue
2
Turn right onto South Avenue
0.6 mi
·
2 min
·
South Avenue
3
Turn right onto Travis Avenue
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
·
Travis Avenue
4
Turn left onto Victory Boulevard
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Victory Boulevard
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward NY 440 North, I 278 West: Bayonne Bridge, Staten Island Expressway, Goethals Bridge
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on NY 440
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway
7
Continue on NY 440
4.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Bayonne Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward I 78 Toll, NJTP: Newark, Holland Tunnel
9
Merge onto Port Jersey Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
27 sec
·
Port Jersey Boulevard
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Toward I 78 East, NJTP East: Holland Tunnel
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto I 78; NJTP
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension
12
Continue on I 78; NJTP
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension
Exit 14C
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Continue on I 78
0.3 mi
·
54 sec
·
12th Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
14
Keep slight left at fork onto I 78
1.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Holland Tunnel
Toward Holland Tunnel, Manhattan
15
Take the exit
428 ft
·
14 sec
Toward NY 9A
16
Turn right onto Hudson Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
Hudson Street
17
Turn left onto Canal Street
0.2 mi
·
55 sec
·
Canal Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
18
Turn right onto NY 9A
1.2 mi
·
3 min
·
West Street
Use the left / right lanes.
19
Continue on NY 9A
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
11th Avenue
Use the straight lane.
20
Continue on NY 9A
1.8 mi
·
5 min
·
12th Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
21
Continue on NY 9A
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West Side Highway
22
Continue on HH; NY 9A
0.2 mi
·
13 sec
·
Henry Hudson Parkway
23
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward West 79 Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
24
Turn right onto West 79th Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
West 79th Street
Use the right lane.
25
Turn left onto Broadway
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
·
Broadway
26
Turn right onto West 86th Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
West 86th Street
27
Continue on 86th Street Transverse
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
86th Street Transverse
Toward East Side
Use the straight / left lanes.
28
Arrive at destination
86th Street Transverse
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.70 one way
$7.41 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $4.00 | $8.01 |
| premium | $4.92 | $4.36 | $8.72 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.97 | $9.94 |
Estimated Tolls: $32.61
Bayonne Bridge
$16.00
Holland Tunnel
$16.00
New Jersey Turnpike
(4.3 mi)
$0.61
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$33
Total
$36
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.36 | $1.08 |
| Efficient EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.97 | $0.90 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9 | 0 | $3.15 | $1.44 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Late night in Manhattan on Saturday
Local time
4:43 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°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
1 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
45m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Chelsea, NY to Manhattan, NY covers 22.5 miles and takes about 45m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Bayonne Bridge, New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension, Holland Tunnel. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.3 miles from Chelsea, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.70 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 22.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.
The main spots that need attention: at 2.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.5 miles (I 78 / Holland Tunnel): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
On the drive from Chelsea, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Njtp: Newark along the way.
Mostly flat terrain. The route ranges from -4 ft to 107 ft elevation with about 188 ft of total climbing.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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