Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
25.1 mi
40 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Chelsea, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
This 25.1-mile drive from Manhattan to Chelsea is a quick, manageable trip, estimated to take around 44 minutes. It's perfectly suited as a single-day excursion, so no overnight stays are necessary. You'll primarily navigate via the New Jersey Turnpike, Lincoln Tunnel, and Goethals Bridge, offering a mixed driving experience. With an estimated fuel cost of just $4, this route is quite budget-friendly. Since both your origin and destination are within the Northeast region and New York state, you'll remain in familiar territory throughout this short journey.
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 25.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (54%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Expect a mixed drive on this route, with 54% of it being highway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 12.3 miles on the New Jersey Turnpike, providing a good opportunity to settle into a rhythm. The journey involves significant highway time, punctuated by the experience of the Lincoln Tunnel and the crossing of the Goethals Bridge. This blend means you'll experience both faster-paced driving and moments of transition as you move between different road types.
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 2.9 miles in.
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 17 decision points packed into just 25.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.2 miles (NJTP / New Jersey Turnpike): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 19.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
Take the ramp toward I 495 West: Lincoln Tunnel, New Jersey
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork onto NJTP / New Jersey Turnpike toward I 95 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 278: Elizabeth, Staten Island
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward NY 440 South: West Shore Expressway South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward South Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Manhattan, NY and Chelsea, NY, road signs point toward New Jersey and Staten Island.
New Jersey
Staten Island
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Turnpike | 12.3 mi | 16m |
| Lincoln Tunnel | 3.9 mi | 7m |
| Goethals Bridge | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Columbus Avenue | 1.4 mi | 4m |
| 9th Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West Shore Expressway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Staten Island Expressway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Avenue | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Manhattan, NY and Chelsea, NY.
Start on 86th Street Transverse
Continue on West 86th Street
Turn left onto Columbus Avenue
Continue on 9th Avenue
Turn right onto West 41st Street
Turn left onto Galvin Avenue
Take the ramp
Merge onto NY 495
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 95
Keep slight left at fork onto NJTP
Take the exit
Merge onto I 278
Continue on I 278
Take the exit
Merge onto NY 440
Take the exit
Turn left onto Chelsea Road
Turn right onto South Avenue
Turn left onto Meredith Avenue
Arrive at destination
Regular Gas
$4.13 one way
$8.26 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $4.47 | $8.94 |
| premium | $4.92 | $4.86 | $9.73 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.54 | $11.08 |
Estimated Tolls: $33.72
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$34
Total
$38
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.51 | $1.61 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Manhattan on Saturday
Local time
4:43 AM
EDT
Current temp
88°F
Mostly Sunny
Destination
Late night in Chelsea on Saturday
Local time
4:43 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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