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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Fort Lee
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Stay 1 night only if you want cheap access to Manhattan: walk the George Washington Bridge in 20–25 min, or take a bus. Otherwise sleep in New York.
Fort Lee is the first New Jersey town across the George Washington Bridge, about 40,000 people stacked in apartment towers above the Hudson. Its pull is practical: bridge walkways to Upper Manhattan, frequent buses and jitneys into the city, a dense Korean and Italian restaurant strip, and hotel rates well under Manhattan's. Sights are thin — a Revolutionary War park, the bridge itself, and Palisades trails — so treat it as a bed with a view, not a destination.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, wind on the bridge), Jul–Aug (humid)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Pizza slice | $4–7 |
| Diner breakfast | $10–18 |
| Korean BBQ dinner, per person | $25–45 |
| NJ Transit bus to Manhattan | $4–6 (check) |
| 5 km taxi ride3.1 mi taxi ride | $12–18 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- EWR · Newark Liberty International
- About 30–45 min by car or taxi; no direct rail link to Fort Lee.
- LGA · LaGuardia
- About 35–50 min by car via the Triborough and Cross Bronx; traffic-dependent.
- JFK · John F. Kennedy International
- About 50–75 min by car; the longest of the three.
- TEB · Teterboro
- General aviation only, about 15 min away.
Typical fares
- Bus Fort Lee → Manhattan
- $4–6, 25–60 min (check)
- Jitney across the bridge
- $3 (check)
- Taxi to Newark airport
- $60–80 (check)
Get around
A car is the default and parking meters are enforced hard. For Main Street, park in a municipal lot and walk the 3–4 block retail core. NJ Transit buses and Spanish Transportation jitneys run across the bridge to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in Washington Heights and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown; some NJ Transit routes run 24 hours. Local taxis handle airport and station runs.
See and do
Known for
- George Washington Bridge walkway
- Fort Lee Historic Park
- Korean restaurants on Broad Avenue
- Palisades Interstate Park trails
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan, New York | Walk the George Washington Bridge (20–25 min) or take an NJ Transit bus or jitney to Washington Heights or Midtown | 25–60 min |
| Palisades Interstate Park | Walk from the north bridge walkway or drive to a trailhead | 15–30 min |
| East Rutherford | Drive via Route 4 and the Turnpike, about 15 min | 15–25 min |
| Ridgewood | Drive via Route 4 West, about 25 min | 25–35 min |
| Teaneck | Drive via Route 4 West, about 15 min | 15–25 min |
Sleep
- Route 4 East/West hotels
- DoubleTree, Mitchell Executive and Best Western cluster on the highway; free-ish parking, 10–15 min drive to the bridge.
- Bergen Blvd / Skyview
- No-frills motel closest to the bridge; walkable to buses, thin on amenities.
- Main Street and Lemoine Ave
- Restaurant and shop strip; few hotels, but the best walking base if you find a rental.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the bus stop? | Where is the bus stop? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Bridge walkways are open 6AM–midnight only; the south walkway is the usual one, north when maintenance closes it.
- Highway intersections around the bridge plaza are genuinely dangerous on foot — cross at signals.
- Meter maids ticket quickly; feed the meter or use a lot.
- Local traffic backs up before the bridge: add 10–15 min to any timed plan.
- Hotel rates spike when Manhattan has a big event; book early or you lose the price advantage.
Safe for a US suburb, with two real hazards: fast traffic at the bridge-plaza intersections and the bridge walkway's 6AM–midnight closure. Winter wind on the span is brutal; summer heat and humidity are the other limit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Fort Lee yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- George Washington Bridge walkway
- Fort Lee Historic Park
- Korean restaurants on Broad Avenue
- Palisades Interstate Park trails
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Borough of Fort Lee: www.fortleenj.org/
- Wikivoyage: Fort Lee, revision 5068330 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5068330
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Fort LeeFort Lee, New Jersey
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Fort Lee; consulates-general are in New York City. US visitors: your own consulate is in Manhattan.
Bridge walkway closes at midnight; plan the return before then or take a bus.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/fort-lee). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.