Getting to Citi Field

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Citi Field is one of the easiest parks in baseball to reach without a car, and that should shape your whole plan. The 7 train and the Long Island Rail Road both stop right at the ballpark, a short walk from the front door, so for most fans the trains beat everything else. That is the opposite of the car-only parks out in a ring of lots, where driving is the only way in.

So here is the order we recommend. The trains first, because at Citi Field they drop you at the gate and they get you out faster than the post-game car exit. Then rideshare, which saves you paying for parking if the trains do not line up from where you are. Then driving and parking, which costs you both money and time here, and is getting tighter as construction eats into the lots.

Before any of that, put “Citi Field” into your maps app, start from your hotel, and switch between transit, rideshare, and driving. In about fifteen seconds it will show you real times and prices for your specific starting point.

The Mets and the MTA can change parking rates, subway and railroad fares, the off-site shuttle price, and gate times each year, so check this season’s numbers at mlb.com/mets or mta.info before you go.

The trains

This is the part that makes Citi Field easy. Two separate train systems stop within a short walk of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the main entrance behind home plate.

The 7 train

The 7 subway line (the Flushing Line, the MTA’s purple line; the MTA is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency that runs New York’s subways, buses, and commuter rail) stops at Mets-Willets Point, a short walk across the boardwalk from the Rotunda. A single subway ride is as low as $3, paid by tapping a contactless card or phone at the turnstile with OMNY (the MTA’s tap-to-pay system, short for One Metro New York).

The 7 runs 24 hours a day between 34 St-Hudson Yards in Manhattan and Flushing-Main St in Queens, so even a long extra-inning game won’t leave you without a train home. From much of Manhattan and Queens this is a one-seat ride, and on a big night the 7 is usually faster than sitting in the post-game car exit.

The LIRR

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the commuter railroad serving Long Island and parts of Queens, also stops at Mets-Willets Point on its Port Washington Branch. Direct game-day trains run from Penn Station and Grand Central Madison in about 20 minutes, plus stops across the Port Washington line. Mets ticket-holders can buy a discounted game-day day pass, and kids ride for $1 with a paying adult. For fans coming from Long Island, Connecticut, or the West Side of Manhattan, the railroad is often the simplest option.

When to take the train

• Your hotel is a short walk from a 7-train stop, especially anywhere along the line in Manhattan or Queens.
• You are coming from Long Island, Connecticut, or the West Side, where the LIRR runs direct.
• You are flying in and would rather skip a rental car entirely.
• You want to skip parking and beat the post-game car crawl out of the lots.

Rideshare

If the trains do not line up cleanly from where you are staying, rideshare is the next best option. You don’t have to pay for parking or sit through the slow crawl out of the lots. After the game, Uber and Lyft pick up in the Stadium View East parking lot, which the Mets say is under the highway just north of the Shea Road and Boat Basin Place intersection.

Right after the final out, the whole park is leaving at once, and rideshare prices usually climb with the demand. At Citi Field, the 7 train usually beats a rideshare out of Willets Point on a big night, so if you came by train, the train is probably still your fastest way home.

Driving and parking

Here the subway wins on both cost and speed, since a ride is $3 against $40 to park, and driving still leaves you in the post-game crawl. Driving still makes sense if you already have a rental car for the rest of a New York trip or you are staying somewhere the trains do not reach well; otherwise the subway beats parking on cost at just about any group size.

A few things to know.

• The team lots run about $40 prepaid and about $50 if you pay at the gate. Prepaid has to be bought by midnight the night before.
• The lots are cashless. Bring a card or use mobile pay; no cash is accepted at the gate.
• New for 2026, a Citi Field Direct Shuttle runs from off-site lots for about $8 a person, with a $22 family four-pack. It is a way to park cheaper away from the park and ride in.
• Construction is shrinking the parking. The Metropolitan Park redevelopment of the lots around the park is reducing how many spaces are open, so confirm which lots are available and buy your spot ahead.

SpotHero for a spot in advance

Reserve through SpotHero and your Citi Field spot is locked in before you ever drive over. You book and pay for the lot in the app ahead of time, then drive straight to it on game day. Prices climb on higher-demand dates, the Subway Series especially, so check live and book early.

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When to drive

The subway beats parking on cost at almost any group size ($3 a ride against a $40 lot), so cost is rarely a reason to drive here. Driving makes sense in these cases:

• You are staying somewhere the 7 train and the LIRR do not reach well.
• You want to decide when to leave, and a slow drive out of the lot doesn’t bother you.
• You’re keeping a rental car for the rest of your New York trip.

Getting here from the airport

The Q90 bus runs between LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Citi Field with no transfer. The Mets say it stops on Seaver Way, next to the ballpark’s Lots A and G. Late at night, the bus gets from downtown Flushing to Terminal B in under 20 minutes, and Citi Field is the third stop on that run.

At LaGuardia, catch the Q90 outside Terminal B or Terminal C. If you land at Terminal A, the MTA points you to the airport shuttle bus, which connects Terminal A with Terminal B. A ride costs the regular MTA bus fare, as low as $3, the same as a subway ride. There is no extra charge for the airport.

The Q90 does not run all night, but the Q70 LaGuardia Link does, 24 hours a day, every day. It runs from Terminals B and C to the 74 St-Broadway station in Jackson Heights, where you change to the 7 train for Mets-Willets Point. LaGuardia says the Q70 is free to and from the airport, so on that route you pay only the subway fare, as low as $3.

Heading back after a night game. On game day, open the Q90 timetable for the last bus toward LaGuardia. On the timetable posted now, it leaves Flushing at 1:21 am on Monday through Saturday nights and at 12:09 am on Sunday nights, and it reaches the Seaver Way stops a few minutes later. If you miss the last bus, the 7 and the Q70 both run all night, so you can still get back to the airport by transit.

Rideshare and taxi. At LaGuardia, rideshare pickup is directly across the street from Terminal A, on Level 2 of the Terminal B parking garage, and in the inner lane at Terminal C Arrivals. At Terminal A, follow the “Ride App Pick Up” signs. For a taxi, use the official airport taxi stand at your terminal. Rideshare above has the Mets’ post-game pickup lot at the ballpark.

JFK connects to Citi Field by train too, with two transfers. Ride the AirTrain to Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av, take an E train toward World Trade Center to Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av, and change there to the 7 at 74 St-Broadway for Mets-Willets Point. With the AirTrain’s $8.75 on top of the subway fare, you pay as low as $11.75 from JFK to Citi Field. JFK says AirTrain trains run every 5 to 15 minutes.

A rental car means paying to park at Citi Field. Start with Driving and parking above for the Mets’ lots, the off-site shuttle, and SpotHero.

For a LaGuardia flight, the Q90 is our pick.

Luggage

The Mets say there is no bag check inside Citi Field. However, an outside company rents temporary lockers at the ballpark for a fee, and the lockers are available from two hours before the game starts until an hour after it ends. The Mets’ bag policy page gives no price, size, or exact spot for them.

Bags can be no bigger than 16 by 16 by 8 inches, which rules out a carry-on suitcase. Backpacks are not allowed unless they are totally clear, with no hidden pockets. You can find more about the bag rules in our Bags, tickets, and the alcohol cutoff section.

If you fly in and out of JFK without a hotel stay, JFK says you can leave bags at Terminal 4 for a few hours or up to 72 hours, whichever terminal you fly from, as long as you have a confirmed ticket. If you have a hotel booked, leave the suitcase there before you ride to the game.

Gates and getting in

If you came by 7 train or the LIRR, the closest gate is the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the main entrance behind home plate, right by the station, and it is worth walking in this way for the Ebbets Field arches and the Robinson tribute even if your seats are elsewhere. If you parked, head for the Left Field, Seaver, Bullpen, or Right Field gate on that side.

Gates open commonly about 90 minutes before first pitch, with the Rotunda sometimes opening earlier for premium and season-ticket holders.

Accessibility

Know Citi Field better than we do? Tell us what we got wrong, or where we should be sending people instead.

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