Travel to Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University (SBU) is situated on a 1,039 acre site on the north shore of Long Island (LI) in southeastern New York (NY). We are approximately 60 miles east of New York City (NYC).
By Plane
JFK and Newark are international airports while Islip/MacArthur and LaGuardia will be mostly if you travel within the US (internationally, you may arrive there as your final destination if you point of entry is different than New York State and you have a connection).
JFK Airport (49 Miles) (Recommended) – Arriving at JFK without a car you can take the AirTrain to Jamaica Station and transfer to the Long Island Railroad for the train to Stony Brook (take the Port Jefferson Branch). Note: The Port Jefferson Branch generally require transfers at Jamaica, Huntington, or sometimes Hicksville. Ask fellow commuters if in doubt. From JFK, you can of course rent a car if you wish to do so. The Airtrain will bring you to the car rental area (follow the signs, it is fairly well indicated).
Newark AirPort (82 Miles) – (Least Recommended) Arriving at Newark Airport without a car you can take the AirTrain Newark to Newark Airport Railroad Station. Take train from Newark Airport Railroad Station to New York Penn Station. From Penn Station take the Port Jefferson Branch to Stony Brook. This is a fairly long trip.
LaGuardia Airport (52 Miles): Arriving at LaGuardia Airport without a car will require Bus/Uber/Taxi to Jamaica Train Station From Jamaica Train Station take the Port Jefferson Line. You can take the Q70 bus to Woodside Ave/61 St. followed by a 2-minute walk to Woodside Train station (also known as the "Laguardia Link Q70"). Take the Woodside train to Jamaica station, transfer at Jamaica to the Port Jefferson Branch to Stony Brook.
Islip-MacArthur Airport: 16 miles from the campus and is serviced by direct flights by major airlines and commuter lines. There is no train from MacArthur Airport to Stony Brook. However, Taxi and Uber are available.
By Car
From NYC, take the Long Island Expressway (LIE, I-495) eastbound from the Queens Midtown Tunnel in Manhattan or the Throgs Neck Bridge or Whitestone Bridge in Queens to exit 62, and follow Nicolls Road (Route 97) north for 9 miles. The main entrance to the University is on the left. To find the campus via GPS, enter the address "100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11790."
By Train
Take the Long Island Railroad's Port Jefferson line from Penn Station or Grand Central Station in Manhattan to Stony Brook. Be aware that not all train depart from Penn Station (Grand Central has recently become a departure / arrival point for LI trains). LIRR train schedule can be checked ahead of time. The LIRR train schedule can also be found on the MTA TrainTime app - (iOS, Android). Tickets are avaulable for purchase from the app, otherwise buy your ticket from the train station (you may alos purchase on baord).
See the LIRR MAP for more details. The LIRR station is at the north end of the campus; bus service to the central campus is provided free of charge. Train to and from NYC generally require transfers at Jamaica or Huntington. Hicksville is also a transfer point on some lines.
The stations on your way to Stony Brook: Greenlawn, Northport, Kings Park, Smithtown, St James and Stony Brook (that's your stop). The last station on this train line (if you missed your stop) is right after and is Port Jefferson.
From the LIRR Stony Brook Train station to your Hotel
For distant hotels, you can always book a Uber ride.
To the The Hilton Garden Inn Stony Brook
- The Hilton Garden Inn is at walking distance from the LIRR train station. It is a 19 minutes walking distance.
- A campus shuttle is also available and you can consult its schedule here. The buses do run less frequently over spring break. They'll be running on "Service Level C" which runs every 30-minutes (on the hour and half-hour from Student Activity Center or SAC). We uploaded a PDF of the schedule for convenience.
To the Holiday Inn Express
- The Holiday Inn Express is NOT at walking distance of the LIRR. However, the HIE has a courtesy shuttle that wil pick you up on the North side of the train station . Call ahead (at least two station away from the Stony Brook stop which should be "Smithtown"). The shuttle takes from 10 to 15 minutes to arrive at the LIRR. Call ahead at 1-631-471-8000.
- The shuttle will otherwise go from 7h30 AM (7:30) to 9:00 PM (21:00) and run every 30 minutes to the University. Make sure to check with the front desk.
