Car rental Newark

Newark and its airport sit at the far eastern edge of New Jersey, separated from Jersey City by Newark Bay, with New York and Manhattan just beyond. Only minutes from the world’s most exciting city, Newark is well-connected to the rest of New Jersey, while the its bays and rivers make Newark itself a beautiful place to explore by car.

Several interstates serve the city, with I-95 taking you south down the east coast to Philadelphia and beyond. Follow it north and east to cross the Hudson River – it’ll lead you through The Bronx, New York State and Boston.

There are several routes into New York, depending on your planned destination. Take the Varrazano for Brooklyn and Williamsburg or the Lincoln Tunnel if you’re visiting Midtown.

If you’re exploring Newark, it’s relatively simple to navigate due to its grid system. The eastern edge is marked by the Passaic River and Newark Bay while the airport sits to the south-east. The I-78 is the southernmost interstate here, while I-280 cuts across the north, just to the south of the lovely Branch Brook Park.

Speed limits are lower in New Jersey than in many other states, with a top interstate speed of 65mph (105km/h) and 55mph (89km/h) on state highways. Inside towns and cities that drops to 35mph (56km/h), with some 25mph (40km/h) zones. Parking is ample, with numerous garages and lots, plus meters that take coins.

Newark is a treat all year round - visit in summer when downtown is truly alive with shoppers, sports fans and locals enjoying the sunshine, or vacation here in fall to take in the russet hued leaves in  the city’s many parks. Newark knows it can’t compete with New York when it comes to big-hitting attractions, but what it does it does superbly and with local pride.

Devil may care

Sport is a big deal in Newark, whether it’s for the city’s own teams or those of New York who have their homes in New Jersey due to the lack of space in crowded Manhattan.

The best sports experience is at the Prudential Center, home to the New Jersey Devils ice hockey team. Several times National Hockey League champions, the Devils whip up a boisterous atmosphere, especially when they’re taking on local rivals the New York Rangers.

If you’d rather see soccer, drive the short distance to Harrison, home of the Red Bull Arena and the New York Red Bulls.

Parks and recreation

There are plenty of ways to relax and lots of attractions in Newark. Chief among them is Branch Brook Park in North Ward. It’s a place of beauty all year round but at its finest in April when the cherry blossom trees bloom – it has the highest concentration of them in the whole US.

You’ll find plenty of places to wander, picnic, cycle and birdwatch no matter what time of year. It’s punctuated with pretty bridges, ponds and lakes.

Back in the heart of the city, Newark Museum has a stunning collection. Contemporary American art sits with superb collections from Africa and Asia. The Tibetan Art here is among the finest in the world, while there’s also a planetarium, summer concerts in the garden and a zoo – it’s the cultural hub for the whole city.

Bada Bing

The show that paved the way for TV’s recent Golden Age, The Sopranos, brought Jersey to the small screen and showed it off to viewers worldwide. You can tour many of the locations in both New York and New Jersey, joining a guided tour or using your Newark car rental to do it at your own pace.

Drive the Pulaski Skyway from the iconic opening credits or head up to the Pine Barrens, home to perhaps the most memorable episode ever. The latter is a huge reserve – over one million acres covered in forest and dotted with ghost towns, abandoned mansions and former brick factories. It tells a tale of New Jersey and Newark’s industrial past, mixed with breathtaking scenery.

Explore Newark, head into New York or follow the local teams with a car rental from Newark.