Self-Launched East Coast USA: New York to Niagara Falls by Bus & Train
9 days · United States (East Coast)
G Adventures charges £1,850
No-markup version: ~£1,180 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of G Adventures' 9-day loop from New York: Philadelphia's Independence Hall and Liberty Bell, the museums and monuments of Washington DC, an Amish buggy ride and Hershey's chocolate factory in Pennsylvania Dutch country, the roar of Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist, a Finger Lakes swim stop, and Boston's Freedom Trail — all linked by cheap intercity buses (Megabus/FlixBus), Amtrak's Northeast Regional and local transit instead of a private van. Hostels and budget motels keep costs low; the US East Coast is not a cheap destination but you can still do this route for a fraction of the group tour price. All figures are rough backpacker estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive New York — settle into Manhattan or Brooklyn
New York City
Land at JFK, Newark or LaGuardia and get into the city on public transport — AirTrain + subway from JFK (~£8), NJ Transit/Newark Airport Express into Penn Station (~£13), or the Q70 + subway from LaGuardia (~£3). Check into a hostel in the Lower East Side or Brooklyn (HI New York on the Upper West Side is a solid, well-run option). Use the afternoon to walk the High Line and wander Greenwich Village, then pick up an MTA MetroCard/OMNY tap card and grab a cheap slice of pizza for dinner.
🚌AirTrain + subway from airport ~£8; MTA subway ~£2.30/ride
🛏Hostel dorm, Manhattan or Brooklyn (~£45/night)
- →High Line walk
- →Greenwich Village wander
- →Pick up OMNY/MetroCard
New York to Washington DC via Philadelphia
Philadelphia / Washington DC
Take an early Megabus or FlixBus from NYC to Philadelphia (~£10-15, 2 hrs), drop your bag at a locker at 30th Street Station and walk Independence National Historic Park — Independence Hall (free timed tickets via recreation.gov), the Liberty Bell and Elfreth's Alley. Grab a proper Philly cheesesteak (Pat's or Geno's for the classics, ~£10). In the late afternoon ride the Megabus/FlixBus on to Washington DC (~£12-18, 2.5 hrs) and check into a hostel near Dupont Circle or Chinatown.
🚌Megabus/FlixBus NYC–Philly ~£12 + Philly–DC ~£15
🛏Hostel dorm, DC (~£45/night)
- →Independence Hall & Liberty Bell
- →Elfreth's Alley
- →Cheesesteak stop
Washington DC — monuments, memorials and free museums
Washington DC
Everything big in DC is free: start on the National Mall, hit the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument grounds, then pick two or three Smithsonian museums (Air & Space, Natural History, American History — all free entry). In the afternoon walk to the White House fence and Arlington National Cemetery (free, take the Blue Line metro to Arlington Cemetery). Return at dusk to see the war memorials lit up — a genuinely great free evening. Optional: book a Capitol tour in advance through your senator's office or the visitor centre.
🚌Metro day of rides ~£6
🛏Hostel dorm, DC (~£45/night)
- →National Mall & Lincoln Memorial
- →Smithsonian museums (free)
- →Arlington National Cemetery
- →Evening memorial walk
Amish country and Hershey, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County / Harrisburg
The group tour's private van is the hardest bit to replace — your best DIY option is a day tour or a train-plus-local-transport combo. Take an early Amtrak Keystone or Pennsylvanian service from DC to Lancaster (~£25-35, 2.5 hrs). In Lancaster, use the local Red Rose Transit buses or a taxi (~£15) to Intercourse/Bird-in-Hand for a self-booked Amish buggy ride (Old Order Amish farm tours run ~£15-20, bookable on arrival or via Viator/GetYourGuide). Lunch on Pennsylvania Dutch cooking — shoofly pie and chicken pot pie. In the afternoon take the train one stop to Hershey (~£8) for the Hershey's Chocolate World factory tour (free entry, ~£5-10 for extras) and continue to Harrisburg for the night (budget motel near the station).
🚌Amtrak Keystone DC–Lancaster ~£30 + Lancaster–Hershey–Harrisburg ~£12; local bus/taxi ~£15
🛏Budget motel, Harrisburg (~£55/night, share a twin to halve it)
- →Amish buggy ride (self-booked)
- →Pennsylvania Dutch lunch
- →Hershey's Chocolate World tour
Harrisburg to Niagara Falls — Maid of the Mist
Niagara Falls, NY
Long travel day: take Amtrak's Pennsylvanian back toward Philadelphia/New York, or better value, a FlixBus/Greyhound combination Harrisburg–Buffalo (~£35-45, 8-9 hrs with a change) then a local NFTA bus to Niagara Falls (~£2). Alternatively fly Harrisburg–Buffalo on a budget fare if prices are low. Once there, walk to Niagara Falls State Park (free entry) and ride the Maid of the Mist boat right up to the base of Horseshoe Falls (~£20). Add the Cave of the Winds boardwalk (~£12) if you don't mind getting soaked. Stay in a budget motel on the US side, a 20-minute walk from the park.
🚌FlixBus/Greyhound Harrisburg–Buffalo ~£40 + NFTA bus ~£2
🛏Budget motel, Niagara Falls NY (~£55/night)
- →Maid of the Mist boat tour
- →Cave of the Winds (optional)
- →Niagara Falls State Park
Finger Lakes and Taughannock Falls, then on to Albany
Ithaca / Albany
Take an early bus Buffalo–Ithaca (~£20-25, 3 hrs) and use the local Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) Route 22 or a short taxi (~£8) to Taughannock Falls State Park — an easy flat gorge walk to a 215-ft waterfall, free entry. Swim or paddle at Cayuga Lake in summer. In the late afternoon continue by Greyhound/FlixBus Ithaca–Syracuse–Albany (~£25-30, 4 hrs) and check into a hostel or budget motel in downtown Albany. Evening pint in a Lark Street bar.
🚌Bus Buffalo–Ithaca ~£22 + TCAT ~£5 + Ithaca–Albany ~£28
🛏Budget motel/hostel, Albany (~£50/night)
- →Taughannock Falls gorge walk
- →Cayuga Lake swim
- →Lark Street evening
Albany to Boston — the Freedom Trail
Boston
Morning bus Albany–Boston on FlixBus or Peter Pan (~£25-30, 3.5 hrs). Dump your bag at the hostel (HI Boston is central and good value) and walk the Freedom Trail — a 2.5-mile red-brick line linking 16 Revolutionary sites, entirely free to follow; pay only to go inside Paul Revere's House (~£5) or the Old State House (~£8). Finish at the USS Constitution in Charlestown. Dinner on New England classics: clam chowder and a lobster roll in Quincy Market or the North End (~£20-25). Optional evening Red Sox game at Fenway if tickets are cheap.
🚌FlixBus/Peter Pan Albany–Boston ~£28
🛏Hostel dorm, Boston (~£48/night)
- →Freedom Trail self-walk
- →Paul Revere's House
- →Quincy Market & North End food stop
Boston back to New York — Times Square and downtown icons
New York City
Take a morning Megabus or FlixBus Boston–NYC (~£18-25, 4.5 hrs) or the slightly pricier Amtrak Northeast Regional (~£45, 4 hrs) if you prefer comfort. Check back into a Manhattan/Brooklyn hostel and do a self-guided orientation walk: Times Square, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library and Grand Central Terminal (all free). Optional paid extras: the 9/11 Memorial & One World Trade Observatory (~£30), Staten Island Ferry for a free Statue of Liberty view, or the Top of the Rock (~£30). Finish with a cheap Chinatown or halal-cart dinner.
🚌Megabus/FlixBus Boston–NYC ~£20
🛏Hostel dorm, NYC (~£45/night)
- →Times Square & Midtown walk
- →Grand Central Terminal
- →Staten Island Ferry (free)
- →9/11 Memorial (optional)
New York — last morning and departure
New York City
A free morning for a Central Park loop, the Brooklyn Bridge walk or a bagel breakfast in the East Village. Head to the airport by subway/AirTrain (~£8) for your flight home. No onward transport is included in the estimate.
🚌Subway + AirTrain to airport ~£8
🛏—
- →Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge walk
- →Bagel breakfast
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,180 | £1,850 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £670 per person (36%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,180
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched East Coast USA: New York to Niagara Falls by Bus & Train cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,180 per person for 9 days in United States (East Coast). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,850 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,180 — a saving of roughly £670 (36%) per person.
How long is the United States (East Coast) trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through United States (East Coast).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a city-breaks, culture, budget trip through United States (East Coast), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.