By Subway
Many subway lines pass through the neighborhood. The A, C, and 1 go up the West Side to Manhattanville, Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, Inwood and Fort Tryon Park. The 2 and 3 go up Lenox Avenue more or less in the center, and the 4, 5, 6 on the East Side. The B and D go up 8th Av. and St. Nicholas Av. along with the A and C as far as 155 St., then go under the Harlem River to Yankee Stadium and other stops in the Bronx. The A and D and the 4 and 5 are fast express trains during the day, as the A and D whiz passengers from 59 St. directly to 125 St., while the 4 and 5 go from 86 St. to 125 St. in one stop. The 168th St and 181st St stops on the 1 are some of the prettiest stations in the system and deserve a visit.
By Commuter Train
Metro North Railroad has a station at 125th Street and Park Avenue with easy connections to and from the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. See the By train section on the main New York City page for more info.
By bus
There is plenty of MTA bus service to the area. The M4 makes its slow way up to the Cloisters from the Village via the East Side Madison on the way up and Fifth Avenue on the way down, across 110th St., and via Broadway and Fort Washington Av. further north - a nice way to see the changing face of Manhattan but a very slow way! There is a large commuter bus terminal under the ramps to the George Washington Bridge 175th Street between Broadway and Fort Washington Avenue with service to points to suburban New Jersey and New York.