Stand on the waterfront at Paulus Hook and the view does the introducing: the Manhattan skyline across the Hudson, the Colgate Clock keeping time on the shore, and the light rail sliding past brownstone row houses. Jersey City rewards a traveller who is willing to move between neighbourhoods rather than stay in one place.
It suits people who are already in the New York area, or who are basing themselves here and crossing to Manhattan by PATH, ferry or the Holland Tunnel. It also suits anyone interested in industrial architecture, old churches, colonial Dutch history and waterfront parks.
This guide covers the sights named in the source material, grouped so you can plan a route by neighbourhood, and closes with a single-day itinerary built only from those places.
Top things to do in Jersey City
1. Liberty State Park
This is the city's largest park and the main reason many visitors come to Jersey City at all. It sits on the waterfront with views of Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and it is far less developed than its size suggests. The park is open daily from 6AM to 10PM and is free to enter.
Ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island leave from here, and tickets are sold in the historic Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) terminal. Admission to the two sites is free, but you need a ferry ticket to reach them, and it is worth reserving online in advance so you are guaranteed a particular window of time. While you wait for departure, look at the terminal's early 20th-century ironwork and architecture.
2. Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal (Communipaw Terminal)
The terminal stands at 1 Audrey Zapp Dr, inside Liberty State Park, and it is where ferry tickets are sold. For immigrants who were processed at Ellis Island and then headed west to places like Chicago and Pittsburgh, this is where their overland rail journeys began.
Combine it with the rest of Liberty State Park and with the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial next door, which you will pass on the way to the ferry.
3. Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial
Also at 1 Audrey Zapp Dr, this memorial is dedicated to the 746 9/11 casualties from New Jersey. Remains of the original towers stand adjacent to the memorial.
It sits next to the former CRRNJ Terminal, so it fits naturally into the same visit as the park and the ferry departure point.
4. Liberty Science Center
At 222 Jersey City Blvd, inside Liberty State Park, the Science Center is home to the largest planetarium in the Americas. It also offers lessons on the biology of the Hudson River Estuary and an exhibit dedicated to skyscrapers.
It is open Thursday to Sunday, 10AM to 4PM. Reach it by taking the light rail to Liberty State Park station and following the signs, or by car via the New Jersey Turnpike at exit 14b or 14c. Pair it with the park itself, since both are in the same place.
5. Loew's Jersey Theatre
At 54 Journal Square, adjacent to Journal Square station on the PATH, this was one of the five Loew's "Wonder Palaces" and one of New York City's flagship movie palaces. The interior is intricate and detailed, and it is being restored by a local group.
It often hosts live events and screens movie revivals, so check what is on before you go. Because it sits right at Journal Square station, it is easy to combine with the other Journal Square sights on this list.
6. Justice William Brennan Courthouse (Hudson County Courthouse)
At 583 Newark Ave, this Beaux-Arts building gives a glimpse into the county's history. Look for the stained glass dome and the detailed murals.
Guided tours are available on weekdays. Walk east from Journal Square station to reach it, which makes it a natural stop alongside the Loew's Jersey Theatre and Centre Pompidou.
7. Jersey City City Hall
At 280 Grove St, this granite and marble municipal building was completed in 1896. A bronze memorial monument by Philip Martiny stands in the small plaza in front of the entrance, showing the Goddess of Victory seated with her shield laid aside, her hand resting on her sword and an olive branch offered.
Ride the PATH to Grove Street station and walk south on the street of the same name. It is an easy stop on a downtown route that also takes in the Colgate Clock and Paulus Hook.
8. Colgate Clock
At 2 Hudson Street, the clock dates back to 1924 and is a reminder of the industries that once dominated the city. Manhattan residents still glance across the Hudson to tell the time from it.
Walk from Essex Street or Exchange Place stations. It pairs well with Paulus Hook, which is served by the light rail at Essex St.
9. Paulus Hook
Today Paulus Hook is a neighbourhood of brownstone row houses with an excellent view of New York City, served by the light rail. It was once a small peninsula surrounded by marsh, connected to the mainland by a causeway passable only at low tide, and it was the main landing point before the Revolutionary War for travellers going from New York City into Bergen County.
It was the site of British fortifications during the revolution, used as a base for loyalist raids into Bergen County, until Major Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee took them by a night assault carried out during low tide on August 19, 1779. Take the light rail to Essex St and walk the waterfront.
10. Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse
On Washington Boulevard, the Powerhouse is a Romanesque revival industrial building constructed between 1906 and 1908 and designed by architect John Oakman, an alumnus of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. It allowed the operation of the first trans-Hudson subway, the direct predecessor of today's PATH, and ceased generating power in 1929.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 after being nominated by the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, and the city has designated a developer to renovate it. View it as part of a waterfront walk rather than as a stand-alone stop.
11. Apple Tree House
At 298 Academy St, this is the house where Generals George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette dined and discussed war tactics. A walking cane made from the apple tree that once existed here is displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Tours are available on Wednesdays. Walk south from Journal Square PATH station to reach it.
12. Van Vorst House
At 530 Palisade Ave, this is the oldest structure in Jersey City and one of the oldest in New Jersey, built around 1740.
It is a quick look rather than a long visit, so fold it into a walk through the surrounding streets rather than making a special trip.
13. Lincoln Park
At 690 WestSide Ave, this park was designed in 1905 under the name "West Side Park" by landscape architect Charles Lowrie and Daniel W. Langston, and it holds several historical points of interest. "Lincoln the Mystic", a seated statue of the US President, was sculpted by James Earle Fraser and dedicated on June 14, 1930, when the park took its current name.
The fountain at the park entrance was designed by sculptor Pierre J. Cheronin and completed in 1911; it is 53 ft (16 m) high, decorated with water-spouting frogs and allegorical figures, and considered the largest concrete fountain in the world. The park also holds the Irish Famine Memorial, a Civil War Soldier statue, the James T. Farrier Firefighter Memorial, two historic cannons and sun houses. Take the 80 bus from Journal Square to Kensington Ave.
14. St John The Baptist Church
At 3026 Kennedy Blvd, this church was designed in the 1890s with stained-glass windows, a Seth Thomas clock, a Romanesque-Byzantine edifice and a recreation of Raphael's "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament". Its design features a gold tessera, a fusion of pure gold leaf and two pieces of glass, which only four other churches in the United States have.
From the PATH station, look for a church tower with a green top to find it.
15. Pershing Field and Reservoir No 3
Pershing Field, on Summit Ave, offers a running track, a pool and an ice-skating rink, and has a deep military history as the location of a military camp during World War I. It holds memorials for those who served in both world wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and remnants of an old armory that once stood in McGinley Square. Take the 83 bus from Journal Square and get off at the Carlton Ave stop.
Next to it, at Reservoir Ave and Summit Ave, Reservoir No 3 was the location of one of the nation's first water works facilities. It fell into disuse in the 1990s and began to resemble a smaller version of the New Jersey Meadowlands; today it is one of the few places in the New York metro area to view wildlife, but you must make an appointment online. Combine the two in a single trip.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Liberty State Park, arriving early to make the most of the daily 6AM-10PM opening. Look at the Central Railroad of New Jersey (Communipaw Terminal) where ferry tickets are sold, and visit the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial next to it. If you have reserved a ferry online in advance, this is when to cross to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Afternoon: Move on to the Liberty Science Center at 222 Jersey City Blvd, open Thursday to Sunday from 10AM to 4PM, for the planetarium and the Hudson River Estuary exhibits. From there, head to Journal Square for the Loew's Jersey Theatre at 54 Journal Square and the Justice William Brennan Courthouse at 583 Newark Ave, where guided tours run on weekdays.
Evening: Finish downtown. See Jersey City City Hall at 280 Grove St and its memorial plaza, then walk to the Colgate Clock at 2 Hudson Street and on into Paulus Hook for brownstone row houses and the view of New York City across the water.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Jersey City from Manhattan?
The Holland Tunnel, the PATH rapid transit system, NJ Transit buses and NY Waterway ferry service all connect across the Hudson River with Manhattan.
Do I need to book anything in advance?
Yes, in two cases. Make your Statue of Liberty ferry reservations online ahead of time, since the ferry is first-come, first-served but an advance reservation guarantees a particular window of time. You must also make an appointment online to visit Reservoir No 3.
When is the best time to see the waterfront?
Liberty State Park is open daily from 6AM to 10PM, so an early start gives you the quietest hours. The source material also notes fireworks displays over the water on the Fourth of July.
Which sights are best reached by light rail?
Liberty State Park has its own light rail stop, and Paulus Hook is served by the light rail at Essex St.
Pick your neighbourhoods, check the days and times that apply, and start planning your route through Jersey City.