New York Islanders Travel Guide for Fans

There is something about pulling into the Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station on a New York Islanders night, the building rising up beside Belmont Park, the Islanders dynasty banners hanging from the rafters from four straight Stanley Cup runs in the early 1980s, and a fanbase that crossed an entire suburban move to follow this club from Nassau Coliseum to Brooklyn and finally home to Elmont. After years of building New York Islanders travel for fans heading in from across Long Island, the boroughs of New York, and well beyond, I can tell you the difference between a great weekend and a stressful one comes down to a handful of decisions made before you leave home. This New York Islanders travel guide pulls together what my team has learned about Long Island, the rink, and the streets around it so your trip runs the way it should. I walk you through where to stay near the venue, how to reach the rink on a hockey night, where New York Islanders fans eat near the building, and how to lock in the right New York Islanders tickets for your budget. If you would rather skip the planning altogether, our New York Islanders travel packages bundle hotels, tickets, and flights into one booking.

What makes a New York Islanders trip special is the way a franchise that joined the NHL in 1972 fits inside a modern facility that finally gave the team a permanent home after years of moving between Nassau Coliseum and Brooklyn. The building, the centerpiece of the Belmont Park redevelopment and named for UBS, the global financial firm, has been the club's home since November 2021 and continues a New York Islanders lineage that produced four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 through 1983. The rink itself sits at 2400 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, a few feet from the Belmont Park racetrack, with the Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station, Roosevelt Field Mall, Eisenhower Park, and Garden City all within a short ride. That blend of New York Islanders tradition and a venue built with the LIRR running right to its door is why New York Islanders travel has become one of the most rewarding NHL trips on our books.

Throughout this New York Islanders travel guide you will find links to deeper resources my team maintains, covering hotels near the rink, transportation, New York Islanders tickets, behind-the-scenes tours, and where the team stays on the road. Think of this page as your starting point for New York Islanders travel and click through to whichever guide matches the part of your trip you are sorting out. The planning principles hold whether you follow the New York Islanders from city to city or you are riding the LIRR in for your first Elmont visit.

Why Every Fan Should Travel for a New York Islanders Game

Watching the New York Islanders on television is one thing, but standing inside the bowl while they pour over the boards is another entirely. Hockey moves at a speed broadcasts flatten, and in person you finally see the whole sheet at once, the way a defenseman steps up at the offensive zone and the constant motion cameras never catch. You hear the puck rattle off the end glass and feel the crowd inhale before a power play, and that sensory rush is why so many people build an entire weekend around the hockey.

The Long Island crowd is the other half of what makes New York Islanders travel worth the trip. The bowl holds just over 17,000 for hockey, and on a big night the building generates a wall of noise that rises and falls with every shift, capped by the Yes Yes Yes chant that has become one of the signature gameday moments in the league. You become part of a Long Island crowd that has carried this franchise through every era since 1972, with rivalry atmospheres against Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington that rattle your chest from puck drop. Once you have felt the building erupt over an overtime winner, the appeal of traveling to Elmont for New York Islanders hockey stops being a question and becomes a habit.

Beyond the action, New York Islanders travel gives you an excuse to dig into one of the most underrated corners of the metro area. The rink sits steps from the Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station, Belmont Park, Garden City, and the Roosevelt Field shopping corridor, so you can step off the train, walk to the building, and ride right back without ever moving the car. You can build a complete New York Islanders weekend that pairs the hockey with morning coffee in Garden City, an afternoon at Eisenhower Park or Old Westbury Gardens, and a late dinner along Franklin Avenue, none of which require deep planning once your trip is anchored to the team's schedule.

Best Hotels Near UBS Arena for New York Islanders Games

Where you stay shapes New York Islanders travel more than almost any other choice. The simplest rule I give every traveler heading in is to prioritize proximity to a train line, because a hotel within a short ride of the venue lets you fold the evening together instead of treating it as a logistics problem. When you can step off the LIRR, walk to your seat, and ride home after a win without fighting Cross Island Parkway traffic, the whole night loosens up. The strongest hotels for New York Islanders supporters cluster around Garden City, Westbury, and Uniondale, all within a short drive or transfer of Elmont.

Budget should steer the search rather than shrink the fun, and Long Island offers strong hotels across every price tier within reach of the venue. Travelers watching their spending can find well-located hotels near the venue, often a short drive from the rink, at properties like the Days Inn by Wyndham Elmont near Belmont Park, the Holiday Inn Westbury, and the Best Western Mill River Manor. People ready to treat themselves often pick the Garden City Hotel, a Long Island landmark since 1874, the Vanderbilt Hotel of the Auberge Resorts Collection, or the Roslyn Tapestry Collection by Hilton, all of which pair upgraded rooms with easy access to New York Islanders games. The Long Island Marriott in Uniondale sits a quick drive from the rink, near the former Nassau Coliseum home of the New York Islanders. Booking your hotel as part of New York Islanders packages alongside your New York Islanders tickets is the move that keeps the trip simple and well priced.

The area around the venue is built around the LIRR and the Cross Island Parkway, with most major hotels in Garden City, Westbury, and Uniondale, the Elmont-UBS Arena station, and the rink connected by trains, shuttles, and short rideshare hops. Each hotel carries its own trade-off between price, proximity, and amenities, which is why I lay them out side by side in the dedicated guide. For the full breakdown near the rink, explore the complete guide below, and see how the right hotels feed into New York Islanders packages.

Best Hotels Near UBS Arena for New York Islanders Games

How to Get to UBS Arena

Reaching the venue cleanly is one of the most underrated parts of a New York Islanders trip, and it is where I see first-time visitors lose the most time. The good news is the Belmont Park redevelopment handed the New York Islanders one of the most transit-friendly venue setups in the league, with the bowl sitting feet from the Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station, served by both the Hempstead and Belmont Park branches. From Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens you can step on the LIRR at Penn Station or Jamaica Station, ride straight to Elmont, and walk into the building without ever touching the parkways.

Driving into Elmont on a New York Islanders night is workable but rarely the easiest option. There are several parking lots on the venue grounds, including the Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, and Silver Parking Lots, all within a short walk of the gates. Belmont Park next door offers overflow parking on game nights with a free shuttle, while Cross Island Parkway and Hempstead Turnpike feed the bulk of the gameday traffic. The MTA also runs Bus Routes N6 and Q2 with stops nearby, and the Jamaica subway connection lets fans transfer from the E, J, or Z lines onto the LIRR for the final ride out.

A few details about the venue are worth knowing before you go. The rink sits at 2400 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, a few feet from Belmont Park and within easy reach of Garden City and Westbury. Out-of-town fans flying in land at John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia, both roughly fifteen to twenty-five minutes from the rink by car depending on traffic. The full directions live in the guide below, plus how transportation pairs with New York Islanders packages.

How to Get to UBS Arena for New York Islanders Games

Top Restaurants Near UBS Arena

Few parts of a New York Islanders weekend are more enjoyable than eating your way through the blocks around the venue before puck drop, and the dining near the building has become a genuine reason to arrive early. I always tell people to treat the meal as part of the evening rather than an afterthought, because the right pre-game table sets the tone for everything that follows. The blocks around the rink, from Elmont through Floral Park and out to Garden City, cover everything from quick counter bites to sit-down rooms that have fed New York Islanders crowds for years.

For New York Islanders fans who want to stay in the pre-game energy, a cluster of spots sits within a short drive of the rink. The Harrison in Garden City is a popular pre-game home for New York Islanders supporters, a modern American room packed with screens, team flags, and a menu built for the hours before puck drop. Just minutes away, Pappardelle serves up an Italian menu and a warm casual ambiance that handles groups well. A short drive away, Lulu's Kitchen and Bar offers a chic upscale dining tour through Garden City, the kind of pre-game meal that rewards a group sharing several plates.

If you would rather slow the evening down, Garden City and the surrounding villages reward a longer table in almost any direction. The blocks around Franklin Avenue turn out some of the most ambitious dinners in Nassau County, while Floral Park to the south delivers classic Italian rooms that have anchored their neighborhoods for years. For a true Long Island moment, the historic streets and farm stands along Old Westbury are a half-hour outing that doubles as a tour of one of the most distinctive corners of the region. The streets and parks around the rink cover everything in between.

Where the New York Islanders Stay on the Road

A question I hear more often than you might expect is where the team itself stays when they travel, and the answer offers a useful window into how the professional side of the sport operates. Like most NHL clubs, the New York Islanders gravitate toward upper-tier hotels close to the opposing rink, prioritizing properties that deliver privacy, security, and the quiet recovery space a roster needs between games. The logic mirrors the advice I give New York Islanders fans, which is that proximity cuts down on friction and lets the team focus on hockey rather than the commute.

The patterns hold across the league and are worth understanding if you want to travel the way the pros do. Visiting clubs like the New York Islanders tend to book established luxury hotels in the heart of each market, the same properties that combine top-tier service with an easy walk or short ride to the rink. When the New York Islanders visit Pittsburgh, for example, they favor prestigious downtown properties that put them within reach of the rink, and a similar logic plays out in every market they enter. Those choices reflect years of accumulated knowledge about which hotels handle a traveling roster best.

My road hotels guide breaks down the kinds of hotels the New York Islanders and their opponents favor across the league, and it helps you find comparable hotels that fit your budget. You do not need a professional travel budget to stay somewhere excellent, since many of these properties offer rooms accessible to visitors who book ahead. Understanding how the New York Islanders approach their own travel gives you a smarter framework for planning yours.

Where the New York Islanders Stay on the Road

Best Seats and Ticket Options at New York Islanders Games

Choosing where to sit is one of the most personal decisions in a New York Islanders trip, and the right answer depends on what you want from the night. Down in the lower bowl at the building, the seats close to the glass put you near enough to feel the speed and hear the chatter, where every hit along the boards lands right in front of you. Seats at mid-rink in the lower level give the cleanest sightline of plays developing end to end, which is why they are among the most coveted New York Islanders tickets and the first to go for marquee dates.

For New York Islanders fans chasing a true premium night, the Dime Club seats and 100-level New York Islanders tickets offer a different kind of value. These mid-tier tickets pair excellent sightlines with access to upgraded lounges, shorter concession lines, and a more comfortable concourse, which makes them a favorite for travelers who want a polished evening without the price of glass seats. Groups marking a milestone often find these levels strike the right balance.

Budget-minded New York Islanders fans should not overlook the upper bowl at the building, because views from the 200 level are genuinely strong. Hockey is one of the few games where elevation helps, since a higher vantage point lets you read the flow end to end. Many savvy travelers I know deliberately choose upper-level seats both for the value and for the panoramic view. The right New York Islanders tickets ultimately come down to an honest read, and the best New York Islanders tickets fit into packages built around your dates.

Best Seats and Ticket Options at New York Islanders Games

New York Islanders Tours at UBS Arena

One of the most rewarding ways to deepen New York Islanders travel is to add a tour of the rink, especially given how much franchise history sits inside the bowl. The team runs guided behind-the-scenes experiences that take you well past anything a ticket allows, walking you through the spaces where the team actually works. Standing in a locker room, looking out from a press box, or stepping toward ice level gives you a perspective on the New York Islanders you simply cannot get from your seat.

What you actually see depends on the day, but the highlights cluster around a few areas every New York Islanders fan wants to experience. Access to the team spaces is usually the centerpiece, offering an insider's look at where the roster prepares. Walking near ice level lets you appreciate the true scale of the sheet and the steepness of the lower bowl, a perspective that reshapes how you watch the New York Islanders later. Many tours also fold in the premium spaces and the displays that honor the four consecutive Stanley Cup banners from 1980 through 1983 and the standout players who made them happen.

Pairing a tour with the rest of your weekend is easy, since they run on non-game days and slot neatly into a Long Island itinerary. I often suggest travelers arrive a day early, take the tour while the building is quiet, and return for the game with a deeper appreciation. Belmont Park sits next door, with Garden City and Roosevelt Field Mall within reach, and the tour can fold into New York Islanders packages.

New York Islanders Tours at UBS Arena

Game Day Checklist for New York Islanders Fans

After building so much New York Islanders travel, I have learned the gap between a smooth gameday and a stressful one comes down to a handful of details handled in advance. The single most important item is your New York Islanders tickets, loaded onto your phone and confirmed before you leave the hotel, so the tickets are ready, since wrestling with a login at a crowded gate is the last thing you want as puck drop nears. If you are driving in, your parking reservation belongs right alongside those New York Islanders tickets, sorted ahead of time.

Dressing for a Long Island night is the next layer, and it matters more than first-time visitors expect. The bowl runs cool inside the venue, even on milder evenings, and Northeast winters can swing hard, so a warm coat you can store for the walk back outside keeps you comfortable through all three periods. Wearing New York Islanders colors is part of the fun too, so team gear, a hat, or a scarf earns you a place in the venue crowd.

Carry your New York Islanders tickets, a portable charger, a valid ID, and a card for cashless spots. Arriving early gives you time to walk the concourse, find your section, and soak in the pre-game atmosphere without rushing. Having your hotel, New York Islanders tickets, and transportation locked in before you arrive removes the variables that derail so many weekends, and bundling those pieces through Elite Sports Tours is the simplest way to handle it.

Plan Your New York Islanders Trip With Elite Sports Tours

After years of sending hockey fans into Long Island, I built Elite Sports Tours to take the guesswork out of the parts of New York Islanders travel that have nothing to do with the hockey itself. The hardest part has never been wanting to go; it has been coordinating New York Islanders tickets, hotels, and flights into a single plan that holds together. Rather than piecing together separate reservations and hoping they line up, you can build complete New York Islanders packages in one place, with your hotel and your seats locked together near the rink. Bundling those pieces into New York Islanders packages does more than save time on the trip, since these packages also unlock pricing and combinations you will not find booking each element on its own.

What sets our New York Islanders packages apart is the way every piece of these packages reinforces the others. When your hotel sits near the rink and your New York Islanders tickets are confirmed in the same booking, the whole weekend flows. My team can fold flights and Garden City hotels into your plans to round out the New York Islanders packages, turning a scattered set of hotels and bookings into one coordinated trip. For high-demand games and any playoff run, locking in New York Islanders packages early protects your inventory as the biggest dates sell through.

Explore the New York Islanders Travel Packages available through Elite Sports Tours, and pair them with the guides linked throughout this page to build a weekend tailored to your budget. Our packages are designed for fans who want one source of truth, and these packages keep the weekend coordinated from booking to gate. We handle the coordination on our packages, you handle the cheering, and the hockey takes care of itself. Our packages reward fans who plan ahead.

FAQs About New York Islanders Travel for Fans

How much are New York Islanders tickets?

New York Islanders tickets swing widely depending on the opponent, the day of the week, and where you sit, so understanding the tiers of tickets up front matters. Upper-level New York Islanders tickets for a midweek matchup against a non-rival are the most affordable New York Islanders tickets at UBS Arena, while lower-bowl and glass seats against a Metropolitan Division rival sit at the top of the range. Premium Dime Club New York Islanders tickets land in between. Because pricing shifts with demand, the most reliable way to lock in value is to bundle your seats with a hotel through New York Islanders packages rather than chasing the market on its own.

What is the best section to sit in at UBS Arena for a New York Islanders game?

The best section at UBS Arena depends on what you want from the night. The lower-bowl sections along the sides give the closest view of the speed and physicality, while seats at mid-rink deliver the cleanest sightline end to end. Fans who value comfort often prefer the Dime Club seats at UBS Arena, which balance a strong view with upgraded amenities. Budget-minded visitors are frequently surprised by how good the 200-level views are at UBS Arena, since elevation actually helps you read the flow of hockey.

How do I get from Manhattan to UBS Arena?

Getting to UBS Arena from Manhattan is refreshingly simple, because the LIRR runs directly to the Elmont-UBS Arena station from Penn Station. From Penn you can hop on the Hempstead or Belmont Park branch, ride about thirty to forty-five minutes, and walk straight into the building. Brooklyn and Queens fans can ride the LIRR from Atlantic Terminal or Jamaica Station, while subway riders typically transfer to the LIRR at Jamaica from the E, J, or Z lines. New York Islanders fans driving in can reach UBS Arena from JFK in about fifteen to twenty minutes by car depending on traffic.

Where should I stay for a New York Islanders game?

The smartest place to stay is within a short ride of UBS Arena, which keeps you close to the gates, the LIRR station, and the Garden City dining corridor. The blocks along Franklin Avenue and Old Country Road hold the strongest concentration of well-located Long Island hotels, ranging from upscale properties with full-service spas to more affordable rooms a short drive from the rink. Staying nearby means you fold the game into a full evening rather than a commute, riding to dinner, the game, and back without a long trek.

How early should I arrive at UBS Arena before a New York Islanders game?

I generally recommend arriving sixty to ninety minutes before puck drop, which gives you time to clear security at the venue, find your section, grab something to eat, and settle in. New York Islanders warmups begin around half an hour before the game and are worth catching, since you get an up-close look at the team before the building fills. Arriving early lets you beat the worst of the gameday crowd at the building. If you are planning a pre-game meal in Garden City or Floral Park, build in extra time, because tables fill quickly on New York Islanders nights.

How early should I book a New York Islanders travel package?

The earlier you plan, the better your options, especially for the marquee dates that draw visitors from across the metro area. For high-demand games, heated Metropolitan Division rivalries, and any playoff run, I recommend locking in your New York Islanders travel package three to six months ahead, because the best seats and the strongest hotels near UBS Arena disappear first. Through Elite Sports Tours, planning ahead opens up New York Islanders packages pricing that grows harder to secure as the date approaches, so treating New York Islanders packages as the first step is always the smart move.

Can I add other Long Island attractions to my New York Islanders trip?

Absolutely, and folding extra experiences into a New York Islanders weekend is one of my favorite ways to help travelers get more from a Long Island trip. Few corners of New York reward exploration the way Long Island does, with Belmont Park, Roosevelt Field Mall, Eisenhower Park, Old Westbury Gardens, the Nassau County Museum of Art, and the Long Beach boardwalk all within easy reach of UBS Arena. A New York Islanders night pairs naturally with a morning at Belmont Park, an afternoon at Old Westbury Gardens, or a stroll through Garden City. Through Elite Sports Tours, my team can arrange these additions.

Why should I book my New York Islanders trip with Elite Sports Tours?

Elite Sports Tours exists to make New York Islanders travel simple and coordinated. Booking with us gives you access to New York Islanders packages that combine New York Islanders tickets, hotels near UBS Arena, and optional flights into a single plan, along with the value that comes from building those packages around your dates. My team brings hands-on knowledge of Long Island and our New York Islanders packages, so we point you toward the right seats, the best-located hotels, and the local details that make a trip work. We handle the coordination so you can focus on the New York Islanders and Long Island.

Explore More New York Islanders Travel Guides

Planning a trip to see the New York Islanders involves more than just buying a seat. Hotel location, venue access, seating strategy, and transportation timing can all shape your weekend. These guides break down each part of the planning process so you can compare seats, hotels, and New York Islanders travel options more efficiently.

• Best Hotels Near UBS Arena for New York Islanders Games: Compare where to stay based on proximity, the LIRR, and convenience for a New York Islanders trip.
• How to Get to UBS Arena for New York Islanders Games: Learn the most efficient transportation options, including the LIRR, parking, and rideshare zones.
• Where the New York Islanders Stay on the Road: See where the New York Islanders stay in each NHL city and how those locations can guide your own planning.
• Best Seats and Ticket Options at New York Islanders Games: Break down the seating tiers to find the right balance between view, price, and experience.
• New York Islanders Tours at UBS Arena: Take a closer look at behind-the-scenes access and the attractions around UBS Arena.
• New York Islanders Travel Packages: Explore complete New York Islanders Travel Packages that include tickets, hotels, and optional flights.

Editorial Note

This guide was written by the Elite Sports Tours team because Elmont is one of the most frequently booked NHL trips in the company's history, particularly among fans riding the LIRR in from across Long Island, the boroughs, the metro area, and well beyond for a hockey weekend in a modern facility that finally gave the New York Islanders a permanent home. The combination of a transit-accessible Belmont Park location, a rink connected directly to the LIRR, a dynasty history reaching back to four straight Stanley Cup runs from 1980 through 1983, and a fanbase that turned UBS Arena into one of the loudest rooms in the league makes it one of the most rewarding NHL travel weekends to plan. Everything in this guide reflects what Elite Sports Tours is actively booking for New York Islanders fans on Travel Packages.

Travel Disclaimer

New York Islanders home schedules, venue policies, transit routes, hotel availability, and ticket pricing all change throughout the season. Always confirm specific gameday details with the team organization, the hotel, and the transport provider directly before traveling. Elite Sports Tours updates Travel Packages and New York Islanders tickets as the schedule and venue policies change.

Updated June 2026