New Haven to NYC road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops

Planning a New Haven to NYC road trip itinerary

The New Haven to New York City drive takes you from a Connecticut college city to the Big Apple

New Haven CT is home to Yale University, which provides the city’s top attractions. The Yale Center of British Art hosts the biggest collection of British Art outside the UK. Yale University Art Gallery covers a broader, global range. And the Yale Peabody Museum does natural history, evolution and dinosaur skeletons.

You can also do self-guided smartphone walking tours of the Yale campus, or a story-packed ghost walk.

New Haven’s other claim to fame is New Haven-style pizza. It’s close to a traditional Neapolitan style, with a thin, chewy base and very little melted cheese.

Good quality, academia-themed accommodation options in New Haven include the Study at Yale and the Graduate.

Highlights of New York City include the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History.

For great New York tours, try the boat trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a night time city lights helicopter flight and a Greenwich village food tour.

More unusual options include catacombs tours, a round-Manhattan architecture cruise and a guided exploration of Grand Central Station’s secrets.

You seriously need to shop around to find affordable New York City accommodation. Start looking for deals here.

New Haven to New York City distance and driving time

By car, the distance from New Haven to New York City is 81 miles. The driving time is heavily traffic-dependent, but under normal circumstances, it’s around one hour and 33 minutes.

The best stops to add to a New Haven to New York City road trip itinerary are Fairfield CT, Norwalk CT and Rye NY.

For more suggestions, the journey can be broken down into three sections:

New Haven to New York City drive: Fairfield CT

The main charm in Fairfield comes from its series of Long Island Sound beaches. Jennings Beach is closest to the city center. Otherwise, the Fairfield University Art Museum has a decent collection of European fine art, and the CT Audubon Birdcraft Museum is a five acre bird sanctuary. There’s an impressive concentration of bird species here, best seen by walking along the nature trails.

Find the cheapest deals on Fairfield hotels here.

Best stops between New Haven and New York City: Norwalk CT

Norwalk CT offers a few beaches on Long Island Sound. Calf Pasture Beach is arguably the nicest, but it’s a fair detour from the town centre. Otherwise, the main reason to stop is the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. The beloved harbor seals of Pinniped Cove are usually the favourites here, with the 4D theater an enjoyable bonus.

The best Norwalk accommodation choice is the Hotel Zero Degrees.

New Haven to New York city road trip attractions: Rye NY

Most of Rye’s charm lies along the waterfront. Here, Playland Park manages to combine old-fashioned amusement park vibes with rollercoasters that adults enjoy as much as kids. Rye Playland Beach is next to the park, and it curves round into Rye Beach.

The Lower Manhattan skyline in New York City.
The Lower Manhattan skyline in New York City. Photo by Brandon Jacoby.

More New Haven CT road trips

Bridgeport CT to New Haven CT | Boston to New Haven | Hartford CT to New Haven CT | New Haven to Philadelphia | Stamford CT to New Haven CT | New Haven to Washington DC.

More New York City road trips

New York City to Baltimore | New York City to Bridgeport CT | Boston to New York City | New York City to Chicago | New York City to Cincinnati | Dallas to New York City | Greensboro to New York City | Hartford to New York City | Houston to New York City | Kansas City to New York City | New York City to Memphis | Minneapolis to New York City | New York City to Myrtle Beach | New York City to Nashville | New York City to Norwalk CT | New York City to Philadelphia | New York City to Pittsburgh | Raleigh NC to New York City | New York City to Richmond VA | New York City to Stamford CT | St Louis to New York City | New York City to Washington DC | New York City to Wilmington NC | New York City to Worcester MA.