There’s nowhere like New York City, but sometimes you need a break from the urban grind. Luckily, it’s really easy to take weekend trips from New York; a quick train or bus ride or drive will get you out of the city and into prime fall foliage, local art galleries, or a lobster roll by the shore. Whether you want to spend an entire weekend hiking, at the beach, or seeing street art, these are 10 of the best weekend getaways from New York City.
The laid-back beach town of Montauk is an ideal place for a relaxing getaway.
Photo by Lyndsey Matthews
1. Montauk, New York
Distance: 2.5 by car; 3.5 hours by train or Hampton Jitney bus
Best for: A laid-back beach getaway
A more relaxed alternative to the upscale beach towns in the Hamptons just to the west, Montauk is best known for its surf breaks, like the ones at Ditch Plains and the Terrace. So pack your swimsuit, sign up for a surfing lesson, and plan on eating as much seafood as you can.
What to do in Montauk
Take a surf lesson or rent gear at Engstrom Surf, where beginners are in safe hands with the Engstrom siblings, or go snorkeling and foraging for oysters. Or if you prefer being on the water instead of in it, book a private charter (for anywhere from 2 to 100 passengers) with Catamaran Mon Tiki for a sunset cruise departing from Star Island in Lake Montauk.
What to eat in Montauk
A lobster roll is a must. Go casual at Hooked, with its chalkboard menu and blue picnic tables, or take in sunset views at Duryea’s, a classic seafood restaurant right on the water overlooking Fort Pond Bay. Close out the night by drinking a beer or two with locals at Shagwong Tavern, a no-frills bar in the center of the village that’s been open since 1936.
Where to stay in Montauk
Check into Marram, a quiet beachfront hotel with courtyard firepits (with complimentary nightly s’mores) and a pool deck overlooking the Atlantic. A hundred feet from the ocean is Daunt’s Albatross, operated by the Daunt family since 1977. The 24 guest rooms come with kitchenettes perfect for week-long stays, as well as custom-made knotty alder furniture, indigo-hued textiles as art, and sleek flagstone floors.
Bear Mountain, across the river and a bit north of Peekskill, is a popular Hudson Valley hiking area.
Courtesy of Daniel Mennerich/Flickr
2. Hudson Valley, New York
- Distance: 1.5–2.5 hours by car; from 70 minutes to 2 hours by train
- Best for: Scenic hikes, small towns with good food, art installations
The many hiking trails, dense pine forests, and swimming holes of the Hudson Valley offer a welcome escape from the city, but it’s not all nature up here. The small, postindustrial towns that line the Hudson River—many are accessible by train—have solid vintage shops, great places to eat, and contemporary art spaces.
What to do in the Hudson Valley
There are so many breweries in the Hudson Valley; go for an IPA at West Kill Brewing on an old dairy farm in the Catskills, Woodstock Brewing, right down the street from Phoenicia Diner, and for excellent pizza and pints at Sloop in East Fishkill.
Hit the trails of Bear Mountain (bus from Port Authority) or, moving north, you’ve got Minnewaska State Park near Gardiner and Hunter Mountain and Kaaterskill Falls.
If you’re more into vintage Mary Janes than hiking boots, tiny Saugerties has a handful of vintage and antique shops. The main drags in Hudson and Beacon are lined with well-curated concept shops. Farther north, the town of Woodstock makes for a fun afternoon of window shopping and dessert eating (go just for Peace, Love and Cupcakes and Bread Alone).
In Hudson, cruise the dozen-odd galleries on and just off Warren Street. In Beacon, walking distance from the train, is Dia Beacon, a 300,000-square-foot museum in a former Nabisco box printing factory. Near Cold Spring is modernist-style contemporary museum Magazzino Italian Art; it runs a shuttle ($3) from Cold Spring station. For more kid-friendly art, try sculpture parks Storm King, on the west side of the Hudson near Cornwall, or Art Omi, on the west side of the river north of Hudson.
Where to eat in the Hudson Valley
In Kingston, the homey Brunette wine bar and Savona’s Trattoria on Broadway warrant a detour, and in Hudson, don’t miss Feast and Floret, serving dishes like rigatoncini alla norma and pork ribs with cipollini and Concord grape reduction. Make time for an all-American feast at Phoenicia Diner, a 1960s establishment zhuzhed up for modern enjoyment. In Hudson, Lil’ Deb’s Oasis looks like a maximalist neon-colored diner and serves a menu as bright and global as its walls, with llapingachos (Ecuadorian fried potato–cheese pancakes) and tuna crudo.
Where to stay in the Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains have many cozy bed-and-breakfasts and contemporary boutique hotels. A few of the best include Urban Cowboy Lodge in Big Indian, the DeBruce in Livingston Manor, Scribner’s Catskill Lodge in Hunter, Eastwind Hotel in Windham, the Graham & Co. in Phoenicia, Wm. Farmer and Sons in Hudson, and Wildflower Farms in Gardiner.
67 Step Beach in Greenport is a local favorite for sunset.
Courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik/Flickr
3. North Fork, Long Island, New York
- Distance: 2 hours by car; 3 hours by train
- Best for: Wine, food, and ocean vistas
Local wineries. Bucolic pastures. Farm-to-table food scenes. Oysters and lobster rolls up and down the coast. The North Fork feels worlds away from the concrete jungle of New York City.
What to do on the North Fork
A weekend on the North Fork isn’t complete without some wine tasting. Spend an afternoon exploring vineyards along the Long Island Wine Trail; Kontokosta Winery is the North Fork’s only waterfront winery, located in Greenport, and Castello di Borghese Vineyard and Winery is the region’s oldest vineyard.
To experience the area’s beautiful beaches, charter a boat with Peconic Water Sports, or take the ferry from downtown Greenport to Shelter Island, a nature-filled refuge between the North and South Forks. Shop for vintage clothes, vinyl records, and antique home decor at boutique shops such as the Times Vintage and Lido.
Where to eat on the North Fork
For lunch, head to Little Creek Oyster Farm & Market to enjoy shuck-your-own oysters, and don’t miss lunch or dinner at Salumeria Sarto, a tiny, 16-seat Italian restaurant on the waterfront that’s a salumeria by day and osteria by night.
Where to stay on the North Fork
Its largest town, Greenport, offers a low-key alternative to flashier Long Island escapes like the Hamptons. Use Sound View Greenport as your base for the weekend—the revamped 1950s motel is now a 55-room waterfront hotel with a private beach, mixing New England modernist with coastal minimalism (think crisp, clean lines everywhere). Its sister property, Harborfront Inn at Greenport, is another family-friendly option.
Read more: The perfect weekend getaway on Long Island’s North Fork
Be sure to visit Seventh Lake while in the Adirondacks—especially during the summertime.
Photo by Michelle Heimerman
4. Adirondacks, New York
- Distance: 4.5 hours by car
- Best for: Exploring a state park filled with old-growth forests
When your main contact with nature is Central Park of Prospect Park, it’s easy to forget that a 6-million-acre state park—larger than Yellowstone, the Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon national parks combined—is available within New York State. The Adirondacks contain state-protected preserves filled with old-growth forests, waterfalls, glistening streams, and sparkling lakes, and because the area isn’t a national park, there’s no entrance fee.
What to do in the Adirondacks
Canoe or kayak on Lake George, a 32-mile-long body of water nicknamed “The Queen of American Lakes” in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. The state park also has more than 2,000 miles of hiking trails that cater to every skill level, from nature strolls to strenuous summit climbs up the Adirondack High Peaks.
Where to stay in the Adirondacks
For a true Adirondack experience, spend the weekend at a historic “Adirondack Great Camp.” Gilded Age industrial titans vacationed in the Adirondacks, where they built mansion-like log cabins. Today, you can stay in a number of these lodges, including the Point, a great camp built by William Avery Rockefeller on 75 acres of Saranac Lake shorefront nearly a century ago, and White Pine Camp, the one-time Summer White House of President Calvin Coolidge.
For an art and culture-filled getaway, head to the Berkshires, with a stay at the hotel Tourists (left) and a visit to museum MASS MoCA (right).
Photos by Lyndsey Matthews
5. Berkshires, Massachusetts
- Distance: 3.5 hours by car; 4 hours by seasonal train
- Best for: An art-filled escape
Adventure and art enthusiasts will find their ideal getaway in the Berkshires, a mountainous area in western Massachusetts that’s become a Northeastern cultural hub thanks to a rush of entrepreneurs transforming the region’s formerly derelict buildings into contemporary galleries and lodging.
What to do in the Berkshires
Stay the weekend in North Adams, a small city near the Vermont state line that’s home to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), a 19th-century factory mill complex turned modern center for world-class art. Roam more than 2,000 square feet of the museum’s sprawling exhibition space, then head outdoors to nearby Mount Greylock and traverse hiking trails that lead to the highest point in Massachusetts.
Where to stay in the Berkshires
Check into Tourists, an eco-friendly lodge opened by John Stirratt (the bassist with the Chicago alt-rock group Wilco) in North Adams’s previously rundown Redwood Motel. Miraval Berkshires in Lenox is a wellness-focused resort whose calendar is packed with daily activities such as early morning hikes, forest meditation, and rock climbing.
Nantucket is an oasis of calm best explored by bike.
Photo by TeBe Inspires/Shutterstock
6. Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Distance: 6 hours by car and ferry
- Best for: Eating fresh seafood
Quaint Nantucket feels worlds away from New York City, so it’s no surprise that it takes a little legwork to get here. If you have at least three days, the upscale island is an ideal destination seafood, books, biking to the beach, learning about the whaling industry, and marveling at its iconic 1700s clapboard homes.
What to do in Nantucket
Head to the Nautilus for its stand-out cocktails and fusion menu that zigzags from Sichuan-style dandan noodles to tuna poké. If Nautilus is full, its sister the Gaslight has a similar menu and live music. Pick up sandwiches from Born and Bread for a beach picnic, or dig into a dish of oysters from Cru while sitting on the waterfront.
The Whaling Museum is a must-do to learn the basics of Nantucket’s past—the Wampanoag people, notable abolitionists and suffragettes, 19th-century industry and transportation—as well as its legacy in the whaling industry. Private and self-guided walking tours of the island’s historic neighborhoods and architecture are also a highlight. Cruise around on two wheels with a rental from Young’s Bicycle Shop on Broad Street or Nantucket Bike Shop.
Where to stay in Nantucket
Historic three-story brick mansion Jared Coffin House has gorgeous rooms that celebrate history-making women, such as abolitionists Anna Gardner and Lucretia Coffin Mott. Greydon House, with its 20 rooms done up in blue and white, feels homey, while Life House has an inviting terrace whose firepit lends itself to a convivial atmosphere. Luxurious White Elephant has multiple residences and suites for families; the Nantucket Hotel and Resort has a terrific pool and kids club.
Greenwich boasts four beaches on the Long Island Sound: Greenwich Point, Byram Beach, Island Beach (Little Captain’s Island), and Great Captain’s Island.
Photo by James Kirkikis/Shutterstock
7. Greenwich, Connecticut
- Distance: 45 minutes by train
- Best for: A relaxing coastal getaway
For weekend visitors, this affluent community offers many of the cosmopolitan comforts found in New York (high-end shopping, spas, and upscale restaurants) but, unlike in the city, Greenwich’s hot spots are set among the green landscapes and relaxing vibe of coastal Connecticut.
What to do in Greenwich
Don’t leave Greenwich without eating seafood at the palatial waterfront restaurant L’Escale. If shopping is high on your travel agenda, head to the luxury boutiques along Greenwich Avenue and browse for baby gifts at the Piccolina Shop, or pop a block over to consignment shop Consigned Designs. For laid-back R&R, visit nearby recreational areas Byram Shore Park and Great Captain’s Island, or head to Greenwich Point Park to enjoy a long sunset stroll alongside Long Island Sound.
Where to stay in Greenwich
Book a room in the waterside Delamar Greenwich Harbor hotel; some guest rooms have balconies overlooking the harbor. Or check in to a minimalist room or suite at the J House Greenwich. Both hotels are excellent options for a wellness moment, with full-service spas on site.
The seaside town of Mystic is about much more than pizza.
Photo by Naya Dadara/Shutterstock
8. Mystic, Connecticut
- Distance: 3 hours by car; 2 hours 45 minutes by train
- Best for: Pizza, beer, and learning about the town’s nautical history
Even if you’re not obsessed with the 1988 Julia Roberts rom-com focused on Mystic Pizza and set in Mystic itself, come for the same riverside charm that delighted screenwriter Amy Jones. Historic downtown Mystic looks every part a New England village: pretty clapboard homes and storefronts, colonial-era steeples, and old sea captains’ residences. It’s the kind of family-friendly getaway where you’ll sip apple cider from a 19th-century mill, check out the iconic aquarium, and eat. And eat. And eat.
What to do in Mystic
Spend a morning exploring the locally owned shops in downtown Mystic (Trove Men’s Provisions feels like an old-school haberdashery, and Hang the Moon focuses on women-made, eco-friendly, and ethical gifts). Don’t sleep on the town’s most iconic activities: The Olde Mistick Village is fun for the family, especially the year-round Sofia’s Mystical Christmas shop and Deviant Donuts. Nearby Mystic Aquarium is a standout with beluga whales, sharks, African penguins, seals, sea lions, and more.
What to eat in Mystic
Don’t feel guilty about multiple stops at Sift Bake Shop, co-owned by Adam Young, a Food Network “Best Baker in America”—or that you’re chasing the sticky bun with an apple cider doughnut and hot cider a short drive away at B. F. Clyde’s Cider Mill. The last steam-powered cider mill in the United States (c. 1881), B.F. Clyde’s feels like a time warp. Make a reservation at Oyster Club or Shipwright’s Daughter for a fancier dinner out without the kids. And, of course, eat a slice or two at memorabilia-heavy Mystic Pizza.
Where to stay in Mystic
The Whaler’s Inn has more than 125 years of heritage: One building was the residence of a shipbuilding family in the 1800s, another was an upscale hotel that opened in 1861. The present-day Whaler’s Inn is centrally located in downtown Mystic, with a wraparound porch and big picture windows overlooking the river. It also has family-friendly rooms, including a suite with bunk beds.
Philly offers a different urban vibe than New York and is less than an hour and a half away.
Photo By Jon Bilous/Shutterstock
9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Distance: 1.5 hours by train
- Best for: Culture, history, and food in a smaller city
It may not seem like much of a “getaway” to travel from one urban destination to another, but the City of Brotherly Love offers plenty of perks for culture-seeking New Yorkers, especially if you know how to explore it like a local.
What to do in Philadelphia
For history lovers, there’s no end to the landmarks and significant buildings—you’ve got the iconic Liberty Bell with its famous crack and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed. Museum enthusiasts should plan to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but the jewel in Philly’s cultural crown is undoubtedly its vibrant street art scene. Don’t leave the city without taking a Mural Arts Philadelphia tour to view buildings transformed by imaginative murals.
Where to eat in Philadelphia
Philly is an exciting food city, offering dishes well beyond the beloved cheesesteak (although plenty of iconic establishments serve the namesake dish). Sample fine foods in the Reading Terminal Market, where stalls sling everything from cured meats to fresh cheeses and mouth-watering desserts. Or book a table at top-rated Philly restaurants such as Laurel in East Passyunk or Zahav in Society Hill.
Where to stay in Philadelphia
On the top 12 floors of the Comcast Center, the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia has a 60th-floor Sky Lobby with sweeping city views, plus 219 serene guest rooms. For something trendy, try hotel/concept shop Yowie or the Notary Hotel, which offers luxury lodgings in the former City Hall Annex, or Fitler Club, a private club/hotel with an unmatched spa.
Read more: Afar’s guide to Philadelphia
Blazers of famous graduates are on display in glass cases at the brand new Graduate by Hilton Princeton.
Courtesy of Graduate by Hilton Princeton
10. Princeton, New Jersey
- Distance: 1–1.5 hours by train
- Best for: Collegiate vibes, ice cream, late-night hoagies
Fall is the perfect time to soak up dark academia vibes, and Princeton nails it with a picture-perfect campus full of impressive Gothic buildings.
What to do in Princeton
Before you walk around campus gaping at the architecture, join a walking tour with the Historial Society of Princeton to get the scoop on the university and the town itself. On campus is the Lewis Center for the Arts whose theater and dance performances and author talks are often open to the public.
What to eat in Princeton
Get a cone while strolling around campus at one of a handful of ice cream shops, including Halo Pub, the Bent Spoon, and Thomas Sweet. Reserve a table at Agricola for a grown-up, farm-to-table meal, or follow the hordes of students for a hoagie at Olives. If you need something to eat after a night out at the Ivy Inn, there’s always Hoagie Heaven next door, open until midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Where to stay in Princeton
The Nassau Inn on Palmer Square, nearly on campus, used to be the only game in town; its 157 rooms are still a classic, comfortable bet, but the August 2024 opening of Graduate by Hilton Princeton has raised the bar for a cool college-town hotel. Afar editor at large Laura Dannen Redman calls the clubby lobby “one part library, one part British pub, with a hint of Hogwarts.”
Read more: The perfect weekend getaway in Princeton, New Jersey
This article was originally published in 2016 and most recently updated on September 19, 2024, with current information. Laura Dannen Redman, Claire Volkman, Lyndsey Matthews, Erika Owen, and Sophie Friedman contributed to the reporting of this story.
