Getting Around New Haven
New Haven is a compact, walkable city, and most visitors find that a mix of walking downtown and public transit for longer trips covers everything they need. The city sits on New Haven Harbor on Long Island Sound, and its historic core is built around the New Haven Green, a 16-acre square at the center of Downtown. That original "Nine Square Plan" grid means the downtown area is easy to navigate on foot, with many of the city's theaters, museums, and music venues clustered nearby.
Walking
Downtown New Haven is compact enough to be traversed by foot, and walking is often the simplest way to get between the Green, Yale University, and the surrounding dining and cultural districts. Because the central streets follow the original planned grid, orientation is straightforward once you locate the Green.
Rail: Amtrak, CT Rail, and Metro-North
New Haven is a major rail hub with two stations. Union Station on Union Avenue is the primary stop, and all trains stop there. State Street Station is a secondary stop served only by local trains. Both are served by CTrail, Metro-North, and Amtrak, with connections to New York, Hartford, Boston, New London, and Washington, D.C.
- Amtrak operates several routes through New Haven. Acela runs between Boston and Washington, D.C., stopping at Union Station (not State Street), and its stops in Providence and New Haven provide easy access to Brown and Yale Universities. The Northeast Regional connects Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and many towns in between, with some trips continuing into Virginia; it stops at both Union Station and State Street. The Vermonter runs daily between St. Albans and Washington, D.C. and stops at Union Station only. The Amtrak Hartford Line and the Valley Flyer both connect New Haven with Springfield and intermediate Connecticut towns, stopping at both stations.
- CT Rail operates Shore Line East between New Haven and New London, plus a small number of trains toward Stamford, and the Hartford Line commuter service between New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts.
- Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line provides service between New Haven, New York City, and intermediate points.
For visitors arriving from New York City by bus, it is worth noting that Metro-North Railroad may be cheaper and more comfortable than the bus.
Buses and Other Public Transport
The city is served by an efficient public bus system, CT Transit New Haven. Bus stops are marked with signs, or in some cases with a white stripe around utility poles. All buses have bike racks, which makes combining cycling and transit practical.
- CTtransit operates local and express bus services across the greater New Haven metro area. Routes can be viewed via Google Maps, fares can be paid through the Token Transit smartphone app, and the Transit app provides live bus tracking and arrival times.
- CT Transit Express #950 is an express bus between New Haven and Hartford, departing from the Chapel & Church St Transit Center and Union Station, with additional stops in Meriden, Middletown, and Wethersfield.
- Yale Shuttle runs local shuttles from the New Haven station to the Yale Central Campus and the Medical Campus on multiple routes. The shuttle is free for students, faculty, and staff, connects Yale campuses, nearby neighborhoods, and local train stations, runs year-round except University holidays, permits bikes on board, and offers live tracking via the Yale Shuttle app.
- Via NHV is a microtransit pilot offering shared, on-demand rides within a service zone. It can be booked through the Via NHV app or by phone, with fares starting at $1.75 to match CT Transit and a reduced fare of $0.85 for seniors and low-income riders. Service runs seven days a week, 7 am–7 pm, and popular destinations include train stations, hospitals, universities, and Tweed airport.
Yale University employees can receive commuter benefits for bus commuting and can use pre-tax savings for discounted rail passes.
Bicycles and E-Scooters
For those who prefer two wheels, several options exist. Devil's Gear Bike Shop on Orange Street provides low-cost daily or weekly bicycle rentals. Ride New Haven is a bike share system with pay-by-minute app access and discounted memberships for those facing financial hardship. Veo operates a shared e-scooter fleet, also pay-by-minute via app, with discounts for participants in federal assistance programs. New Haven has been designated a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community, and Yale a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly University, by the League of American Bicyclists.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Traditional taxi options include A&S Taxi and M7 Ride. Ride-hailing and on-demand shared rides are also available, notably through the Via NHV microtransit service described above.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (HVN) is the city's local airport, located on Burr Street. Avelo Airlines and Breeze Airways are the only commercial airlines that fly into Tweed, with service to a range of domestic destinations including Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte/Concord, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Houston-Hobby, Orlando, Nashville, Raleigh/Durham, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Washington-Dulles, and others, plus seasonal routes. Via NHV microtransit lists Tweed airport among its popular destinations, making it a convenient on-demand option for reaching the city.
Several larger airports serve the region, each with its own connection options:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is the major airport for the New England area, with frequent non-stop service from most major U.S. cities and almost all major European airports.
- Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks, near Hartford, is much larger than Tweed and offers flights from cities throughout the eastern half of the United States and Canada, plus seasonal service from Mexico. It is about an hour away by car, and I-91 leads straight to New Haven.
- LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in Queens has flights from cities throughout the Eastern United States and Canada and from a few Caribbean destinations. It is about 1½ hours away by car. Airport shuttle service to New Haven is available, or you can reach Grand Central Terminal in New York and then take a train to New Haven.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), also in Queens, is a major international airport. Airport shuttle service to New Haven is available, or you can get to Grand Central Terminal and then take a train to New Haven.
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in northern New Jersey is a major international airport. Airport shuttle service to New Haven is available, or you can take Amtrak to New Haven or a train from Grand Central Terminal.
Arriving by Bus
New Haven Union Station also serves as the central bus station for several intercity carriers, including Flixbus, Greyhound, Megabus, and Peter Pan. Megabus serves Boston and Hartford with fares from $1 and up, and its stop is the same as the Peter Pan Bus stop. Peter Pan operates between cities across the Northeast, including points in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Philadelphia, Albany, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. Some of the same bus companies have an additional stop elsewhere in town, so check your ticket and the company's website for the location of your stop.
Arriving by Car
New Haven sits at the junction of Interstates 91 and 95, making it easy to reach by road. Drivers should be careful to lock their doors, as the crime rate in New Haven has been known to elicit broken windows. Do not leave your GPS unit or its accessories—such as mounting units, suction cups, or suction cup marks on the window—in plain sight. Belongings are typically not taken in these incidents.