Overview
Kingston is a city in New York's Hudson Valley, 91 miles north of New York City and 50 miles south of Albany. It is the county seat of Ulster County and was the first capital of New York state. It was ransacked and burned by the British during the American Revolution in 1777 but has preserved its historical buildings very well from then on, and a few older buildings still exist on Green Street and some other places in the Stockade Historic District. Due to the size and beauty of its historic zones, Kingston is probably one of the best cities in the state for a 1-to-3-day trip if you are a fan of 18th- and 19th-century American architecture.
5 sights · 3 things to do · 6 places to eat · 3 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Kingston
Hudson River Maritime Museum
Exhibits on the maritime history of the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the regional industries—such as agriculture, brick, and, before the advent of refrigeration, ice—that depended on the river for transportation. Also ha…
Catskill Mountain Railroad
A heritage railroad.
Chestnut Street Historic District
This is a smaller area of town than the other two historic districts, along a few blocks of West and East Chestnut Street (map here).
Rondout-West Strand Historic Waterfront District
Featuring the waterfront onto the Rondout Creek and extending some ways uphill from there, this district comprises the historic downtown area of the city. It's full of 19th-century low-rise brick buildings that were rela…
Stockade Historic District
Called "Uptown" by locals, this district, though smaller as an official historic district than Downtown, is probably the largest of the historic districts, though that could be difficult to say because there are also his…
Trolley Museum of New York
Memorial Day Weekend–Columbus Day, Sa, Su & holidays, noon–5PM. Trolley rides Sa & Su, May-October, from the museum to Kingston Point Park.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Oct. Summer highs reach about 84°F; winter lows dip to about 16°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Jul and Jun. (climate data from nearby Albany)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SWF New York Stewart International Airport, Newburgh — 30 mi away. Directions
- ALB Albany International Airport, Albany — 58 mi away (major hub). Directions
From points north and south, access Kingston via the New York State Thruway, exit 19. From points east, use the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Typical meal: about $13 per person at listed restaurants.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 2-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Trolley Museum of New York, Hudson River Cruises
- Lunch Dietz Stadium Diner
- Afternoon Chestnut Street Historic District, Stockade Historic District
- Dinner Hickory BBQ Smokehouse
Day 2
- Morning Rondout-West Strand Historic Waterfront District, Hudson River Maritime Museum
- Lunch Opa! Gyros
- Afternoon Catskill Mountain Railroad, NCG Cinema
- Dinner Savona's Trattoria and Bar
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Kingston was New York state's first capital, as reflected by the existence of various historic official buildings in the Stockade District. It is a rather extensive city but only moderately built up, so its feel is of a medium-sized city as compared to much smaller Rhinebeck across the Hudson, but quite different from the impressive though compact historic downtown of Troy further north, which has much more of the feel of a former big city.
If you have a choice of days to visit, note that museums and many restaurants and shops are closed Monday and Tuesday, especially Monday, and some close Wednesday, instead. In addition, some restaurants close as early as 8 PM or even serve lunch only and close after four hours or less. However, if you like walking and seeing historic buildings, you won't lack for things to do any day, and there are enough shops and restaurants to ensure that you will have something to eat and buy any day.
Get in
By plane
- Stewart International Airport, 1180 First St, New Windsor (~40 miles south), +1 845-564-2100. The closest major airport. Allegiant Air, American Eagle, and JetBlue operate flights from Florida and Philadelphia (Mar 2021).
- Albany International Airport 737 Albany-Shaker Rd, Albany (~65 miles north), +1 518-242-2200 (information center). Offers flights from most eastern US cities.
- Westchester County Airport, 240 Airport Road, White Plains, +1 914-995-4860 (airlines). Several counties away, but an alternative to the congestion of the 3 major international airports around New York City. Rental cars available.
- Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport: Livery cars offer service to and from 3 major international airports, but expect very expensive rates. Getting yourself to Port Authority Bus Terminal and taking the bus to Kingston would be a lot cheaper, though a long trip.
By car
From points north and south, access Kingston via the New York State Thruway, exit 19. From points east, use the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge.
By bus
Trailways has buses from New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal to Kingston that take between 2 hours and 2 hours 10 minutes, with many departures throughout the day. Regular fares are $28 one-way. Buses from Albany take 1 hour, with several departures daily. Regular fares are $16. The Kingston Bus Station is at 400 Washington Ave between North Front St and Hurley Ave, just north of the Stockade District and easily walkable from any part of it. The station is clean, and there are benches for waiting passengers.
By train
- Amtrak serves Rhinecliff station from New York City's Penn Station and other points. Rhinecliff is across the Hudson River, via the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, and a little bit to the south. You need to have someone pick you up, so take one of the cabs in the parking lot when you arrive at the station or use a rideshare app.
Get around
By bus
There are Ulster County bus routes, which are free, but they often run only once an hour or less and stop running after 8-9PM. That said, the Blue Line that mostly runs on Broadway is useful for connecting Uptown and Downtown, if it happens to fit your schedule.
By taxi
Taxis and ride hails are available for those off hours, or you can drive your own car. If you need to get from Uptown to Downtown or vice versa and aren't up to walking, and the bus schedule doesn't well serve you, Lyfts and Ubers cost about $9-12 plus tip for the trip as of July 2023.
On foot
Kingston is a good city to walk in, but be aware that a walk between the Waterfront (Downtown) and Stockade (Uptown) Historic Districts can be about 2 miles long, and if your walk is from downtown to uptown, part of it will be uphill. That walk is best done before nightfall, so that you can see your steps better.
See
Historic districts
There are three historic districts and many gorgeous historic buildings in this city:
See Rondout-West Strand Historic Waterfront District
Featuring the waterfront onto the Rondout Creek and extending some ways uphill from there, this district comprises the historic downtown area of the city. It's full of 19th-century low-rise brick buildings that were related to industry and river shipping, as well as ornately decorated private houses and numerous churches. Quite a few of the churches and private houses have beautiful multi-colored tiled roofs. You could easily walk through this district for an hour or more, to see all the buildings and the waterfront.
See Stockade Historic District
Called "Uptown" by locals, this district, though smaller as an official historic district than Downtown, is probably the largest of the historic districts, though that could be difficult to say because there are also historic buildings interspersed with modern ones on streets such as Broadway in what locals call Midtown, begging the question of where Uptown stops and Midtown starts. Be that as it may, the Stockade District contains a larger quantity of ornate private houses than the historic downtown, plus Academy Green Park, the town green (bounded by Albany Avenue, Clinton Avenue and Maiden Lane), which features grand, larger-than-life statues of important personages for the European settlement and development of New York (explorer Henry Hudson; Governor of New York DeWitt Clinton; and Director-General of New Netherlands, Peter Stuyvesant). This is also the neighborhood that contains the 17th-century Old Dutch Church, the 18th-century Senate House, which functioned as New York State's first capitol, and the still functioning early 19th-century Federal-style Ulster County Courthouse where Sojourner Truth won a lawsuit that freed her son from slavery in Alabama. If you want to see some of the stone houses still standing, several of them are on Green Street. Seeing all of the historic houses and other buildings in this neighborhood in a single day by foot will take a while, but walking down several streets is itself rewarding.
Museums
See Hudson River Maritime Museum
Exhibits on the maritime history of the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the regional industries—such as agriculture, brick, and, before the advent of refrigeration, ice—that depended on the river for transportation. Also has collections of paintings and boats, documentation about the history and geography of the region, the Native American tribes and Euro-American people who have lived in the Hudson Valley, and information about international maritime travel and trade. Allow at least 45 minutes to look at artifacts and read and view videos of some of the documentation, more if you are a shipping enthusiast. Interesting and well worth visiting.
Do
Do Hudson River Cruises
90-minute Hudson River cruises are given aboard the Rip Van Winkle II. Tickets are usually non-refundable, but if they decide to sail during a thunderstorm or other severe weather, they are likely to make an exception and allow you a choice of a refund or exchange if you prefer. There is good narration about the lighthouses, mansions and other boats you'll see and the history of navigation and life on the river, and there are seats in shade on the upper deck, so along with the breezes you're likely to get on the river, it's a pleasant thing to do on a clear, hot day.
Do NCG Cinema
You really need a car to get to this cinema in a shopping mall, but once you get there, movies are quite inexpensive if you're used to New York City prices. As of July 2023, seats were $6 plus a $1.50 service charge for adults. The theaters are smallish but with comfortable seats, good picture and good sound.
Buy
Hudson Valley Mall
Eat
Eat Dietz Stadium Diner
Quite serviceable diner with a long menu and pleasant service, right next to the bus terminal. Large dining room and several outdoor tables.
Eat Hickory BBQ Smokehouse
Great BBQ restaurant and a remarkable value. Really tasty ribs, excellent cornbread and sweet potato sides, and save some appetite for the home-made pies made by a grandma. Good local porter and a selection of other drinks available. Not walkable from any part of the built-up area of Kingston, but worth considering paying a ride to get to.
Eat Opa! Gyros
Delicious mainly Greek food, advertised by the aroma of its exhaust fan, with several outdoor tables in good weather in addition to a fair-sized dining room, and friendly service. The salads are served in generous portions, and the pita comes nicely toasted and tastes of sesame seeds. One main includes locaniko sausage, not the most common offering on a Greek menu.
Eat Savona's Trattoria and Bar
Delicious Italian restaurant with lots of outdoor seating that serves big portions. Sauces are of refined quality, and the menu includes some high-quality seafood offerings such as lobster ravioli with impeccable lobster filling. A couple that is not ravenously hungry can easily do well with one primo, one entree and one side, plus complimentary garlic bread. Cocktails ($13 as of July 2023) are well worth trying, too.
Eat Ship to Shore
Upscale American-style restaurant (a combination of nouvelle American and traditional), a block from the Rondout Creek with a beautiful old dining room and several outdoor tables with large beach umbrellas. Lunch is significantly cheaper if money is an object, but, for example, a starter of seared Hudson Valley foie gras in a sundried cherry/bourbon demiglace is $26 for either meal and a large portion. Ingredients are of high quality, and some dishes, such as a special of Gulf shrimp ravioli with herbs and vegetables that was served on a summer day, are lighter, even if they include some butter. Service is relaxed, and you are likely to be able to hang out and drink for as long as you like, as there is ample seating.
Eat Sweet Maresa's
Tasty bakery.
Sleep
Stay safe
Be careful when walking on the historic sidewalks of this city. They may use quaint old stone and brick, but they aren't all in good repair, so you could have a nasty fall or badly sprain your foot in an unexpected hole if you are not alert.
Go next
- The lovely, much smaller town of Rhinebeck, with its own selection of historic houses, is across the river and slightly to the south and east.
- New Paltz, about 15 miles to the south, is a much smaller town that has some of the same kinds of old stone houses you can see in Kingston, but a different feel as a somewhat New Agey college town.
Nearby
Rhinebeck
City / town · 15 listings · 5 mi away
Red Hook
City / town · 9 listings · 8 mi away
Woodstock
City / town · 9 listings · 10 mi away
Saugerties
City / town · 3 listings · 11 mi away
Hyde Park
City / town · 14 listings · 11 mi away
New Paltz
City / town · 21 listings · 13 mi away
Poughkeepsie
City / town · 24 listings · 16 mi away
Kerhonkson
City / town · 51 listings · 19 mi away
My experience
Write about your trip here. Notes save automatically in this browser as you type; back them up from My journal.