Overview
Plattsburgh is a small city on Lake Champlain in New York's North Country. From the viewpoint of a visitor on foot, it is very walkable, with enough streets lined with beautiful houses, interesting historic buildings and monuments and pleasant waterfronts with paths, a bridge or two and pleasant vistas to reward a day or two of your time. It is also home to a State University of New York college and has an array of restaurants, bars and cafés.
10 sights · 3 things to do · 7 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 3 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Plattsburgh
Battle of Plattsburgh Interpretive Center
Kent-Delord House Museum
Guided tour of historic house, free admission to active military, Canadian currency accepted at par.
Plattsburgh State College
Opened 1890 as the Plattsburgh Normal and Training School, a two-year teachers' college destroyed by fire in 1929 and rebuilt in 1932. As a charter member of the State University of New York (established 1948), SUNY Plat…
Plattsburgh State Art Museum
The Rockwell Kent Gallery (established 1989) owns 34 paintings created by Rockwell Kent between 1900 and 1965, as well as a large collection of prints, drawings, dinnerware, books, design art, photographs, bookplates, ar…
Cumberland Bay State Park
A clean, well-maintained beach for day use on the Cumberland Head peninsula on the western shore of Lake Champlain. Picnic tables and grills, camping, playground and playing fields.
Strand Center for the Arts
Art gallery, classes and exhibitions.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 78°F; winter lows dip to about 7°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Jul and Jun. (climate data from nearby Montpelier)
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.
- PBG Plattsburgh International Airport, Plattsburgh — 3 mi away. Directions
- BTV Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, Burlington — 22 mi away. Directions
- ALB Albany International Airport, Albany — 136 mi away (major hub). Directions
Plattsburgh is separated from Burlington (Vermont) by Lake Champlain. To avoid a lengthy detour south to Crown Point or north to Champlain and Rouses Point on the Canadian border, most traffic to Burlington crosses by ferry.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Kent-Delord House Museum, Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh State College
- Lunch Bazzanos Pizza
- Afternoon Battle of Plattsburgh Interpretive Center, Northcountry Planetarium
- Dinner Claire and Carl's
- Evening Irises
Day 2
- Morning Plattsburgh State Art Museum, Clinton County Historical Museum
- Lunch Gus Red Hots
- Afternoon Champlain Monument, The Barracks Golf Course
- Dinner Indian Grill
Day 3
- Morning Cumberland Bay State Park, Clyde A. Lewis Air Park
- Lunch McSweeney's Red Hots
- Afternoon Macdonough Monument, Hartman Theatre
- Dinner Quiche et Crèpe
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Michigan red hots are a local favorite similar to a chili dog but seasoned differently. Recipes are prized and closely guarded. A red hot consists of a steamed hot dog on a steamed bun covered with a ground beef sauce. It may be served with or without raw chopped onions ("Buried" onions served beneath the meat sauce are traditional).
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
The closest American city to Montréal, Plattsburgh (city and town) has a population of about 32,000 (2020).
The area was the site of a native Indigenous village at the time of Samuel-de-Champlain's 1609 Lake Champlain valley expedition. The French settled in the area during the «coureur-de-bois» fur trade era in the mid-to-late 17th century. Historically a French area, Plattsburgh later fell to the English, and then the United States.
Located on the western shore of Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh is separated by the lake from Burlington, Vermont to the east. It is the primary city serving the vast Adirondack Park region, as development within the park boundary is strictly limited outside the few existing villages (such as Saranac Lake and Lake Placid).
Plattsburgh has a long military history. The city, founded in 1785, is home to a War of 1812 museum; it was the site of the Revolutionary War's Battle of Valcourt Island and the War of 1812's Battle of Plattsburgh, a naval engagement on Lake Champlain in 1814 that was the final battle of that war and ensured American control over the city for the final time. In 1915, the Preparedness Movement established the first of the "Plattsburgh camps", volunteer pre-enlistment training grounds for prospective future Army officers. During the Cold War, Plattsburgh Air Force Base (PAFB) was the Strategic Air Command's primary wing on the US East Coast; its sheltered location in the Champlain Valley was protected by the rain shadow of the Adirondack Mountains. The 556 Strategic Missile Squadron, activated at Plattsburgh AFB in 1961 and armed with a dozen Atlas liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, disbanded in 1965. The Air Force base closed in 1995.
The former base, one of four military bases in the United States large enough for a Space Shuttle landing, now serves as a small civilian airport.
Get in
By plane
- Burlington International Airport (BTV) is a larger airport in nearby Burlington, with flights from Baltimore. Newark, Cleveland, New York City, Orlando, Detroit, Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Charlotte. It is about 70 minutes away by car.
- Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport is a major airport in nearby Montreal, Canada, with flights worldwide. It is about 80 minutes away.
By train
- Train operator:
- Route stopping in Plattsburgh:
- Adirondack operating daily between Montreal and New York City including stops along the way in Saint-Lambert, Rouses Point, Plattsburgh, Westport, Ticonderoga, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
By bus
Go Greyhound
Greyhound or Trailways from Montreal, Potsdam, Albany and New York City. Fares are slightly more expensive than those for the train. The seats are less comfortable, too, and because the route is on highways instead of through forests and small towns, does not provide views of Lake Champlain along the way, and also because the bus stop is far outside of Downtown and you do not get a view of Downtown Plattsburgh from the bus, the bus is useful mostly if you have no alternative or need it as an alternative to a train trip that is somehow less convenient.
By boat
Plattsburgh is separated from Burlington (Vermont) by Lake Champlain. To avoid a lengthy detour south to Crown Point or north to Champlain and Rouses Point on the Canadian border, most traffic to Burlington crosses by ferry.
Place Lake Champlain Ferries
Car and passenger ferry service connects Plattsburgh and Grand Isle, Vermont 24 hours a day, year-round. Crossing time is about 12 minutes.
There are several marinas for those cruising on small craft:
Get around
On foot
The train station is close to Downtown, with SUNY-Plattsburgh only a few blocks further; however, the Greyhound bus stop and airport are over 2 miles from Downtown. Most of the city is easily walkable in decent weather for people of average fitness.
By bus
- Clinton County Public Transit (CCPT)'s fleet of 16 buses provides transportation to the City of Plattsburgh by way of Au Sable, Champlain/Rouses Point, Clayburg, Ellenburg, and Lyon Mountain. Service is provided within the city between Clinton Community College, SUNY Plattsburgh, Downtown Plattsburgh, and various stores and plazas along Cornelia Street (Route 3).
By taxi
Within the city of Plattsburgh, taxis operate on a zone system. A law requires rates conspicuously posted in every taxicab; a trip cross-town should cost no more than $7.75. Cabs are not generally available for hail on the streets, except downtown on weekend nights, so must be called:
Place City Taxi
A taxi to the Canadian border should cost no more than ten times the cross-town rate (so $77.50).
See
Plattsburgh bills itself as a "two state, two nation, do-it-all destination" on Lake Champlain with several historical and art museums, a famous sandy beach, marinas and a downtown dining and entertainment district.
There is excellent documentation about the historical monuments and the most important buildings on plaques, and there are several maps with marked points of interest on signposts on the city's sidewalks.
Museums
See Clyde A. Lewis Air Park
At former air force base entrance, a small park with aircraft on display.
Monuments
See Champlain Monument
This statue was built in 1912 by the local French-American community to honor explorer Samuel de Champlain as "Navigator, Discoverer, Colonizer." It is now controversial, and there is an informational plaque nearby that points out that Native Americans had been living in the area for ages before Champlain is credited by some non-Natives as having "discovered" the lake he renamed after himself, but the monument is nonetheless impressive and in a beautiful spot.
See Macdonough Monument
This 135-foot-tall monument celebrates the general who won the last battle of the War of 1812, the Battle of Plattsburgh, which was a naval engagement on Lake Champlain in 1814. It is not in a typical form for an obelisk, as it narrows in steps instead of diagonal lines near the top and is topped by a striking eagle. There are friezes and inscriptions near the base and excellent documentation in front of the monument.
Plattsburgh State College
There are two SUNY member colleges in the Plattsburgh area: the four-year Plattsburgh State College in the city and the two-year Clinton Community College at Bluff Point.
See Plattsburgh State College
Opened 1890 as the Plattsburgh Normal and Training School, a two-year teachers' college destroyed by fire in 1929 and rebuilt in 1932. As a charter member of the State University of New York (established 1948), SUNY Plattsburgh changed from a two-year institution to a four-year, public liberal arts college. It has about 6000 students. Visitors may attend athletic events, concerts, guest speaker presentations, forums on current events and poetry readings.
See Plattsburgh State Art Museum
The Rockwell Kent Gallery (established 1989) owns 34 paintings created by Rockwell Kent between 1900 and 1965, as well as a large collection of prints, drawings, dinnerware, books, design art, photographs, bookplates, archives and personal items from his travels and life at Asgaard Farm near Ausable Forks. The Nina Winkel Sculpture Court represents 45 years of artistry by the late Nina Winkel in works of terracotta, stone, bronze and copper.
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Other attractions
- In addition to the attractions mentioned above, essentially the entirety of Downtown Plattsburgh is part of a historic district, so you can see other historical buildings just by walking down the various streets.
- There are also river walk paths and a pedestrian bridge over the Saranac River.
Do
Buy
Plattsburgh serves a regional market; to the many tiny villages in the Adirondacks with only a few small, local independent merchants, the Champlain Centre is the closest major mall.
As a cross-border shopping destination for Canadians, Plattsburgh's fortunes tend to be cyclical. When the Canadian dollar is strong, the Montréal community eagerly seek out cheaper prices in the US; when exchange rates are unfavourable, Canadians stay home en masse. Tightened passport restrictions in the post-9/11 era have also weakened cross-border demand. A few stores (such as Target, and JC Penney) do not exist over the border in Canada and some grocery items (such as milk and yogurt) are less expensive stateside.
Price Chopper, Hannaford, Yando's Big M (South End), North Country Food Co-Op (Downtown), and Wal-Mart are possible destinations for grocery shopping.
Eat
Michigan red hots are a local favorite similar to a chili dog but seasoned differently. Recipes are prized and closely guarded. A red hot consists of a steamed hot dog on a steamed bun covered with a ground beef sauce. It may be served with or without raw chopped onions ("Buried" onions served beneath the meat sauce are traditional).
Eat Bazzanos Pizza
This local pizzeria serves a very tasty pie. Service is quick and the place is very clean. Other menu items include pasta, wings and burgers. A large plain pizza is around $12.
Eat Claire and Carl's
This local chain has several branches and has been serving up Michigan Red Hots for decades.
Eat Gus Red Hots
Gus Red Hots has stood in the same locations for dozens and dozens of years. It famously serves Michigan Red Hots but also has a complete traditional American diner menu.
Eat Indian Grill
Lunch buffet or regular dining.
Eat McSweeney's Red Hots
McSweeney's stands in stark contrast to many of Plattsburgh's storied, decades old hot dog stands. It has been in existence only a few years but has won a large following and local acceptance with its delicious dogs. A limited diner menu of burgers and wings is also available. Be sure to try the hand cut fries with gravy.
Eat Quiche et Crèpe
Quiches and crèpes are the specialty at this restaurant owned and operated by a local French couple. Fresh soups, salads and sandwiches, excellent food.
Eat Price Chopper
Grocer with a large, fresh and well-tended salad bar, and a hot prepared food section. Diners make their own plates and pay by weight. A seafood counter will steam or fry selections while you wait.
Drink
Drink Irises
A beautiful cafe and wine bar in downtown Plattsburgh.
Sleep
Hotels are clustered along I-87. If you want accommodation closer to downtown, consider checking out homestay listing sites.
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