Now is the perfect time to introduce the new New Haven. Nicknamed the Elm City thanks to the stately trees that line its streets, this Long Island Sound–hugging spot is rich with history and character. Of course, Yale University has served as the city’s academic and cultural touchstone from its founding in 1701, thanks to its free museums and quintessentially New England campus perfect for strolls with coffee in-hand. Then there’s the many historic neighborhoods, including Wooster Square—overflowing with cherry trees, and its Little Italy eateries slinging perfect slices of pizzas —and oystermen houses along the waterfront area of the Hill neighborhood. Even with all that history, the last few years have seen a renaissance rollicking through the city.
With a veritable buffet of bold new restaurants—fare from Peru to Japan and back again—foodies are finding a new culinary capital within the city. And that’s not to detract from the mealtime mainstay of New Haven pizza, with a distinct, chewy crust that sets it apart from its New York-style neighbors. What’s more, a flurry of new design-forward hotels offer a chance to lay your head down in surroundings that combine couture and comfort. Much more than just a stopover on your way to well-loved Mystic, here are the best ways to enjoy a weekend in this haven by the water.
Getting to and around New Haven
Petite Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) is just a ten-minute drive from downtown New Haven. The only catch? HVN’s single carrier, Avelo Airlines, services only fourteen destinations, mostly down the east coast, along with Nashville and Chicago; about 90 minutes by train and bus in nearby Windsor Locks, all the major airlines fly through Bradley International Airport, or BDL. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in Queens is a three-hour Long Island Sound-skimming train ride away.
Once in New Haven, the city is imminently walkable; a compact downtown in close proximity to other neighborhoods means that many attractions are within a twenty-minute walk from each other. Multiple bus routes service the city seven days a week, and Uber and Lyft are available, too.
The best things to do in New Haven
At Yale, the storied Ivy League institution, your assignment is to soak up some of the campus’s ornate gothic buildings to transport to another century. Harkness Tower’s bells chime each day at noon and 6:00 p.m., and you can request a free tour up the imposing stone cathedral tower to see how the Yale University Guild of Carilloneurs play them. The brutalist marble and granite exterior of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library holds a stunning steel and glass vault of tomes; peruse the public exhibition hall archives, including a rare Gutenberg Bible. Steep in culture at the free, three-floor Yale University Art Gallery to gaze at ornate tapestries from the permanent African art collection before wandering the sculpture gardens.
The New Haven Museum offers a deep-dive on the history of Elm City—permanent collections include exhibits of ornate colonial furniture. The kids, meanwhile, can jam on musical instruments at the Connecticut Children’s Museum, and join story time in the linguistic room, which is a life-sized recreation of the bedroom from the classic tale, Goodnight Moon.
In the historic neighborhood of Wooster Square stands grand Greek Revivals and Queen Anne manors. Stop into the square’s serene park for local produce and craft goodies at the weekly farmer’s market. No visit to this historically Italian-American neighborhood is complete without a pilgrimage to Lucibello’s Italian Pastry Shop for crave-able cannolis.
Newcomers to the bustling Shops at Yale—home to both behemoths and local brands—include Üni-Home Life, which opened in May 2022 and offers gifts and snacks from across Asia. Bookstore and equality-minded community space Possible Futures, which opened late 2022, joins shops like beloved Atticus Bookstore Cafe—which also boasts an all-day breakfast and stellar wine list to pair with a new paperback—as the latest literary hub. And after all the excitement, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra—with outdoor performances, family-oriented concerts, and orchestral offerings each season—ends your trip on a high note. Chances are that you’ll likely stumble upon a free concert at the New Haven Green, too.
New Haven pizza and global restaurants
While it’s hard to spotlight one signature cuisine in a region with a bit of a culinary identity crisis—celebrating both New York style Italian-American joints and New England fare—the Elm City is famous for one dish: New Haven pizza. Or, more accurately called “apizza” at restaurants like the legendary Sally’s Apizza, which has been slinging the particular pies since 1938. Though similar to the thin Neapolitan pies all over New York City, notable New Haven trademarks include a chewy crust, oblong shape, and edges charred from the coal oven. Wooster Square’s Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has been a mainstay since 1925.
The past few years have seen a bounty of restaurants roll into the city—each a feast for the eyes as much for the belly. For fiery gra pow and other northern Thai dishes try NOA, which opened in August 2022 in a dramatic dining room of hanging red umbrellas. White and yellow curries sizzle among larger plates, while a cooling papaya salad steals the show of shareable bites.
At Chacra, a fine-dining Peruvian spot that opened in October 2022, savor center-cut tuna loin and crispy pork belly with yucca fries as you sip pisco straight-up or subbed in for well-loved liquors in classic cocktails. In the Westville neighborhood, alongside dinner Thursdays through Saturdays, newcomer Manjares brings the Nuevo Latino vibes for breakfasts of burritos, pancake sandwiches, and eggs served with mashed plantains.
Snag reservations for Hachiroku Shokudo and Sake Bar, the stylish Japanese eatery that opened May 2022. Overwhelmed by the near novel-length sake menu? Take flight with a staff-curated sake flight, sipping between bites of deep-fried tofu with dashi broth, and roasted duck breast. A star on the main menu includes grilled black cod with a hint of smoke, served with seasonal sides. Though, you may be tempted to traipse only through the daily specials, where you might find yuzu ceviche balanced by earthy shiso leaf.
Where to stay in New Haven
The latest hotels here offer a chance to time travel. Take the Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, a Bauhaus beauty that you could easily mistake for a concrete sculpture levitating by the waterfront. Once an office designed by Brutalist master Marcel Breuer that was completed in 1970, the building was reimagined as a hotel which opened in May 2022. Inside, the 165 guest rooms and public spaces pay homage to Mad Men-esque sleekness and earth-toned minimalism. The frills are firmly here-and-now, with panels by the doorway to control the room’s lighting and window shades.
The Graduate, the 72-room boutique hotel that opened in 2019, aces its collegiate-chic vibe. Wood paneling, leather furniture, and vintage décor hat-tips to the downtown building’s 1894 origin. The Blake Hotel, which also opened in 2019, exudes vintage elegance with its marble and lobby and tufted headboards in its 108 rooms.
Though not new, the views offered by the Omni New Haven are enough of a reason to stay at the towering gem by the New Haven green. From the gleaming, art-deco inflected lobby, take the elevator up to the 19th floor where John Davenports serves sweeping vistas alongside regional fare.