New York
The Hudson Valley is the long green corridor north of New York City, where a wide tidal river runs between the Catskills and the Hudson Highlands and a century of American power left its houses on the bluffs.
This is Gilded Age mansion country, with the Vanderbilt estate and the Rockefeller estate Kykuit in the same stretch of river road as Franklin Roosevelt's Springwood and Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill cottage. It is also the art-world escape of Dia Beacon and Storm King, the 1.28-mile Walkway Over the Hudson, the cadets of West Point, the Sleepy Hollow of Washington Irving, and the waterfalls, farms and ridgelines of the Shawangunks and the Catskills. Many places are reachable by Metro-North from Grand Central, which makes the valley the easiest big escape from the city without a car, and the rest rewards a rental. Twickly collects the sights worth a ticket, the day tours that make the logistics easy, and hotels from Tarrytown to the Catskills.
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
A Gilded Age country house on a Hudson bluff in Hyde Park, with sweeping river views, formal gardens and a staff-and-family story told room by room. The grounds are the easy part; the house tour is the prize.
Dia Beacon
A former Nabisco box-printing factory on the riverfront in Beacon, turned into one of the great museums of minimal and conceptual art. Huge, light-filled galleries and works by Richard Serra, Agnes Martin, Sol LeWitt and Dan Flavin.
Storm King Art Center
Five hundred acres of rolling lawns and meadows in Mountainville, where monumental sculptures by Mark di Suvero, Maya Lin, Andy Goldsworthy and Alexander Calder sit directly in the landscape. Open in season, with timed tickets.
Walkway Over the Hudson
A former railroad bridge turned elevated park, 212 feet above the river and 1.28 miles long, linking Poughkeepsie and Highland. Free to walk, open daily, and the best Hudson view you can get on foot.
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
A Gilded Age country house on a Hudson bluff in Hyde Park, with sweeping river views, formal gardens and a staff-and-family story told room by room. The grounds are the easy part; the house tour is the prize.
Springwood, the Hyde Park house where Franklin Roosevelt was born and lived all his life, next to the first presidential library ever created and the Rose Garden where he and Eleanor are buried.
The cottage Eleanor Roosevelt built for herself in the woods near Hyde Park, where she wrote, worked and hosted world leaders. The only national historic site dedicated to a first lady, and a calmer counterpoint to Springwood.
A former Nabisco box-printing factory on the riverfront in Beacon, turned into one of the great museums of minimal and conceptual art. Huge, light-filled galleries and works by Richard Serra, Agnes Martin, Sol LeWitt and Dan Flavin.
Five hundred acres of rolling lawns and meadows in Mountainville, where monumental sculptures by Mark di Suvero, Maya Lin, Andy Goldsworthy and Alexander Calder sit directly in the landscape. Open in season, with timed tickets.
FreeA former railroad bridge turned elevated park, 212 feet above the river and 1.28 miles long, linking Poughkeepsie and Highland. Free to walk, open daily, and the best Hudson view you can get on foot.
The oldest continuously occupied military post in America, perched on a bend of the Hudson. Stone barracks, the Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point, a major military museum and a guided tour that takes you onto the Plain.
A full-day Circle Line cruise from Manhattan up the Hudson to Bear Mountain State Park, past the Palisades and the Highlands, with time ashore to walk, picnic or climb for views.
A guided day trip from New York City into the lower Hudson Valley, built around Sleepy Hollow and the historic estates and river towns nearby. A no-driving way to see the valley's most storied corner.
A self-guided audio walk or drive through Sleepy Hollow, with the legend of the Headless Horseman, the old church, the cemetery and the village stories told at your own pace.
The hilltop home of four generations of the Rockefeller family in Pocantico Hills, with Classical Revival rooms, terraced gardens, a major sculpture collection and long views down the Hudson.
A guided day from New York City to Cold Spring, the antique-lined riverside village in the Highlands, with river views, historic scenery and time to explore on your own.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Mount Tremper / Catskills
A Catskills mountain resort in Mount Tremper with a spa, a restaurant and a woodland setting, handy for Woodstock, Phoenicia and the high peaks.
Check rates →Rhinebeck Village
A historic village inn in the center of Rhinebeck, widely described as the oldest continuously operating inn in America, with period rooms, a tavern and a walkable main street.
Check rates →Gardiner / Shawangunk Ridge
A luxury farm-style retreat in Gardiner, below the Shawangunk Ridge, with cottages and suites, a spa, gardens and a farm-to-table restaurant. A high-end base for Mohonk, Minnewaska and New Paltz.
Check rates →Gardiner / Shawangunk Ridge
A contemporary mountain lodge in Gardiner, designed for hikers and climbers heading to the Shawangunk Ridge. A practical, design-minded base close to Minnewaska and Mohonk.
Check rates →Bear Mountain / Hudson Highlands
A lodge-style stay on the Bear Mountain park grounds in the Hudson Highlands, with trails, a lake and the Bear Mountain Bridge close by, and West Point a short drive away.
Check rates →Saugerties / Northeast Catskills
Airstream suites and glamping-style cabins near Saugerties, set among trees with a clubhouse and fire pits. A playful, design-forward Catskills base close to Woodstock.
Check rates →Tarrytown
A hilltop castle hotel above Tarrytown, with Hudson views, a spa and a short drive to Sleepy Hollow, Kykuit and Lyndhurst. The most theatrical place to stay in the lower valley.
Check rates →Accord / Ulster County
A design-led country resort in Accord, in Ulster County, with a restaurant, landscaped grounds and easy access to New Paltz, Rosendale and the Shawangunk trails.
Check rates →New Paltz
A dependable chain hotel in New Paltz, close to the Thruway and the village, and a practical base for Mohonk, Minnewaska and the Walkway Over the Hudson.
Check rates →Downtown Poughkeepsie
A full-service hotel in downtown Poughkeepsie, close to the train station and the Walkway Over the Hudson, and a sensible base for Hyde Park and the mid-Hudson without a car.
Check rates →Ready-made pairings: a top sight and a hotel that suits it. Add both to your trip and book each when you are ready.
Do
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic SiteStay
Overlook Lodge at Bear MountainBear Mountain / Hudson Highlands
Do
Dia BeaconStay
Emerson Resort and SpaMount Tremper / Catskills
Do
Storm King Art CenterStay
Beekman Arms and Delamater InnRhinebeck Village
While you are there
150+ concerts, shows and games are on sale in the coming months, from stadium nights to small rooms. Our sister site Purveyor lists them with dates, venues and seats.
Also nearby: Poughkeepsie, Tarrytown, Peekskill, Bethel
A three-day plan that moves north from Hyde Park to Beacon and the Highlands, with a Sleepy Hollow option and a Catskills alternative, plus how to sequence the sights so you spend time looking rather than driving.
The valley is too long to cover from one bed. Here are five bases, from Tarrytown to the Catskills, with the sights each one makes easy and the kind of traveler it suits.
How to see the valley from New York City by Metro-North, Amtrak, boat and guided tour, which sights work without wheels and which need a taxi or a rental.
A season-by-season guide to the valley: autumn color and its crowds, spring gardens, summer water and mountains, and why winter is the secret season for museums and cozy inns.
A family guide to the valley: animal experiences, LEGOLAND, river cruises, castles and easy outdoor stops, with notes on ages, timing and keeping a day from tipping into meltdown.
How to eat the valley well: Beacon and Rhinebeck main streets, farm stands and orchards, west-bank wineries, brunch on the river, and the food towns worth building a day around.
