Kingston (New York)

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.

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.

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, take one of the cabs in the parking lot when you arrive at the station or use a ridehailing app.

Get around
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.

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.

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.

Historic districts
There are three historic districts and many gorgeous historic buildings in this city:



Buy
Hudson Valley Mall

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.