If you’re visiting New Haven and looking for ideas on how to spend a day in this beautiful coastal city, this post is just for you. I’m sharing everything I did on my trip to New Haven, including some amazing eateries and things to do both indoors and outdoors. You’ll soon see why I put an emphasis on indoor activities.
New Haven was the first stop on my 5-day New England trip. While booking this trip, I hoped for blue waters and sunny skies, but God had other plans: I got grey skies and a rainstorm instead. Still, I didn’t let that dampen my spirits.
Most of the spots I picked were outdoors, like Lighthouse Point Park and Long Wharf Park, but the weather wasn’t favorable, so I had to tweak my original itinerary. I ended up strolling through the mighty Yale University campus and exploring the cafes of Little Italy, a.k.a. Wooster Square, instead.
Interestingly, I wrote this blog post while I was still in New Haven, at an Italian café on the street that serves amazing tiramisu. I never imagined I’d take a trip where I’d actually get time to sit in a coffee shop and reflect on the day or the place I was in, so it felt like a blessing in disguise.
Why did I do this? I had about three hours on my hands, I was done exploring most of the spots on my list, and a torrential downpour had begun, so instead of getting drenched, I chose to sit, write, and reflect. Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into what I did in New Haven in one day.
Bus from New York City to New Haven
I flew into New York City because it had direct and cheap flights from Seattle. Moreover, the connectivity between New Haven and New York City is great, with several transportation options, including trains and buses. I took the FlixBus from Midtown Manhattan, and it was a comfortable 2-hour ride to New Haven. The bus dropped me off at Union Station, from where I used Uber to travel around the city.
Coffee at Ero Cafe
Just a 7-minute ride from Union Station is an award-winning coffee shop. The vibe was cosy and the decor was quirky, two qualities I love in a coffee shop, so I decided to hop inside and try a hot latte in this cold weather. I went with a classic hot latte with caramel syrup and was truly impressed by the quality and flavour. They also have quick bites and desserts you can try on your visit; every dish in the display looked so tempting.
☕️ Cost: $8
Exploring Yale University Campus
Yale is one of the nine colleges in the USA that existed in the pre-Revolution era and is also one of the Ivy Leagues. I visited the Old Campus and embarked on a self-guided tour. This was my second visit to an Ivy League college, Princeton University being the first! One thing I was confident about was that I’d get to see some beautiful architecture.
I started at the Mead Visitor Center, which is located on Elm Street, to get information about the museums that were open on the day of my visit and to keep my luggage. I was carrying a trolley bag and a backpack, and it was hard to drag them around, especially on a windy, rainy day. So I was glad the college had a place to store my luggage safely. Although it was only available until 4 p.m., I was able to finish my tour by 3 p.m.
I then started my self-guided walk, exploring all the top spots on campus. My first stop was New Haven Green, a lush park in the heart of the area, just a 2-minute walk from the visitor center. The park has several pathways with canopies of oak and maple trees, and there are three historic churches within the park that together form a National Historic Landmark.
Next, I walked into the campus via Phelps Gate and explored Yale’s Old Campus. The buildings were absolutely gorgeous and gave the feeling that something good was cooking inside. Every façade had intricate work inspired by Collegiate Gothic and Georgian styles of architecture, while some buildings were more modern. Some of the prominent buildings I loved were Connecticut Hall, Harkness Tower, Woolsey Hall, the French Department building, Sterling Memorial Library, and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. You can watch the full tour on YouTube, click this link to watch now!
Lunch at Junzi Kitchen
After walking around the campus for about three hours, I was quite hungry and craving some soup. That’s when I came across Junzi Kitchen, owned by Yale alumni. They are known for their Chinese comfort eats that you can customize. I went with a DIY noodle bowl with classic chicken broth, knife-cut noodles, barbecued chicken, and some veggies like bok choy and bean sprouts. It was light and delicious, and the quantity was more than enough for one person.
🍜 Cost: $15
Quick Trip to Long Wharf Park
Long Wharf Park is located on the shores of Long Island Sound and is known for its pristine boardwalk and pier. On a clear day, you can see blue water, a sky full of shore birds, and people enjoying the sun and fresh breeze by the park. It wasn’t the ideal day to visit the shore, but I still wanted to see this place. I made a short stop here to take in the view. The visibility was not great, but it gave me major Pacific Northwest vibes.
Chilling at La Fenice
By 4 p.m., the torrential downpour began in full force, so it was better to be somewhere indoors. New Haven doesn’t have many indoor attractions; a major part of the city experience revolves around Yale University and the surrounding parks. Therefore, a café was my best option.
Coming back to where I started the trip, in Wooster Square, I found a cosy Italian café run by an Italian couple. The café has a nice setup and ample seating space. I got myself some coffee and a tiramisu that looked absolutely tempting. Both tasted great, and I was able to spend my next few hours in the city, until my bus to Providence, in peace. So much so that I decided to pen down my day in New Haven right there in this café.
☕️ Cost: $12
Dinner from Sally’s Apizza
Truth be told, Sally’s Apizza was my first stop of the day. It is one of the oldest and most popular pizza shops in New Haven and serves a special New Haven-style pizza called apizza. This is a variant of Neapolitan-style pizza, but unlike the traditional version cooked in a wood-fired oven, this one is cooked in a coal-fired oven.
The queue was huge despite my reaching there at 11 a.m., which is also the time when the shop opens. Imagine standing in a long line on a Monday morning with a wait time of over an hour, it’s that popular. So, to save time, I pre-ordered my pizza for 7 p.m. and headed to the coffee shop opposite this place, Ero Cafe.
🍕 Cost: $25
My Conclusion and Some Recommendations
Not all trips go according to plan. Weather has a major role to play and can sometimes be unpredictable, but the goal is to make the most of whatever we get. If I ever get to visit New Haven again, here are some spots I’d love to check out.
- Lighthouse Point Park – This is an 82-acre waterfront park at the tip of New Haven Harbor, home to the historic 1840s Five Mile Point Lighthouse and a sandy beach on Long Island Sound.
- Yale Peabody Museum – One of the best museums you can visit in New Haven. This is a renowned natural history museum best known for its Great Hall of Dinosaurs, including a juvenile Brontosaurus and the famous “Age of Reptiles” mural.
Admission: FREE | Tue-Sun (10AM – 5PM), Mon closed | Website
- Soldiers and Sailors Monument – A 112-foot war memorial perched on the summit of East Rock, visible for miles across New Haven and Long Island Sound. Plus, you’ll get sweeping views over the city.
- Lake Saltonstall Recreation Area – A peaceful reservoir surrounded by forests and ridgeline trails, offering some of the best lake views near New Haven.
- The Shore Line Trolley Museum – This is the oldest continuously operating trolley museum in the United States, set along the historic Branford Electric Railway in East Haven. You can ride the restored vintage trolleys, explore a collection of historic streetcars and subway cars, and learn about Connecticut’s trolley era.
Admission: $12 | Website
Note: All prices mentioned above have been rounded off and include tax and tips.
