Our weekend getaway in Hudson Valley NY – travel itinerary, tips and more!

If you follow me on Instagram – @laura_peruchi – you probably noticed that we were in Hudson Valley last weekend. We spent four days in this region that is north of New York state and offers a lot of activities. The Hudson Valley is a New York State area that stretches along the Hudson River from Westchester County to Albany, the state capital.  Usually, when tourists think about a road trip through the New York area, they are likely to think of cities like Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington DC, right? But not everyone knows that the New York State offers several places and incredible things to do. Our itinerary included hiking, wineries, gastronomy, and more! I was very excited to share our trip with you because I think it’s an area that is not known by many people. In addition, at this time of year, the landscape was especially beautiful due to the fall foliage! So, if you live in the city and looking for a getaway or even if you are visiting and you are looking for different things to do, check it out my guide!

Logistics – although the north of the state is well served by train lines (MetroNorth and Amtrack), you are somewhat limited if you depend only on trains. The train can be a good option for a day trip when you go to one or two places and then go back to the city. In our case, on a long weekend and with several places to explore, it is better to rent a car. And here’s my first tip: we rented the car in Poughkeepsie, the city where we stayed. We used MetroNorth to get to Poughkeepsie – you can leave from Harlem or Grand Central station, pay $18 per person and the trip takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. Upon arriving in Poughkeepsie, we requested an Uber to the rental car place. In addition to getting a better price, we also get rid of the traffic to get out and get into Manhattan. We rented the car from Thursday to Sunday and paid about $188. The process of getting the car was also super fast. To search, I simply typed “Poughkeepsie car rental” and simulated the dates.

• Rent a car in Poughkeepsie
• If you want an easy way to rent a car, I highly recommend trying Getaround. It’s an app that lets you rent and unlock cool cars nearby, directly from your phone. No membership fees, no paperwork, no hassles. I have a special link for you to sign-up with that offers $20 free credit.

Lodging

We chose Poughkeepsie as the town to stay because of the logistics, as it kind of got in the way of all the things we wanted to do and places we wanted to visit. There are chain hotels, but Airbnb turned out to be the cheapest option. There are several rooms and entire apartments in the Hudson Valley available on Airbnb. We stayed in a super cute flat – you can click here to check it out. It was a great size for the two of us, comfortable, with lost of light, easy parking. The host was super helpful. We would definitely stay there again! If you have never used Airbnb, click here and earn credits. We spent around $500 – but again: there are cheaper options!

For anyone thinking of exploring Hudson Valley, I suggest planning an itinerary of what interests you and then looking for a lodging that is the middle. I also suggest renting the car in the same town.

Itinerary

As I said at the beginning of the post, Hudson Valley is a vast region, with dozens of little towns and lots to do. My itinerary started with the tips from my friend Lindi, who spent a long weekend in the area. I marked interesting things on the map and also researched more things to do. In addition, our host gave several suggestions for wineries, restaurants, and places to visit. Our idea was not to do a thousand things – we wanted to relax and explore calmly, so we did not bother to wake up early every day! We wanted to enjoy our time!

Brasserie 292

Day 1/Thursday

We left New York on the 10 am train; we arrived in Poughkeepsie at 11.30 and got an Uber to the rental car place. Then we went to the Airbnb apartment, where we left our bags and went to lunch at Brasserie 292, a super cute French restaurant! They offer a lunch special for $22, which includes an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. Thiago got the lunch special – onion soup, steak with potatoes and chocolate mousse – and I got a plate only – a fish fillet with spinach and mashed potatoes ($20). The food was delicious. From there, we stopped at a drugstore and bought water and snacks because we would follow for our first adventure: a trail on Beacon Mountain, south of Poughkeepsie (about 25 minutes driving). There is free parking at the entrance of the trail and also restrooms. My friend had already warned me that it was not an easy trail and in reality, it was not easy at all. It was a 50-minute climb, stopping several times to take a breath, but it was worth it – the view from up there is just amazing. We return to Poughkeepsie and it is worth mentioning that these routes included sensational views not only for fall foliage but also for the beautiful houses (who else loves to look at the houses? lol).

Beacon Mountain

The Amsterdam

At night we went to Rhinebeck, a town that is less than 30 minutes’ drive from Poughkeepsie, to have dinner at The Amsterdam – we’ve made a reservation. This restaurant is located in a Dutch house from 1798, bought by a couple from Toronto. The inspiration for the menu came from the couple’s favorite New York and Toronto restaurants and has a farm-to-table concept. It was the best gastronomic experience of this trip and certainly one of the best of this year! We got an appetizer with goat’s milk ricotta, honey, and duck parma ham, with toasted bread ($14). For the main course, I chose a risotto with arugula pesto ($21), and Thiago got the potato gnocchi with vegetables ($23). Both dishes were super well served and guys … I’m talking about delicious food, fresh, tasty. I’m starving now! We also got a dessert to share – an apple crumb and ice cream ($8) and it was perfect. Oh, and we also drank a flight of beers ($13). Aside from the food being simply fantastic, the environment of the restaurant is just perfect. Seriously. I would go back ten times to this restaurant!

The Village Tea Room

Day 2/Friday

The flat where we were staying had a full kitchen, but we always had our meals in restaurants. On Friday, the biggest event of the day was to visit Mohonk Mountain House – a wonderful resort that is in New Paltz – a 35-minute drive away – and so we chose a coffee shop on the way. The Village Tea Room is a super cute afternoon tea place, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I ordered a pesto sandwich ($ 15) and Thiago chose the frittata ($8), plus black coffee.

From there, we went to Mohonk and the Fall landscape made the path magnificent. Mohonk is one of the best resorts in the country, with incredible scenery featuring a lake in front and Victorian architecture. Looks like you’re in Europe. This place had been on our list for at least two years. There are several ways you can get to visit the place:

• The first, of course, is staying there. It is an all-inclusive resort. You can check the details of the rooms here.
• Another way is to buy a Spa package – there are several treatment options available and you can check prices and details here.
• You can also make a reservation for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, all with buffet. Lunch costs $ 71 (adult) and $ 39 (children). Dinner and brunch cost $81 (adult) and $41 (child). Breakfast costs $48 (adult) and $27 (children). By clicking here, you can check more details, such as the menu and also times. I recommend making the reservation in advance (it’s by phone, (855) 883-3798). We were unable to book for any of these meals.
• The other option to visit Mohonk is through a Hiking Pass – which costs $22 (weekdays) and $27 (weekends) per person. The pass does not give access to the resort premises and you have to bring water and something to eat. In addition, anyone who buys the Hiking pass must leave the car parked at the first entrance of the mountain. From there to the resort, you will walk almost an hour (it is so far). So keep this in mind. With the Hiking Pass, you are free to explore the area around the resort, which is so beautiful! There are also public restrooms. We only did one trail, but there are over 100 miles of trails in the resort area!
• If you click here, you’ll be able to check out the public transport options there – however, they will all require you to take a taxi to the resort. They offer transportation from the bus station only to guests.

I was sad that we could not get a reservation for lunch – because it would have been great to have been able to drive to the resort, especially for the return, when I was already very tired.

You should check out the official website to get an idea of all the activities offered and yes, it opens all year.

After leaving Mohonk, we stopped at Lagusta’s Luscious in New Paltz for a hot chocolate and a few chocolates. The place is cute and the chocolates are homemade and a delight. The hot chocolate is also very yummy. There are only two places to sit. From there, we left for the State University of New York at New Paltz. The Hudson Valley is an area full of universities, you know? We wanted to visit this one to check out The Atrium, whose architecture resembles the pyramid of the Louvre Museum. We walked through the campus, which is very beautiful, and then we went back to Airbnb.

Our Friday ended at The Culinary Institute of America, an institution of higher education focused on gastronomy, which has some restaurants – the students work at the restaurants. We made a reservation at the American Bounty Restaurant – but there are other options as well and you can click here to check it out. The campus is beautiful as is the restaurant. The food is delicious, but maybe a little overpriced by the portion sizes. We ordered the octopus appetizer ($ 14) and for the main course I chose the Lamb Barbacoa ($31), and Thiago chose Royal Trumpet Mushrooms ($22) with hummus and mushrooms. For dessert, we got the Sweet Potato Panna Cotta, served with banana sorbet ($10) – this dessert was so delicious!

Day 3/Saturday

Unfortunately, it rained the entire day. We had planned to visit wineries in the area. And I bet you’ve thought that only in Napa Valley you could have that experience, right? We had brunch at Alex’s, a super traditional diner in Poughkeepsie. The prices are great! Thiago got the Egg’s Benedict ($11) and I got the Griddled Meal which comes with bacon, pancakes, and eggs. Then, we started our wineries tour. I’ll briefly tell you about the three we’ve visited – they’re all 20-30 minutes from Poughkeepsie.

• Millbrook Vineyards & Winery – is one of the most famous in the Hudson Valley. It is in an area that was especially beautiful because of the Fall landscape and the vineyard itself. They have a huge outdoor space with picnic tables. The winery has a shop, tables for tasting, and space for events. The tasting with 6 wines costs $12.50 per person (and you still get the glass). They also have a cheese menu. Open all year!
• Nostrano Vineyards – the physical space itself is small but very cozy. The tasting with 6 wines costs $6 per person. There are cheese boards from $22 for four people. The area where the winery is located is also beautiful. Only open on weekends!
• Benmarl Winery –  this is the one that was the most beautiful one. It is located close to the Hudson River, with gorgeous views. At weekends, they offer pizzas (from $10). There is also a bakery with a few options. The tasting with 6 wines cost $20 – and we ended up buying two bottles at this winery. Check the website for days and times.

At night, we had dinner at The Artist’s Palate, which was recommended by our Airbnb host. Modern and beautiful environment! It is located in Poughkeepsie. We got the Artist’s Plate as a starter ($18), which comes with cheeses, cold cuts, a delight! For the main course, I got the Scallops ($30) served with crispy cabbage and bacon jelly Thiago chose the Duck Breast ($28), smoked duck breast served with black rice.

Day 4/Sunday

We had a special activity booked for that last day – a balloon ride in Middletown, about 50 minutes from Poughkeepsie, with Above the Clouds. I was very excited when I learned about this tour and I made a reservation since it would be a great experience to see the fall foliage from above. I made the reservation by phone a week earlier, as well as the payment – $199 per person for a 20-30 minute flight. Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, the flight was canceled (we were warned the night before). They give you the option to rebook for another day.

So we changed our plans – initially, we planned to spend the day in Hudson, a town that’s about an hour from Poughkeepsie, but we decided to stay in Poughkeepsie and do some things we had not done yet. We started the day with a brunch at the Eveready Diner, a classic American diner with super generous portions and great prices. The red velvet pancake is delicious!

Then, we went to the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site. It is a national park that houses the residence, the library, and the tomb of Franklin Roosevelt, who was a president of the United States. The park is huge and beautiful too! Access and parking are free. If you want to visit the library/museum and the house, you need to buy a ticket, which costs $20 (and has a guided tour). Since we did not have much time, because we did not want to go home too late, we just walked around. We took a map at the Visitor’s center and explored the area.

Then we went to Walkway over the Hudson. It is a suspension bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. Located in Poughkeepsie, it was built in the 19th century to connect New York to New England. With a fire in the ’70s, it ended up abandoned, but because of the community efforts, it was reopened to the public in 2009 . It is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, about 1.2 miles long. The most beautiful thing about this place is the view from the bridge, featuring the Fall landscape. Access is free!

We returned the car without any problems, took an Uber to the train station, and returned home. This trip was really cool! We love visiting so many cool places in Hudson Valley and I’m very happy to share this trip with you because I think the area has a lot to offer! Remember that besides this, there are tons of things to do.

Travel budget:

• Airbnb – $ 500 | three nights – but, as I mentioned, there are other cheaper options in the area!.
• Car rental – $ 190.
• Gas – $ 25 | we took the car with a full tank, we drove the four days and spent $25 to return it with a full tank.
• Train tickets – $ 36 per person, round trip.
• Uber – $20 | to/from the station in Poughkeepsie
• Food – we spend on average $100 in each dinner (couple) and $30 to $40 (couple) with breakfast/brunch. Remember that there are other options in the area!
• Mohonk hiking passes – $54
• Wine tasting – $34 

I hope you have enjoyed discovering a little more of the Hudson Valley with me! Below, I share my map – I categorized each day/activities with different colors!

Do you have tips about more fun things to do in Hudson Valley? 

Laura Peruchi

Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!