Beautiful harbor towns, magnificent cultural landmarks, and excellent universities: discover the picturesque New England state of Connecticut!
| Capital: | Hartford |
| Area: | about 14,000 km² |
| Population: | about 3.6 million |
| Location: | Northeast of the USA |
| Nickname: | The Constitution State |
| Hotspots: | Yale University, New Haven |
| Time zone: | UTC -5 (Eastern) |
Connecticut is one of the 13 New England states that together founded the United States. The region borders Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. Connecticut is rich in tradition yet one of the smallest US states: only Delaware and Rhode Island cover less area.
Despite its small size, Connecticut is home to around 3.6 million people. This puts the Constitution State in fourth place among the most densely populated states, behind New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The population is made up of 71 % Whites, 13 % Hispanics, 10 % African Americans, and 4 % Asians.
The five cities with the largest populations in Connecticut all have more than 100,000 residents. These are the top five in the Constitution State:
| City | Population |
|---|---|
| Bridgeport | 143,000 |
| New Haven | 131,000 |
| Stamford | 129,000 |
| Hartford | 121,000 |
| Waterbury | 106,000 |
Like most New England states, Connecticut is also strongly influenced by water. Strictly speaking, however, the state has no seashore but is located in the estuary of the Long Island Sound. Despite its small area, Connecticut's landscape is very diverse. Mountains and hills rise in the Northwest in the Litchfield Hills, while the region East of New Haven is characterized by swamps and beaches. An urban, very densely populated region stretches along the coast in the Southwest and along the Connecticut River, which divides the state in the middle.
Connecticut is located at the transition zone between the humid continental climate and the humid subtropical climate. In the North, summers are hot, and winters are cold. Light snowfall can also occur here. Along the coast in the South, winters are somewhat milder, and snowfall is rare. The four seasons can be clearly distinguished from each other.
The best conditions for your trip to Connecticut can be found in late spring and early fall.
Hiking, golfing, sailing: Connecticut's pleasant temperatures make outdoor activities extra fun in May and June. Spring lovers should also plan a visit to the Colorblends House and Spring Garden, where more than 50,000 bulbs bloom in the most brilliant colors every year.
When the landscape starts to show up in warm shades of yellow, orange, and brown in September and October, Connecticut is especially beautiful. Visit a local farm and harvest your own pumpkins, find your way through a corn maze, or listen to great live music at Southington Town Green's Apple Harvest Festival.
Air traffic in Connecticut is mainly served by Bradley International Airport in Hartford. In addition, there are only a few smaller regional airports.
To get to Hartford Airport, you need to make a stopover. Connections from Europe, e.g., London or Paris, go via Philadelphia, Detroit, Charlotte, or Washington, D.C. The cheapest flight tickets we could find are around € 600. You'll pay more than double that for the cheapest connection from Tokyo in Japan. It takes you via Chicago to Hartford and costs around € 1,300.
Tip
New England has a variety of international airports as well as a highly developed road and rail network. Be sure to look for connections to the airports of New York JFK, Newark, or Boston. You may be able to get a bargain on airfare and then travel on to Connecticut by train or rental car.
If you are not an American citizen or Green Card holder, you will need a visa or ESTA to travel to the state of Connecticut.
With an ESTA, you can stay 90 days visa-free in the USA. Apply online now!
Bradley International Airport lies about 19 km North of Hartford. From the airport, you have the following transfer options to get to your accommodation:
Bus route 30-Bradley Flyer operated by CTTRANSIT takes you from Terminal A at Bradley International Airport to downtown Hartford in 30 minutes. Services run seven days a week. Monday through Saturday, they depart every 40 minutes during the day. In the early morning and the late evening hours, and on Sundays, there is one bus per hour. A single CTTRANSIT ticket costs $ 1.75.
Your hotel may offer a free shuttle service. Check with your accommodation before you travel to see if you can use this service and save on transfer costs.
The most comfortable transfer option is by cab. However, think carefully about whether the comfort is worth the price for you because you will pay around $ 45 for the ride to downtown Hartford.
Connecticut doesn't have a national park, but its state parks and recreation areas are just as beautiful. Here are our must-sees:
Gillette Castle State Park is a great destination for castle lovers and nature. The park is dominated by the medieval-looking palace perched on a hill overlooking the Connecticut River. It was built in 1914 amid beautiful woodland by eccentric actor William Hooker Gillette and given to the state of Connecticut in the 1940s. Come here on a sunny day, tour the property, and marvel at the great views!
Located in Connecticut's largest coastal park, Hammonasset Beach State Park, the more than two miles of sandy beach is the perfect place for a sunny summer day by the sea. Build sandcastles, collect shells, watch the boats go by, and enjoy the sweet life while relaxing on the beach!
In mountainous Northwestern Connecticut near Litchfield stretches Mount Tom State Park. The oldest state park in Connecticut is located on Lake Mount Tom and is a popular destination for hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, and picnicking. Tip: Don't miss the great views from the stone Mount Tom Tower lookout. Especially when the leaves glow in fall colors, the climb is more than worth the effort!
These top Connecticut attractions absolutely deserve a spot on your travel list:
If you love exploring cities with an interesting history, New Haven and Hartford are the places for you.
New Haven was the first American city to be designed according to a grid system and is therefore considered a model of urban planning. The city is even better known for its renowned Yale University, from which many of America's brightest and most powerful minds graduated. But the ambiance of New Haven is not only influenced by the numerous historical sites but also by many trees that earned the city the nickname "The Elm City."
These city highlights are waiting for you in New Haven:
Hartford was once called the most beautiful city in the United States by its best-known resident, the writer Mark Twain. Culturally, Hartford definitely has a lot to offer: Besides Twain's former home, you'll find a wealth of world-class museums in Connecticut's capital. Tip: Be sure to visit Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest public art museum in the USA. Thursday through Sunday is happy hour between 4 pm and 5 pm, and admission is free.
Check out the most beautiful city highlights of Hartford:
We start our road trip in Eastern Connecticut, where the coastal town of Mystic awaits you with its famous historic harbor. Admire the beautiful architecture of the houses and the historic ships, and take a tour of the Seaport Museum to learn more about the town, which was one of the most important shipbuilding centers in the United States. Afterwards, the Mystic Aquarium provides fun for the whole family.
We then continue to the mouth of the Thames River to Groton, where the world's first nuclear-powered submarine lies at anchor. The USS Nautilus was christened with a bottle of champagne in 1958 by the then First Lady, the wife of Dwight D. Eisenhower. That same year, the USS Nautilus submerged the Arctic ice and became the first boat to reach the geographic North Pole. Since the 1980s, she has been a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a museum ship.
We end our short road trip in Western Connecticut at the Weir Farm National Historical Park. Here, you can visit the home and studio of American Impressionist J. Alden Weir. During the summer season, from May to October, you can even get free painting supplies at the visitor center to sit in the park and create your own art!
The picturesque and beautiful state of Connecticut is a must-see for your friends. These are our top 5 Instagram hotspots:
A typical New England state, you'll find plenty of fresh fish and seafood on Connecticut's menus. But you can also indulge in other specialties. How about these five?
There are a lot of exciting stories in Connecticut's long history. Did you already know these facts?
Living on America's New England coast is your dream? Our tips for living and working in the Constitution State will help you immigrate to Connecticut.
Connecticut generates the highest per capita income of all US states and has a high density of millionaires. The major industries are finance, insurance, and real estate. Major companies operating in Connecticut include The Hartford, Travelers, Cigna, People's United Financial, Bank of America, and many more. You'll also have good career opportunities in education, healthcare, as well as the social services sector. The industry also continues to be very important. For example, nuclear submarines, helicopters, aircraft engines, and machinery are manufactured in Connecticut.
Gorgeous beaches, idyllic coastal towns, great educational opportunities, and plenty of cultures: how beautiful Connecticut is! Especially the cities of Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Hartford, and Waterbury stand for a good quality of life. If immigrating to the Northeast is your dream, you should be able to afford the high cost of living, which is about 8 % above the US average. However, you may be able to keep up with Connecticut citizens and commute to work in neighboring New York City, where there are always plenty of well-paying top jobs to fill.
If you want to immigrate to Connecticut, you need a Green Card, which allows you to live and work in the USA indefinitely. The US government gives away 55,000 Green Cards every year to USA fans from all over the world as part of the Green Card Lottery. Sign up now. Just a few clicks, and you're in!