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VISITORS GUIDE Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut

Welcome!

Yale University is situated 90 minutes from New York in the city of New Haven, Connecticut.

New Haven has been named a top global destination to visit in 2023 by The New York Times!

We invite you to explore all that our historic campus and bustling city have to offer.

Table of Contents

Overview

Planning Your Visit

While You’re in Town

Please note that information contained herein is provided solely as a convenience and does not supersede contractual agreements with Yale University. ©2023 Yale University.

Overview

Yale University

Yale has grown and evolved for 300-plus years, passing many milestones and forging traditions along the way. The university traces its roots to the 1640s, when colonial clergymen led an effort to establish a local college in the tradition of European liberal education.

In 1701, the Connecticut legislature adopted a charter “to erect a Collegiate School.” The school officially became Yale College in 1718, when it was renamed in honor of Welsh merchant Elihu Yale, who had donated the proceeds from the sale of nine bales of goods together with 417 books and a portrait of King George I.

More on Yale's traditions and history ⪼

Fun Facts

  • Yale University is the third oldest university in the United States and is part of the elite Ivy League.
  • The Yale Daily News is the oldest collegiate daily newspaper still in existence. It has been printed five days a week since January 28, 1878.
  • The Yale Whiffenpoofs is the oldest a cappella group in the United States and have been singing since 1909.
  • The Yale University Art Gallery, founded in 1832, is the oldest university art museum in the United States.
  • In 2017, Yale College opened two new residential colleges, Benjamin Franklin College and Pauli Murray College, which have increased undergraduate enrollment to an all-time high.
  • The Yale Peabody Museum is undergoing its first major renovation in nearly a century. When it reopens in 2024, it will offer free admission in perpetuity.

Yale by the numbers ⪼

New Haven

Founded in 1638, New Haven, Connecticut is recognized as a city of innovation, culture, and prosperity. Approximately 20 square miles with nearly 130,000 residents and conveniently located between Boston and New York, New Haven is “large enough to be interesting, yet small enough to be friendly.”

Download the Visit New Haven app ⪼

Fun Facts

  • New Haven was the first planned city in America built on a grid system and is best explored on foot through a network of pedestrian-friendly streets.
  • It also had the first public tree planting program in America, producing a canopy of mature trees (including some large elms) that gave the city the nickname "The Elm City".
  • The Grove Street Cemetery, established in 1797, is the final home of many worthies like Noah Webster and Roger Sherman, the only signatory of all four basic documents of America’s founding.
  • New Haven's pizza scene is historic, diverse, and nationally revered.
  • Louis’ Lunch is recognized by the Liberty of Congress as the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich.

These also started out in New Haven:

  • First American English dictionary, by lexicographer Noah Webster
  • Invention of vulcanized rubber, by Charles Goodyear
  • First “Lolly Pop” (lollipop)
  • And so much more⪼

Planning Your Visit

Hotels

Hotels located on or around the Yale campus include:

Airports

Rail Service

  • Union Station New Haven Station is only a few minutes away from Yale’s campus.
  • Metro-North Railroad: Frequent commuter service from New York City to Southern Connecticut.
  • Amtrak: Train service to New Haven from Vermont, Providence, and Boston to the north, and from Washington, D.C., to the south, at prices that are competitive with air travel.

CT Rail

  • New Haven Line: operated by Metro-North Railroad, consists of the New Haven line between New Haven and Grand Central Station, NYC, and the New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury Branch Lines. Service operates daily.
  • Shore Line East: rail service operated daily between New London and New Haven. Convenient connections are available to the New Haven Line at Union Station, New Haven. Free parking is available at all train stations (except New London and New Haven).
  • Hartford Line: daily rail service between New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield, MA. The service is provided with a combination of CTrail and Amtrak trains. Convenient connections are available in New Haven to New Haven line, Amtrak Acela and Northeast Regional and Shore Line East rail services, and a connection is available in Hartford to the CT transit 30-Bradley Flyer to Bradley International Airport and CTfastrak bus rapid transit.

For more information, visit the CTrail Passenger Rail Service page.

Driving Directions

  • Route 15 (Wilbur Cross/Merritt Parkways): Traveling South: Take exit 61. Follow Whitney Ave. south. Traveling North (Direction: Berlin Tnpk/Meriden): Take the Merritt Parkway to the I-95 exit. Follow I-95 north. Further directions are below.
  • Interstate 91: Take Exit 3 (Trumbull Street).
  • Interstate 95: Turn off Interstate 95 at the I-91 North (Hartford-Springfield) exit and continue for a short distance on I-91. Take exit 3 (Trumbull Street).

Yale's campus stretches through central New Haven and beyond. We suggest you put your destination address into your GPS for specific directions.

ATM's and Banks

Convenience Stores and Pharmacies

  • Rite Aid | 66 Church Street, 203.777.7248
  • Walgreens | 88 York Street, 203.752.9893

Emergency Contact Information

Please visit the Yale Public Safety Contact page for more information.

Yale Conferences & Events: (203) 432-0465 or conferencesandevents@yale.edu

Hospital

Yale-New Haven Hospital’s 24-hour Emergency Department is a designated Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma facility. In an emergency, please call 911.

Yale-New Haven Hospital is located at 20 York Street, New Haven, Connecticut

Maps

Recommended Smartphone Apps to Download

Below are some helpful smart phone apps we recommend you download to your phone, especially if your staff and/or participants are not from the Northeast or the U.S.

Weather and News:

  • The Weather Channel App: Receive weather alerts for severe weather including thunderstorms, heatwave, tornados, etc.
  • WTNH News 8:Stay informed on local and breaking news.

Emergency Information and First Aid:

  • Yale University LiveSafe: The app includes features such as Yale's COVID-19 website, SafeWalk (a peer-to-peer feature), report tips, request a campus escort, emergency options, and a safety map.
  • Red Cross First Aid:Handy quick reference guide for dealing with different medical emergencies.

While You're in Town

Bookstores

Churches

Coffee Shops

Museums

Restaurants

Shopping

Sweet Tooth

Appreciate