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I'll be in Windsor (staying at the Hilton Garden Inn) over this weekend, and I was looking to spend one of the days exploring New Haven. Is this possible by means of public transportation? I don't have a car and I don't want to spend too much money on an Uber/Lyft/etc.

I checked the area on Google Maps, and I noticed there are a couple of bus stops nearby. However, it's not like the CTFastrak where they have off-board machines that you can use to purchase an all-day pass. Is it possible to do so for the bus, and is the bus the most cost-effective way to at least get to the Hartford Line station (where I plan on taking the train to New Haven).

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    I was expecting Royal Windsor and a New Haven in the UK. Best always add a country to this kind of question.
    – Willeke ♦
    Mar 3, 2020 at 16:12
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    @Willeke: It is tagged connecticut.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Mar 3, 2020 at 16:22
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    @Willeke in that case, SWR from Windsor & Eton Riverside to Clapham Junction, changing onto a Southern Service to Ore (making sure to be in the correct portion for the split at Haywards Heath), and changing again at Lewes for a branch line train towards Seaford, alighting at Newhaven Town or Newhaven Harbour as appropriate ;)
    – Muzer
    Mar 3, 2020 at 17:49
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    It might be a fun game to take all questions about travel in New England and answer them for the correspondingly-named places in Old England, and vice versa :-)
    – Nate Eldredge
    Mar 3, 2020 at 21:40
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    I lived in New Haven for 6 years. Can't honestly think of a single thing worth seeing or doing there as a tourist, unless you have some very specialized interest, such as seeing the supposed birthplace of the hamburger. IIRC walking from the train station to downtown was not that nice, involved walking through freeway overpasses and through high-crime areas of town. I don't know if the crime situation has changed much in the last few decades, but back then, you really had to know what parts of town were safe to walk in. But there is good news about New Haven: it isn't Bridgeport.
    – user5017
    Mar 4, 2020 at 2:16

3 Answers 3

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The Hartford Line train works well. Note that besides the Amtrak schedule posted by Danill, there is additional train service on this line provided by the State of Connecticut (CTrail). The same ticket can be used on either service (with the special exception of the Amtrak Vermonter). Full details and a combined timetable are at https://www.hartfordline.com/.

The most economical way to get to the train station is probably a local bus; they are operated by CT Transit. Your closest major stop seems to be the Poquonock Park & Ride, just a couple blocks from your hotel.

From the local system map (also linked from https://www.cttransit.com/ but only shows up if your browser window is sufficiently wide), it looks like you could take Routes 32/34/36 to the train station in Windsor.

But another option would be to take Route 30 which runs to downtown Hartford and stops at Hartford Union Station. This will give you more train options, as there are some trains that run only between Hartford and New Haven without continuing to Windsor.

Make sure to check bus schedules because some routes run infrequently or only on weekdays.

You can buy a single trip or day pass on the bus with cash (change will not be given). There is also a contactless Go CT card, which is convenient to use but a bit difficult to obtain except by mail.

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  • I looked at the schedules earlier this morning, 34 does not run on the weekends. According to Google Maps, 32 looks like an option from that bus stop, but it doesn't appear on the weekdays, is anyone able to clarify this?
    – Daveguy
    Mar 3, 2020 at 20:22
  • I haven't used those routes personally, but my reading of the schedule is that 34/36 are weekdays only, and there is service on Saturdays to Poquonock via route 32A but not on Sundays.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Mar 3, 2020 at 20:38
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For getting around New Haven, as explained on the CTtransit fare schedule, you can purchase an unlimited local rides one-day bus pass for $3.50 on the bus by pressing the "Get All-Day Pass" button. As explained elsewhere by CTtransit, you can also purchase it in advance by mail or online, and 10-ride local tickets can also be purchased at various Stop & Shop supermarkets (including 1095 Kennedy Road in Windsor). That may be plenty; I haven't been to New Haven in over half a decade now, but I didn't find anything of interest beyond the Yale campus and the waterfront.

As for getting from Windsor to New Haven, the bus is incredibly inefficient. There are half a dozen trains a day in each direction, and advance-purchase tickets are under $10. It isn't especially scenic, but the bus is much less comfortable and takes more than twice as long.

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    Note that advance purchase isn't necessary on the train for route; the fares are the same if you buy them at the station where you board.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Mar 3, 2020 at 19:57
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There is an Amtrak service from Windsor to either New Haven State Street Station or New Haven Union Station, the train runs throughout the day. Times can be checked for specific days using the Amtrak route finder, example times for tomorrow:

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The location for the stations:

  • Amtrak Windsor CT Station - 41 Central Street Windsor, CT 06095-2908

  • Amtrak New Haven State Street Station - 259 State Street New Haven, CT 06519

  • Amtrak New Haven Union Station - 50 Union Avenue New Haven, CT 06519-1754

Using the fare finder, a one-way value fare for one adult is $9.25.

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    As I noted in my answer, there are also CTrail trains that run on the same line at the same fare; their combined schedule can be found at hartfordline.com.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Mar 3, 2020 at 19:52

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