Cheap flights to Connecticut from HK$3,907

Connecticut, the small New England state is known as the Constitution State, with a history dating back to colonial days.

Bordered by Long Island Sound to the south, New York State to the west, Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east, Connecticut is diverse. Beaches give way to mountains and rolling farmland. Industrial cities contrast with charming towns, clustered around a green and often featuring a small white church, town hall, tavern and old colonial houses.

There are five regions. Fairfield County is in the southwest, near New York City. Greater New Haven has Connecticut’s longest shoreline beach – Hammonasset Beach State Park – as well as Yale University.

Litchfield Hills, in the northwest, is rural, popular with second homers and, in the autumn, “leaf peepers” who are drawn to the colourful fall foliage.

Mystic Country has eight lighthouses, 19 state parks and 13 public beaches and two of the largest casinos in the world: Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun.

Finally, River Valley is located along the Connecticut River. The state capital, Hartford, is just a two-hour drive from New York or Boston. Connecticut flights land at Bradley International, minutes from the capital.

Connecticut climate

Although a New England state, Connecticut’s weather is relatively mild. Hartford may occasionally go above 32 degrees (Celsius) in the summer), and even more rarely goes to zero or below in winter. The northwestern hills can be as much as ten degrees cooler than the central valley.Temperatures in January are usually in the minus figures, gradually climbing to the mid-teens in April and upper 20s by June. July and August see the mid-20s and then the weather starts to cool in September.

Getting around Connecticut

The third-smallest state (145km (90 miles) wide and 88km (55 miles) from top to bottom) is well connected by major roads. With several interstates you have ample access to all parts of the state from the Long Island shoreline north and northeast of Hartford. For more scenic routes through the state, try as the Merritt Parkway, US 7, and Route 8.

Rail service connects New London and New Haven, Stamford and stops along the way to Waterbury, and Hartford. Several bus lines provide transportation throughout the state, and ferries take travelers along the waterways.

What is good to know if travelling to Connecticut?

• One of the primary attractions in Connecticut is Yale University and the many museums in New Haven, the state’s “cultural capital”. No appointments are needed to visit the university, just drop in on the Mead Visitor Centre, at 149 Elm Street. You can take a guided tour with one of the undergraduates. If you’re in New Haven, though, don’t just take in the museums and university. The Green is the city’s public park, a beautiful space right in the city centre, which has been voted one of the top 100 parks in the US. Many festivals are held in the space year round, but one of the best is the New Haven Jazz Festival.
• A popular trip for kids, the Mystic Steamboat runs through the summer months (May-October) from Mystic Seaport. The wooden coal-fired steamboat Sabino takes a 30-minute journey up the MysticRiver throughout the day. Evening cruises down the river can also be arranged.
• Mark Twain lived in Hartford from 1874 to 1891. You can visit the house which was the author’s home for 17 years and in which he wrote Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The Victorian mansion is now a national historic landmark and has been turned into a museum for Twain, with all furnished rooms containing the author’s possessions as well as an attached museum celebrating his life and works.
• There are many “trails” available in Connecticut, details of all are available from the tourist board. Take a two-day wine trail to visit some of the 15 vineyards, a family fun trail, a foliage trail, or even a women’s heritage trail – which includes a visit to the Harriet Beecher Stowe centre.