Mid-Atlantic

The core corridor of the US East Coast linking New York, Philadelphia and Washington, with top-tier cities, founding-era sites and museum clusters, all connected by convenient intercity rail.

In this scheme the Mid-Atlantic includes the three states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and, following travel habits, also Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C.; it is the most densely populated and urbanized corridor in the United States. The top highlight is New York: the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Broadway and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Philadelphia is where the United States was founded, and Independence National Historical Park, home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, is a must-visit. In Washington, D.C., the National Mall links the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian museums, most of which are free to enter. Baltimore's Inner Harbor and its crab and seafood dishes are also worth a stop. Beyond the cities, upstate New York has Niagara Falls, the Finger Lakes wine country, the Hudson Valley and the Adirondack Mountains, while Pennsylvania has the Gettysburg battlefield and the Amish countryside of Lancaster. The classic route is a city-hopping trip of New York–Philadelphia–Baltimore–Washington, about seven to ten days; adding a self-drive through upstate New York takes another four to five days. For getting around, Amtrak's Northeast Corridor connects the major cities, with New York to Washington taking around three hours; within cities, the subway and walking are the main options, and parking in big cities is expensive, so driving is not recommended, though you will need a rental car for the countryside and mountains. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, summer is hot and humid and winter is snowy; book popular museums and Broadway shows in advance.

Destinations

Itineraries