Luxury holidays in Litchfield Hills

Part of New England – and easily reachable from New York or Boston – Northwest Connecticut's Litchfield Hills are renowned for their stunning natural beauty. Charm-oozing little towns may dot its valleys and plains, but the real stars of the show here are the pine-forested hills that rise to rocky peaks to form a rollercoaster-like horizon between tranquil, fish-filled lakes and huge, open skies. It’s a landscape painter’s dream.

When to go

The obvious time to come to New England is during the Fall, when the trees form a palette of russets and golds that genuinely awes. The downside, though, is that this is when prices are highest, hotels are fully booked and all beauty spots throng with camera-toting ‘leaf chasers’. Spring and summer are balmy and beautiful, while winter is the time to bring your skis.

Getting there

  • Planes

    Bradley International Airport (www.bradleyairport.com) | close to Hartford | is around an hour away from the Litchfield Hills region. It offers direct flights to most major US cities | as well as a non-stop route to Amsterdam.

  • Trains

    Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) operates services from Poughkeepsie in upstate New York to other US cities. From here, take the Metro-North Railroad (www.mta.info), which connects to Bethel, Waterbury and Danbury.

  • Automobiles

    Most places in the Litchfield Hills are around 100 miles from New York City | and between 115–150 miles from Boston. Interstate 84 | which enters the state at Danbury | runs northeast through Connecticut. A car is essential for exploring the region.

  • Taxis

    Taxis are more prevalent in the bigger towns – though they don’t exactly fly past with New York-like regularity. If you’re in the Morris area, call Berkshire Livery (1 860 567 8769) to order a cab.