Hudson River Cruises from
New York City to Albany

Cruises on the Hudson River travel round trip from New York City to Upstate New York as far north as Albany. As you travel northward along the Hudson River, you’ll enjoy a very scenic ride with mountainous areas on both sides of the river during part of your journey. The Hudson Valley is sometimes compared to the Rhine Valley in Germany, because it is so picturesque.

There are also many options for scenic cruises on the Hudson River in different cities and on different parts of the river. You’ll find single day or evening cruises that depart from New York City, Albany, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh and even as far north as Schuyerville, which is about 11 miles east of Saratoga Springs.

A day trip on the Hudson River can range in length from one hour up to nine hours. And an overnight cruise generally lasts about 7 nights.

Other Rivers in America

Breakneck Ridge Mountain on the Hudson River

By Daniel Case (Photographed by Author) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Hudson River Facts

The Hudson River begins in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. It flows in a southerly direction for about 315 miles before reaching its mouth at the Upper New York Bay. A natural border is formed by the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey.

In addition to the Adirondack Mountains, there are a couple of other mountainous regions along the Hudson River. The Catskills and the Taconic Mountains are located on opposite sides of the river in the Hudson Valley. The Taconic Range has an elevation of about 3,800 feet. The mountains are located on the east side of the river and are connected to the Appalachian Mountains. On the west side of the Hudson, the Catskills are nearly 4,200 feet above sea level. This region of the Hudson is about 86 miles south of Albany.

To the south of the Hudson Valley, Bear Mountain is also a pretty area on the west side of the Hudson River. Not quite as tall as the other two mountain ranges, it reaches an elevation of about 1,300 feet.

Overlooking the Hudson River from Bear Mountain

By Mwanner at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

The Palisades are another elevated region of the Hudson River landscape. These steep cliffs rise to about 500 feet along the river and are located in northeastern New Jersey and southern New York.

Hudson River Cruise Destinations

On a Hudson River cruise, you’ll travel about 150 miles from New York City to Albany and then return to New York City. Some of the cities you’ll visit during your Hudson River cruise include Sleepy Hollow, Kingston, Catskill, Troy and Albany.

Hudson River in Troy, New York

By UpstateNYer (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

In addition to the natural landscape that you’ll pass by along your journey, there are also some historical landmarks that are located on the Hudson River. A few of these sites are the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park, New York; Thayer Hotel in West Point, New York; Bannerman’s Castle on Pollepel Island; and the Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Only one major river cruise supplier offers overnight cruises on the Hudson River. American Cruise Lines has 6- to 7-night itineraries available from late September through late October each year.

Blount Small Ship Adventures has a couple of 14-day packages that combine the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the St. Lawrence River.

You’ll find several options for day and evening river cruises on the Hudson. Dutch Apple Cruises has cruises available in Albany, Pride of the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, Mohawk Maiden Cruises in Schuylerville, and Circle Line Sightseeing for a river tour of New York City.

If you enjoyed reading this page, please share it with other people you think would also enjoy reading it. Thank you! :)