Empire State Trail Vacation Tour

Up to 6 days of cycling
NYC to Lake George in August
NYC to Saratoga Springs in October

The best overnight bike tours on the Empire State Trail, hands down.

The Empire State Trail in the Hudson Valley should be on every touring cyclist’s list. No other trail packs in great scenery, culture, history and dining more than the Empire State Trail. Gotham Bicycle Tours is the local company that has been offering tours in the Hudson Valley for more than 10 years. Having spent our entire lives here, our knowledge of this region is unmatched, as is our service to our customers. If you want to really see New York, take a ride with us! (Scroll to the very bottom to see fantastic pictures of this ride).

2024 Tour Dates

Each tour is unique because of seasonal changes, and prices vary for packages with different combinations of days. Click below to download specific tour itineraries and prices:

August 15-20: NYC to Lake George – journey to an iconic New York vacation destination! Click here for itinerary and pricing.

October 10-15 NYC to Saratoga Springs – enjoy autumn foliage and dining at the Culinary Institute of America! Click here for itinerary and pricing.

Each tour is unique and prices vary according to the number of days of riding. 6-day tours start at $2,195 and 3-day tours start at $995. (Price is per person, double occupancy).

Click here to fill out our inquiry form to get started – A $500 deposit required for reservation.

A truly customized experience

Each Empire State Trail Vacation Tour runs up to 6 days, Thursday to Tuesday. We start the tour in Manhattan and you can choose to stay in either Manhattan or Yonkers the night before. Then over 6 days, we ride and make stops at Yonkers, Brewster, Poughkeepsie, Hudson and Albany, before ending in either Lake George (August) or Saratoga Springs (October). Tour participants can select any combination of days and the cost of the tour is prorated. And our partnerships with Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak will easily get you to the segments you want to ride. Or you can drive to the ride and park in one of our designated lots and be shuttled back to your car at the end of the tour. All bookings are administered by Lukas Herbert, who owns the company and runs the tours. Lukas will give you attentive service, clearly explain all options, and answer all questions, which means you book the tour that works best for you. Click here to fill out our inquiry form to get started.

The best food and hotels

Gotham Bicycle Tours has been running bike tours in the Hudson Valley since 2014, but because we have spent our entire lives here, we have been riding bikes in the Hudson Valley ourselves for much longer than that. There is no one who has better knowledge than us, and we have many longstanding partnerships to give you the best experience. Food and hotels are no exception. Each day begins with breakfast included and lunch is also included each day (except for one day where you have a tremendous number of options to explore on your own). The tour also includes group dinners on most days, all with superb food and drink, including a special dinner at the renowned Culinary Institute of America (October tour only). On the days without the group dinners we will offer recommendations to let you experience farm-to-table dining, great ethnic food, or fun activities, depending on your interests. Then each night, stay in a nice hotel.

We also understand that not everyone is into group dinners or lunches. So we also offer opt-out options for each meal that can be credited back to your tour cost. This lets you do your tour, your way.

A great ride for all abilities

The overwhelming majority of this ride is on bike paths which are relatively flat and easy to navigate. On-street bike routes are used where bike paths are not available, and you’ll be given GPS or paper maps to navigate the route at your own pace. Each day a guide will also be riding with whoever wants to go in a group, and a support vehicle is always nearby, carrying your luggage and setting up rest stops. Everyone feels safe and supported and nobody is left behind.

However, due to local restrictions, we do not run this tour with e-bikes. There are several trail segments where e-bikes are prohibited. No tour operators should be using e-bikes on the Empire State Trail because of these rules. If you find another tour operator offering e-bike rentals on the Empire State Trail, you should know that they are disobeying the rules by doing so, which may impact the insurance coverage they are supposed to be providing their customers.

See the itinerary below for descriptions of each day. Pictures of the entire tour (in south to north order) are just below the description tabs.

Day 1 - NYC to Yonkers

24 Miles, relatively flat. Bike paths and city streets. All paved surfaces

Much of the Empire State Trail in NYC is along the Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan where it begins at Battery Park City and ends at Dyckman Street. After that, it is a 4-mile jumble of busy city streets before you get to the final stretch of bike path. Lukas Herbert, the owner of Gotham Bicycle Tours, will lead this day of riding to give the group a more personalized tour. Lukas is a licensed NYC sightseeing guide (NYC DCA License # 2062201) and has 20 years of experience working in urban planning in both NYC and the Hudson Valley and can answer any questions about the places you will be riding through.

After experiencing the sights and sounds of the city, we’ll have a picnic lunch featuring the best Dominican food the city has to offer before we head back onto the bike path up to Yonkers where you can check in to your hotel. Yonkers is famous for some of the best Italian food outside of Italy itself. Join us for a group pizza dinner, cooked in a brick oven that exceeds the quality you’ll find in Manhattan. Or opt-out and do dinner on your own. An inexpensive Uber ride gives you access to countless great restaurants.

Day 2 - Lower Hudson Valley

46 Miles, gradual elevation changes. Almost entirely on a bike path. All paved surfaces

Begin your exodus from the big city on a splendid bike path that was built atop a former commuter railroad line. The Empire State Trail takes you all the way to the last stop, but only after you pass through charming villages and hamlets that are nestled amongst farms, forests and the massive reservoirs that supply water to our thirsty metropolis. Have a great picnic lunch at a historic train station. Choose from over 20 overstuffed sandwiches made to your order. Then pedal on to Brewster where you can spend the night just off the trail.

Brewster lies amidst a series of reservoirs, and the restaurant we will take you to after the ride has a spectacular view and great Mexican food. Or opt out of the dinner and take a cab to a nearby music venue owned by Daryl Hall (from Hall & Oates). Or check out an old-school billiards hall, or play mini-golf at an old-fashioned drive-in restaurant.

Day 3 - Appalachian Crossing

Choose between 40 and 50 Miles. Gradual elevation changes. Almost entirely on a bike path. All paved surfaces

You may not know about New York’s relationship with the Appalachian Mountains. They cross our region diagonally from southwest to northeast about 50 miles north of the city. While the Appalachian range is dwarfed by the nearby Catskills and Adirondacks, preservation efforts in this region have left it undeveloped. And once again, the Empire State Trail follows a former railroad line that once connected New England to the Hudson River. The elevation changes are gradual, and since you’re far from cars and highways, the sound of nature prevails as you pass through picturesque settings. And yes, you will cross the Appalachian Trail with its famous white blazes.

Since services along this part of the Empire State Trail are remote, we’ll be offering a trailside brunch featuring bagels, lox, local fruit, yogurt and more. Then you’ll arrive in Poughkeepsie where the trail goes over the spectacular Walkway Over the Hudson. You can stop here or keep riding if you feel like it. We’ll offer a variety of end points for the day where you can be picked up and shuttled to the hotel which is in Poughkeepsie, but not next to the trail. Then after we’ve all settled in, we’ll have another group dinner. For our October tour, dinner will be at the famous Culinary Institute of America. Unfortunately they are not open in August, so we’ll take you to a great local restaurant in downtown Poughkeepsie instead.

Day 4 - Catskill Splendor

Ride length can be customized from 40 to 60 miles. Combination of bike paths & local streets. Some bike paths and roads are unpaved. A few hills.

As we did the night before, we’ll shuttle you back to the trail wherever you left off, or wherever you want to start. No matter what, you have a beautiful day of riding in store as you cruise alongside the Catskill Mountains which dominate the horizon to the west. This is probably the most scenic day of the tour with near-constant vistas of mountains, rivers, farms and historic areas. This is also the only day we do not bring you a lunch since you’ll be going through several towns with many, many choices, including a trailside cafe in the middle of the woods. You’ll also get to ride over another huge railroad bridge, pass through bucolic college campuses, and end in the historic City of Hudson where we’ll stay in a boutique hotel within walking distance of a number of great restaurants.

While scenic splendor is the theme of the day, you’ll also need to be aware that some of the bike paths and roads you will be riding will not be paved. But as long as your tire width is at least 28mm, you will be OK.

Day 5 - Capital Region

39 Miles. Mostly “stone dust” paved bike path with some roads in between. Gradual elevation changes on bike paths with downhill at the end.

Head right out of the hotel and make your way to Albany on another great bike path built atop a former trolley line that used to carry commuters to the state capital. One of the first electric interurban trolleys in the nation, this line had a brief history of operation. But now it carries the Empire State Trail through the commuter suburbs of the capital region. It also follows the pulsing course of scenic streams and waterfalls, whose power was once harnessed for mills, and to provide the electricity for the operation of this important, yet short-lived commuter line.

After stopping for another trailside lunch, descend into Rensselaer via local streets with views of the Hudson River. Albany looms large across the bridge as you approach Empire State Plaza and its modernist design. Take a spin around its white-marbled plaza while you explore the capital complex. There’s nothing else like it. Then head to the hotel which is in the center of downtown with plenty of restaurants nearby.

Day 6 - Saratoga Springs (October Tour)

42 miles. Paved and unpaved bike paths and city streets. Gradual elevation changes on bike paths

It’s the last day of the northbound tour and we end it in Saratoga Springs. “Health, History and Horses” is the official slogan for this beautiful city that has long been associated with its healing waters and spas. You can also enjoy the Saratoga Performing Arts Center or visit several historic sites that date back to the American Revolution. If you are ending here, it’s easy to stay on a couple of more days, then head home via Amtrak or rental car (we offer a reduced rate code from Enterprise).

The ride goes along the Albany waterfront on a scenic bike path before changing to on-street routes as you pass through the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. Stop and view the flight of locks where the Erie Canal begins. Then explore the unpaved Champlain Canal trail until you reach the final stretch on a paved rail-trail bike path. We’ll have another picnic trailside lunch set up, with sandwiches from a locally famous deli. Then ride the last few miles through Saratoga Spa State Park and taste the water that flows from its various springs.