Rhinebeck is a township in Dutchess County, New York. The township encompasses the village of Rhinebeck and the hamlet of Rhinecliff. The downtown area of Rhinebeck is small enough to walk around within an hour or so, exclusive of extra time to visit churches and shops, have a meal, etc., and well worth it, as it is full of beautiful, lovingly decorated houses. It also has a beautifully preserved, functioning Roosevelt-era post office (built from 1939-1940) with murals that depict the history of the area and other interesting documentation.

A view of downtown Rhinebeck as of 2010 (some of the businesses have changed, but the buildings are the same)

The Maples, one of five buildings in Rhinebeck that are individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places in the United States

Understand

Local information

• Village of Rhinebeck website

Get in

By plane

• Stewart International Airport, 1180 First St, New Windsor, +1 845-564-2100.
• Albany International Airport, 737 Albany-Shaker Rd, Albany.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 1 Rhinecliff–Kingston railway station, 455 Rhinecliff Rd (2 miles from downtown Rhinebeck). The station is small. As of 2024, it is being renovated further, and there is a temporary station for buying tickets in person, but the platforms and access to them are fully functional. There is very limited taxi service at the station. (updated Jan 2023)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Routes stopping in Rhinecliff:
    • Adirondack operating daily between Montreal and New York City including stops along the way in Saint-Lambert, Rouses Point, Plattsburgh, Westport, Ticonderoga, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
    • Ethan Allen Express operating daily between Burlington and New York City including in Middlebury, Rutland, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
    • Empire Service operates twice daily between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City including stops in Buffalo, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers. Additional daily trips operate between Albany (Rensselaer) and New York City.
    • Maple Leaf operating daily between Toronto and New York City, in partnership with VIA Rail Canada. Stops between Toronto and Niagara Falls (New York) include in Oakville, Burlington, Grimsby, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls (Ontario). Stops between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City are the same as those made by the Empire Service. Border crossing processing takes place in Niagara Falls, where passengers must detrain with their baggage. Train crew members are staffed by VIA Rail within Canada, and by Amtrak within the United States.
    • Lake Shore Limited, operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer). The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City. Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and New York City include Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, and Croton-on-Hudson.

By car

US Route 9 is the main north-south road in the area. The major east-west route is called Market St. in downtown Rhinebeck. It is East Market St./State Route 308 east of Route 9 (Mill St./Montgomery St.) and West Market St./State Route 85 west of Route 9. West Market St. becomes Rhinecliff Rd. and enables access to the Amtrak station in Rhinecliff.

Get around

Downtown Rhinebeck is easily walkable for people with an average level of fitness, but if you need to get to or from the Rhinecliff train station, you will need a car or taxi or at least a bicycle, unless you want to walk 2 miles on roads without sidewalks.

See

Wilderstein sits on a hilltop overlooking the Hudson River.

• Wilderstein, 330 Morton Rd, ☏ +1 845-876-4818. Stunning Queen Anne-style mansion set in park-like grounds designed by Calvert Vaux. Open May though October, Th-Su noon-4PM (last tour at 3:30PM). Call for special holiday events: Halloween Party, Victorian holiday tours, Yuletide high tea. The mansion is several miles outside town, so not practical to walk to. 
• Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, 9 Norton Road, ☏ +1 845-752-3200. A "living" aviation museum (airworthy vintage aircraft) covering the 1903 through 1939 era of vintage aviation (including aviation engines and operable period ground vehicles), May through October, 10AM-5PM. Airshows, June through October, weekends at 2PM. For $75, take a biplane ride over the Hudson River; Sa-Su, June through October. (updated Jan 2018)

Do

• Upstate Films, 6415 Montgomery St, toll-free: +1-866-345-6688. A non-profit member-supported arts organization, primarily serving as an independent cinema. 

Buy

• The Epicurian, 11 Shatzell Ave (corner of Charles St., Rhinecliff), theepicureanrhinecliff@gmail.com. This store sells some quality products, at varying values (some are overly expensive, others not), but what may be most important to you is that this is a place you can go if you have time before your Amtrak train departs from Rhinecliff Station and you want tea or coffee and maybe a snack. Iced tea was $3 in July 2024, and the counterwoman graciously brewed some hot tea and then poured it over ice. (updated Jul 2024)

Eat

The Beekman Arms Inn, where George Washington stayed, is the oldest continuously-operated inn in New York State if not the United States as a whole

The eateries in Rhinebeck are mainly along a 2-block strip on East Market Street east of Route 9, plus several on Route 9 and a few others in strip malls and so on, slightly removed from these two streets. You will see just about all of these in the course of a walk in the built-up area of downtown.

• Aba's Falafel, 54 East Market St (between Center St and Mill St), ☏ +1 845-876-2324. Daily 11AM-3:30PM. Delicious falafel, sabich and hummus made with fresh ingredients, including organic chickpeas. They have a few outdoor tables and a bit more space inside. Takeout is also available. Sandwiches: $10.75-12.75; platters: $17-18. (updated Jul 2024)
• Bread Alone, 45 E Market St (between Center St and Mill St). Daily 7AM-5PM. In spite of their name, this informal cafe also sells some tasty sweet and savory pastries, sandwiches, a couple of egg dishes and salads and breakfast burritos and do a brisk business selling coffee and tea. The peach tea has a very nice flavor and is not sweetened. Many people hang out and use their Wi-Fi. This is part of a small chain, as they also have a cafe in Woodstock and a cafe and bakery in Boiceville, and their breads are also for sale in various grocery stores and markets. (updated Jul 2024)
• Gigi Trattoria, 6422 Montgomery St., ☏ +1 845-876-1007, info@gigihudsonvalley.com. Tu-Th noon-9PM, F Sa 11:30AM-10PM, Su 11AM-8:30PM. You can have an expensive meal at this restaurant, but you don't have to. The "skizza"s are great: The crust is crunchy through-and-through without being cracker-like, and they use fresh, high-quality ingredients. Two people with normal appetites can easily split a soup or salad (they offer "half bowls" of soup that are a full bowl to almost anyone else) and two pizzas and be full and satisfied. Good service, too. Gluten-free pizza is also available. Lunch: Antipasti: $9-15, salads: $8-12; "Skizza" (flatbread pizza, 10-inch): $13-15, panini/soups: $6-14, pasta: $11-16, contorni (sides): $8-15, burger: $14. Secondi ("main courses") are mostly not listed on their online lunch menu but cluster in the $20s for lunch. The dinner menu is similar, but without panini and with more secondi. It is more expensive, with secondi in the high $20s, $30s and beyond. 
• Smoky Rock Barbeque, 6367 Mill Street (Route 9) (across the street from the Rhinebeck Reformed Church near South St), ☏ +1 845-876-5232. M Tu F Sa 11AM-9PM, Su noon-9PM, closed W Th. The pitmaster believes that he has created a new style of barbecue, New York barbecue. He may be right as, for example, the tender, deliciously spice-rubbed smoked Angus brisket owes a lot to traditional Jewish delicatessen food. For sides, if you like spicy food, consider getting some chipotle coleslaw, which is quite robustly spiced and unique. They also have some excellent local IPAs and hard ciders. They have plenty of space indoors and a fairly sizable patio. Meats: $19-42 à la carte and $6 more as a meal with 2 sides; sides a la carte are $8 for 8 oz and $12 for 16 oz. (updated Jul 2024)

Drink

View across the Hudson from near Rhinecliff, with some of the Catskills visible in the background

Sleep

Splurge

• 1 Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn, 6387 Mill St, ☏ +1 845-876-7077. Beekman Arms may be America's oldest continually operating inn, established in 1766. The Delamater Inn, designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, is in the American Carpenter Gothic style. (updated Aug 2017)
• 2 Olde Rhinebeck Inn, 340 Wurtemburg Rd, ☏ +1 845-871-1745. $195-275. (updated Aug 2017)

Go next

• Kingston, on the other side of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, has a much larger and in some cases considerably different selection of historic buildings than Rhinebeck.
• In addition to visiting other places in the Hudson Valley, consider going to the Catskills for some good hiking.

Routes through Rhinebeck

Albany (Rensselaer) ← Hudson ←	N  S	→ Poughkeepsie → New York City
Buffalo (Depew) ← Albany (Rensselaer) ←	N  S	→ Poughkeepsie → New York City
Albany ← Red Hook ←	N  S	→ Hyde Park → New York City