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The Garden State and Its Shore

New Jersey is a state on the north-east coast of the United States, known for the Jersey Shore, its boardwalks, and the Garden State's farm stands and orchards. It lies between New York City and Philadelphia, yet it has a very distinct personality: over a hundred miles of Atlantic coastline, quiet pine forests, rolling farmland and a scatter of historic college towns. Locals take pride in everything from summer tomatoes and blueberries to diners that stay open late and a long tradition of seaside holidays.

The shore is the great draw. Asbury Park, associated with Bruce Springsteen and the Stone Pony, has become a lively spot for music, murals and beachfront dining. Further south, Cape May is a Victorian seaside town with painted houses, gardens and a long tradition of birdwatching. Atlantic City, home of America's first boardwalk, opened in 1870, offers entertainment on a grand scale. A tourist board can showcase a different shore mood for every kind of traveller.

Princeton, Pine Barrens and Water Gap

Inland, the state rewards curiosity. Princeton combines a handsome university campus with leafy streets, bookshops and independent restaurants, while Hoboken and Jersey City give striking skyline views across the Hudson to Manhattan. In the south, the Pine Barrens spread across a vast area of quiet forest and cranberry bogs, a very different New Jersey from the coastal towns.

To the north-west, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area offers hiking, paddling and waterfalls in a ridge-lined river gorge, and High Point gives views across three states. Wineries, farm markets and craft breweries add flavour to weekend drives, and the wider region links neatly to Philadelphia across the Delaware River. A hotel group can package a seaside stay with a day trip to Princeton or the mountains.

Seasons, Airports and Rail Links

Summer is the shore season, with beaches and boardwalks at their liveliest from Memorial Day to Labor Day, while September offers warm water and thinner crowds. Spring brings blossom and fresh farm stands, autumn paints the northern ridges in colour, and winter is calm, with cosy inns and snow in the highlands.

Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest gateways on the East Coast, with transatlantic links from the UK, and New Jersey Transit connects directly to New York and across to Philadelphia. Washington DC and Boston are both reached easily by Northeast Corridor trains. With VisitNewJersey.co.uk as a clear address, airlines and booking platforms can present New Jersey as a flexible, easily combined East Coast stop.

Where to Stay: Victorian Inns to Boardwalks

New Jersey's places to stay are as varied as its landscape. Cape May has the country's largest collection of Victorian seaside houses, many of them painted bed and breakfasts with wide porches, a classic choice for couples. Spring Lake offers grand shore hotels and quiet beaches, and Asbury Park has stylish boutique stays near the music clubs and murals. Long Beach Island and Stone Harbor suit families with rental houses beside wide sands, while Wildwood is known for its retro motels and bright boardwalk. Atlantic City adds large resorts with spas and entertainment for groups and weekenders.

Inland, Princeton has inns beside the university and historic Nassau Street, and Lambertville and Frenchtown on the Delaware offer riverside charm and antique shops. Hoboken and Jersey City provide convenient hotels with skyline views, with ferries and trains to Manhattan, and the northern highlands have lodges for hikers and cyclists. Golfers will find excellent courses near the coast and in the Skylands. Visitors who want a beach holiday with a city attached can pair a shore base with a night in Maryland or in Philadelphia, both easy to reach.

Pork Roll, Taffy and the Shore Calendar

New Jersey's food is gloriously down to earth. A pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich on a roll is the breakfast of choice, salt water taffy was born on the Atlantic City boardwalk, and a diner meal of disco fries is a rite of passage. Summer brings sweet Jersey corn and tomatoes, blueberries from Hammonton and cranberries from the Pine Barrens, while Newark's Ironbound district is celebrated for Portuguese and Brazilian cooking. Along the shore, fresh clams, scallops and fried fish are served in simple, sunny places, and farm stands appear on every country road.

Culture runs from rock to Victorian grandeur. Springsteen's story lives on at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank hosts music and comedy, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark fills the calendar. Cape May's Victorian streets, the Newark Museum of Art and the Princeton University Art Museum offer quiet days. April brings cherry blossoms in Newark's Branch Brook Park, summer has beach festivals, autumn migrations of birds and monarch butterflies at Cape May, and December candlelit house tours.

Birdwatching, Lighthouses and Water Gap Trails

Outdoor New Jersey is varied and welcoming. Cape May Point is one of the finest places in North America to watch autumn bird migration, with hawk and songbird counts attracting enthusiasts, while dolphin and whale-watching cruises leave from the southern shore. Barnegat Lighthouse gives views over the bay, kayakers explore the inlets of Barnegat Bay, and Belmar and Manasquan are popular for surf lessons. In the Pine Barrens, canoes drift down the tea-coloured Mullica and Batsto rivers beside the restored village of Batsto, and the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath offers quiet cycling.

Day trips add variety. The Statue of Liberty ferry leaves from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, Princeton makes an elegant half-day, and the Delaware Water Gap, with the Appalachian Trail passing through, rewards walkers. Philadelphia, New York and the Poconos are all within easy reach. For a broader trip, the shore can be linked with the capital in Washington DC. An airline partner could present Newark as the gateway to a shore, city and mountain holiday that can be built around any of these experiences.

Planning your stay

Newark Liberty is one of the main airports serving New York, and trains run from it into Manhattan, so many visitors see New Jersey only from the window. The state has a long Atlantic coast, the Jersey Shore, with boardwalk resorts, and Atlantic City is known for casinos. Cape May is a Victorian seaside town, and Princeton has the university and a handsome historic centre.

New Jersey sits between New York and Philadelphia, so it combines easily with a city break, and Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia are further south on the same rail and road corridor. Boston is the usual northern extension.

When to go

Summer is the season for the Jersey Shore, with warm sea and busy boardwalks, and weekends are crowded and expensive. Spring and autumn are quieter and more comfortable for Princeton, Cape May and walking, and many shore businesses open only seasonally. Winter is cold, with the possibility of snow.

For New Jersey, bear in mind that the Atlantic hurricane season normally runs from June to November, and hurricanes can affect coastal regions.

Entry rules and getting there

If you travelled to or were in Cuba on or after 12 January 2021 you cannot apply for an ESTA, so check your history before you book New Jersey.

Direct flights from London to Newark take roughly eight hours, and the airport has rail connections to the rest of the state and to New York. Your first US airport on the way to New Jersey will have immigration queues, so leave generous time for any connection and check current schedules. Check which airport your ticket uses, because the New York airports are close together.

Driving and getting around

Hire car companies often have stricter requirements, such as a higher minimum age. Traffic around the New York area is heavy, and tolls are common, so check the cost before you set off.

In New Jersey, keep passports out of any hire car, boot included, and avoid leaving items on display, since gangs may target vehicles driven by people who look like tourists. Public transport suits trips into New York and Philadelphia, but the shore and Cape May are easier with a car.

Before you travel

Entry requirements and official travel guidance are updated regularly, so check the latest position with your government before booking. The sources we used are listed at the foot of this page.

Why New Jersey matters to the industry

New Jersey is where many UK visitors first land in the US, which makes clear, practical information valuable. VisitNewJersey.co.uk lets a tourist board, hotel group or airline publish routes, seasons and costs, and our AI platform carries them to searchers.

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