Planning your visit
Getting to the Finger Lakes, and Why You Need a Car
Guests write asking whether they can manage without renting a car. We always answer the same way, and we would rather say it before the trip than after: no, not really, and it is the one piece of planning that determines everything else.
What is the closest airport?
Rochester and Syracuse are the main regional airports for the Finger Lakes, with Elmira and Ithaca smaller and closer to the southern end. All of them require a drive of an hour or more to reach the lakes, and a car once you are there.
Which one is best depends on where you are staying rather than which is nearest in a straight line. For the southern end of Keuka Lake, the smaller southern airports are closer; for the northern lakes, Rochester and Syracuse.
How far is it from New York City?
A long drive, roughly the length of a working day once you allow for stops. Most visitors from the city either fly into a regional airport and rent a car, or make the drive part of the trip rather than something to be endured at both ends.
From Rochester or Syracuse the drive to the lakes is a matter of an hour or so. From Philadelphia, Boston or Toronto it is a serious day either way.
The practical points
- Rent the car at the airport. There is no useful public transport at the lakes.
- Cell reception drops in valleys and on the western shore roads. Download maps.
- Roads around the lakes are narrow and unlit after dark.
- Fuel stations are in the villages, not on the shore roads. Fill up before the loop.
Is a car necessary?
Not practically. There is no rail or bus network linking the lake villages, and ride-hailing is thin outside the larger towns. Some visitors book a driver for a tasting day, which solves the drinking problem but not the getting-here problem.
If you are tasting, arranging a driver for that day is the sensible move regardless. We say the same in our guide to planning a day around the wineries.
Where are we?
13920 State Route 54, on the east side of Keuka Lake outside Hammondsport, about twenty minutes from both Watkins Glen and Corning. Open daily from ten to six, and no appointment is needed for a standard tasting.
Directions, hours and the practical side are on our visit page.
Twenty minutes from Corning and Watkins Glen, on the east shore of Keuka Lake.
Is a car necessary in the Finger Lakes?
Yes. There is no useful public transport between the lake villages, and ride-hailing is limited outside the larger towns.
Which airport should I fly into?
Rochester and Syracuse are the main regional options, with Elmira and Ithaca smaller and closer to the southern lakes. Choose by where you are staying, not by distance alone.
How long is the drive from Rochester?
About an hour to the northern lakes, longer to the southern ends where Keuka and Seneca begin.
Written by
The Domaine LeSeurre Team
Céline & Sébastien LeSeurre and the team at Domaine LeSeurre — a family winery on Keuka Lake, in Hammondsport, New York. French roots, Finger Lakes soul.
