Practical Information for visiting Connecticut

Coverage and broadband are excellent statewide; this is one of the most densely wired states in the country.

Signal drops in the northwest hills and parts of the northeast, but never for long.

Free Wi-Fi is standard in cafés, libraries and hotels.

Connecticut is a safe state by any measure. The former industrial cities have higher crime in specific neighbourhoods, and they are not areas a visitor would have reason to be in.

Ordinary precautions apply: lock the car, and do not leave anything visible at a trailhead or beach car park.

Driving is the real hazard. Interstate 95 has a poor safety record, and the Merritt Parkway's 1930s geometry means short slip roads and tight curves that modern drivers routinely take too fast.

No vaccinations are needed and tap water is safe.

Lyme disease is named after Old Lyme in this state, where it was identified in the 1970s, and Connecticut remains one of the highest-incidence areas in the country. Ticks are active from spring through late autumn, including in suburban gardens. Check thoroughly after any time in grass or woodland.

Poison ivy is widespread. Mosquitoes carry occasional cases of EEE and West Nile in late summer.

Healthcare is excellent and expensive; insurance covering medical costs is essential for non-US visitors.

Tipping is expected: 18-20% in restaurants and bars.

Wine and spirits are sold in package stores, not supermarkets, and Sunday hours are restricted.

Most beaches are town-owned and charge non-residents for parking, sometimes heavily, and the rules are enforced in season. Check before driving to one.

Right turns on red are permitted after stopping unless signed otherwise. The drinking age is 21 and identification is checked as a matter of routine.

911 reaches police, fire and ambulance statewide.

Major hospitals are in the coastal cities and the capital region, with Yale New Haven and Hartford Hospital the largest. Nowhere in the state is far from one.

211 is the statewide information and crisis line.

Coastal storm and flood information comes through the state emergency management agency; shoreline towns issue their own evacuation notices when a hurricane threatens.