Historic Inns & Hotels in Newport, RI

The neighborhoods

Where to stay, by area

Waterfront, Thames Street & Washington Square

The colonial seaport is today’s downtown and a National Historic Landmark district, with nearly 300 surviving 17th- and 18th-century buildings. Washington Square, the old Parade, runs from the Colony House to the Brick Market, and Thames Street follows the harbor wharves. Four of the inns are here: the Jailhouse Inn in the colonial jail on Marlborough Street, the Francis Malbone House on Thames Street, the Almondy Inn steps from Bannister’s and Bowen’s Wharfs, and The Vanderbilt on Mary Street. The Point, the largely residential colonial quarter north of the harbor, has no verified inn.

Historic Hill & Kay Street

The Hill rises from the harbor to Bellevue Avenue, and beyond it the Kay Street–Catherine Street–Old Beach Road district is a hilltop of summer houses built between 1830 and 1910. The Hotel Viking and the five-room Hilltop Inn stand at the head of Bellevue Avenue; from the Viking, Thames Street and Bowen’s Wharf are 5–6 minutes on foot and the mansions 20–30. The Redwood Library, Touro Synagogue and the Jewish Cemetery are close by on Touro Street and northern Bellevue Avenue.

Bellevue Avenue & the Cliff Walk

About two miles of Bellevue Avenue are lined with the Gilded Age ‘cottages’, among them The Breakers, Marble House, Rosecliff and The Elms, several now Preservation Society house museums, and the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk runs along the shore behind them from Easton’s Beach. The Chanler, in the cottage Cliff Lawn, and the Cliffside Inn sit at the walk’s northern end; The Chanler is about a mile from downtown and a 20-minute stroll from the mansions. RIPTA’s Route 67 runs along the avenue.

Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive, completed in 1867, loops around Newport Neck through another National Historic Landmark district of estates and shoreline, a drive or bike ride from downtown. Its one verified inn, Castle Hill Inn, Alexander Agassiz’s 1874–75 house, is off our list for now: a fire on February 5, 2026 damaged the mansion, and while the beach houses, cottages, Harbor House and the mansion’s main level had reopened by Memorial Day weekend, most mansion guest rooms were still under repair as of late May 2026.

Before you book

Planning your stay

Getting around

Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Warwick is 30 miles northwest of Newport, and the nearest Amtrak stations are Kingston, with van or car service by reservation, and Providence. Seastreak’s ferry from India Point in Providence ran four round trips a day from June 12 to October 12, 2026; its 2027 season hasn’t been announced. Downtown and the wharves are walkable, RIPTA’s Route 67 runs along Bellevue Avenue to the mansions and the Cliff Walk (free from May 22 to October 31 in 2026), and the Cliff Walk starts on Memorial Boulevard by Easton’s Beach.

Parking

Paid parking runs May 1 to October 31 and is free from November through April. In the 2026 season the City’s Gateway Center lot on America’s Cup Avenue was $5 an hour to $40 a day, the Mary Street lot $3 an hour or $20 a day, and downtown meters $1.50–$2 an hour with a 3-hour limit; from May 1 to December 1 some residential streets are for permit holders only. Five inns include parking: the Jailhouse Inn, Francis Malbone House, Almondy Inn and Cliffside Inn, and valet or self-parking at The Chanler. The Vanderbilt is valet-only at an unpublished rate.

When to go

Summer is peak, and the City warns of heavy weekend traffic and scarce street parking. The Newport Folk and Jazz festivals fill late July and early August at Fort Adams State Park (July 24–26 and July 31–August 2 in 2026; 2027 dates aren’t published). Holidays at the Newport Mansions runs November 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027 at The Breakers, Marble House and Chateau-sur-Mer, Christmas in Newport fills December, and Newport Restaurant Week (November 6–15, 2026) anchors the shoulder season.

Accessibility

The City says about two-thirds of the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk is in easy walking condition, and the stretch between Narragansett Avenue and Webster Street has been detoured since a 2022 collapse. Placard holders park free at accessible and metered spaces with no time limit. The Hotel Viking has ADA-compliant rooms, The Chanler’s Colonial Room has accessible features and Hilltop Inn’s Bellevue Suite has no stairs; the Francis Malbone House has no elevator, and the Jailhouse Inn, Almondy Inn and The Vanderbilt don’t state their accessibility, so ask.

Before you book

Book festival weekends early and read the minimums: the Almondy Inn requires 2 nights every weekend and 3 on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day and the folk and jazz festival weekends, and takes no children under 13. The Chanler requires guests checking in to be 21 and keeps deposits on cancellations within 14 days, the Jailhouse Inn takes the first night as a deposit and refunds cancellations up to 7 days out, and The Vanderbilt adds a $50 nightly resort fee.