Origin
Darien, CT
Late night in Darien on Tuesday
Local time
4:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Darien, CT to West Haven, CT
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
47m
Distance
33.3 mi
54 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
5 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 43m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 50m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Darien, CT
Wikimedia Commons
West Haven, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 33.7-mile journey from Darien to West Haven is a quick, straightforward transit across the Connecticut coastline. Expect to spend about 40 minutes behind the wheel, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day trip that requires no overnight stay. You will navigate a mix of Post Road, Old Kings Highway North, and I-95 North to complete the transit. With a fuel cost of just $5, this is an incredibly budget-friendly excursion within the Northeast region. Because the entire route stays within Connecticut, you will find the infrastructure familiar and easy to navigate. It is a highly practical drive if you need to get from point A to point B efficiently without heavy logistical planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 95 | 30.7 mi | 41m |
| Sawmill Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Post Road | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Main Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Old Kings Highway North | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Campbell Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| New Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Wagner Place | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 95
— 30.7 mi, about 41m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Darien, CT and West Haven, CT.
1
Start on this road
192 ft
·
19 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto US 1
0.6 mi
·
56 sec
·
Post Road
3
Turn right onto Old Kings Highway North
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
Old Kings Highway North
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 95 North: New Haven
5
Merge onto I 95
31 mi
·
41 min
·
I 95
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Exit 42
Toward CT 162: Saw Mill Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn right onto CT 162
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Sawmill Road
Use the right lane.
8
Continue on CT 162
445 ft
·
13 sec
·
Wagner Place
Use the straight lane.
9
Turn left onto Main Street
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
Main Street
10
Turn right onto Campbell Avenue
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Campbell Avenue
11
Turn left onto New Street
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
New Street
12
Turn right onto Washington Avenue
68 ft
·
2 sec
·
Washington Avenue
13
Arrive at destination
Washington Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 33 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 16.6 miles from Darien, CT, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 33.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward I 95 North: New Haven
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Toward I 95 North: New Haven
5
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 95
Merge onto I 95
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
31.6 mi into trip
|
~43m in
Take the exit toward CT 162: Saw Mill Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 42
Toward CT 162: Saw Mill Road
5
31.9 mi into trip
|
~44m in
|
CT 162 / Sawmill Road
Turn right onto CT 162 / Sawmill Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
33.2 mi into trip
|
~46m in
|
New Street
Turn left onto New Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.36 one way
$10.72 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $5.90 | $11.80 |
| premium | $4.86 | $6.38 | $12.75 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.35 | $14.70 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10 | 0 | $3.50 | $1.60 |
| Efficient EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.91 | $1.33 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.3 | 0 | $4.66 | $2.13 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
West Haven, CT
Late night in West Haven on Tuesday
Local time
4:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Partly Sunny
NW 10 mph
6% chance
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
5 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
47m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention rather than a monotonous interstate cruise. Since the route features 0% highway share as its primary character, you will spend the majority of your time navigating local surface streets. The path transitions fluidly through various town centers, requiring you to stay alert for frequent turns and changing traffic patterns. Because there is no extended, uninterrupted stretch to settle into, the drive feels active and engaging from start to finish. You will find yourself constantly adjusting to the rhythm of the local roads as you make your way toward your destination.
92% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 30.7 mi on I 95.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 95 and Sawmill Road. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 33.3 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.9 miles (I 95): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Darien, CT
Full guide →Darien is a town in Connecticut.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 47m. Total distance: 33.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (92%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 30.7 miles on I 95. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 9 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.9 miles (I 95): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Weir Farm National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at West Haven, CT before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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