Home/Day Trips

🗺️ Day Trips

Boston is the launching pad for the best day trips in the Northeast — Salem witch trials 30 min north, Cape Cod beaches 90 min south, Newport's Gilded Age mansions a scenic drive away, and Providence's Federal Hill Italian a quick MBTA train.

Salem Cape Cod Newport, RI Plymouth

Beyond Boston

Get Out of Beantown

Between matches, New England delivers some of America's most concentrated day-trip options — colonial witch trials, Cape Cod beaches, Gilded Age mansions, the Mayflower's landing site, and an hour-away Italian neighborhood that rivals Boston's North End. Most reachable by MBTA commuter rail, Amtrak, or a short drive — no rental car required for most.

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Salem, MA
30 min by commuter rail Half-day Witch Trials · Maritime History
Salem is the most-visited day-trip-from-Boston destination — a 30-min ride on the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line from North Station. The 1692 witch trials still anchor the city's identity (the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch House, the Witch Trials Memorial), but it's also a deep maritime-history town with the House of the Seven Gables, the Peabody Essex Museum, and a walkable harbor. Lots of kitsch around the witch theme — embrace or avoid as you wish.
Highlights
  • Salem Witch Museum and the Witch Trials Memorial
  • House of the Seven Gables — Hawthorne's setting
  • Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) — world-class collection
  • Salem Maritime National Historic Site at Derby Wharf
  • Hocus Pocus filming locations (Pioneer Village, Old Town Hall)
Getting There
Commuter RailNewburyport/Rockport line from North Station — 30 min, ~$15 round trip. Salem station is a 5-min walk to the historic core.
Drive17 mi via US-1 N — 30 min off-peak, longer on summer weekends.
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Cape Cod (Hyannis & Provincetown)
90 min – 2.5 hrs Full day or overnight Beaches · Lobster · Ferries
Cape Cod is the iconic New England beach destination — 65 miles of curving Atlantic shoreline, lobster shacks, lighthouses, and ferry routes to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Hyannis is the gateway (90 min by car), Provincetown is the LGBTQ+ artist colony at the tip (2.5 hrs by car or 90 min by fast ferry from Boston Harbor in summer). The CapeFLYER train runs weekends only from South Station to Hyannis. Best as overnight, doable as long full-day.
Highlights
  • Provincetown — beaches, art, drag shows, ferry from Boston
  • Hyannis — JFK Hyannis Museum, ferries to Nantucket
  • Cape Cod National Seashore — 40 mi of protected beach
  • Lobster shacks — Arnold's, Sesuit Harbor Cafe, The Lobster Pot (P-town)
  • Nantucket / Martha's Vineyard — ferry from Hyannis or Woods Hole
Getting There
DriveHyannis 70 mi, 90 min · Provincetown 115 mi, 2.5 hrs. Sagamore Bridge backs up Friday afternoons in summer.
FerryBoston Harbor → Provincetown fast ferry (90 min, ~$65 each way) runs late May through October from Long Wharf.
CapeFLYERWeekend train South Station → Hyannis (~2.5 hrs, $40 round trip). Seasonal — check schedule.
BusPlymouth & Brockton from South Station — multiple daily, $40 round trip to Hyannis or P-town.
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Newport, RI Overnight Rec.
90 min drive Full day or weekend Gilded Age Mansions · Cliff Walk
Newport is the Gilded Age sailing capital of the East Coast — the Vanderbilts' Breakers and Marble House mansions are open for tours, the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk traces the coast behind the estates, and Newport Harbor is filled with classic yachts. The International Tennis Hall of Fame is here. Doable as a long day from Boston but more comfortable as an overnight — combine with Mystic, CT for a full New England weekend.
Highlights
  • The Breakers — 70-room Vanderbilt mansion (1893), audio tours
  • Marble House — another Vanderbilt palace, ocean view
  • Cliff Walk — 3.5 mi public path between mansions and Atlantic
  • Newport Harbor — sailing tours, seafood at Bowen's Wharf
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino
Getting There
Drive75 mi via I-95 S — 90 min from Boston off-peak.
Amtrak + BusAmtrak to Kingston RI (~75 min from Back Bay), then RIPTA bus #14 to Newport (~45 min).
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Plymouth, MA
1 hr drive Half-day Pilgrim History · Mayflower II
Plymouth is where the Pilgrims landed in 1620 — a small coastal town an hour south of Boston that punches above its weight in early-American history. Plymouth Rock sits in a portico on the harbor, the Mayflower II (a full-scale replica of the original ship) is moored next to it, and Pilgrim Hall Museum (the oldest continuously operating museum in America) tells the story. A solid half-day; combine with a beach stop at Duxbury or White Horse Beach.
Highlights
  • Plymouth Rock — small but symbolically essential
  • Mayflower II — full-scale replica, deck tours
  • Pilgrim Hall Museum (since 1824) — original Pilgrim artifacts
  • Plimoth Patuxet Museums — living-history Pilgrim village (5 min south)
  • Duxbury Beach — long stretch of Cape Cod Bay sand
Getting There
Drive40 mi via MA-3 S — 60 min from Boston off-peak.
Commuter RailGreenbush line from South Station — 60–75 min, ~$20 round trip. Then bus or rideshare 10 min to the harbor.
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Providence, RI
38 min by Amtrak Half-day or full day Federal Hill Italian · RISD Museum
Providence is closer than Cape Cod, cheaper than Newport, and one of the most underrated New England food cities — Federal Hill (the Italian neighborhood) rivals Boston's North End. The RISD Museum is one of the country's best small art museums. Brown University's College Hill has walkable cobblestone streets. WaterFire (illuminated braziers floating in the river) runs select summer evenings. Easy half-day from Boston.
Highlights
  • Federal Hill — Italian district, restaurants, La Pigna gateway arch
  • RISD Museum — small but world-class collection
  • WaterFire — floating fire installations on summer Saturdays
  • Brown University & College Hill — walkable historic campus
  • Roger Williams Park & Zoo — family-friendly
Getting There
MBTA Commuter RailProvidence/Stoughton line from South Station — 60 min, ~$25 round trip.
AmtrakAcela / Northeast Regional from Back Bay — 38 min on Acela, $30–$80.
Drive50 mi via I-95 S — 60 min from Boston off-peak.
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Portsmouth, NH & the Seacoast
1 hr drive Full day Colonial Coastline
Portsmouth is a pretty colonial port city on the New Hampshire coast — colonial architecture, the Strawbery Banke Museum (10 acres of restored homes), an active waterfront, and a deep waterfront dining scene. New Hampshire has no sales tax — shopping is duty-free. Combine with a beach stop at Hampton Beach or the Isles of Shoals harbor cruise.
Highlights
  • Strawbery Banke Museum — 10 acres of restored colonial homes
  • Portsmouth Harbor and the Memorial Bridge
  • Hampton Beach — sand-and-boardwalk classic NH beach
  • No sales tax = duty-free shopping
Getting There
Drive60 mi via I-93 N + I-95 N — 60 min from Boston off-peak.
BusC&J Bus from Logan or South Station — 90 min, $40 round trip.

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