5 Enjoyable Day Trips From Boston You Need to Take

The city offers sightseeing, outdoor activities, ghost tours and culinary thrills, but if you’re a repeat visitor or you have a few extra days to explore (lucky you!), then venture out on a fun day trip from Boston. We promise we’ll have you back to your hotel by bedtime.

Enjoy the journey to the tip of Cape Cod (Provincetown, Massachusetts)

Half the fun of Provincetown is getting there. For this day trip from Boston you’ll head south and watch as the landscape alongside the highway turns to sand dunes during the 115-mile trip. One highlight of the drive is the Sagamore Bridge: It signals you’re entering Cape Cod and thus a vacation state of mind! Provincetown, known locally as P-Town, lies on the tip of the Cape and has been a haven for artists and writers (including Norman Mailer and Tennessee Williams) for generations. When you’re in town, don’t miss bike-accessible Race Point Beach (part of the Cape Cod National Seashore) or the Provincetown Art Association and Museum.

Pro tip: Be sure to taste some of the fresh seafood dishes influenced by cooking from the Azores—Portuguese sailors started arriving in town after the American Revolution, and the community has deep ties with that European country.

Straddle the line between two states (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)

Portsmouth, a New Hampshire burg located on the Piscataqua River, is one of the nation’s oldest cities. Photo Credit: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Head 60 miles north for this day trip from Boston to Portsmouth and enjoy this quaint town’s charming center and cozy streets. Stroll along the waterfront Prescott Park, order up rounds of oysters at Row 34 and walk off lunch by taking in Portsmouth’s storied Colonial, Georgian and Federal architecture. Want to add Maine to the states you’ve visited without going very far? Kittery (with endless opportunities for outlet shopping) is under three miles from Portsmouth, just over the Piscataqua River Bridge.

Be transported as a river runs through it (Providence, Rhode Island)

Rhode Island’s capital of Providence is notable for its vibrant arts community and striking canal that runs through the heart of the city. Photo Credit: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Providence, fondly thought of as Boston’s little sibling, has emerged from the shadow of Beantown with its own vibrant food and cultural scenes. Easily accessible by car or commuter rail, Providence lies just a 50-mile day trip from Boston. Be sure to catch the art at the exemplary Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, munch on delicious fried chicken and biscuits at Bucktown and tour Roger Williams Park to take in New England’s finest flora and fauna. Come dusk, head to downtown Providence to watch more than 80 bonfires light up the city’s canal for WaterFire Providence, a seasonal, community event featuring live performances, music and art installations.

Explore sandy beaches (Rockport, Massachusetts)

Bearskin Neck is one of the most popular areas in the seaside village of Rockport, Massachusetts. Photo Credit: Lee Mac Photo/Shutterstock

Feel the sand between your toes and the Atlantic wind in your hair when you take a day trip from Boston to the seaside town of Rockport, just 40 miles northeast. Take the Newburyport/Rockport line of the MBTA commuter rail to get here and spend your day exploring—from the beaches (where you can see Thacher Island with its twin lighthouses) to the Paper House (yes, everything is made from paper) to Bearskin Neck, which features rustic local shops, unique art galleries and fun ice cream parlors. The town has long had a thriving artists’ colony thanks to the beach, sea and incredible natural light, and you’ll likely see painters with their easels set up throughout Rockport.

Find the best of fall in the White Mountains (Campton, New Hampshire)

It’s tough to match the kaleidoscope of colors to be found during the fall foliage season at the White Mountain National Forest. Photo Credit: Winston Tan/Shutterstock

Enjoy all four seasons at the White Mountain National Forest, which lies in both New Hampshire and Maine. Take a day trip from Boston and drive the scenic Kancamagus Highway (in the fall you’ll be rewarded with vivid foliage colors) to the forest. There, you can use the Mount Washington Cog Railway in Bretton Woods, which dates back to the 1860s, to climb to the top of the mountain, the highest peak in the Northeast. If you’re interested in covering some of the 1,200 miles of forest hiking trails, you also have the chance to step onto the Appalachian Trail as 100 miles of it intersects with the forest.

Ready to travel? Find hotels in Provincetown, Portsmouth, Rockport, Campton.