7 Days in New England: Itinerary

New England is compact enough that a week covers a significant range — colonial Boston, the sandy outstretched arm of Cape Cod, the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, the college city of Providence, and the granite peaks of the White Mountains — without ever driving more than 3 hours in a day. A rental car is necessary outside Boston.

Rental Car Notes

Pick up in Boston (Logan Airport or Back Bay locations — Logan is more convenient). Keep the car for the full 7 days. Distances are short and parking is manageable outside Boston itself. In Boston on Days 1–2, leave the car at your hotel and use the T (subway) — parking in central Boston runs approximately $30–$50/day in garages.

Budget Tiers

Budget: HI Boston Hostel (Stuart Street) ~$45–$65/night dorm. Hyannis Inn Motel (Cape Cod) ~$100–$140/night. Providence Biltmore (historic, mid-range option) ~$160–$220/night.

Mid-range: Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel Boston ~$230–$300/night. The Captain Farris House (South Yarmouth, Cape Cod) ~$180–$260/night. Hotel Viking Newport ~$280–$360/night. Graduate Providence ~$170–$230/night.

Luxury: Mandarin Oriental Boston ~$550–$750/night. Chatham Bars Inn (Cape Cod) ~$500–$800/night. The Vanderbilt Newport (Auberge Resorts) ~$450–$650/night. Omni Mount Washington Resort (White Mountains) ~$300–$500/night.

Days 1–2: Boston

Day 1 — Freedom Trail: The 2.5-mile Freedom Trail (red line painted on sidewalks) links 16 historic sites from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Key stops: Massachusetts State House, Old South Meeting House (approximately $7), Paul Revere House (approximately $7), and the USS Constitution (free, in the Charlestown Navy Yard). Allow 4–5 hours to walk the full route.

Afternoon: Cross to the North End via the Charlestown Bridge for Italian food. Giacomo’s (Salem Street) is a tiny, excellent red-sauce restaurant — arrive before they open at 5pm to avoid the line. Mains approximately $22–$32. Neptune Oyster (Salem Street) has the best oysters in Boston at approximately $3–$5 each.

Day 2 — Museums and Back Bay: The Museum of Fine Arts (approximately $27 as of 2026) has one of the strongest Asian art collections in the world alongside the American and European collections. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (approximately $20) is worth an hour for the building alone — a Venetian courtyard reconstructed in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.

Walk the Back Bay: Newbury Street from Arlington to Massachusetts Avenue, through the Public Garden (Duck Boats run April–November, approximately $32/adult). Dinner in the South End: Myers + Chang (Washington Street) for pan-Asian small plates, approximately $16–$28.

Day 3: Boston to Cape Cod (75 miles to Hyannis, ~1.5 hours)

Drive south on Route 3 across the Sagamore Bridge onto the Cape. Stop at Sandwich — the oldest town on the Cape (1639). The Sandwich Glass Museum (approximately $12) documents the town’s 19th-century glass industry. Heritage Museums & Gardens (approximately $24) has a working antique carousel and an excellent car museum on a 100-acre property.

Continue to Hyannis or further east to Chatham (recommended if you want a quieter base). The drive from the Sagamore Bridge to Chatham is approximately 45 miles.

Afternoon: Nauset Beach in Orleans is one of the finest barrier beaches on the Atlantic coast — free to access (parking approximately $20 in season). Walk north from the main parking lot. Wellfleet, 15 miles north, has excellent oysters at PB Boulangerie and the Wellfleet Oyster Company — approximately $2–$3 per oyster.

Day 4: Cape Cod — Provincetown

Drive to the tip of the Cape. Provincetown (P-Town) is the outermost point, a former Portuguese fishing village that became one of New England’s most distinctive communities — art galleries, excellent seafood, and a lively main street.

Morning: Race Point Beach and the Province Lands — the National Seashore (America the Beautiful Pass accepted, or approximately $25/vehicle) covers much of the outer Cape. The Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center in Eastham has exhibits and trail maps.

Afternoon: Walk Commercial Street in Provincetown for an hour — the art galleries are genuinely good. Lunch at Fanizzi’s by the Sea (Commercial Street) — wood-grilled fish approximately $24–$35.

For whale watching: Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown offers 3–4 hour trips (approximately $55–$65 adults as of 2026) from MacMillan Pier. Humpback and fin whale sightings are reliable April through October.

Evening: drive back toward Hyannis or continue to Newport.

Day 5: Newport, Rhode Island (from Cape Cod ~90 miles, ~1.5 hours)

Cross back over the Sagamore Bridge and take I-195 east into Rhode Island, then Route 24 south to Newport.

The Cliff Walk: A 3.5-mile National Recreation Trail along the backs of the Gilded Age mansions from Memorial Boulevard to Reject’s Beach. Free. The views of the Atlantic and the mansion lawns are the essential Newport experience.

The Mansions: The Breakers (Cornelius Vanderbilt II, 1895) is the most impressive — admission approximately $33 as of 2026. The Preservation Society of Newport County operates 11 properties; a combination ticket for 2 mansions costs approximately $47. Marble House and The Elms are also excellent.

Evening: Dinner at White Horse Tavern (Marlborough Street) — America’s oldest continuously operating tavern (1673). Mains approximately $38–$65. Or go casual at The Lobster Bar on Thames Street — lobster rolls approximately $28–$36.

Sleep in Newport (highly recommended — the town empties out after day-trippers leave and the evening is lovely).

Day 6: Providence to White Mountains (Providence to North Conway ~160 miles, ~2.5 hours)

Morning in Providence: The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum (approximately $15) is underrated — small but strong in decorative arts and textiles. Brown University’s campus on College Hill is a 15-minute walk and worth an hour. Breakfast at Seven Stars Bakery (Broadway) — excellent pastries, approximately $8–$12.

Drive north through Boston (use I-93 north) and continue into New Hampshire on I-93 north. The White Mountains begin around Plymouth, NH. North Conway is a popular base — a strip of outlet shopping that somewhat undercuts the natural setting, but with good access to hiking and the Mount Washington region.

Afternoon: Arrive in North Conway and check in. Walk to Echo Lake State Park (approximately $5/vehicle, swimming beach, views of Cathedral Ledge — a granite cliff popular with rock climbers).

Day 7: White Mountains — Mount Washington and Kancamagus Highway

Morning: Mount Washington Auto Road departs from Pinkham Notch on NH-16, approximately 20 miles north of North Conway. The 7.6-mile toll road to the summit costs approximately $38 for car and driver, approximately $10 per additional passenger as of 2026. The summit (6,288 feet) is frequently cloudy and cold even in summer (average July temperature is 52°F). On clear days, the view extends to Maine, Vermont, Quebec, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Mount Washington Observatory and visitor center are at the top.

Alternatively, take the Mount Washington Cog Railway from Marshfield Base Station on the western side — approximately $99 adults round trip as of 2026. Slower, more atmospheric.

Afternoon: Drive the Kancamagus Highway (NH-112, “the Kank”) from Conway west through the White Mountain National Forest to Lincoln — 34.5 miles with no services and no towns, only national forest. Stop at Sabbaday Falls (short walk from roadside), the Lower Falls swimming hole, and the Russell Colbath House historic site. This road is free (no toll) and is one of the best autumn foliage drives in New England — October peak typically runs the first two weeks of October.

Return to Boston (90 miles south, approximately 1.5 hours without traffic) for departure.

What to Skip

Cape Cod Canal area and Bourne/Sandwich shopping centers: The commercial strip near the bridges is indistinguishable from any American suburb. Go straight to the outer Cape.

Newport’s most expensive restaurants mid-week in September: They are excellent but the same quality is available at lower prices in Providence, 30 miles north.

Mount Washington Cog Railway on a cloudy day: Check the summit webcam at mountwashington.org before committing to either the auto road or the cog railway — a closed summit is not worth the fare.

Booking Tips

The Breakers and other Newport Preservation Society mansions: buy tickets online at newportmansions.org. Summer weekends sell out by mid-morning.
Whale watching in Provincetown: book 2–3 days ahead in peak summer.
Chatham Bars Inn and Omni Mount Washington: book 2–3 months ahead for summer and foliage season.
Foliage timing: White Mountains color typically peaks in late September to mid-October; Cape Cod and Boston peak 2–3 weeks later. Fall is the most popular time in New England — hotels are more expensive and roads more congested than summer.
May–June offers excellent weather, fewer crowds, and better hotel rates at the expense of foliage.