New England - Cheapest way to Providence, Hartford, and Montpelier from Boston?

These are just a random list of places that I have in mind. My trip to Chicago didn't pan out and now I'll be heading to Boston (will also have to attend a funeral as well). I've been to Boston and the surrounding areas at least 11 times in my life. I heard that Boston is a good base to go to cities like Providence, Hartford, New Haven, Manchester, and etc. I know there are loads of places to go and I won't have time to go to them all.

I'm familiar with the Chinatown buses and I've taken them numerous times to New York City. Are there something of an equivalent that goes to the cities that I've mentioned?

Also, what is the cheapest way to get to Montpelier, VT? I know I can drive there, but I won't have a car.

Thanks guys!

These are just a random list of places that I have in mind. My trip to Chicago didn't pan out and now I'll be heading to Boston (will also have to attend a funeral as well). I've been to Boston and the surrounding areas at least 11 times in my life. I heard that Boston is a good base to go to cities like Providence, Hartford, New Haven, Manchester, and etc. I know there are loads of places to go and I won't have time to go to them all.

I'm familiar with the Chinatown buses and I've taken them numerous times to New York City. Are there something of an equivalent that goes to the cities that I've mentioned?

Also, what is the cheapest way to get to Montpelier, VT? I know I can drive there, but I won't have a car.

Thanks guys!

First question: Why do you want to go to any of those places? Hartford is a dead city. Providence is dirty and disgusting. New Haven has nothing to offer other than Yale. Manchester (I assume you mean NH) is just plain average.

If you want to hit all of those cities, I'd recommend you RENT a car. The amount of time and money you'll spend on a bus will just not be worth it.

If you just wanted to do one or two places, there are buses from South Station in Boston that go to all of those places. Not sure the standard one-way fare, but it should be about $25-30.

Assuming you have good reason to go to them, Peter Pan goes from Boston to all of those places except Montpelier (I think Greyhound might be your only reasonable option there), but I agree that none of them is really easy to get around or what I'd call exciting. Peter Pan is not exactly a Chinatown bus, but it's clean and decent, and fairly cheap.

Megabus goes to Hartford, seats can be as low as $5 if you get them early enough. Not sure if they offer the dollar fares on that route or not.

Same thing for New Haven

The Boston Express Bus goes to Manchester for $25 round trip

The commuter train goes from Boston to Providence, believe it's $7.75 currently, going up to $10 on July 1 (pay an extra $3 if you buy on board after July 1)

Train Info - http://www.mbta.com/
Megabus - http://us.megabus.com/
Boston Express Bus - http://www.bostonexpressbus.com/

Go to Portsmouth or Portland rather than Hartford or Providence. Smaller cities, but vibrant...

First question: Why do you want to go to any of those places? Hartford is a dead city. Providence is dirty and disgusting. New Haven has nothing to offer other than Yale. Manchester (I assume you mean NH) is just plain average.

If you want to hit all of those cities, I'd recommend you RENT a car. The amount of time and money you'll spend on a bus will just not be worth it.

If you just wanted to do one or two places, there are buses from South Station in Boston that go to all of those places. Not sure the standard one-way fare, but it should be about $25-30.

I got the idea from reading a travel guide a while ago. Where would you go instead? Yea, I would love to pay Yale a visit. Is it not worth going? Where in CT and RI would you consider going and it's accessible by bus or train?

Assuming you have good reason to go to them, Peter Pan goes from Boston to all of those places except Montpelier (I think Greyhound might be your only reasonable option there), but I agree that none of them is really easy to get around or what I'd call exciting. Peter Pan is not exactly a Chinatown bus, but it's clean and decent, and fairly cheap.

Oh? Where in Vermont would you go to that is easily accessible by bus or train?

Go to Portsmouth or Portland rather than Hartford or Providence. Smaller cities, but vibrant...

Ok! I will do some research of those two places!

Yale is certainly worth visiting in spite of New Haven. Personally I find Providence rather nice, with some historic buildings, neighborhoods, restaurants, the Rhode Island School of Design and its museum, and the Brown campus across the river from downtown and up the hill. There's a large new shopping mall, including F&B outlets, behind the Westin.

If you're interested in history, you might want to visit places like Salem and Plymouth Rock in addition to Boston. In CT, there's Sturbridge Village and Mystic, but watch out for crowds of tourists.

Toward Maine, Kennebunkport is well known but packed on summer weekends; Bethel is a pretty and classic New England town with a very nice but expensive inn. In NH, the area around "On Golden Pond" is pretty and it's nice to drive up into the mountains and see Bretton Woods (name?), which is now a combination hotel and free museum. However, all of this requires a car.

Portland Maine is a very nice city and worth the trip. You can also get to Cape Ann (Gloucester, Manchester-by-the Sea, Rockport), Ipswich, Salem, Concord (Mass), and Newburyport via commuter rail from Boston. If you do any of these, pay close attention to the train schedule, as it is limited.

I'm from CT, and while I like parts of the state very much, there isn't any place there I'd bother going to from Boston without a car.

Another vote for Portland, Maine here. Amtrak's Downeaster goes between Boston's North Station (TD Garden) and the Portland Transportation Center several times per day.

Also, there is service on the Concord and Peter Pan bus lines.

You can find tickets in the $20 range.

While in Portland, consider taking the Casco Bay Ferry http://www.cascobaylines.com/route_map.htm, a very scenic ride.

First question: Why do you want to go to any of those places? Hartford is a dead city. Providence is dirty and disgusting. New Haven has nothing to offer other than Yale. Manchester (I assume you mean NH) is just plain average.



Another question: Why take travel advice from someone who holds nothing but contempt for these places?

If you're interested in history, you might want to visit places like Salem and Plymouth Rock in addition to Boston. In CT, there's Sturbridge Village

Sturbridge Village is just across the border in Sturbridge, Massachusetts

First question: Why do you want to go to any of those places? Hartford is a dead city. Providence is dirty and disgusting. New Haven has nothing to offer other than Yale. Manchester (I assume you mean NH) is just plain average.

If you want to hit all of those cities, I'd recommend you RENT a car. The amount of time and money you'll spend on a bus will just not be worth it.

If you just wanted to do one or two places, there are buses from South Station in Boston that go to all of those places. Not sure the standard one-way fare, but it should be about $25-30.

:rolleyes: OP this is why they used to say that if an atom bomb hit NYC the headline in the Boston newspaper would be "Hub man dies in blast" (with "the Hub" being Boston's self-bestowed nickname, because they view themselves as the Hub of the Universe).

Have you even been to Providence in the last 30 years? It's a great city.

Second the recc for commuter rail as the cheapest way to get there.

Yale is certainly worth visiting in spite of New Haven. Personally I find Providence rather nice, with some historic buildings, neighborhoods, restaurants, the Rhode Island School of Design and its museum, and the Brown campus across the river from downtown and up the hill. There's a large new shopping mall, including F&B outlets, behind the Westin.

If you're interested in history, you might want to visit places like Salem and Plymouth Rock in addition to Boston. In CT, there's Sturbridge Village and Mystic, but watch out for crowds of tourists.

Toward Maine, Kennebunkport is well known but packed on summer weekends; Bethel is a pretty and classic New England town with a very nice but expensive inn. In NH, the area around "On Golden Pond" is pretty and it's nice to drive up into the mountains and see Bretton Woods (name?), which is now a combination hotel and free museum. However, all of this requires a car.

Unfortunately I don't have the money to rent a car! My budget is pretty tight. I would love to rent a car and then go to those places!

Another question: Why take travel advice from someone who holds nothing but contempt for these places?

:rolleyes: OP this is why they used to say that if an atom bomb hit NYC the headline in the Boston newspaper would be "Hub man dies in blast" (with "the Hub" being Boston's self-bestowed nickname, because they view themselves as the Hub of the Universe).

Have you even been to Providence in the last 30 years? It's a great city.

Second the recc for commuter rail as the cheapest way to get there.

Thanks a lot for the information. I'm thinking of spending at most 1 full day in Providence, but I think I need to do more research.

Oh? Where in Vermont would you go to that is easily accessible by bus or train?

Honestly, to me the best places in Vermont are not reachable by bus or train, they are "off the beaten path". Burlington is a nice city, but I find much more value in some of the smaller places like those along US Route 4, or some of the small towns way up near the Canadian Border. YMMV

Unfortunately I don't have the money to rent a car! My budget is pretty tight. I would love to rent a car and then go to those places!

If you are considering taking a train to Portland and then a taxi downtown, that will be nearly the same cost as renting a car for one day (unless perhaps you are under 25 years old). I just did a random day one rental and show Budget and Avis at around $50 a day including taxes.

You could rent a car at 9 am in Boston, head north to Rockport, Gloucester, Newburyport, through Hampton and Rye to Portsmouth for lunch (or get a lobster across the bridge in Maine), and wind your way through Maine along the coast to Portland and stay there for the night, then get up early the next morning and drive directly back to Boston to drop your car off at 9 am. Seems to me you will be waiting for busses and trains and taxis limiting what you could do.

If you are considering taking a train to Portland and then a taxi downtown, that will be nearly the same cost as renting a car for one day (unless perhaps you are under 25 years old). I just did a random day one rental and show Budget and Avis at around $50 a day including taxes.

You could rent a car at 9 am in Boston, head north to Rockport, Gloucester, Newburyport, through Hampton and Rye to Portsmouth for lunch (or get a lobster across the bridge in Maine), and wind your way through Maine along the coast to Portland and stay there for the night, then get up early the next morning and drive directly back to Boston to drop your car off at 9 am. Seems to me you will be waiting for busses and trains and taxis limiting what you could do.

Do I have to take the taxi downtown? Are there no buses near Portland's train station?

According to Concord Coach Line's website, it's US$32 for a same day return fare from Boston to Portland.

Is it worth going to Hanover, New Hampshire for a day trip to see Dartmouth College? From what I gather it's a nice little town to see. Dartmouth coach have a same day return fare of US$45 and US$50 for just a return fare. Montpelier, VT is suppose to be very close to Hanover, NH. I wonder how I would get to Montpelier, VT if I were in Hanover?

You might be surprised at how cheap you can get a rental car. I just got one for a friend who is in for 5 nights and it was only $117 all in.

I would never consider not having a car for this.

Do I have to take the taxi downtown? Are there no buses near Portland's train station?

You COULD certainly take a bus if the bus schedule aligns well with the time you arrive at the train station (whether by Amtrak or Concord Coach). You would take the #5 bus Inbound to Metro Pulse, and either walk from there or connect to a different bus to get to your destination.

Go to Portsmouth or Portland rather than Hartford or Providence. Smaller cities, but vibrant...

Where can I get the bus schedules for both Portsmouth, NH and Portland, ME? I need the schedule so that I can plan the trip as effectively as possible. As mentioned, I don't have a car and I'll bus to both places except maybe Portland and I guess I'll just train it.

You COULD certainly take a bus if the bus schedule aligns well with the time you arrive at the train station (whether by Amtrak or Concord Coach). You would take the #5 bus Inbound to Metro Pulse, and either walk from there or connect to a different bus to get to your destination.

Where do I get the schedule for that?

Where do I get the schedule for that?

Let Me Google That For You (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Portland+Maine+bus) ;)

And HERE (http://www.coastbus.org/)'s the one for Portsmouth.

Let Me Google That For You (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Portland+Maine+bus) ;)

And HERE (http://www.coastbus.org/)'s the one for Portsmouth.

Thanks for the posting the link for Portsmouth. I'm still a little confused with the schedule information so please bear with me. I know C&J goes from Boston to Portsmouth, but I want to time my arrival so that I can take the bus into town.

Do I take the route 7 bus going westbound? If so, where do I get off for Portsmouth?

http://www.coastbus.org/index.php?version=default&page=route7

I also realized that the bus may go to the Fox Run Mall. Since NH doesn't have a sales tax, I might want to do some shopping as well. Is Fox Run Mall easily accessible from Portsmouth without a car? Are there any other buses that goes to Newington from Portsmouth? Is there a Best Buy at Newington?

Is C&J the cheapest option to go from Boston to Portsmouth?

Is it worth going to Hanover, New Hampshire for a day trip to see Dartmouth College? From what I gather it's a nice little town to see. Dartmouth coach have a same day return fare of US$45 and US$50 for just a return fare. Montpelier, VT is suppose to be very close to Hanover, NH. I wonder how I would get to Montpelier, VT if I were in Hanover?

Any comments guys?

Thanks for the posting the link for Portsmouth. I'm still a little confused with the schedule information so please bear with me. I know C&J goes from Boston to Portsmouth, but I want to time my arrival so that I can take the bus into town.


From Boston, you can take the C&J Trailways bus to the Portsmouth Transportation Center. The Transportation Center is located about five miles from downtown Portsmouth, it's an easy trip on the #40 COAST bus (Portsmouth Trolley). You can get off the trolley at the Market Square stop and you'll be right in downtown. Portsmouth is pretty small, so you'll have no problem walking around downtown and seeing all the sights before heading back to the bus.

As for the Fox Run mall, there's nothing really special about that mall (except that it has a Chipotle; I've made a couple of drives down from PWM before there was a Chipotle in Maine), but if you're interested in tax-free shopping, the #40 bus runs to the mall as well. You can easily hit up downtown and the mall in a day trip from Boston.

http://www.coastbus.org/trolley.html

The #7 bus will bring you to Newmarket and Exeter. I've spent a bit of time in both towns; they're nice, but not really vacation destinations, more suburbs. Stick to Portsmouth.


If you're still interested in Portland, I'd strongly suggest taking the Downeaster. The bus can be a few dollars cheaper, but the train is a totally different experience; more scenic, comfortable, food available for purchase. Between the bus and the Downeaster, you'll have no problems finding a schedule that works for a Portland day trip.

Once in Portland, you can either take a quick cab ride across to Commercial Street and the Old Port, or you can wait a few minutes for a bus. The #5 Metro bus runs every 20 minutes or so from the Portland Transportation Center (where both the bus and train from Boston drop off) to downtown. Once you're in downtown, it's an easy walk to the Old Port, the Casco Bay ferries, the Narrow Gauge RR, whatever you're in the mood for. Bus, train, and bus schedules here, here, and here:

http://www.concordcoachlines.com/
http://www.amtrakdowneaster.com/
http://www.gpmetrobus.com/index.php

No one here has been over to Hanover in New Hampshire?

From Boston, you can take the C&J Trailways bus to the Portsmouth Transportation Center. The Transportation Center is located about five miles from downtown Portsmouth, it's an easy trip on the #40 COAST bus (Portsmouth Trolley). You can get off the trolley at the Market Square stop and you'll be right in downtown. Portsmouth is pretty small, so you'll have no problem walking around downtown and seeing all the sights before heading back to the bus.

As for the Fox Run mall, there's nothing really special about that mall (except that it has a Chipotle; I've made a couple of drives down from PWM before there was a Chipotle in Maine), but if you're interested in tax-free shopping, the #40 bus runs to the mall as well. You can easily hit up downtown and the mall in a day trip from Boston.

http://www.coastbus.org/trolley.html

The #7 bus will bring you to Newmarket and Exeter. I've spent a bit of time in both towns; they're nice, but not really vacation destinations, more suburbs. Stick to Portsmouth.


If you're still interested in Portland, I'd strongly suggest taking the Downeaster. The bus can be a few dollars cheaper, but the train is a totally different experience; more scenic, comfortable, food available for purchase. Between the bus and the Downeaster, you'll have no problems finding a schedule that works for a Portland day trip.

Once in Portland, you can either take a quick cab ride across to Commercial Street and the Old Port, or you can wait a few minutes for a bus. The #5 Metro bus runs every 20 minutes or so from the Portland Transportation Center (where both the bus and train from Boston drop off) to downtown. Once you're in downtown, it's an easy walk to the Old Port, the Casco Bay ferries, the Narrow Gauge RR, whatever you're in the mood for. Bus, train, and bus schedules here, here, and here:

http://www.concordcoachlines.com/
http://www.amtrakdowneaster.com/
http://www.gpmetrobus.com/index.php

Thanks for the tip! I went to Portland, ME today and I had a great time!

Thanks for the tip! I went to Portland, ME today and I had a great time!Good for you! :)

No one here has been over to Hanover in New Hampshire?

Hanover is a nice college town, but I am not sure that I would make it a day trip from Boston.

You might want to consider Newport, RI or Mystic, Connecticut.

Hanover is a nice college town, but I am not sure that I would make it a day trip from Boston.

You might want to consider Newport, RI or Mystic, Connecticut.

I've been to Newport, RI already. Is there nothing else to see besides Darthmouth College?

Is Mystic worth going to?

I've been to Newport, RI already. Is there nothing else to see besides Darthmouth College?

Is Mystic worth going to?

Mystic has the Aquarium and the Pizza place and an old-timey village.

Newport has Cliff Walk and the Mansions and great shopping and Ocean Avenue is spectacular.

Hanover has Dartmouth and I had a decent pizza in that town once.

From Boston, you can take the C&J Trailways bus to the Portsmouth Transportation Center. The Transportation Center is located about five miles from downtown Portsmouth, it's an easy trip on the #40 COAST bus (Portsmouth Trolley). You can get off the trolley at the Market Square stop and you'll be right in downtown. Portsmouth is pretty small, so you'll have no problem walking around downtown and seeing all the sights before heading back to the bus.

As for the Fox Run mall, there's nothing really special about that mall (except that it has a Chipotle; I've made a couple of drives down from PWM before there was a Chipotle in Maine), but if you're interested in tax-free shopping, the #40 bus runs to the mall as well. You can easily hit up downtown and the mall in a day trip from Boston.

http://www.coastbus.org/trolley.html

The #7 bus will bring you to Newmarket and Exeter. I've spent a bit of time in both towns; they're nice, but not really vacation destinations, more suburbs. Stick to Portsmouth.


If you're still interested in Portland, I'd strongly suggest taking the Downeaster. The bus can be a few dollars cheaper, but the train is a totally different experience; more scenic, comfortable, food available for purchase. Between the bus and the Downeaster, you'll have no problems finding a schedule that works for a Portland day trip.

Once in Portland, you can either take a quick cab ride across to Commercial Street and the Old Port, or you can wait a few minutes for a bus. The #5 Metro bus runs every 20 minutes or so from the Portland Transportation Center (where both the bus and train from Boston drop off) to downtown. Once you're in downtown, it's an easy walk to the Old Port, the Casco Bay ferries, the Narrow Gauge RR, whatever you're in the mood for. Bus, train, and bus schedules here, here, and here:

http://www.concordcoachlines.com/
http://www.amtrakdowneaster.com/
http://www.gpmetrobus.com/index.php

I'm planning to go to Portsmouth, NH tomorrow morning. Is C&J the only company going to Portsmouth from Boston? So $24 is the cheapest same day round trip fare out there then?

I believe C&J is your only option, unless you want to try Greyhound (limited schedules) or take the Downeaster to Exeter and take a local bus. I doubt any of those will be cheaper than the $24 on C&J.

I just want to update this thread. Since the creation of this thread, I've been to Providence, Newport, Salem (MA), Rockport (MA), Providence, Newport (RI), Portsmouth, Portland, New Haven, Concord, Lexington, Plymouth (MA), and Hyannis. All were very lovely and yes, it was a pain to get into some of the cities from the transportation center with public buses. Nonetheless it was doable.

I have a few days left in the Boston area. I know Megabus goes to Burlington, VT. I'm thinking of going there. Any other places that's worth visiting?

I didn't see everything that I wanted in Newport because I went on a Sunday and the bus + train schedules was really bad. I only did the Cliff Walk. I'm thinking of whether to go back one more time.

Is it possible to combine Lowell and Newburyport in a day trip? I notice that both towns can be accessed from North Station. I want to go this Sunday and it doesn't seem that these two places are that big so if it's possible to combine both in a day trip then that would be great. I intend to take the first train at 8 AM.

Providence twice and you did not stop to say hello? :)

Is it possible to combine Lowell and Newburyport in a day trip? I notice that both towns can be accessed from North Station. I want to go this Sunday and it doesn't seem that these two places are that big so if it's possible to combine both in a day trip then that would be great. I intend to take the first train at 8 AM.

Sunday schedules on the Commuter Rail are bareboned, and Lowell and Newburyport are not on the same line.

Newburyport's downtown is very cute and it's on the water, which is nice. Lowell has an historic downtown, but also lots of areas which are very un-touristy. I doubt you can do both of them in a day, especially a Sunday, and would recommend Newburyport over Lowell.

Unless you love old mills, in which case it's Lowell for certain.