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Best route to drive Boston New York Washington

Best route to drive Boston New York Washington

Old Aug 10, 2017, 8:07 am
  #1  
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Best route to drive Boston New York Washington

I am flying in with my family on the 23th of december into Boston in the evening with the idea to travel from Boston to Nigrafalls, Washington, New York and back to Boston where we fly out the 6th in the evening.

So the idea is to do the following
2 days maximum Boston
2 days Niagrafall trip including travel
5 days New York
2 days travel
3 days Washington

Want to start in Boston. When we are done rent a car and the drive to New York via Washington or vice versa. Perhaps fly from Washington or New York back to Washington.

My kids are 11 & 12

Last year we did California and had massive snow, rain and got stuck on HW1 but we had a blast!

So my question is what are your first reactions to it. Just to see if we are smart in the planning!

(Yes, I know about snow and all... if that is the case we will have to deal with accordingly)
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Old Aug 10, 2017, 1:45 pm
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Unless you have specific day trips in mind from New York and Washington that require a car, I would skip the inevitably awful traffic and the hassle and expense of parking it and just take the train between the three cities. Boston to Washington is about the only functional corridor of long-distance rail in the US; you might as well make use of it. (You'll still want a car for Niagra, of course.)
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Old Aug 10, 2017, 2:04 pm
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Flying into Boston and out of Washington DC is a good and practical idea.

Keep in mind that Niagara Falls is on the opposite corner of New York State from New York City. It's an 8 hour drive non stop with no traffic from Boston, and a 7 hour drive from the falls to New York City non stop, no traffic.
And there's always traffic.

I'm +1 for taking the train between Boston, NYC and Washington DC. Besides traffic, parking is difficult and expensive.
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Old Aug 10, 2017, 2:14 pm
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I actually like Niagara in the winter, when the ground can be covered in snow and the falls get icy. Whether it's worth the long drive, up to you. But if you do go there, I'd do BOS-Niagara-DC-NYC-BOS, shorter that way, and less tome on the often-congested I-95. And as others have said, train for the DC-NYC-BOS portion is an idea worth considering.
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Old Aug 11, 2017, 12:39 am
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I'd do:
Fly into Boston
Fly to BUF
Fly to NYC (or DC)
Train to DC (or NYC) and then Fly out of DC.
You'll be burning too much time driving otherwise and during the winter the area is isn't so scenic I went to University in Buffalo and grew up near NYC so I've done the drive many times. In good weather you can make it speedy. With any snow on the roads you'll be slowed. The best route requires suing some smaller roads but they cut out ~40 minutes.

For flight pricing you may wish you add a day or two (or just do 1 day in Niagara) and fly into Toronto on AC to YYZ or PD to YTZ. I really enjoy Toronto and in the winter, while cold, it's an interesting city with a great combination of cultures.

Avoid parking fees in Washington & NYC as much as possible. The hassle & costs plus the tolls you'll pay in addition will add up quickly.

Also, Philadelphia and Baltimore are great cities between DC & NYC.

Last edited by Yoshi212; Aug 11, 2017 at 12:44 am
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Old Aug 11, 2017, 9:41 am
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I'm going to offer a different opinion.

In the US, a flying trip of < 300 or 400 miles is usually not as quick, simple, or economical as driving or taking ground transport. In late November / early December the chance of weather-related flight disruptions is high. OP has a family of four to transport, so that makes for some costly flying versus driving or training. And he wants to see some of the countryside.

On the other hand it is difficult and expensive to drive into, and park in, New York and Washington DC.

So...

1. Before leaving home, book rental car as a one-way rental, leaving downtown Boston, arriving at Dulles Airport outside Washington four or five days later. (This will make sense when you read below.)

2. Fly into Boston as scheduled. Enjoy the city, but do not pick up rental car until departure day. (You can collect a rental car in-city at rates normally cheaper than airport pickup.)

3. Collect rental car on the day you depart from Boston and drive west. Take two days to drive to Niagara Falls (about 450 miles), stopping over for the night somewhere in the Adirondack mountains.

4. Keep rental car during your Niagara Falls stay, then drive it to Washington DC (about 400 miles), which can be done in one long day. Return the car at Dulles Airport (IAD) outside the city and take the train or Uber into town; this will save you having to navigate a strange city behind the wheel.

5. Do Washington DC and then take Amtrak to New York. Service is faster than flying or close to it, less delay-prone, much less expensive.

6. Do NYC, then either fly home from there, or take the Amtrak to Boston if that's where your return transatlantic trip must commence for cost reasons. (Do not try flying into Boston and landing a few hours before your transatlantic booking leaves... too much potential for delays, missed flights, general upset.)

If feeling adventurous and weather is good, consider bus travel (Greyhound, Megabus, Peter Pan) for at least one leg between Washington, New York, and Boston. Can be very inexpensive when booked in advance online, and it's fun to drive into the big city when you're a passenger.

With this plan there is no backtracking, plenty of scenery, no burden of a car when you don't want one, and the choice of Amtrak or multi bus lines once you reach Washington.

Last edited by BearX220; Aug 11, 2017 at 9:58 am
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Old Aug 11, 2017, 10:26 am
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I disagree with the times. I've done Boston-Buffalo in about 6 hours (+/- 20) without going insanely fast & Buffalo-Hoboken a couple of dozen times in about 5.5 hours.

Originally Posted by AMflier
Flying into Boston and out of Washington DC is a good and practical idea.

Keep in mind that Niagara Falls is on the opposite corner of New York State from New York City. It's an 8 hour drive non stop with no traffic from Boston, and a 7 hour drive from the falls to New York City non stop, no traffic.
And there's always traffic.

I'm +1 for taking the train between Boston, NYC and Washington DC. Besides traffic, parking is difficult and expensive.
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Old Aug 13, 2017, 3:11 am
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Thanks for all the replies! We are dropping Nigara falls and doing a long city trip in 3 cities. We can fly from Boston to New York and from Washington to Boston.

23/12 arrive Boston
24/12 Boston
25/12 fly to New York
26-31/12 New York
1/1 jan drive to Washington
2-5/1 stay in Washington
5/1 fly back to Boston in the afternoon
6/1 Shopping in Boston and flying out

We do not really need a car in Boston or New York. Do you need one in Washington?

Thanks for the replies!
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Old Aug 13, 2017, 4:37 am
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If you are actually planning to stay in Washington DC and don't have day trips planned outside of the city, a car will be a significant hindrance. What attractions do you intend to visit?

If you want to fly Boston to NYC rather than taking the train, I guess you can do it, but again, I would strongly recommend against it.
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Old Aug 13, 2017, 6:44 am
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Originally Posted by ambyr
If you are actually planning to stay in Washington DC and don't have day trips planned outside of the city, a car will be a significant hindrance. What attractions do you intend to visit?

If you want to fly Boston to NYC rather than taking the train, I guess you can do it, but again, I would strongly recommend against it.
I booked 4 tickets with Delta from BOS to LaGuardia for US200 which is not a bad deal that is in the afternoon of the 25th. So we have a full day in Boston after we arrive. I have booked the Hilton on the Airport for 2 days as it looks very very easy to get to town from the Airport.

In Washington we will visit Capitol Hill & WH, Arlington, Pentagon and we will go to the Smithsonian Institute and the museum @ Dulles Airport.

It is very very cheap to fly from Baltimore back to Boston on the 5th. Idea to add one night of Baltimore after Washington?

From NY we will take bus or train around new years day. Need to look into it.

I appreciate all replies. We are skipping Niagra Falls!
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Old Aug 13, 2017, 7:22 am
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Have you already contacted your embassy about touring the White House and the Pentagon? If not, you'll need to do that--and I've read that the current administration is refusing requests even through that channel. If you can't get a tour, the outside of the White House might be worth looking at, but the outside of the Pentagon is not.

I believe you can just book a tour of the Capitol through the Capitol Visitor Center, with 14 days notice.

The Smithsonian would take weeks to tour, so you might want to narrow down which of the many constituent museums you want to visit. The African American History Museum requires advance ticketing.

None of this (or Arlington National Cemetery) would benefit from a car. The museum at Dulles is difficult to access via transit, so if you have your heart set on that you'll want a car for a single day--or just take an Uber or Lyft.
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Old Aug 13, 2017, 1:41 pm
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Originally Posted by Meneer Guggenheimer
Thanks for all the replies! We are dropping Nigara falls and doing a long city trip in 3 cities. We can fly from Boston to New York and from Washington to Boston.

23/12 arrive Boston
24/12 Boston
25/12 fly to New York
26-31/12 New York
1/1 jan drive to Washington
2-5/1 stay in Washington
5/1 fly back to Boston in the afternoon
6/1 Shopping in Boston and flying out

We do not really need a car in Boston or New York. Do you need one in Washington?

Thanks for the replies!
You don't need a car at all. It's complete aggravation.

From NYC, take Amtrak to DC and skip the car completely. Sit on the left side of the train for views of the Delaware River, Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake.
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Old Aug 14, 2017, 2:47 pm
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Baltimore - Inner Harbour and Aquarium

I will sneak in Philadelphia as well.
Philadelphia - Art Museum, Independence Hall.

IMHO you can take one day from NY. Use AMTRAK between NYC-Philly-Baltimore and DC.
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Old Aug 21, 2017, 8:37 am
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23th we arrive in Boston. We stay 2 night @ the Hilton near the airport and the harbout
25th we fly to LGA. We stay at Hilton in New Ark (yes! Long commute!)
31th we take bus to Washington. We stay at Hilton in city center
4th we take the train to Baltimore. We stay at Hilton in town
5th we fly to Boston. We stay at Hilton near Airport
6th we fly back to Amsterdam!

Thanks for all the support.


Flights BOS LGA / BWI NOS where 60U$ pppl and hilton including breakfast between 129 and 159 U$ per day.
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Old Aug 21, 2017, 11:01 am
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Sounds like you'll have a nice trip.

It is a a bit of a hike, relatively, from Newark to NYC but easily doable. There is the PATH trains, NJ Transit trains & buses and some shuttles too. For getting from LGA to Newark you can drop your bags at certain hotels and storage centers in Manhattan for a few hours in the city as to not waste a day just getting from the airport to the hotel. There should be a list of those services somewhere here on FT. They're pretty cheap and let you do some exploring.
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