USA East Coast road trip: 2 weeks, Boston to DC

On an East Coast trip the car is both essential and in the way. In Maine and New Hampshire you can hardly reach the parks without one; in New York, Philadelphia and Washington it would just be an expensive parking problem. So this route separates the two: fly into Boston and home from Washington, drive the north in a rental, hand it back on arrival in New York, and do the rest by train. There's an autumn bonus too. Leaves turn earlier in the north and in the mountains, and this trip travels in the same direction.

The route at a glance

Driving times: route calculation based on OpenStreetMap, without breaks. Add about a third, and more on autumn weekends on the country roads. Total: about 1,385 km.

1. Boston
2. Portland
3. Bar Harbor
4. North Conway
5. Lenox
6. New York
7. Philadelphia
8. Washington

Base map: Natural Earth

Days 1–2: Boston

Leave the car until the third morning. In Boston the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail links 16 historic sites from downtown to Charlestown, and you walk it. If you want more time here, our guide on how many days to spend in Boston has ideas.

Days 3–5: Portland and Acadia National Park

When you compare a rental car from Boston^*, enter New York as the return location and look at the total including the one-way fee. The first leg to Portland is short. Nearby stands Portland Head Light, built in 1791, on the coast at Cape Elizabeth.

Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island is the northernmost point of this trip. Three things catch people out:

• Reservation: from late May to mid-October you need a vehicle reservation to drive up Cadillac Mountain. They are sold online only, not at the park.
• Fee: Acadia is among the national parks charging non-US residents aged 16 and over an extra per-person fee. The National Park Service has the current terms.
• Bus: the fare-free Island Explorer links the park and towns, but with a reduced timetable in autumn and only until mid-October.

The Park Loop Road is open from mid-April to early December. Bass Harbor Head Light is in the south-west of the island.

Days 6–7: White Mountains

From Bar Harbor it is just under five hours to North Conway, the base for New Hampshire's White Mountains. The Kancamagus Highway runs from Conway to Lincoln and is a popular drive in September and October for the autumn colours. So drive it early in the day and preferably not on a weekend. To get up Mount Washington, take the 7.6-mile toll road, the Mount Washington Auto Road.

Day 8: the longest leg

North Conway to Lenox is 417 km and 5:38 h of pure driving, the longest day of the trip, and there's no way around it if you want the Berkshires. If that's too much driving, head straight to New York on day eight and gain a day in the city; you lose the Berkshires in exchange. In Lenox you'll find Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, so the concert programme is mainly a summer affair. In North Adams, the art museum MASS MoCA is the place for a rainy day.

Days 9–11: New York

Return the car on arrival and spend the days without one. Only Statue City Cruises runs ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The National Park Service recommends buying in advance and warns of waits of an hour or more at security in peak times. Pedestal and crown access is limited and sold online only. You can sort tickets for New York^* in advance; our guide on how many days to spend in New York helps you decide what matters, and the best time to visit New York covers the season.

Days 12–14: Philadelphia and Washington

From New York the train takes over. Amtrak connects New York, Philadelphia and Washington, the fastest Acela taking 2:45 h from New York to Washington, with Philadelphia on the way. That makes a one-day stop easy.

In Philadelphia, Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You may need a timed ticket for the tour, available up to 30 days in advance on recreation.gov. You can see the Liberty Bell with no ticket at all.

Washington is a fitting finish because the city ties the whole trip together. The National Mall and its memorials are open 24 hours, and early morning and evening are the tranquil times. You can only see inside the Capitol on a guided tour, so reserve ahead. Our guide on how many days to spend in Washington has more.

When this route works best

Mid-September to early October suits it best: Washington is past its summer heat, Maine isn't yet cold, and the colours are starting in the north. Don't leave it too late, because the Island Explorer stops in mid-October.

Climate: monthly averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo), rounded.

Where to stay on this route

• Bar Harbor: next to the park and on the Island Explorer routes.
• North Conway: at the eastern end of the Kancamagus Highway, with plenty of places to stay.
• New York: Manhattan or Brooklyn near a subway line. By then you've already returned the car.

Good to know before you go

• Entry: for visa-free travel you apply for ESTA on the official US Customs and Border Protection site. Check gov.uk or your own government for current rules.
• Flights: direct flights from London to the US East Coast take around 8 hours to New York. Book an open-jaw ticket, into Boston and out of Washington.
• Travel advice: neither the FCDO nor Germany's Foreign Office advises against any part of this route.
• Mobile data: our eSIM comparison for the USA shows plans you'll want for navigating rural roads.
• For comparison: if you'd prefer desert and big national parks, look at our USA West Coast road trip.

New York trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps with this trip

Set up the whole route as one trip. There are ready-made city plans for Boston, New York and Washington that you can adopt and adjust, and the AI builds a day plan for the other stops. The map shows every stage, the forecast covers your travel days, and the packing list takes account of the jump from Maine to Washington and the plug adapter. The offline package stores the maps, handy in the White Mountains and Acadia. You book with the provider; YesTrip itself books nothing.

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