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lonely2009 posted 2/23/2018 16:14 PM

My husband and I are planning a trip to the east coast . I am struggling with the logistics.
We want to visit Boston, NYC ,Washington DC. I also want to visit Maine, but we might not have time.

What is the best way to get between the cities.

I was thinking train. We won’t rent a car.

I also am trying to decide which city to fly into.

We want to maximize our time site seeing and less time commuting.

I appreciate any and all other onions.

josiep posted 2/23/2018 18:03 PM

There are many ways to get between Boston, NYC and D.C. but Maine will be a problem without renting a car. The train might go up there but I don't know what you'd do for transportation after you get there.

Lots of trains between NYC & DC. Logistically, I'd suggest fly into DC, then take the train to NYC and then to Boston which I think you can do via train but if not, by bus for sure. If you do include Maine, you'd go there from Boston but probably come back to Boston for your flight back to the West Coast.

How long will your trip be? That's a lot to squeeze in for one trip. Have you ever used the website tripadvisor? There are message boards where people will answer questions and there are ratings for everything in every town and city, from hotels and historical sites to ice cream parlors. It's a great resource.

Your trip sounds wonderful. I'm just now looking at airfare for a trip to Europe. Fun, fun!

Whalers11 posted 2/23/2018 18:32 PM

Maine won't be doable unless you rent a car.

You can use Amtrak to go from DC to NYC to Boston.

lonely2009 posted 2/23/2018 18:37 PM

Thank you for the info on Maine . It looks Iike we will make that trip another time.

TimelessLoss posted 2/23/2018 20:53 PM

Fly into either of the "bookend" cities, Boston or DC. Then do BOS-NYC-DC or DC-NYC-BOS. Trains makes sense since they put you into the heart of the cities, Union Station in WAS and Penn in NYC. Lots of frequent shuttle flights into and out of NYC from WAS and BOS. The train from WAS to NYC is between 3-4 hours depending on time of day. A shuttle flight air time would be quite a lot less however the total travel time may be a wash.

Maine would be so easy with a rental car. An out of the box option is a cruise boat from BOS. Lots of those in season.

A split itinerary to and from home (arrive DC, depart BOS) will likely cost you more in airfare.

Sounds like a great trip.

toonces posted 2/23/2018 22:48 PM

you can get from Boston to Portland and/or Freeport, Maine via the Amtrak Downeaster. I think it's 2.5 hours from Boston to Portland.

Whalers11 posted 2/24/2018 08:27 AM

What did you want to do in Maine?

You can get to Maine via train, but no car would confine you to a pretty limited area.

Catwoman posted 2/24/2018 09:02 AM

There is train service up to Portland, ME and Freeport, I believe. It's the Amtrak Downeaster, and at times they have a beautiful domed observatory car (you should call and check). It does stop in the summer at Old Orchard Beach, I believe. But depending on what you want to do in Maine, a car would give you more flexibility.

Amtrak does offer pretty decent service between Boston and DC, but it is a LOOOOOONG trip (3-4 hours to NYC and about 8-9 to DC. Depending on how your family does with travel, this is a consideration.

I live in the greater Boston area and work in the city, so feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. There is a LOT to do in Boston and it's an extremely walkable city with pretty good public transit for getting around. The MBTA offers a 3-day transit pass, which is a pretty good deal, as you could get tired (especially little ones) with all the walking.

Cat