5 day coastal itinerary Maine in July

We love the mid-coast area so we stay on Rt 95 until we get to Brunswick, then get off on Rt 1. Keep in mind it is not a coastal route but it does go thru scenic towns like Wiscasset and Camden. Rockland is about 2 hours from Portland. I would aim to have a lobster shack lunch at Waterman's Beach near the Owl's Head Transportation Museum. Get strawberry rhubard pie for dessert. After lunch you can take a short easy hike to Owls Head Light. Perhaps visit the Farnsworth Art Museum. Continue north on Rt 1 with a stop to explore Camden. Take the auto road up Mt Battie before you leave. There's a splendid view of the harbor from there. It's still a couple hours more to Bar Harbor so perhaps you'd like to spend the night in this area.

Aim for Ellsworth by lunch time so check Chowhound for the latest dining recommendations. It's been a few years. We liked Just Barb's on Rt 1 in Stockton Springs but that was a few years ago. Stop at the Chicken Barn (before Ellsworth) to look for reading material. It's a huge place with antiques on the first floor and used books on the second.

Somewhere on MDI for hiking etc for the next few days.

Although southern Maine is not our favorite area you probably should spend 2 nights in Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, etc. Last June we stayed at the Dunes in Ogunquit which are like old fashioned tourist cottages. Loved the quiet and peaceful evenings. You might be able to get a full housekeeping cottage if mid-week but even a king unit has a frig. (Now I can't remember if there's a microwave.) You can get coffee in the lobby if you don't want to make your own. Friends liked staying at the Anchorage, a large hotel, and walking the Marginal Way to a breakfast restaurant.
If you didn't get out on a boat in the Bar Harbor area, strongly recommend stopping in Portland on the way back for a cruise of Casco Bay. We did the mailboat run one morning. Not a lot of narration but ok. DH liked watching them unload passengers and cargo. You could plan a day on Peak's island before continuing on. A friend said I would love it but we've never been. The island kids take a boat to Portland for high school.

You might also consider a drive down the Pemaquid Peninsula on the way up or down. The lighthouse is built on a rugged spur of granite. Shaw's Lobster pound in New Harbor is reliable, with a view over one of Maine's most picturesque harbors -- almost all working boats. Ruins of Colonial Pemaquid are a mile or two away. Damariscotta has a good bookstore and excellent oysters. You can walk to indian oyster middens.

Fishing in this area usually means striped bass, on everything from flies to conventional trolling gear. There are charters available or you can try your luck in the harbors. Some people catch mackerel, then use them as bait for the stripers.

For my money, mid-coast Maine is the most beautiful seashore in the east.

I agree - Midcoast is best. If you make it as far norrth as Belfast, don't miss Young's Lobster Pound!