walliemo

My husband and I will be landing in Providence next June. We originally planned 1 night in Newport, 3 in Cape Cod and 3 in Boston. Do you think we would be better off with 2 in Newport and 2 in Cape Cod? We have never been to either place and would like to see the sights, dine in wonderful restaurants, etc. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Gene

I would stick with your original plans. Newport is great, but is one city by the sea, whereas Cape Cod is fifteen distinct towns with hundreds of seaside villages and sites.

travleis

Given that you only have 7 days, I'd stick with 1 day in Newport. You can see most of the worthwhile attractions and shop and eat in a 24 hour timespan. There's much more to do and see on the Cape and in Boston.

djkbooks

I'd recommend doing a bit of research on Newport and Cape Cod to determine what about each of those places you'd find appealing. You might want to see if "Cape Cod, An Explorer's Guide" and "Rhode Island, An Explorer's Guide" are available in your local bookstore and have a look at each.

Dreamer2

Is the night you land, the one night in Newport? I would recommend a minimum of one full day in Newport, to take in a couple mansions, stroll through some shops or the Cliff Walk, and have a wonderful meal. That doesn't even include the Tennis HoF, the beach, or anything else. If you don't mind driving to the Cape late at night after the first day's activities, I guess one night would be okay. I'd rather spend 2 and 2.
Also, consider the days of the week you are driving. Trying to get onto the Cape on the weekends, especially late June after school is out, is very difficult. Do not attempt on a Friday afternoon or evening, or Saturday morning.
Best wishes for happy trails!

BuffaloGirl

Do you plan to just spend the night you arrive and leave for Cape Cod immediately the next morning..... or do you plan to spend the night and all the next day in Newport (and then drive toCape Cod later in the day)?

If you want to spend the day in Newport, you can take a trolly tour. The guide is very informative and takes you around town, the waterfront, and around the mansions. You can choose one or two mansions to tour and they will drop you off and pick you up. I believe the trolly tours leave from the visitors center downtown. It's a good way to see Newport when you have just a small amount of time.

It's only about a hour and a half drive from Newport to Hyannis on Cape Cod, so you could easily take the tour in the morning, walk around on your own, have dinner and then hit the road.

Newport is very lovely. I would love to go back when I have more time.

Have fun!

Larry1

Hmmm-I'll go in the other direction. One day in Newport? OK let's think it over: at least 2 Mansions (lets say The Breakers and Marble House) at 1.5 hours each, then a half hour each for the Cliff Walk and Ocean Drive, 3 hours for walking around downtown shopping, viewing the Colonial Era homes, etc, and last 2 hours for a boat tour of the harbor and lower bay. That brings us to 9 hours for the minimum "Newport experience" and I have not even factored in time for lunch and dinner. Makes for a pretty full one day.
Also, much depends on what you and your husband are into- if you like hiking seaside trails, lying on the beach, and whale-watching, and don't really care about Guilded age mansions and outstanding examples of colonial homes, then of course one day in Newport might not only be enough but actually be too much! However, if you want a place where history, shopping, dining, and entertainment options are all in one city so small that you might never even need to get into your rental car during a week long visit (Try that at the cape!) then Newport is for you.

cctraveler

June is the best month to visit the cape. Where are you planning on staying on the Cape? If your interested in beaches, I'd say head to the outer cape ( orleans, eastham, wellfleet, truro, ptown ). Chatham is a great town as well, with lots of restaurants and close to some great beaches. I'd personally avoid Hyannis and Rt 28... Lots of traffic. Falmouth and in particular Woods Hole is great as well.