BudgetQueen

I am planning on taking the train into Boston from the Salem train station. Is parking available?? Cost? I read in Fodor's there is also a bus that goes to Boston, I will be staying in Danvers. Is this a better option???

amyb

I commute on this line daily and if you're not in the Salem lot by 7:00 a.m. you will not get a space since it fills up with commuters. You might have better luck at Beverly, which has some nearby on-street parking as well.

Anonymous

The MBTA Commuter Rail station in Salem has 340 parking spaces. Since they cost $2 per day, they fill up fast on weekdays.

http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_ma...ns/?stopId=184

BudgetQueen

OK, I won't be there by 7am. What about a bus???

Gpanda

If you are willing, it may make more sense to drive (Heaven Forbid) into Boston. There are several lots that have Early Bird specials, $15 if you're in the lot by 10:00 a.m..

You can also drive to the Wonderland T station and take the beautiful Blue Line downtown. The T station is on Route 1A in Revere, about 1/2 hour from Danvers.

amyb

What type of bus did you hear about? The MBTA buses go out of Salem station, so you'd be in the same parking predicament, unless there are some elsewhere that you could park at. I'm not sure of your bus options otherwise.

The Blue Line is an option, but not the greatest atmospheres. It's $4 a day to park in a non-MBTA lot (MBTA lots fill up early at Wonderland too). It's a 1/2 hour from Danvers indeed, as long as it's not rush hour either, then it can be over an hour.

bennnie

The commute from Danvers to the Wonderland station on the Blue Line is not likely to be over an hour. My commute from Newburyport to Revere rarely is more than an hour even during rush hour and Danvers is much closer. You'll just need good directions as Wonderland is not close to Rt 1.

Another option to consider is asking if your hotel shuttle will drop you at the Logan Express bus station on Rt.1. You can take the bus from there to the Airport T Station and take the Blue Line into Boston. But it costs $20 plus your T fare ($3 rountrip?) Driving to Wonderland will be cheaper.

www.p-b.com/Peabody.htm

BudgetQueen

Thank you all for the great information. I read in Fodors 2007 Boston guide about buses into Boston, now I can't find it quick. Will keep looking and repost if needed.

escargot

are you going to Boston for pleasure from Salem? there is ferry from the waterfront which is an enjoyable way to spend th day in Salem -
www.salemferry.com

escargot

didn't mean a better waya to spend the day in Salem,meant better to spend time on the water !

Krista

This may not be an efficient way to get into Boston, but one option is to use the Logan Express bus. The bus departs from a park 'n ride lot in Peabody (near Danvers) to the Logan airport. From there you have to take a free shuttle bus to the T system to get into Boston.
$20 for round-trip ticket and $11 for parking according to their web site.
http://www.massport.com/logan/getti_logan_peabo.html

Whew!

BudgetQueen

Thank you for all the information. I see Lynn has a large parking garage. Is this a better option for available space for day trippers?? Or is there that many more commuters that go from there?

amyb

I don't see a lot of people getting on in Lynn usually. My mother works at the college there and they use that garage for parking themselves, but she says it's almost always empty. But it's not a great neighborhood and you're virtually at Wonderland at that point anyway, so it's 6-of-one or half-dozen of the other. I'd go to Wonderland at that point for the convenience of the train schedule.

Ralphie

What about WELLINGTON station in Medford, on the Orange line? It has over 1,300 parking spaces. I have never parked there though, does anyone know if it fills up early also?

JoyceL

The Lynn garage is for Commuter Rail, not for the MBTA (subway). If you decide to take this train, check the schedule ahead of time. The commuter trains run frequently during rush hour, but infrequently the rest of the day.

All the train schedules can be found here: http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/

BudgetQueen

Thank you all so much.

Is parking OK at Wonderland?? and likely available? I will have 2 middle school kids with me and do plan on a later arrival back, so I am not going to consider Lynn, if a poor area.

If I happen to get an early start, is the Salem parking lot OK??

amyb

You can park at Wonderland across the street from it at the Dog Track ($4 a day, pay the guy in the booth on the way in) and there always seem to be spaces there. Both MBTA lots (one on the beach side and one on the dog track side) fill up, but not as early as others. When I go into work late (after 9:00 a.m.) I go to the lot across the street. It's not an MBTA lot, it's a privately run lot.

The Salem lot is fine, but again, after 7:00 a.m. and you'll most likely be out of luck.

If you're going to be unsure of your schedule, the subway (Wonderland) is probably you're best bet. The commuter rail only runs quarter past the hour between 10 and 3:30. And during rush hour not every train stops in Lynn.

Anonymous

If you're going to drive all the way in to Wonderland, you might as well drive into town.

BudgetQueen

As just a most sincere thanks. I ended up, using the Wonderland subway and it worked out perfectly!!!! Parking available around 8:30am for 2 days at $3/day.

Never did get on a city bus, but did a lot of walking, did a duck tour, aquarium, Freedom Trail and had an overall fantastic time.

Thanks for the great accurate information.

Ralphie

Excellent. Glad you had a good time.