kvsua

Hello !
I'm looking for some ideas or tips for our road trip coming up.. we would hope to get on the road on Sunday morning and be back in DC by saturday. we are planning on renting a car but will explore other transportation options depending on the itinerary. I need some recommendation for must see spots along the way. We would like to see Boston so we will probably stay there for at least 2 nights and would like another pit stop along the way. for overnight stay..
i dont have a lot of details yet but would appreciate some ideas for at least a starting point.
thanks.

Christina

I don't really understand what you are going, but it sounds like you live in DC (when you say you "will be back in DC") or thereabouts, so you will be flying to Boston, then renting a car to drive from Boston to DC. And first spend a couple days in Boston. Is that right?

YOu aren't going to drive all the way up to Boston and back are you?

Why are you doing this to begin with? a road trip between Boston and DC wouldn't be my cup of tea unless I had to, but ifyou don't even have a goal or plan as to why you are doing this, I just don't know what to recommend. Because the major routes are driving nightmares, not a fun trip, along the coast, and that isn't a good way to see NY or Philadelphia, by car.

well, okay, you could consider Providence RI or Newport for a visit, it's a bit out of the direct driving route, but I enjoyed my visit in Newport for a couple days. I'm not a fan of Pennsylvania over to the east, so maybe drive west into the state and then you could visit Gettysburg or something, and come down from there back to DC (you could visit Harpers Ferry or some area over there) to avoid I95 on the east coast, also.

tomfuller

How many are the "we"? Think about taking an Amtrak Northeast train at least as far as Mystic CT if not all the way to Boston.
Rent a car to see what you want to see outside Boston.
How soon is this trip "coming up"?

BigRuss

<<we are planning on renting a car but will explore other transportation options>>

Where?

<< I need some recommendation for must see spots along the way. >>

What way would that be? From DC to ___?

<<We would like to see Boston so we will probably stay there for at least 2 nights and would like another pit stop along the way. for overnight stay..>>

Uh, which way are we on about again?

kvsua

Thank you for your reply Christina.
So we don't live in DC but we will be landing there. We will have a few days to explore the city and then we were hoping to take the road trip.
We were thinking of driving up to Boston. I saw it was about 9 hour drive. we would have about 6 days to explore. So I was thinking of driving up I95 and spending 2 days in NYC, then continuing on up to boston spending 2 days and then make our way back. I am not sure if we can drive straight in one day so need another city to stay probably another night.
I may consider flying up and maybe renting a car in boston to explore its sorroundings.
We just wanted an affordable way to see a little bit of the east coast.

thanks

kvsua

Thank you TomFuller.
I made a mistake on my subject line. Renting a car from DC. We are 4 ppl. Trip in March during spring break. i did look into the Amtrak and we are considering costs. we want to make this trip inexpensive.

Thank you BigRuss, Yes trip from DC up to Boston and back.

Sassafrass

You are landing in DC? From where are you coming?

Even before getting more info, I am going to be blunt and say IMHO, it is a bad idea to make the RT from D.C. to Boston in March as a vacation. Not that I haven't done the trip, but it was/is not a good idea for a vacation kind of trip. You might be the luckiest people around, and get great weather and no traffic. More likely, however, weather conditions can be horrible and traffic on I95 can be bad to horrible.

If you wanted to visit Boston, why not at least fly into Boston and fly to D.C.?

I understand cheap, but spending anything on a bad trip isn't cheap. It is throwing money away.

trover

If you want to make that trip, I would suggest using one of the cheap buses - like BOLT or Mega - they are relatively cheap and run from DC to NYC and NYC to Boston. As someone who does that drive several times a year (I95 NYC to DC), it is one of the worst drives to do. It is boring and has unpredictable traffic. There is NOTHING scenic about it. Also, if you plan on stopping and staying in Manhattan for a night or two, it is going to cost you about $70 for overnight parking at any of the Midtown Hotels - about $50 at any of the freestanding garages. Boston is not much better. A car in either of these two cities is a liability, especially during the work week.

You could do the drive from DC to NYC up the coast, but it will take longer. Another choice is to add Philadelphia to the trip, again not the prettiest of drives, but does make each leg of the trip about 2-3 hours and again the parking will be an issue.

Ackislander

I also travel this route frequently and agree with others who suggest this is a bad idea UNLESS you are a large group.

Fly to Boston on Sunday morning. Get three day T Passes at the airport. They are good on all buses and subways. Go to your hotel and leave your luggage.

The following are things that are fun to do in Boston. Some are indoor, some are outdoor. Let the weather be your guide.

Indoor
Museum of Fine Arts
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Science Museum
Harvard Museums (Fogg Art, Museum of Natural History)
MIT Museums
Boston Public Library (old building tour)
Trinity Church, Copley Square
Fenway Park tour

Outdoor
Freedom Trail
Walk through Beacon Hill historic neighborhood
Walk along Charkes River
Walk (Commonwealth Avenue) and shop (Newbury Street) through Back Bay
Visit Public Garden and Common
Explore Harvard Square

No walking involved
Take a Green Line C trolley to Cleveland Circle. At Cleveland Circle, cross to the D Line (stop is called Reservoir). Take an outbound D train to Riverside. This is a longish series of trips that take you through the leafy suburbs of Boston and Newton, very different from downtown. Go all the way back to the City on the D Line.

On a beautiful day, you can take the Blue Line to Revere Beach. It won't be much in March, but it's fun to say you have.

Wednesday, take the train to New York from South Station or Back Bay Station. Sit on the left side of the train to New Haven (water views) and the right side into Penn Station (skyline views oh NY).

Saturday morning, take the train from NYC to Washington, I like the right side to Philadelphia and the left side after that.

elberko

As mentioned above, parking costs will eat up your savings from driving, and it's a really unpleasant, congested drive. Amtrak bought ahead will save you money, or take one of the cheap bus lines.

Sassafrass

Or, just change your trip to someplace better for March.