epatlovich

Hi,

My wife and I plan to rent a car and drive from Boston Logan Airport to Hyannis over Memorial Day weekend. We would leave Boston around 9:30am Friday morning. Any idea how long the drive would take at that hour? I hear traffic can be a mess, and I would assume if we left later on Friday that would be the case, but I am hoping it wouldn't take more than a couple hours that early in the morning.

Thanks!
Eric

cw

You're smart to leave early in the day. Depending on where you are going in Hyannis, I think it will be about a 1 1/2 hour drive.

Ackislander

cw is right on the dot if you leave before noon, so you 9:30 is even better.

You have reservation for a place to stay, correct? New Englanders are pretty compulsive about taking their holidays, and summer begins Memorial Day, weekend, no matter how cold it might be!

cw, I would expect that the OP will need between two and three times as long to get back to Logan on Monday as to get there on Friday. What do you think? It could matter a lot if they are trying to catch a plane.

cw

The driving time on Monday will definitely be longer. A lot depends on the weather. If it's cloudy/rainy, people will head home earlier. If it's a beautiful warmish sunny day, traffic will be heavier later in the afternoon. So if the OP has a flight out on Monday, I'd say allow 3? hours to Logan plus time to return the car and the time needed before the flight. If they are not flying out Monday, they will have more flexibility.

Does that make sense?

Ackislander

Makes sense to me, especially about the cold or bad weather effect.

Last Fourth of July and Labor Day, it was taking people six hours just to get from Eastham over the Bridge, or so I heard. I was watching it on TV.

adnil1962

Take the train and rent a car when you get there! http://capeflyer.com/

epatlovich

Thanks for the replies! We have a 1pm flight out of Logan. The plan would be to arrive in Hyannis at 8:45am on the first ferry from Nantucket. Would that leave enough time to drive to Logan, drop off a rental and make the flight?

epatlovich

1pm flight on Monday, Memorial Day that is. Well we haven't booked the flight yet. Our plan was to leave on the first ferry at 745 out of Nantucket, 845 arrival in Hyannis and drive to Logan to catch a flight. Sounds like traffic on Memorial Day will be brutal, but hopefully not as much if we are leaving early!

emalloy

I would say you are cutting it close. Will you have your car on the ferry from Nantucket so you can drive off and be on your way or are you going to have it in one of the remote parking lots and have to wait for the shuttle? If the latter, that could add a half hour to your trip.

The ferry times are approximate, high seas and fog can add time -sometimes a day to them. So be prepared with a plan B.

You could fly to Nantucket from Boston and use taxi or bike to get around there for about the cost of renting a car and parking fees while you are there.

Ackislander

No, they will be on a fast ferry, no cars.

It will take half an hour to debark, find your bags, get the car and get out of the lot. So now it is 9:15.

From the parking lot to Logan will be 2 hours without traffic, which you can expect on a sunny day. It is now 11:15, and you have to buy gas unless you bought the full tank. The only gas station is over between Terminal E and Air Cargo. Now it's 11:25. You arrive at rental car drop off at 11:30, processing, waiting for the shuttle, and riding to the terminal take another 15 minutes. So now it is 11:45. Under this scenario, you have plenty of time to check in and go through security for a 1 PM flight.

What can go wrong? Plenty. I live on Nantucket, travel lots, and I would not leave on the 7:45 ona holiday weekend if I had a 1 PM plane. i would chance it on a regular weekday in good weather.

Also, If your main reason to drive to Hyannis is to go to Nantucket, take the bus from Logan instead. It is easier and cheaper. If you could get Thursday off to travel to Nantuket and go home on a late afternoon plane on Sunday, that works pretty well too.