laetitia

Planning to go to Boston for the first time and need suggestions for things i do not want to miss. I would like to spend one day in Cape Cod and i'm not sure if renting a car is the best way or if there are tours i could take. Any recommendations for hotels in Boston and Provincetown would be great; i do not want to spend a lot of money on hotels.
Thank you. I'm looking forward to my trip.

jill

Cape Cod for a day is a long trip. Plan to stay overnight. I don't know when you're going, but if it's in the warm season, just getting over the bridge traffic to the cape will take over an hour (it's worth it, don't worry!).
In Boston, take the freedom trail walk (self-guided) and stop for pastry in the North End and dinner at a fantastic restaurant on Salem Street called Terra Mia (it's the best!)
Have a coffee on Newbury Street and watch the fashionista wanna-bees shop and preen. Don't miss visiting Harvard University and Cambridge. Also, one of the best museums and best-kept secrets in the area... the MIT Museum on Mass Avenue. Tiny little 3-room museum that's just wacky and interesting.
Have fun!

rebecca

if you only have a day I think taking a ferry from Boston to Provincetown (P-town) is the best idea. You wont need a car and you can stroll around P-town for the day and ferry back to Boston.

rae

Rebecca - does the ferry run all year round?

We always visit Boston in December (from the UK) - I've never thought about using a ferry for a day trip out of the city!

To Laetitia - its not worth renting a car when you are staying in Boston - too much traffic thanks to the Big Dig.
I've stayed at the Tremont, the Boston Park Plaza and the Raddisson - all reasonably cheap hotels which were of a decent standard

have fun

Joanne

If you want to spend a day at the Cape, you will definitely need to rent a car. Though as Rae pointed out, you do NOT want to drive a car while visiting Boston itself!

I also agree that a trip to P'town on the ferry is a great idea. It leaves from downtown Boston and gets you there much faster than driving -- check a map, the Cape curls around like an uplifted arm and P'Town is not that far from Boston! It is, howver, too far for a day trip by car since you'd spend so much time driving.

So a day trip to the Cape could be either a ferry ride to P'town OR driving to a closer part of the Cape.

The ferry runs all year, with extra trips in summer.

http://www.provincetownfastferry.com/fares.html

gail

Re: not wanting to spend a lot of money on hotels. Hotels in Boston are extremely expensive. However, beware when looking for a cheaper hotel as to actual location. Many hotels are listed as, say Boston/Waltham or other nearby city or town and transportation into city is not always easy. Driving within Boston used to be difficult and now with "Big Dig" it is impossible. Roads change location on a weekly basis, so maps are useless. If you drive in, park your car at hotel or someplace else (lots are also expensive) and take public transportation within the city.

laetitia

I want to thank every body for your answers, i really appreciate your help.
Actually, i am thinking of renting a car only to get out of Boston, driving to cape cod, staying overnight and coming back to Boston the next day. I was planning to stay in P'town...any suggestions about where i could stay for a decent price? or maybe there are other places on the Cape Cod which could be a nice place to stay overnight?..thanks for your help!