Myself and my husband are hoping to go to New England next June for 17 days. We would like to stay around Cape Cod.We would like to visit Martha's Vineyard for the day. Here is our intended itinerary. Fly to Boston,couple of nights in Boston, then drive down to Falmouth, stay 2 nights, take ferry over to Martha's Vineyard. Then move on to Hyannis to stay another couple of nights, then drive to Provincetown. Head back to Boston via Barnstable, then last couple of nights in Boston before flight home.Is Nantucket worth a visit? We enjoy nice beaches, but like some life in the evenings, with shops, bars and restaurants.(even a shopping mall).Would be very grateful for your opinions.

Sounds okay, a little too much packing-and-unpacking for me. Might stay 3 nights in Boston at the beginning, then just one night at the airport at the end. Or might stay in Eastham for 4 nights, taking day trips to Provincetown, Chatham, Hyannis, rather than pack-and-unpack in both Hyannis and Provincetown.

With 17 days, you might want to also consider seeing a little more of New England. A couple of nights in Portsmouth New Hampshire or York Harbor/Ogunquit Maine would be nice.

If your staying in Falmouth, I wouldn't also stay in Hyannis, which is fairly close by, and has similar beaches (warm, but very developed). Instead, spend a few nights further out in Eastham, Wellfleet, etc. You will find this area has a whole different feel to it with the unspoiled National Seashore on one side and the spacious bay beaches on the other. With 17 days, you will probably want to do a day trip to Nantucket. Realize that June isn't quite beach weather as far as swimming, but it will still be very pleasant. As Tracey mentioned, with this much time, you might want to explore Newport RI, Portsmouth NH, Lexington Mass, etc.

I agree it is a lot of moving around. Your geographical area is not that big so you could pick a more central location and drive from there. Perhaps the area around Chatham?

The Vineyard is worth more than a day trip if you have 17 days. Nantucket is also worth a visit.

Personally I prefer the upper Cape as opposed to the lower. There are fewer cars and people the farther out you get. The National Seashore is fantastic and there is a lot of nightlife. Look also at Wellfleet or Eastham.

Also, be aware that there is a very established gay scene in Provincetown. This makes for a lively town but not everyone's cup of tea.

Have you considered taking the ferry back to Boston from P'town (as the locals call it?)

I agree that if you stay in Falmouth you don't need to do Hyannis. I have never liked Hyannis anyway, find it tacky, so that's me but towns farther out like Chatham and Wellfleet are much more charming.

Your itinerary really doesn't make much sense. Falmouth and Hyannis are too close together and I really think the Vineyard should be more than a day trip.

I'd spend the first 3 nights in Boston then move on to the Cape. I think your best bet would be to base yourself in one area for a week and then do day trips. You might try Falmouth if you like a little more action. My preference would be Chatham, beautiful town with east access to Eastham, Wellfleet, Provincetown, etc. I'd then choose either Nantucket or the Vineyard and spend 2 nights there.

Thanks for the advice. It's back to the drawing board and looks like we will base ourselves in Chatham for a week,see Cape Cod,the Vineyard and Nantucket then maybe see more of New England.We have taken note of mentioned towns and will try to include them, maybe staying overnight at any that appeals.Sorry if itinerary didn't make sense,the Cape area is obviously not as big as we thought, but being from Old England we didn't have a clue! Does this sound a better idea?

Sounds good! Chatham is lovely, as is that area of the Cape in general. I would still encourage you to spend a couple of nights on either the Vineyard or Nantucket but that's up to you.

Mel, the trip you are proposing is roughly parallel to spending 17 days traveling from London to Bath abd back, with visits to several Cotswolds villages.

"New England" includes 6 of the 50 United States, and your itinerary covers just one corner of the state of Massachusetts. With 17 days, you could see and enjoy far more than just Cape Cod.

Ah! we will spend less time in the Cape area and more travelling around the rest of New England, but will definately spend some time in the Vineyard or Nantucket or both. Just that we don't want to spend too much time in the car, we have done several trips throughout the USA and returned home wishing we had spent more time in one place instead of trying to see too much and living out of our suitcases. Now we have a clearer picture of the area.So, thanks again.

Um... I am biased, but based on you desire for great beaches, night life, perhaps great eats and no driving needed, I would seriously consider Provincetown for a few nights.... the outer Cape is a slice of heaven. Go to Provincetownplanner.com for nicely balanced info.

I can recommend that you check out the Fort Hill Bed and Breakfast in Eastham which is in the Cape Cod National Seashore. Eastham would be a convenient "home base" for day trips to Chatham, Provincetown, Wellfleet, Orleans, and Hyannis, all within a 30 minute drive. You could catch a ferry out of Harwich to Nantucket and take a day to drive to Woodshole to take the ferry to MV. Fort HIll is unique because it has a rich history and the landscape, ocean views and cutlural history of whaling and farming have been preserved by the park service. Fodor's just wrote a great review and slide show of Cape Cod. You should check it out at www.fodors.com/wire/archives/001940.cfm where slides 28-31 feature the Fort Hill Area and the Fort Hill Bed and Breakfast. I think you will like it!