New England Self Drive from Toronto
 

Hi
We are flying in to Toronto (late September to mid October) and will be spending around 22 days in Toronto and New England.

We intend to cover Boston, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hamphire. We prefers a relaxed travel pace and would like to stay at least 2 to 3 nights in each place.

Any recommendations for the route? If Boston is a bit too far to drive from Toronto, we do not mind skipping it as a destination.

Hope to hear some advice on our plan.

Thanks

hi irenehy,

wow - thanks for posting this. i'm from TO and DH and I are thinking about doing a roadtrip from TO to maine around the same time as you!

FWIW - a friend of mine lived in boston and would come back to visit TO about once a month ... he said the drive took him about 8 hours. not sure if you plan to make any stops though.

i'm looking forward to the replies!

From which airport are you flying home?

It takes me 8 hours to drive from Toronto to Springfield MA. Once you get there, two hours more to Boston.

Are you thinking something like 1 week in Toronto and 2 weeks in New England? A round trip drive? If so, something like below could work. But it kinda depends on what your interests are....

Toronto to Berkshires, one long day or break it up with a stop at Niagara and a night in northern Finger Lakes (like Skaneateles, or Geneva).

Northern Berkshires/Southern Vt, 3 nights. Stay in Brattleboro VT or North Adams, MA. Drive around to see mountain views, cute towns, farms, and art museums.

East to Portsmouth NH or Portland ME, 3 nights. See the boats on the water, putter around cute seaside towns, eat lobstah.

Northwest to Franconia/White Mountains. Or Lake Winnipesaukee NH. 3 nights.

Northwest through scenic country to Burlington VT 3 nights. A great small city. Lake activities.

Then north towards Montreal, and make your way back to Toronto on the north side of Lake Ontario.

Lilaki, I think Maine would be a whole 'nother trip. Maybe you need a separate post.

Does the rental car care if you leave Canada with their car?

I like capxxx suggestions but perhaps reverse the itinerary depending on your dates so you visit places during best foliage times. That said, you should book lodging as soon as you can because the first 2 weeks of October are very popular.

3 nights in Burlington would give you a chance to drive south and visit Shelburne Museum. On the day you head to NH's White Mountains you could aim for lunch in Stowe VT. NH's White Mountains and Lake W are so close it probably doesn't matter where you stay and there is a lot to see and do.
Then south on Rt 93 to Concord NH, perhaps a stop at Canterbury Shaker Village. I prefer Rt 4 to Portsmouth but a Fodorite thought traffic in Northwood was horrible. We travel it quite often and I love the drive over the bridges over Great Bay.
If you head to Portland instead of Portsmouth you can go there from the Conway area. It's about an hour from Conway NH.
If you head west from Portsmouth you might consider heading to Concord then Peterborough NH via Rt 89 to Rt 202 and then Rt 101 to Keene then over to Brattleboro VT. It will be country road driving and should have great foliage. Rt 91 south to western MA is very rural with pleasant scenery.