Hi, I´m going to do a car trip from NY to Boston in August for the first time.
Which is the best road to take? And also which is the fastest one? Thanks.

The fastest way is 684 to 84 to the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Howard is right. Do NOT take I-95 or the Merritt - you'll be sorry!

Thanks to all! How long does it take on a weekday? 4 hours?

Assuming you're driving at reasonable speeds, about 3 1/2 hours.

dream on Howard! What do you consider reasonable speeds? No matter which route you take you still have to a) get out of NYC b)get into Boston c)hit one or more pockets of construction, commuters, etc.
Katy, Unless you're travelling at 5 am or 11pm, weekday travel time is more realistically 4 1/2 -5 hours door to door

I´m planning to get out from NY (East Village) at 7am and go straight to Quicy Market in Boston... Will I´ll take some traffic to get out of NY?
Thanks a lot!

Yikes, if you're going to Quincy Market, right in the middle of the city and the middle of the Big Dig in mid-morning, allow yourself some extra time on the Boston end, too!

OK, assuming you don't hit that much traffic leaving the city(which you shouldn't at 7 a.m.) and do encounter bad traffic en route, it should take no more than 4 hours. 5 hours? No way, unless you hit bad traffic.

Katy,
I'll be a contrarian here. I think the merritt is the nicest ride up. No trucks.

Do you need your car in Boston? If not, you might want to consider leaving it at Riverside station and taking the Green Line in and out of town....that has two advantages, you won't identify yourself as a Yankee fan with your license plate, and you won't risk running into the Boston city bird...the Building Crane!

Gc, thanks for your suggestion but I do need a car in Boston. I´m planning to spend some time at the beach side after my stay in Boston, maybe in Rhode Island or Newport. Do you have any suggestion?
Also, is it better if I go straight to my hotel in Copley and leave the car there instead of going to Quincy?
Txs a lot!

Katy,

Leave your car at the Copley...I assume you mean the Copley Plaza hotel...great place.

Methinks you're (or I'm) confusing Quincy market and Quincy. Quincy market is in Boston, about a mile walk, or short cab ride from the Copley Plaza hotel. The city of Quincy is south of Boston.

Also, regarding time...let's say it takes an hour to get out of town and get to Greenwich. It's about 1 1/2 hours from Greenwich to Hartford, 1 1/4 from Hartford to Worcester, and 1 hr from Worcester to Boston....that's about 4 3/4 hours...the Hartford and Boston traffic will be relatively light at that time of day. Bring plenty of toll money...the Mass Pike eastbound is expensive now that the rest of the country is getting tired of paying for the big dig. Take the turnpike extension to the Pru/copley exit and you're home free.

Gc,
Thanks for you tremendous help!
To tell you the truth, I don´t know yet in which hotel I´m going to stay. I went 3 yrs ago to Boston and I stayed at Omni Parker at School St. Now I´d like to stay in any hotel in Copley. I just didn´t want to spend much $$. I would appreciate a lot any suggestion!!
Txs a lot!

Not to belabor the point, gc, but Katy asked for best road and fastest one...and 684/84 fills the bill. I agree about the Merritt being a more scenic route, but it adds 30-40 minutes to the trip!

Howard,
You obviously value time more than I. I don't think that the "best" and the "fastest" are synonymous.

The parkways are a high speed escape from the interstate highway system. Though Katy won't see it in August, one of the prettiest drives I've ever taken is northbound on the Merritt after a snowfall.

Also, Katy,

As a local, I've never stayed there, but the Marriott Long Wharf looks really nice. Can't beat the location...on the harbor, adjacent to the North End and Quincy market.

Howard and Gc.
Thanks again for the help!
I don´t know yet which road I´ll take...
Think I´ll decide when I plan how long I´ll stay in Boston
If I can help you someway on a trip to Brazil, pls let me know...
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