seniortraveler

Is there a train stop at the airport? If not--where do you catch a train and how far away is it from the airport? We want to see some fall foliage from Oct. 13-18 in that area. We fly in and out of Boston.

Thanks

vjpblovesitaly

I guess you are talking at the T (Boston's subway system) or are you talking about getting on an Amtrak train or something similar?

If you mean the T, you have to take a little bus to the Airport station if I remember correctly from my trip in March.

vjpblovesitaly

http://www.mbta.com/

vjpblovesitaly

http://www.massport.com/logan-airpor...s/Default.aspx

gail

"At the airport" depends on how you define "at". And also how you define "train". There is an MBTA subway stop - Blue Line - called "Airport" to which one takes a shuttle bus from the various airline terminals. On the MBTA you can get into Boston. There is also a line called the "Silver Line" - all depends on where you are going in Boston. There is no commuter rail or Amtrak stop at Logan - so not sure if you are getting rental car, wanting to see foliage on a real train or what.

MBTA.com has an excellent feature where you can enter origination and destination addresses and it tells you how to use the public transit system to get there.

yk

Do you mean Amtrak? Then NO - you'd have to go to South Station for Amtrak.

At the airport, you can pick up Silver Line (part of our T system) at the curbside at your arriving terminal. The last stop of Silver LIne IS South Station, where you can catch the Amtrak.

Any idea where you want to go for the foliage? Some Peter Pan coaches stop/pic up at Logan airport, though I don't know which routes.

The Concord coach lines also offer transportation between NH/ME with Logan airpot: http://www.concordcoachlines.com/logan-airport.html

However, most of the places in NH/ME will require a rental car to get around. I suppose you can rent a car once you get to your destination. But then, it's probably easier to just rent a car from Logan and drive north, and skip the train or coach idea.

bennnie

From North Station you can take Amtrak to Maine. But first you have to take the blue line from Airport to Government Center and then take the green line to North Station.

Jeff801

If you really are a senior traveler, you may want to avoid renting a car at the airport. As a long time Boston resident, I have always been of the opinion that all fliers should drive to or from Logan Airport at least once so that they will know in their guts as well as their heads that the most dangerous part of any flight is the transportation to the airport.

Seriously, the drive out of the car rental areas is difficult and the signage is confusing. Then, the connections to the roads west and north are also difficult, depending on your access to the tunnels, and the Boston drivers are not known for their courtesy, forgiveness, or use of turn signals.

The easiest way to deal with this would be to take a taxi to South Station, and then get a train to the Berkshires. (You could be a week behind the peak color in Vermont and New Hampshire.) Pittsfield would be my choice. There are major car rental companies very close to the train station, and from there you could go to Lenox, Great Barrington, or similar places. Even so, it likely that most of the better places will be filled up for the weekend and it could be important to have reservations. Perhaps you could check with Amtrak regarding package deals.

seniortraveler

How far is the south or north station from the airport? How much would the taxi fare cost?

What is the water taxi--where does it run from the airport or to and from Boston?

LittleWing

I'm having trouble understanding what you are asking? And what you are trying to plan. Where are you hoping to visit after you land at Logan?

Ackislander

If you want to look out the window and see the scenery and the leaves without the responsibility of driving, take a bus from Logan Airport to Burlington, VT.

You can buy your ticket in such a way as to get off and spend the night in Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College and a very beautiful small town, but one with good restaurants and lodging -- if you can get into the Dartmouth Inn, it would be perfect -- all walkable.

Next day, you can ride across glorious Vermont to Burlington (the bus stops at the airport but it is easy to get a taxi into town) a small city and university town with gorgeous views of Mt Mansfield, largest mountain in Vermont and across Lake Champlain to the Adirondack Mountains. You can take a ferry across Lake Champlain for the day or enjoy downtown Burlington's pedestrian district.

It would be a shame to miss the Shelburne Museum while in Burlington, but you can inquire locally about how to get there without a car.

From Burlington, you can get the bus on to Montreal or go back to Boston in a single day.

seniortraveler

Thanks for the information. We took the train from New Haven to Burlington a number of years ago. It was a beautiful ride.

Has anyone taken the Amtrak or know about the trip from Boston to Albany and maybe on to Montreal or perhaps down to West Point?
What is the best way to get to Amrak from the Boston airport and about what is the cost?

Ackislander

The answer to schedules is to look at the Amtral website. Put in where you want to start and where you want to go, and it will give you the schedules and fares (which are pretty cheap for seniors).

The answer to getting from Logan to Amtrak is the Silver Line bus, described above. Simple, cheap, frequent service.

yk

The Silver Line (which will get you from the Airport to South Station in about 15 mins) costs $2 per person.

conductorchris

I have taken Amtrak from Boston to Albany - and from New York to Albany towards Montreal as well.

The trip from New York past west point to Albany is stunning -- if you are on the west side of the train which directly at the shores of the Hudson for most of the trip. (left side, heading north from New York; right side heading south from Albany)

The trip north towards Montreal is also stunning between Whitehall NY and Plattsburg. The track is carved on a rock shelf directly above Lake Champlain. Get a seat on the east side of the train. (right side, heading north from Albany)

The great thing about seeing the foliage from the train is that you are guaranteed not to miss it. If it's already passed up north, then you see it further to the south on the way!

In the fall a special viewing dome car is put on the Adirondack. There's only one, so you have to time your travel right. Here are the dates it will operate:

69, Adirondack, northbound: Albany and Montreal
September 23 through October 23
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

68, Adirondack, southbound :Montreal and Albany
September 24 through October 24
Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Seating in the dome car is unreserved, first come, first serve - but it's a pretty big car so I'd expect there will be room.

It's possible to take the Adirondack up to Port Kent and then take a ferry (adjacent to the train station) across Lake Champlain to/from downtown Burlington. That's pretty. The ferry stops for the Winter after Oct 11th. http://www.ferries.com/central_schedule.asp

The Boston - Albany route is pretty, but not as much. From Boston to Worcester are suburbs. West of Worcester it gets hilly, wooded and follows the creeks and valleys. You'll see plenty of colors this way, but it's not dramatic.

My trip before last on the Boston - Albany route I spent a lot of time in the lounge car, which was the last car on the train. The rear door was open and the conductor let me stand at the rear door watching the track disappear behind us. That was the best view on that train.

conductorchris

Oh, thought of one more thing. The easy way from the airport to the train station is the silver line bus, like others said. But it is also possible to take the boat (for $10 instead of $2). There's a airport bus that takes you to the boat dock. The boat doesn't go right to South Station, but one of the stops is a few blocks away (you've got wheeled suitcases?) If you don't mind all that, you get a lovely tour of Boston harbor, and it's much more fun!

conductorchris

Boat info: http://www.visitingdc.com/airports/l...water-taxi.asp

seniortraveler

Thanks for this great information! We arrive in Boston on Oct. 13 so it will be too late to catch the ferry from Fort Kent. That sounded like a great trip to take.

Where do you leave the train to visit West Point Academy? Also, how far is the train station out of the city of Albany? We may want to stop there for one night. Is a taxi possible into the city of Albany from the train station? (We found getting a taxi into Burlington at night was a bit of a problem there.)

conductorchris

Taxi from Albany should be no problem, it's a big station. The station is right across the river from downtown.

I have no idea about visiting west Point, but google maps shows it a little north of Croton-Harmon stop (and across the river).

LittleWing

So are you suggesting taking a circle tour From Boston to Albany to NYC to Boston? or viceversa?