Question: About what time would we have to leave Harwich Port on the Cape to arrive at airport in Providence for a 136pm flight (this would be on a saturday in august).

Without traffic, this drive can be done in 1 1/2 hours. The trouble is you WILL be dealing with Traffic- and a lot of it.

Saturday is the day the rentals turn over on the Cape. It is pure hell trying to get over to 25/495 via the Scenic Highway. I have been stuck for 1 and 1/2 hours there alone!

You will have to get to Green by 12:30 to clear security. My vote is you leave really early from Harwich- like around 7:30am, go stop for breakfast somewhere off of I-195 and go check out something in Providence or maybe even the Battleship in Fall River.

Or you could leave at 9:30 am and sit in traffic for hours.

Melissa, since you seem to know, can you tell me if the traffic will be just as bad from Boston to Chatham? We will be visiting the cape for the first time mid-july. Mapquest says driving time will be 1 and 1/2hrs but again I'm worried about the traffic.
Sorry to barge orangetravelcat (cute name) but Melissa seems quite knowledgeable. Wish I knew your answer ;-)

Strings- the amount of traffic you hit will depend on the day of the week you are driving. Melissa is correct about Saturdays being hell. RT 3 from Boston to Cape is a parking lot on Saturday mornings in the summer. Plan 3-4 hours minimum to get to Chatham.

If you are driving on Friday night it can be almost as bad. During the week the only bad traffic you'll hit is from Boston to about Hingham on Rt 3 during rush hour.

Strings - also forgot to mention to tune your radio to WBZ 1030am for the best traffic reports.

I agree with Melissa, leave as early as you can. It's no picnic after you go over the canal either, since you could run into traffic tie-ups along 195 in the cities of New Bedford and Fall River. You will also have to drive through Providence because Green airport is in Warwick 10 miles south of Providence.

Strings: You have the same on-cape traffic problems as Orange since Chatham is next to Harwich. Your off-cape drive may be easier since it's a straight shot up Mass route 3 to Boston where you can take the new Ted Williams tunnel into Logan.

Thanks for all your answers. You've been a big help. I think we will spend three nights in Harwich Port, and our last night in Fall River, MA, or in Providence, so we can have a fairly relaxing morning before our flight. Who wants to end a vacation fighting traffic?

Strings - if you get to the Saganore rotary by 8-8:30 you'll be okay. Traffic will be dense but rotary delays will be less that 15 minutes. After 8:30, things get bad, fast.

Strings- Gene, bennie and Upper Caper beat me to it. All correct assessments of the traffic situation.

To orangetravel cat- I would opt for Providence over Fall River to spend your last night. If you want a splurge try the Biltmore across the street from Providence Place, a wonderful shopping center with lots of restaurants/stores and movie theaters.

Enjoy!

As I just said in another posting. If you plan to stay in the Providence area on a night when they're doing Waterfire, you might be out of luck getting a room downtown, even now. Although there's little advertising, Waterfire is hugely popular, and on the nights when it's on, downtown hotels are sold out.

There are frequent flights from PVD ( TF Green) airport to Hyannis on Cape Air. Have you considered this option? It would save you the long drives and you could spend your last day on the Cape.

I hadn't thought of flying from HYA to PVD. Will check it out. Thx.

No nonstops from Hyannis to Providence. Plane would stop in Marthas Vineyard. Think I'd rather just drive.

Whatever you do don't rent from Hertz at the Providence airport. We did last August and spent an hour in line to get our car (we had a reservation). Found out from the agent that this was normal. One of the agents went on break even though there was a huge line of people waiting. I'm not against breaks for people but the place should be better managed so an hour back-up doesn't happen routinely. Then a friend who lives in the area also said that this type of delay was normal with Hertz and recommended that we use Enterprise in the future.