Getting There

By Car

Coming from the New York area, two main interstate highway corridors serve northern New England. I-91 heads more or less due north from Hartford, Connecticut, through Massachusetts and along the Vermont-New Hampshire border. I-95 parallels the Atlantic coast through Boston, after which it strikes northeast across New Hampshire and along the southern Maine coast before heading north toward the Canadian border.

From Boston, you can head north on I-95 for Maine, or take I-93 for New Hampshire and the White Mountains. In Concord, New Hampshire, I-89 departs from I-93 northwest toward Burlington, Vermont.

If scenery is your priority, the most picturesque way to enter northern New England is from the west. Drive through New York's scenic Adirondack Mountains to Port Kent, New York, on Lake Champlain, and then catch the memorable car ferry across the lake to Burlington.

By Train

Train service to northern New England is very limited. Amtrak's Vermonter departs Washington, D.C., with stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York before following the Connecticut River northward. Stops in Vermont include Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Claremont (New Hampshire), White River Junction, Randolph, Montpelier, Waterbury, Burlington/Essex Junction, and St. Albans. A bus connection takes passengers on to Montreal. The Ethan Allen Express departs New York and travels northward up the Hudson River Valley and into the Adirondacks before veering over to Vermont and terminating at Rutland. Buses continue on to Killington and northward to Middlebury and Burlington.

After more than a decade of delays, Amtrak finally relaunched rail service to Maine in December 2001, restoring a line that had been discontinued in the 1960s. The Down Easter now operates between North Station in Boston and Portland, with intermediate stops at Haverhill, Massachusetts; Exeter, Durham, and Dover, New Hampshire; and Wells, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Travel time is about 2 hours and 45 minutes between Boston and Portland, with that duration expected to decrease as track upgrades are completed. Bikes may be loaded and off-loaded at Boston, Wells, and Portland. Four trips daily are offered.

For more information on train service, contact Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com).

By Bus

Express bus service is well run if a bit spotty in northern New England. You'll be able to reach the major cities and tourist destinations by bus, but few of the smaller towns or villages. Tickets range from about $20 one-way for Boston to Portland, to $45 for Boston to Burlington. Taking the bus requires no advance planning or reservations.

Two major bus lines serve northern New England. Vermont Transit Lines (tel. 800/451-3292 or 800/642-3133; www.vermonttransit.com) is affiliated with Greyhound and serves all three states with frequent departures from Boston. Concord Trailways (tel. 800/639-3317; www.concordtrailways.com) serves New Hampshire and Maine, including some smaller towns in the Lake Winnipesaukee and White Mountains area. Concord Trailways buses are a bit more luxurious (and a few dollars more expensive) than Vermont Transit, and often entertain travelers with movies and music (piped through headphones) en route.