Planning a Trip

Getting There

After crossing the Sagamore Bridge, head east on Route 6 or 6A to Orleans, and then north on Route 6.

If you plan to spend your entire vacation in Provincetown, you don't need a car because everything is within walking or biking distance. And since parking is a hassle in this tiny town, consider leaving your car at home and taking a boat from Boston or Plymouth. Another advantage is that you'll get to skip the horrendous Sagamore Bridge traffic jams and arrive like the Pilgrims did.

Bay State Cruises (tel. 617/748-1428; www.baystatecruises.com) makes round-trips from Boston, daily from May to early October.

The high-speed Provincetown Express boat takes 90 minutes and makes three round-trips daily. It leaves Commonwealth Pier at Boston's World Trade Center at 8am, 1pm, and 5:30pm. On the return trip, it leaves Provincetown at 10am, 3pm, and 7:30pm. Tickets on the high-speed boat cost $44 one-way, $69 round-trip for adults. Seniors are $40 one-way and $65 round-trip. Children 4 to 11 are $28 one-way, $45 round-trip. Reservations are recommended.

The regular 3-hour boat, called Provincetown II, leaves Boston's Commonwealth Pier on Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30am and arrives in Provincetown at 12:30pm. At 3:30pm, the boat leaves Provincetown, arriving in Boston at 6:30pm. It runs daily late June through Labor Day and on weekends in May and mid- to late September. On the slow boat, round-trip fare is $33 for adults, $24 for seniors, and free for children 3 to 12.

Boston Harbor Cruises (tel. 617/227-4321; www.bostonharborcruises.com) runs fast ferries from Long Wharf in Boston to Provincetown's MacMillan Wharf. It's a 90-minute trip. In high season, there are two or three round-trips a day from Boston, leaving at 9am and 2pm, with an additional 6:30pm trip Thursdays to Sundays. The boat leaves from Provincetown at 11am and 4pm, with an additional 8:30pm trip on Thursdays through Sundays. In the shoulder season, beginning in late May to mid-June and from early September to mid-October, there are one or two trips a day. Ferry tickets cost $45 one-way, $70 round-trip for adults. Tickets for seniors cost $40 one-way, $65 round-trip; and tickets for children cost $35 one-way, $60 round-trip. Bikes cost $5 each way. Reservations are a must on this popular boat.

Capt. John Boats (tel. 508/747-2400; www.provincetownferry.com) connects Plymouth and Provincetown daily, weather permitting, mid-June through Labor Day; Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday in September; and weekends only from late May to mid-June. The 90-minute boat ride leaves the state pier in Plymouth at 10am; it leaves Provincetown at 4:30pm. The adult round-trip fare is $37, seniors $30, children under 12 $25; bikes are $5 extra.

You can also fly into Provincetown. Cape Air (tel. 800/352-0714; www.flycapeair.com) offers flights from Boston in season. The trip takes about 25 minutes and costs $200 to $250 round-trip.

As far as getting around once you're settled, you can enjoy the vintage fleet of the Mercedes Cab Company (tel. 508/487-3333). They charge only $6 per person to take passengers from MacMillan Pier to just about anywhere in town.

Visitor Information

Contact the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce, 307 Commercial St., Provincetown, MA 02657 (tel. 508/487-3424; fax 508/487-8966; www.ptownchamber.com), open late May to mid-September daily from 9am to 5pm (call for off-season hours); the gay-oriented Provincetown Business Guild, 115 Bradford St., P.O. Box 421, Provincetown, MA 02657 (tel. 800/637-8696 or 508/487-2313; fax 508/487-1252; www.ptown.org), open Monday to Friday from 9am to noon and 12:30 to 2pm; or the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Cybercafe -- To check your e-mail, surf online, or just hang out with techies, stop by Cyber Cove, an Internet lounge on the second floor of Whalers' Wharf at 237 Commercial St. (tel. 508/487-7778). It's open Monday to Saturday 9am to 9pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm.

Getting Around

Parking is at a premium in Provincetown. Illegally parked cars are ticketed (even on Sun), and repeat offenders will be towed. If your inn provides parking, you may want to keep your car there and get around on foot, bicycle, or shuttle. Provincetown's Summer Shuttle (tel. 800/352-7155) loops through town daily every 20 minutes late June to mid-September from 7am to 12:30am, traveling all along Bradford Street, to MacMillan Wharf off Commercial Street, and all the way to North Truro. The beach loop travels to Herring Cove every 20 minutes from 9am to 7pm. Riders may flag down the bus at any intersection on Bradford Street. Service continues through October in Provincetown only, without the Truro stops. All rides cost $1 for adults, 50¢ for seniors and kids 6 to 17.