Falmouth to Provincetown

Hi

Travelling over (from UK) for wedding near Falmouth next week. Not been to Cape before. First full day is Friday,wedding is the next day, Saturday, then we want to explore for the next 3 days as we leave on overnight flight Thursday. We are really open minded where to spend the next 3 days, just don%26#39;t want to miss anything amazing! I fancy going up to Provincetown to see the whales etc but open to any suggestions. Can anyone suggest good route to take with interesting places to stop etc. How long would it take? Any other suggestions? Many thanks

Falmouth to Provincetown

It%26#39;s about 60 km. Route 28 is the more local road along the oceanside to Chaltham, Route 6 the main one into Provincetown.

A couple of ideas for brief stops:

One of the National Seashore walks, like White Cedar Swamp, might be nice.

Chatham is a charming little town along the way.

Falmouth to Provincetown

If you will be spending a few days in the Falmouth area then it makes sense to move your base to the lower/outer cape area near the National Seashore and Provincetown for you last few days. Consider staying in Eastham on Fort Hill, our favorite B+B. It has a unique location in the National Seashore, with fabulous views and nature trails. If you stay at the Fort Hill Bed and Breakfast, you can walk right out your door to the water%26#39;s edge or watch the sunrise over the Atlantic. Also, the inn-keepers are really helpful and can give you advice about things to do. From Eastham you can easily take day trips to popular Chatham (20 minutes) or to Provincetown (30 minutes) to shop and whalewatch. If you will not be moving your base and plan to drive to Provincetown from Falmouth, you should figure that it will take about 1.5 hours. If you want a more scenic route then you should take Route 6A which will take you considerably longer. I do not recommend taking Route 28 in the mid-cape area simply because it is a very busy commercial road.

What ever you do , I would say the most memorable views of the beaches, ocean and bays are the things you should not miss.

I can%26#39;t stress enough not to drive 28 or 6 from Falmouth to the outer Cape. That is no way to see and enjoy the Cape along the way. Take 28 north out of Falmouth to Route 6A east before the Bourne Bridge and follow that east all the way to Orleans. That is a quintessential Cape Cod drive. It%26#39;s worth the extra 30-45 minutes drive to the lower/outer Cape. Where you go from there is up to you. You can take 28 north from Orleans ( it%26#39;s 28 north even though your actually driving south) in to Chatham for your base or take route 6 east (even though your driving north) up into the National Seashore towns of Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and P-town. Since your trying to locate a place to stay on short notice, I would get that squared away ASAP. Best of luck and enjoy your Cape Cod visit.

Wow, you have all been so very helpful. Many thanks. I have e mailed the Forth Hill B and B and await their response.

There seems so much on interest in the Cape.Only got one week and 2 1/2 days of that is wedding. We will be free Sunday afternoon till Friday am when we have to get back to Boston for the flight. Do you think we can get up to Provincetown for the Whale watching and also fit in trip to Marthas vinyard / Upper Cape? Can you do the Upper Cape in one day trip or do you need longer and should you really stay here for the night/ I have no idea of distances and ';must sees';!!!

Many thanks

Jean

Hi Jean,

Your starting to get confused about the different areas of Cape Cod. Falmouth is the Upper Cape area. That is also the easiest and cheapest town for taking the ferry to Martha%26#39;s Vineyard. Then the next area heading east is Mid Cape, then Lower Cape is where Chatham is. Finally, the Outer Cape is where the National Seashore towns are. Look at this map. Orange is upper cape, green is mid cape, purple is lower cape and yellow is outer cape. The pinkish island is Martha%26#39;s Vineyard and the blue island is Nantucket.

http://capecodera.com/mapofcapecodma.htm

So, it%26#39;s up to you what to do after your free from the wedding on Sunday afternoon. Do you want to hop on the ferry in Falmouth and go to Martha%26#39;s Vineyard and spend a night there? Then come back on Monday and go to wherever it is you%26#39;ll be staying the rest of the week? You will still have plenty of time left to see the lower and outer Cape areas before leaving for Boston Friday morning. You could even stay two nights on Martha%26#39;s Vineyard if you so choose, come back Tuesday and still have 3 full days and nights left to explore the outer Cape. Spend one day In Chatham, one in Provincetown and still have time for other places to visit. It%26#39;s all up to what you want to do. But yes, you will have time to see most of Cape Cod during your trip. Feel free to let us know if you need more suggestions if you need help planning your holiday.

Thanks again, map was really useful. Starting to make a bit more sense now. I will digest what you have said and, thanks for the offer, will come back to you if I have any more queries. Starting to get excited now! jean

Wil is right about taking the scenic Rte. 6A when you depart Falmouth, and perhaps staying on the Vineyard for your wedding night. It is so pretty there. I have lived in Falmouth most of my life and would be happy to answer any questions you have for restaurants, activities and special places to visit during your wedding. By the way, what church is the blessed event at? We have so many beautiful ones here in town.

Jim

Hey Jim, I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s them getting married, I think they are coming to Falmouth to see someone else get married, lol. But your right, they should get some advice from you while they are there if they need any. Keep up the good work!

Sorry Jean, I missed the ';red eye'; back home. I thought you were leaving Friday during the day, but I guess it%26#39;s VERY late Thursday night or VERY early Friday morning. So, Thursday is your last day. It don%26#39;t matter, you still have plenty of time to look around.

Thanks again! We are staying at Inn on the Sound, Falmouth. I think this is near to the ferry to M V. How long does it take? Should we assume we can spend a whole day there? Can you walk around it all or do you need transport? I expect that we will go on the Monday as that is the day we check out of our Falmouth hotel. Should we leave the car at Falmouth?

If you can see all the delights of MV in a day trip then maybe we should book a hotel back on the main bit? Would it be a long drive back from a day trip to MV if on our return we then drove to Chatham for a few days, or should we spend the night in MV and chill out?

To complicate matters futher there is a gig I wouldn%26#39;t mind seeing in Fall River on the Thursday night. ( I just realised that the Flight home is Friday afternoon, not Thurs!!). Its not crucial though. How does Monday stay at MV, Tuesday and Weds Chatham (or Provincetown or another?) and Thursday Fall River sound? Is there much to do there? I don%26#39;t want to go just for the gig if theres not much else going on.

Thanks, lovely people.

Jean