Arriving at South Station and driving north.

I will be arriving by train at South Station from NYC with my family in mid July at about 1pm.

We will be travelling north to Rockport and then onto Maine for a week. We will return to Boston for one night befor flying back to the UK from Logan Airport.

We have not driven in the USA befor and have read on this forum about difficulties driving through Boston.

Can anyone suggest if there is car rental near South Station and is there a relatively easy route to Rockport from Boston, whilst avoiding heavy traffic.

Arriving at South Station and driving north.

If you%26#39;re in the city, you%26#39;re looking at potential congestion, whichever route you take. Very often alternate routes are helpful if there is a problem on another route. The best way to avoid traffic is to time your drive midday Saturday or Sunday or at off-peak times during the week.

Not sure about car rental near south station, will leave that to someone else...the airport is of course full of car rental places and that%26#39;s accessible from South Station via the Silver Line but there may be car rental closer....I%26#39;m sure someone on here knows...

Arriving at South Station and driving north.

Thanks Queenslace!

There%26#39;s a National Car Rental at 270 Atlantic Ave. It%26#39;s about a 10 minute walk from South Station. You may want to leave the family and luggage at the Station and grab the car yourself. If not, the Silver Line back to the airport was a great idea as well.

Getting to Rockport from Boston is easy. From South Station: continue on Atlantic Ave through two sets of lights. Take exit for 93 North. Follow for 12 or so miles. Look for signs for Rtes 128/95. Take 128/95 North. After 8 or 9 miles 128 and 95 split. Stay on 128 and follow it until it ends(you%26#39;ll have to navigate through 2 rotaries at the end). I would advise going to www.mapquest.com for more detailed directions, especially once you get into Rockport.

If you decide to pick up the rental car at the airport: take rte 1A North to Rte 1 North and that will take you to the 128/95 split.

To avoid heavy traffic don%26#39;t travel between 7-10 am or 4-7 pm on weekdays.

Navigating around South Station can be quite tricky. One way streets, no where to easily stop, etc, etc. The trickiest part about driving in Boston, is navigating the city streets, not the main numbered routes.

My advice would be to go to the airport, get your car and then follow signs to 93N/Rte 128N (aka 95N at this point) then stay on 128N when 95 splits off to Rockport ... OR follow Rte 1A North to 60 West, to 1 North to 128 North (not 95 North at this point) ... to Rockport.

Forgot to mention ... from South Station, take the silver line to the airport, get off at any terminal and grab the correct car rental shuttle bus.

Logan airport is just to the north of the city, on your way to Rockport. You don%26#39;t say how large your family is, but if there are four of you, you should be able to all fit in a cab even with your luggage. Even if you have to take two cabs, I would still take a cab from South Station to whatever rental agency you are going to - frankly I think the idea of a family taking public transportation from South Station to Logan airport would be crazy. It would also be completely nuts to go to Logan to fetch a car and then return to South Station to pick up the rest of your entourage.

You may need to contact your car rental agency in advance to make sure where you actually pick up the keys to your rental car. I assume that if you are renting from Hertz, for example, you can go directly to the Hertz lot, wherever that is, get your keys, and drive from that spot. If we knew exactly what car rental agency you are using we could give more specific advice.

You would do well to rent a car with a GPS device. I bought one recently for $150 but most major rental companies offer them as an add-on. Insist on this - it would be invaluable, worth every penny.

When you return to Boston, drop off your car at the airport and take a cab back into the city for your last night.

Thanks very much everyone.

I like the idea of going over to Logan Airport and hiring the car from there. We have a teenage son, so the trip to Logan should hopefully be straightforward.

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