ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Day 1	BOSTON
Arrive in historic Boston, the “Cradle of the American Revolution” and New England’s premier city. Founded in 1630 by English Puritans, Boston quickly became colonial New England’s largest seaport and remains its cultural and political capital. Get oriented on the Freedom Trail, a self-guided walking tour of historic Boston’s most important revolutionary sites and events

Day 2

BOSTON

A full day to explore Boston and its surroundings. Begin your day rambling through the cobblestone streets and fine brick houses of Beacon Hill, the traditional home of Boston’s “Brahmins”, early Boston’s social, intellectual and artistic elite. Then, cross the Charles River to the vibrant streets of Cambridge and Harvard University, America’s first institute of higher education (1636). Return through Back Bay’s boulevards for stylish shopping and dining, then make your way to the Fenway for the artistic treasures of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts

Day 3

BOSTON » SALEM » PORTSMOUTH » KENNEBUNKPORT / PORTLAND (110 mi / 175 km)

Depart Boston for Salem, famous for the witch trials of 1692. At the Salem Witch Museum, a multimedia presentation (available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian) recalls the witch-hunting hysteria. A pleasant, walkable city, Salem was a major American seaport in the grand age of the sailing. Depart Salem for Ipswich and some of Massachusetts’s tastiest deep-fried clams, then, on a hot day, find a beach along New Hampshire’s short but sandy coastline to refresh yourself in the Atlantic’s cool blue waters. In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the doors of many interesting 17th to 19th-century buildings are open to visitors at Strawberry Banke Museum. Cross into Maine and follow the Atlantic coast to Nubble Light, one of New England’s most photographed lighthouses. In Kennebunkport, swimming, seafood and shopping are the main attractions, and on scenic Ocean Drive you can view the impressive oceanfront estate of the first President Bush. Overnight in Kennebunkport or in Portland

Day 4

KENNEBUNKPORT / PORTLAND » MID-COAST MAINE » BAR HARBOR / ACADIA NATIONAL PARK (180 mi / 285 km)

Life in Portland, scenically situated on Casco Bay, revolves around the waterfront’s Old Port Exchange district, where brick and cast iron buildings house a trendy mix of shops, galleries, and restaurants (only San Francisco has more restaurants per capita). Make a detour to nearby Cape Elizabeth and visit Portland Head Light, one of New England’s oldest (1791) and most dramatic lighthouses. Just north of Portland lies Freeport, Maine’s outlet-shopping mecca. Continue on scenic US Highway 1 to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Suggested stops along the way are the lighthouse at Pemaquid Point, the town of Boothbay Harbor, and the view of Penobscot Bay from Camden Hills State Park. Bar Harbor was once second only to Newport as a summer resort destination for America’s super-wealthy. Today, Bar Harbor welcomes one and all, and keeps them happy with bountiful outdoor activities, abundant restaurants and pubs, as well as a lively nightlife

Day 5

BAR HARBOR / ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

A full day to explore Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The 29 mi / 46 km Park Loop Road, Acadia’s main attraction, skirts the rugged ocean coastline before climbing Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic Coast. Enjoy panoramic vistas of Acadia National Park and the island-dotted Atlantic Ocean on your way to the summit. Other outdoor activities include half-day whale-watching or sailing cruises, swimming, sunbathing, and over 125 mi / 200 kms of hiking and biking trails (rentals available).

Day 6

BAR HARBOR / ACADIA NATIONAL PARK » WHITE MOUNTAINS (NEW HAMPSHIRE) (210 mi / 335 km)

Early risers can watch the sunrise over the Atlantic from atop Cadillac Mountain, then drive on country roads across rural Maine to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Named for their often snow-covered peaks, the White Mountains are the tallest in New England, and the roads through the high mountain passes make for beautiful scenic driving. Take the Mount Washington Auto Road to the highest summit, and you’ll pass through four climate zones, from temperate to tundra

Day 7

WHITE MOUNTAINS (NEW HAMPSHIRE) » GREEN MOUNTAINS (VERMONT) (145 mi / 235 km)

Continue through New Hampshire toward the Green Mountains of Vermont, whose scenic roads, especially spectacular in the fall, seem like a drive into the past and an America that used to be. Dairy farms and covered bridges dot the countryside, and tidy small small towns make for inviting stops along the way. In Stowe, visit Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory, Vermont’s biggest tourist attraction, and the Shelburne Museum near Burlington has one of best collections of American folk art to be found anywhere

Day 8

GREEN MOUNTAINS (VERMONT) » WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS (145 mi / 235 km)

From Vermont, drive south through the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. Visit Stockbridge, the quintessential New England town, where the illustrator Norman Rockwell had his studio and painted nostalgic scenes of American life in a simpler time. His paintings still resonate with many Americans, and a trip to the Norman Rockwell museum offers an insight into how Americans like to picture themselves. From Stockbridge, head east to Sturbridge and Olde Sturbridge Village, a living history museum recreating life in a rural New England village of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The buildings are authentic, and costumed interpreters go about their work using traditional methods of the period.

Day 9

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS » MYSTIC » NEWPORT (RHODE ISLAND) (110 mi / 175 km)

Enter the state of Connecticut on the way to Mystic and Mystic Seaport. Mystic has been a shipbuilding community since the 1600’s, and the Seaport recreates life in a 19th Century seaside village, with tall sailing ships, a working shipyard, shops, stores, and buildings typical of a New England maritime town. Afterwards, drive to Newport, an important colonial port city that evolved into a summer resort for America’s wealthiest families. The large mansions they called their “cottages” still line Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue, and many are open to visitors daily. A variety of American archtecture dating back to the 1600’s can still be seen in downtown Newport

Day 10	NEWPORT (RHODE ISLAND) » CAPE COD (175 mi / 280 km)
Depart at your leisure for Cape Cod. With fishing villages, artists’ homes, and over 500 km of sandy beaches, Cape Cod is New England’s summertime playground. You can visit picturesque villages on your way to colorful Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod, or spend some time relaxing among the sand dunes at Cape Cod National Seashore

Day 11	CAPE COD
A full day to relax and enjoy Cape Cod. Take a ferry from Hyannis for a day trip to the resort islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, or join a whale-watching cruise from Barnstable

Day 12

CAPE COD » PLYMOUTH » BOSTON (75 mi / 120 km)

Depending on your departure flight, there may be time in the morning for a visit to the beach, some antique shopping or a stop in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The first successful English settlement in New England, Plymouth was founded in 1620 by the Puritan Pilgrims after their voyage on the Mayflower. It was in Plymouth that the first Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated, and Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum, recreates the life of the Pilgrims and their Wamponoag Indian neighbors. Continue on to Boston for additional nights, or for your journey home