Boston to Salem?

[Mintycake]

We are taking a cruise out of Boston and arriving a few days early.  We would like to go to Salem.  Are you able to Uber from Boston to Salem?  and approximately how long should we budget for walking around Salem and doing the museum?

[Nitemare]

You can Uber anywhere.  You can also take MBTA Commuter Rail or a Ferry boat from Boston to Salem.   You can walk as little or as much as you want in Salem.  Which museum are you referring to?  Salem has more than one!  The PEM is the best one, IMHO

[1025cruise]

I would not recommend Uber from Boston to Salem. Will cost a fortune. When are you in Boston? October is a very busy time both for Boston and for Salem.

[Mangrove Snapper]

I would take the T to Salem.  It takes about 30 minutes from North Station to Salem.  When you get closer to your trip, you can take a look at the schedule https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Newburyport/timetable

 

 

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, Mintycake said:

We would like to go to Salem.  Are you able to Uber from Boston to Salem?

I Ubered there a few months back from downtown Boston-- it's not that bad. It cost like $60 one way and $50 back. If you want to knock it out and not waste time with public transportation using Uber isn't egregious. 

 

2 hours ago, Mintycake said:

and approximately how long should we budget for walking around Salem and doing the museum?

It's a small/medium sized town and doesn't take a ton of time to see. I find most of the witch related things (which aren't historic) to be a bit tacky. The Peabody Essex Museum is wonderful and a main reason for going. It's not a large museum-- maybe a little over an hour or 2 at most to see a lot of it. 

If you do use Uber maybe use it strategically to tour-- on the way back, instead of taking you back to the center of Boston, have it drop you at Charlestown Navy Yard to see the USS Constitution and then take the little harbor ferry back to downtown at Long Wharf/Faneuil Hall area.  

[Mintycake]

23 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I would not recommend Uber from Boston to Salem. Will cost a fortune. When are you in Boston? October is a very busy time both for Boston and for Salem.

will be in August

[Peace2U]

The ferry was interesting and scenic. Cheap too.

[roupa]

I just read that you will be in Boston in August.   Hopefully not hot and humid, but be prepared!

Enjoy Boston from every angle. Enjoy Salem however you get there!

And a heads up for anyone reading this who might be considering Salem during Halloween week(s)….don’t!  It’s always mega crowded. Last October, the traffic was record-breaking and admittance to the town was stopped at some point!

[princeton123211]

On 5/20/2024 at 8:36 PM, roupa said:

And a heads up for anyone reading this who might be considering Salem during Halloween week(s)….don’t!  It’s always mega crowded.

Always a disaster. 

[tetleytea]

Touring Salem was an all-day affair.   I had to go back and do another full day, and both times were in the summer.  If your mode of transportation allows it, the nighttime ghost tours are good (albeit a bit late, in the summer).  I made the mistake of being all joking about it when the guide said, "there are ghosts here...and there...," etc..   Turns out the guide really believed it.  He was a Wiccan reverend.

 

[CruzCra-Z]

On 5/22/2024 at 11:26 AM, princeton123211 said:

Always a disaster. 

what exactly made it a disaster?  was it the crowds or more?

[princeton123211]

18 minutes ago, CruzCra-Z said:

what exactly made it a disaster?  was it the crowds or more?

Just mobbed. No parking. Its a smaller town and was never designed for the sheer number of people who show up. Visit early in October but stay away during the weekends adjacent to Halloween. 

[CruzCra-Z]

24 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Just mobbed. No parking. Its a smaller town and was never designed for the sheer number of people who show up. Visit early in October but stay away during the weekends adjacent to Halloween. 

thanks, that makes me feel better. I've been to Boston several times but never Salem. So even if we just run there to fight the crowds for a couple of hours I'm good with that. 😆

[princeton123211]

57 minutes ago, CruzCra-Z said:

thanks, that makes me feel better. I've been to Boston several times but never Salem. So even if we just run there to fight the crowds for a couple of hours I'm good with that. 😆

If you're going from Boston around Halloween take the train (and there could be a high speed ferry running but not sure if that came back)-- parking is nearly impossible and traffic in and out of the town is bad. 

 

The top reasons to even go for me at least is the House of the Seven Gables (if you're a Nathaniel Hawthorne fan) and especially the truly excellent Peabody Essex Museum. The rest is just a bunch of made up "witch" museums and other hokey attractions that have very little based in historical fact. 

 

It is a nice town most of the year but it really is a miserable experience around Halloween when there are peak crowds. 

[Nitemare]

The ferry does run, but may stop before late October as it's not so great an experience in cold weather