From Boston and points north: take Interstate 93 to Mass. Rt. 3 South. Go straight ahead at the Sagamore rotary and cross over the Sagamore Bridge, taking Mass. Rt. 6 (also called the Mid-Cape Highway), which extends the entire length of the Cape to Provincetown. Follow Mass. Rt. 6 until you see the name of the town you wish to visit. Exits are well marked. If you wish to visit Falmouth or Woods Hole, do not go over the Sagamore Bridge, but instead take the first right at the Sagamore rotary and take this road just a few miles to the Bourne Bridge. Cross over the Bourne Bridge and continue south on Mass. Rt. 28.

From Springfield, Massachusetts, and points west: Take the Mass Pike, Interstate 90 East and follow it to Exit 11A; take Interstate 495 South. I-495 merges into Mass. Rt. 25. Follow this road over the Bourne Bridge. If you are going to Falmouth or Woods Hole, go halfway around the rotary where Mass. Rt. 28 leads you on your way. If you are heading to any other town, go three-quarters around the Bourne Rotary, where you will see a sign for U.S. Rt. 6 East, a road which winds along the Cape Cod Canal. Follow this road to the first set of traffic lights, just before the Sagamore Bridge. Take a right at the lights to U.S. Rt. 6 (Mid-Cape Highway) and follow this road until you reach your exit.

From New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and points south: Take Interstate 95 to Providence, Rhode Island. Take exit 20 to I-195 East. Follow this to Mass. Rt. 25 South, which leads to the Bourne Bridge. If you are going to Falmouth or Woods Hole, go halfway around the rotary where Mass. Rt. 28 leads you to your destination. Otherwise, if you are heading to any other town, go three-quarters around the Bourne Rotary and pick up U.S. Rt. 6 East. Follow this to the first set of lights and go right onto Route 6. Exit U.S. Rt. 6 at the appropriate turning for the town you wish to visit.

Most people do, in fact, come to the Cape by automobile--more than 50,000 vehicles per day during the popular summer months. As you can imagine, at that time the major routes can be busy. The Friday evening and Saturday morning approach to the Cape toward both Sagamore and Bourne bridges is usually quite busy, and often traffic will be brought to a crawl for the last mile or two until you cross the bridge. This is because vacation rentals turn over on Saturday mornings, occasionally resulting in a Saturday afternoon backup going off-Cape, but most folks find a way to stay on the Cape one more day, meaning that the Sunday afternoon traffic usually backs up two or three miles going off-Cape.

Most of the radio stations have "travel reports" airing frequently Friday through Sunday in the summer for your convenience. Another great way to avoid traffic before you leave the house or motel is to call SmartTraveler at (617) 374-1234 (*1 on your cell phone) for up-to-the-minute information on traffic. This service employs cameras and airplanes to determine current traffic problems.

The Mid-Cape Highway, technically U.S. Rt. 6, is the main traffic artery, running down the middle of the Cape as far as Orleans. It then continues as U.S. Rt. 6 to Provincetown. From the canal to Dennis, the Mid-Cape Highway is a two-lane divided highway; the speed limit is
55 mph. After Dennis (Exit 9) the road then becomes, for a 13-mile stretch to Orleans, a two-lane highway (one lane going west, one going east) dubbed Suicide Alley by locals. As the highway narrows into this stretch there's bound to be a bit of congestion, especially in the summer on a busy Saturday morning, so watch out for this area if you're traveling at that time. Posted signs suggest that you use your headlights as you travel this 50-mph stretch, even during daylight hours, to increase visibility. At the Orleans rotary, U.S. Rt. 6 once again widens to two lanes through Eastham, and then narrows again from time to time during the stretch from Wellfleet to Provincetown. Since U.S. Rt. 6 is the only major thoroughfare on Cape Cod, state police patrol these routes routinely. Also, U.S. Rt. 6 from Wellfleet to Provincetown is narrow and prone to accidents, so please be careful, especially when making left-hand turns, and do not speed--especially from the Orleans rotary to Provincetown--as the police will not be lenient.

Mass. Rt. 28 handles traffic south of U.S. Rt. 6, and Mass. Rt. 6A handles it to the north. Both these routes are more scenic and slower than U.S. Rt. 6. Mass. Rt. 28 connects most of the Cape business districts along the south coast. Mass. Rt. 6A is more of country road, leading to many of the Cape's cozy inns and antique shops along the north shore. It has been rated one of the top scenic drives in the country (see our Tours and Excursions chapter). These three roads--U.S. Rt. 6, Mass. Rt. 28, and Mass. Rt. 6A-- originate at the canal bridges, spread out over the Upper and Mid-Cape and then converge at the Orleans-Eastham rotary on the Lower Cape, with U.S. Rt. 6 alone carrying you northward from Eastham to Provincetown.

In many towns, Mass. Rt. 6A is also known as Main Street, as is Mass. Rt. 28 in some towns. But some towns have other Main Streets. To avoid confusion, we have decided to use route numbers throughout this book wherever applicable.

The Cape has some notable traffic circles called rotaries--approximately 19 of them. For those not familiar with rotaries, also called roundabouts, here's an explanation: their purpose is to provide you with an opportunity to continue on your way without having to stop at major intersections. The traffic in a rotary travels counterclockwise. In other words, you can only turn right into or off of a rotary. The law dictates that you yield to a car already in the rotary, rather like merging onto the highway--wait for a gap in the traffic and then ease into that spot. Be patient when entering and driving around a rotary. Usually the signs are pretty good and you can read each one quickly as you enter the rotary so you'll know which road you need to take. If you do get confused and miss your turnoff, don't panic! Instead of slamming on your brakes (the last thing you want to do in a rotary!), simply drive around again in a circle.

Just where will you find some of these rotaries? The Sagamore rotary is on the mainland side of the bridge and connects Mass. Rt. 3 with U.S. Rt. 6, the main highway of the Cape, which travels from the Bourne Bridge up to the Sagamore rotary and then over the bridge through to Provincetown. The Bourne rotary lies on the Cape side of the Bourne Bridge (look for the topiary that spells out "Cape Cod"). At this rotary you can connect with Mass. Rt. 28, which hugs Buzzards Bay and the southern coast of the Cape and temporarily joins with Mass. Rt. 28A before branching out to Orleans. You can also go three-quarters around the rotary and pick up Mass. Rt. 6A, which runs from Bourne, along the canal, past U.S. Rt. 6 and then turns sharply to hug the northern coast of the Cape. Mass. Rt. 6A ends at the Eastham-Orleans rotary, though it resurfaces for a 10.5-mile stretch from Truro to Provincetown.

Perhaps the best way to get a real feel for the Cape is to approach it by air. On a clear day you can see it all. You'll notice the relationships between the Cape peninsula and the two islands to the south, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and you may even be able to see Monomoy Island off Chatham and the Elizabeth Islands off Falmouth. Even Cape residents are surprised by just how narrow this land looks from the sky.

Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis is the Cape's main airport. It should also be noted that this airport has no fancy boutiques and no food courts--just friendly local people willing and able to assist you with your travel questions. The Cape also has several other smaller airports, sometimes just a runway or two, which, with the exception of the Provincetown Airport, only serve private planes. Once you arrive at Barnstable, there are plenty of car-rental options right at the airport.

Cape Air is the carrier that offers the most daily flights into Hyannis and Provincetown. It is an employee-owned company with top-quality service and loads of experience. Always call two hours ahead of your flight departure time to guarantee that your flight is taking off. Even with the most sophisticated of flight equipment, the fog can sock you in for a couple hours.

Fly to Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis on Cape Air from Boston and Providence, or on US Airways Express from Boston and New York.

Fly to Nantucket on Cape Air from Boston, New Bedford, Providence, Hyannis, and Martha's Vineyard; or on US Airways Express from New York, Boston, Hyannis, and Martha's Vineyard; To fly to Nantucket from Hyannis, you can take Nantucket Airlines and Island Airlines.

Fly to Martha's Vineyard on Cape Air from Boston, New Bedford, Providence, Hyannis and Nantucket. Or you can use US Airways Express from New York, Boston, Hyannis, and Nantucket.