Cape Cod (Hyannis)

New England's classic summer coast: dunes and lighthouses on the National Seashore, the Kennedys' hometown, whale watching from Provincetown and island-hopping by ferry.

Cape Cod is a hook-shaped peninsula jutting into the Atlantic from southeastern Massachusetts, about 1.5 hours' drive from Boston, and New England's quintessential summer getaway. Hyannis, in the middle of the Cape's south shore, is its transport hub and ferry port, as well as the Kennedy family's summer retreat. Locals divide the Cape into four parts: the Upper Cape nearest the mainland (Sandwich, Falmouth and Woods Hole, with the Cape Cod Canal and Heritage Museums & Gardens); the Mid-Cape (Hyannis and Barnstable, with the JFK Hyannis Museum and warm south-shore beaches); the Lower Cape (Brewster, Chatham and Orleans, with tidal flats, lighthouses and seals); and the Outer Cape (Eastham to Provincetown), most of which belongs to the Cape Cod National Seashore, with towering dunes, cliff-backed beaches and several lighthouses. At its tip, Provincetown is an arts town and the departure point for whale watching. Ferries from Hyannis go to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, ideal for day trips. The best season is Jun–Sep, with the warmest water in Jul–Aug, but on weekends the two bridges on and off the Cape are often badly congested; Sep–Oct is quieter and great for cycling; in winter most shops close. A car is recommended; allow 3–5 days. In summer, parking at National Seashore beaches requires a fee; the ocean side has big surf and cold water, and great white sharks are present, so follow beach flags and lifeguard instructions.

Top sights

• Cape Cod National Seashore (Salt Pond Visitor Center) – A national seashore protecting 64 km of the Outer Cape, with dunes, cliff beaches, salt marshes and lighthouses stretching along its length…
• Coast Guard Beach – Often ranked among the best beaches in America, with a white former Coast Guard station standing on the dunes and the Nauset Marsh behind i…
• Provincetown – An art-filled fishing harbor town at the northern tip of Cape Cod, with galleries lining its commercial street. Known for its inclusive spi…
• Provincetown Whale Watching (MacMillan Pier) – Boats leaving MacMillan Pier head out to Stellwagen Bank, where humpback whales often breach. It is one of the best whale-watching spots on…
• Martha's Vineyard – A holiday island reachable by ferry, known for the gingerbread cottages of Oak Bluffs, the white whaling captains' houses of Edgartown and…
• Nantucket – Once the whaling capital of the world, with a cobblestone Main Street, gray shingled houses and a whaling museum all well preserved. The en…
• Nauset Light – The classic red-topped, white lighthouse made famous by Cape Cod potato chip packaging, right beside Nauset Light Beach.
• Fort Hill – A small hill overlooking the Nauset salt marsh, where a boardwalk crosses a red maple swamp, one of Cape Cod's finest short trails.
• Marconi Beach & Marconi Station Site – A narrow beach beneath tall sand cliffs, next to the site of the 1903 radio station that sent the first transatlantic wireless message betw…
• Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary – A salt-marsh sanctuary run by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, with trails to the bay for birdwatching, fiddler crabs and sea turtle resc…
• Highland Light (Cape Cod Light) – Cape Cod's oldest lighthouse, standing on high cliffs in Truro, where you can climb the tower for views over the Outer Cape coastline.
• Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum – A 77 m granite tower commemorating the Mayflower Pilgrims' first landing, with views from the top over the entire hook of Cape Cod.
• Race Point Beach & Province Lands – The northernmost national seashore beach on Cape Cod, with rolling dunes, ocean sunsets, and whales and seals often seen close to shore.
• Cape Cod Rail Trail – A flat cycling path of about 40 km converted from an old railway, passing ponds, pine forests, salt marshes and small towns.
• Brewster Flats – At low tide, Cape Cod Bay exposes several kilometers of tidal flats, where you can walk barefoot toward the horizon, look for hermit crabs…
• Cape Cod Museum of Natural History – A small natural history museum in Brewster showcasing Cape Cod's ecology, with a trail behind it crossing salt marsh to the bay.
• Nauset Beach (Orleans) – One of Cape Cod's longest sand-spit beaches, with big waves for surfing, and lobster rolls and fries from the beach shack as signature trea…
• Chatham Light – A white lighthouse on the Chatham shore; the viewing lot across the way overlooks sandbars, Lighthouse Beach and seals resting on the bars.
• Chatham Fish Pier & Main Street – One of Cape Cod's most New England-flavored towns, where fishing boats return with their catch in the afternoon and seals often beg for scr…
• Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge – A wild sandbar island south of Chatham, home to more than 10,000 gray seals and many seabirds, which you can see up close on a seal-watchin…
• John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum – A Kennedy memorial museum on Hyannis's Main Street, telling the Kennedy family's summers on Cape Cod through a wealth of photographs.
• Hyannis Harbor & Main Street – Cape Cod's transportation hub, with a harbor and commercial street, where harbor cruises offer views of the Kennedy Compound and ferries de…
• Craigville Beach – A broad beach west of Hyannis facing Nantucket Sound, with warmer water and gentle waves that suit family swimming.
• Heritage Museums & Gardens – A 40-hectare garden and museum complex in Sandwich, with a rhododendron garden, a vintage car hall and a hand-carved carousel as highlights.
• Sandwich Glass Museum – A glass museum in Cape Cod's oldest town, showcasing 19th-century Sandwich pressed glass, with live glassblowing demonstrations.
• Cape Cod Canal – The canal that separates Cape Cod from the mainland, with roughly 11 km of flat riding paths on each bank, where you can watch large ships…
• Woods Hole – A marine research village at the southwestern tip of Cape Cod, home to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the main ferry port for…
• Nobska Light – A white cast-iron lighthouse on the headland east of Woods Hole, with views across Vineyard Sound to Martha's Vineyard; one of Cape Cod's m…

Where to eat

• Spanky's Clam Shack and Seaside Saloon – A popular clam shack right on Hyannis Harbor, whose fried whole belly clams and chowder have won multiple local Cape Co…
• Tumi Ceviche – A Peruvian-Italian fusion restaurant tucked in an alley off Main Street, known for its ceviche and handmade pasta.
• The Black Cat Tavern – A long-standing tavern by the Hyannis Harbor docks, famous for its giant lobster rolls and award-winning clam chowder.
• Alberto's Ristorante – A long-standing Main Street Italian restaurant opened in 1984, famous for its signature black-and-white striped lobster…
• Pizza Barbone – A Neapolitan pizzeria on Main Street, using a brick oven imported from Italy to bake pizzas quickly at high heat; recom…
• Sea Street Cafe – A popular brunch spot on Sea Street serving all-day breakfast, renowned for its Lobster and Cape Cod Benedicts.

Itineraries

• New England Six-State Loop – A grand loop from Boston covering all six states, including the Maine Coast, White Mountains, Vermont, the Berkshires…
• Cape Cod, Twin Islands & Provincetown – Stay in different parts of Cape Cod and take day-trip ferries to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, ending with whale wat…