Maine Road Trip Itinerary: One Week

Starting from Boston? See our shorter guide to a Maine road trip from Boston, with stops and drive times.

This is the route we’d give a friend visiting Maine for the first time. We’ve driven every road on this itinerary dozens of times over 30 years, and the stops that survive the cut are the ones that consistently deliver, not the ones with the best marketing. A week is enough to cover the arc of Maine’s coast: the beaches and lobster shacks of southern Maine, the harbor towns of the midcoast, and the mountains and ocean of Acadia. It is designed for a first-time visitor who wants the essentials without rushing, with room to linger where you fall in love.

The best one-week Maine road trip runs up the coast in seven days: Ogunquit and Kennebunkport, Portland, the Midcoast (Boothbay Harbor, Rockland and Camden), then two days in Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. Most days involve under two hours of driving. The return south on Day 7 is the longest.

Best time: Late June through September. September is the best overall: crowds drop after Labor Day, the weather is excellent, and foliage begins developing by late September. Reservations: Book lodging well in advance for July and August, especially in Bar Harbor. Acadia requires a park pass and, in season, a vehicle reservation for the Cadillac Summit Road (booked on recreation.gov), so check current rules before you go. See our guide to the best time to visit Maine.

The Week at a Glance

• Day 1: Ogunquit and Kennebunkport, then Portland (sleep in Portland)
• Day 2: Portland and Cape Elizabeth (sleep in Portland)
• Day 3: Wiscasset, Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor (sleep in Boothbay Harbor)
• Day 4: Rockland and Camden (sleep in Camden)
• Day 5: Drive to Bar Harbor, Acadia Park Loop Road (sleep in Bar Harbor)
• Day 6: More Acadia (sleep in Bar Harbor)
• Day 7: Drive south on Route 1

Day 1: Ogunquit, Kennebunkport and Portland

Driving up from Boston, take the beach towns on the way. Start in Ogunquit: walk the Marginal Way cliff path, have lunch at Perkins Cove and swim at Ogunquit Beach. Then drive about 15 minutes north to Kennebunkport: drive Ocean Avenue past Walker’s Point and explore Dock Square. Finish the day in Portland. Flying into Portland instead? Skip these two stops or save them for a half-day trip, and begin with Day 2. See our Ogunquit and Kennebunkport guides.

Day 2: Portland

Spend a full day in Maine’s most interesting city. Walk the Old Port, visit the Portland Museum of Art (budget two hours for the Homer and Wyeth collections), and walk the Eastern Promenade for views across Casco Bay. In the afternoon, drive to Cape Elizabeth for Portland Head Light (see our best lighthouses in Maine). For dinner, Eventide Oyster Co. and Fore Street are two of Portland’s best-known restaurants, so book ahead. See our Things to Do in Portland Maine guide.

Day 3: Wiscasset, Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor

Drive north on Route 1. Day 3 has more options than you can do, so pick two. Freeport is on the way if you want L.L.Bean (see our L.L.Bean Freeport guide), and Popham Beach is a side trip near Phippsburg (see our Popham Beach guide). In Wiscasset, try a lobster roll at Red’s Eats (seasonal, with long lines) and walk the historic district. In Damariscotta, try local oysters at King Eider’s Pub. Finish in Boothbay Harbor with an afternoon boat tour and dinner at The Lobster Dock. See our Wiscasset, Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor guides.

Day 4: Rockland and Camden

Rockland: Visit the Farnsworth Art Museum (two hours minimum, for the Wyeth family collection) and walk the breakwater out to the lighthouse. Camden: Have lunch at the harbor, hike Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park for sweeping Penobscot Bay views, and take an evening sunset sail on a harbor schooner (see our Maine windjammer cruises guide). See our Rockland guide and Camden versus Bar Harbor.

Day 5: Acadia National Park

Drive from Camden to Bar Harbor (about 2 hours). Start at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, which is open seasonally. Drive the Park Loop Road: Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, Otter Cliffs and Jordan Pond. Have lunch at the Jordan Pond House for the famous popovers, then take an afternoon bike ride on the carriage roads. For dinner in Bar Harbor, try Havana or Cafe This Way, and confirm hours before you go. See our Acadia National Park guide and Bar Harbor restaurants guide.

Day 6: More Acadia

Choose your second Acadia day. Schoodic Peninsula is the less crowded mainland section, with dramatic coastline at Schoodic Point. The Quiet Side of Mount Desert Island has the Acadia Mountain hike with Somes Sound views, Bass Harbor Head Light and Thurston’s Lobster Pound in Bernard. Or take a whale watching tour from the Bar Harbor pier in the morning, where humpback, finback and minke whales are regularly seen. See our best time to visit Bar Harbor guide.

Day 7: Return South

Take Route 1 south at a relaxed pace. Good stops: the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory in Prospect (a rare bridge observatory with views up the Penobscot River, open seasonally), Belfast for a good downtown and dining, Lincolnville Beach for a last Maine swim on Penobscot Bay, and Brunswick for the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (free admission). Portland is about 3.5 hours from Bar Harbor without stops, and Boston is roughly 5 to 6 hours.

Where to Stay Each Night

• Night 1 and 2: Portland. For a beach-town night instead, see Ogunquit or Kennebunk.
• Night 3: Boothbay Harbor
• Night 4: Camden, or Rockland for lower prices
• Nights 5 and 6: Bar Harbor. Book first, since it fills earliest.

Practical Notes

• Driving: Portland to Bar Harbor is about 3.5 hours without stops. Total driving for the week is roughly 8 to 10 hours before the trip home, which is very manageable.
• Lobster: Eat it early and often. A whole steamed lobster at a working lobster pound is one of the best food experiences Maine offers. See our Maine lobster roll guide.
• Cell service: Reliable in cities, spotty between towns. Download offline maps before leaving any city.
• Weather: Variable. Pack layers and rain gear regardless of the forecast.

Customize Your Week

Consider swapping Day 2 for Downeast Maine (Eastport, Lubec, West Quoddy Head) if you want the most remote Maine coast. See our Downeast Maine road trip guide. Or replace Days 3 to 5 with a windjammer cruise from Camden or Rockland, or add a Monhegan Island day trip from Boothbay Harbor (see our Monhegan Island day trip guide). To compare more places, see our best places to visit in Maine, and traveling with children? See Maine with kids.

📌 Visiting in late July or August? Add wild blueberry picking to your itinerary. Read our complete Maine wild blueberry picking guide. The Washington County barrens are one of Maine’s most distinctive seasonal experiences.

About MaineGuide.com: MaineGuide.com has been helping visitors plan their Maine trips since 1995, making us one of the longest-running and most comprehensive Maine travel resources on the web. Our guides are built on decades of firsthand Maine knowledge, local expertise, and a genuine love for the state.

One-Week Maine Road Trip FAQ

What is a good one-week Maine road trip itinerary?

A classic week covers the coast from south to north: start with the southern beaches (Ogunquit and Kennebunkport), spend a day in Portland, head up the Midcoast (Boothbay Harbor, Rockland and Camden), then finish with two days in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. It hits the highlights with reasonable driving each day.

How many days do you need to see Maine’s coast?

A week is ideal for the classic route from the southern beaches to Acadia, with time in Portland, the Midcoast harbor towns and Bar Harbor without rushing. Five days is doable if focused, and ten days lets you add Downeast, the western mountains or the North Woods.

What is the best time for a Maine road trip?

Summer (late June to August) has the warmest weather and everything open, while September brings fewer crowds and pleasant weather. Foliage starts inland in late September and reaches the coast in early to mid October. Summer is best for beaches and boat tours, and fall for foliage and quieter roads.

How far is Portland from Bar Harbor?

Portland to Bar Harbor is roughly 175 to 200 miles depending on the route, or about 3.5 hours of driving without stops.

Where should I fly into for a Maine road trip?

Portland International Jetport is the most convenient airport for this route. Many visitors also fly into Boston and drive up, which adds about two hours before Portland. See our Maine road trip from Boston.

Do I need reservations for Acadia National Park?

You need a park pass, and in season a vehicle reservation is required for the Cadillac Summit Road. Requirements change from year to year, so check the National Park Service and recreation.gov before you go.

Planning a visit? See our Fort Knox hours, tickets and observatory guide.