Maine has more beautiful towns than almost any state in the country, and the hard part is choosing. In three decades running Maine’s resource guide, we have come to know these places in every season. Below are the ten most beautiful towns in Maine, from working harbors to mountain villages, with an honest word on what makes each one worth the trip.
The most beautiful towns in Maine are Camden, Castine, Stonington, Ogunquit, Bar Harbor, Rockland, Boothbay Harbor, Wiscasset, Rangeley, and Kennebunkport. Each is described in detail below.
1. Camden
Camden is the quintessential Maine coastal town, where the Camden Hills rise directly from Penobscot Bay. Camden is often called the jewel of the Maine coast. Its harbor, filled with windjammer schooners, sits beneath Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park, where a short drive or hike delivers a sweeping view over the bay. The elegant, walkable downtown completes the picture. Read our full guide to Camden.
2. Castine
Castine is one of the most beautiful and historic villages in New England, with elm-lined streets and 400 years of history. Castine is a quiet peninsula town on Penobscot Bay with a stunning historic district of Federal and Georgian homes, a genuine claim as one of the oldest towns in New England, and a peacefulness that has drawn artists for over a century. Read our full guide to Castine.
3. Stonington
Stonington is the most beautiful working harbor in Maine, at the tip of Deer Isle. Stonington is a genuine lobstering village where the working waterfront, granite-quarry heritage, and an artists colony anchored by the Haystack school combine into something no tourist-built town can replicate. Read our full guide to Stonington.
4. Ogunquit
Ogunquit is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in New England and the scenic Marginal Way. Ogunquit, whose name means beautiful place by the sea, pairs a three-mile sandy beach with the cliffside Marginal Way walk and a vibrant arts scene, making it the prettiest of Maine southern beach towns. Read our full guide to Ogunquit.
5. Bar Harbor
Bar Harbor is the most dramatic setting of any Maine town, at the gateway to Acadia National Park. Bar Harbor sits where the mountains of Mount Desert Island meet the Atlantic. No other Maine town offers this combination of rugged national-park scenery, island light, and a lively downtown. Read our full guide to Bar Harbor.
6. Rockland
Rockland is a working waterfront city with a world-class art museum and the Breakwater Lighthouse. Rockland blends a genuine harbor, the Farnsworth Art Museum with its major Wyeth works, and the nearly mile-long granite breakwater walk to its lighthouse. Beauty with substance and no pretension. Read our full guide to Rockland.
7. Boothbay Harbor
Boothbay Harbor is the classic picture-postcard Maine harbor village. Boothbay Harbor is the harbor town most people picture when they imagine coastal Maine: a working harbor ringed by shops and seafood, a pedestrian footbridge across the water, and the spectacular Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens nearby. Read our full guide to Boothbay Harbor.
8. Wiscasset
Wiscasset is often called the prettiest village in Maine. Wiscasset earns its title with historic sea-captain homes, antique shops, and a walkable downtown on the Sheepscot River, plus the state most famous lobster shacks flanking the Route 1 bridge. Read our full guide to Wiscasset.
9. Rangeley
Rangeley is the most beautiful of Maine mountain-and-lake towns. Rangeley sits amid the western mountains and lakes, where the Height of Land overlook on Route 17 offers what many consider the single finest view in New England, especially ablaze in fall foliage. Read our full guide to Rangeley.
10. Kennebunkport
Kennebunkport is the most elegant of Maine coastal resort towns. Kennebunkport combines a picturesque harbor, historic sea-captain mansions, Dock Square shops, and Goose Rocks Beach into the polished, classic New England coastal experience. Read our full guide to Kennebunkport.
Most Beautiful Towns in Maine: FAQ
What is the most beautiful town in Maine?
Camden is the most frequently named as the most beautiful town in Maine, prized for its harbor set beneath the Camden Hills on Penobscot Bay. Castine, Stonington, and Bar Harbor are also leading contenders, each beautiful in a different way: historic village, working harbor, and national-park gateway respectively.
What is the prettiest coastal town in Maine?
Camden and Boothbay Harbor are the prettiest classic coastal harbor towns, while Ogunquit is the prettiest of the southern beach towns and Stonington the most beautiful working lobster harbor. All sit directly on the water.
What is the prettiest inland town in Maine?
Rangeley is widely considered the most beautiful inland town in Maine, set among the western mountains and lakes, with the famous Height of Land overlook nearby. It is especially stunning during fall foliage in early October.
Planning a trip built around these towns? See our Maine city guides, our guide to the best beaches in Maine, and our fall foliage guide for the best time to see them at their most beautiful. MaineGuide.com has been Maine’s resource guide since 1995.
See also: The Best Things to Do in Maine.