Thousands of out-of-state tourists and Bay Staters flock to beaches, restaurants, vacation homes, resorts and hotels on Cape Cod in the spring, summer and fall.

While the seasonal appeals of the Cape are numerous, it doesn’t take much to describe the headaches of getting there.

Hours-long, traffic-clogged drives. Crossing over the bottlenecked aging Cape Cod Canal bridges set to be replaced in the coming years. And sometimes the hunt for a parking spot once you reach your destination can be maddening.

Travelers willing to ditch their automobiles have several alternatives to reach the peninsula from the mainland — from ferries, to a train, and airplanes.

Provincetown Ferries

In August, MassLive hopped aboard a ferry to experience traveling from the state’s largest city to the Cape.

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Boston-Provincetown Ferry

Two ferry services run daily between Boston and Provincetown, primarily from late spring into early fall — Boston Harbor City Cruises and Bay State Cruise Company.

For our ride, MassLive opted for the City Cruises ferry, which travels between Long Wharf in Boston (next to the New England Aquarium) and MacMillan Pier in Provincetown.

After purchasing tickets online, passengers receive a digital QR code via email that they can scan at boarding. Passengers can also download a digital ticket with the same QR code to the wallet app on their mobile devices.

City Cruises recommends arriving at the ferry terminal half an hour before the scheduled departure time.

The Provincetown fast ferry operated by City Cruises takes about 90 minutes each way between the city and Cape Cod.

In good weather and water conditions, passengers can sit outside on the upper decks and get stunning views of the Boston skyline, Boston Harbor, its islands and Provincetown, but expect some blustery winds if you sit up here.

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For a more controlled environment, indoor seating is available on the lower and middle decks, arranged in rows and at tables.

Passengers can still observe the outdoors through large glass windows while also tuning into news broadcasts on mounted TVs indoors, grabbing refreshments and snacks from the full-service bar and asking questions to the crew at the concierge desk. Restrooms are available on board as well.

According to its 2025 Provincetown ferry schedule, Boston Harbor City Cruises begins daily service one time each way in mid-May, before picking up frequency on weekdays and weekends for the bulk of the summer between early June and the start of September.

Service then begins slowing in September, before coming to a halt in late October. Special increased ferry service times are available on select holidays and holiday weekends.

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If there are anticipated rough sea conditions, City Cruises will send email and text alerts to passengers ahead of their voyage to specify whether the ferry service will continue as planned or has been delayed or canceled.

In cases of rough sea alerts, the company also offers passengers the ability to reschedule travel to a future date to avoid the choppy waters.

In instances of rough seas, the crew assists passengers experiencing seasickness, reduces the feelings of nausea by passing out ginger chew candies, and provides precautionary measures such as sick bags.

In such conditions, the open-air upper deck may be also closed off to passenger seating for most of the journey across Cape Cod Bay, too.

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A ferry boat from Bay State Cruise Company departing from MacMillan Pier in Provincetown.Chris McLaughlin

Bay State Cruise Company is the other company that offers fast-ferry service between Boston and Provincetown.

Bay State’s Boston dock is located at 200 Seaport Blvd. in the Seaport on the east side of Commonwealth Pier and the World Trade Center. This ferry arrives about 95 minutes after departing Boston at MacMillan Pier in Provincetown.

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According to Bay State, the 2025 ferry schedule features consistent daily service from mid-May through late October, with at least three voyages back and forth daily during this period.

From late-October through early-December, ferry service is available once each way between Boston and Provincetown on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. These ferries take about 100 minutes each way, based on Bay State’s listed schedule.

Additionally, travelers from the South Shore can take a 90-minute fast ferry between Plymouth and Provincetown, operated by Captain John Boats.

The Plymouth to Provincetown fast ferry docks at State Pier, located at 77 Water St. in Plymouth, and at MacMillan Pier in Provincetown, according to its website.

Travel by boat is one of the more efficient ways of reaching Provincetown, a hub and haven for LGBTQ+ visitors, which is situated at the very tip of Cape Cod — thus making it the farthest drive of any of the Cape communities for those coming from the mainland.

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Parking is limited and may be restricted in downtown Provincetown, especially during busier times in the summer, such as Carnival week in August.

Travelers arriving by boat can quickly either board or come ashore at the centrally located MacMillan Pier or the town marina.

Once travelers are on the ground, the core of Provincetown lies on a walkable axis aligning with Bradford Street and the thoroughfare of Commercial Street, lined with shops, lodging and restaurants. A car is often not a necessity for getting around.

Bus Service to and around Cape Cod

Bus routes through companies such as Peter Pan and Plymouth and Brockton, and public transit Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), are available to visitors who don’t want to make the drive themselves and can connect passengers throughout Cape Cod.

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Cape Cod by Air

Airlines such as CapeAir, American Airlines and JetBlue, offer mostly seasonal service to Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis. Cape Air also flies to Provincetown Municipal Airport.

Taking a Train to Cape Cod

The CapeFLYER is a seasonal train service — in partnership with Keolis, the MBTA, the CCRTA and MassDOT — that runs from Hyannis in Barnstable and South Station in Boston on summer weekends.

The service operates at set times on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year. Tickets cost up to $40 round-trip for a 1-to-3-day outing.

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The CapeFLYER also offers special service for long holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

Tickets can be purchased at the MBTA ticket counter in South Station, from the conductor on the train or through the MBTA’s mTicket app.

There is a lift railroad bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, so trains aren’t competing with cars and trucks when crossing the canal.

The CapeFLYER makes intermediary stops at Braintree, Brockton, Lakeville, Wareham Village, Buzzards Bay and Bourne stations on its way to and from the Cape.

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Passengers can board or get off at any of these stations.

The CapeFLYER train comes with amenities such as free Wi-Fi, a café car and the ability to bring pets and bicycles aboard at no extra cost, according to its website.

Ferries to the Vineyard and Nantucket

Once on the peninsula, if one’s destination isn’t in walking or cycling distance, ride shares, taxis and CCRTA buses are available.

Passengers traveling by rail, but heading to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket by boat, have free shuttle options available via the SteamShip Authority and Hy-Line Cruises to connect them from the train station to the ferry dock.

More information is available on the Steamship Authority website and the CapeFLYER website about these travel connections.

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