Salem from Boston in Late October

[vjmatty]

I have a port visit in Boston October 27 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  My sister lives in Boston so we've been there many times and would rather take a trip to Salem since it will probably be all festive for the Halloween season.  Will it be too cold to take the ferry, assuming it is even running that late into the fall?  If so, are there car rental agencies near the pier when we get off the ship? I've always flown or driven to Boston and never arrived on a cruise ship so the port area is not familiar to me.

[Rubyfisch]

There is a Budget Rental Car office in one of the office buildings maybe a twenty minute walk from the port. Another option would be taking a cab/Lyft/Uber from the port to North Station and taking the commuter rail to Salem.

[vjmatty]

Thanks... I hadn't thought of the train.

[Traveling Library]

Here is the MBTA site: https://www.mbta.com/ They have a really nice trip planner (I live in the Boston area and use it for my travels).  Commuter train (you'll want the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Line) to Salem leaves from North Station. Taxi/Uber trip from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to North Station will take at least 15 minutes and probably more like 20 to 25 depending on traffic/time of day.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Traveling Library

[Nitemare]

It will be a ZOO in Salem then.  You will have to park quite a distance away but they usually have shuttle buses.

 

Train is more convenient since you don't have to worry about parking.

[vjmatty]

21 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

It will be a ZOO in Salem then.  You will have to park quite a distance away but they usually have shuttle buses.

 

Train is more convenient since you don't have to worry about parking.

 

I thought of it being crowded that time of year, but since we will be there on a Thursday during the day I figured it may not be as bad as a weekend evening.

[Nitemare]

22 hours ago, vjmatty said:

 

I thought of it being crowded that time of year, but since we will be there on a Thursday during the day I figured it may not be as bad as a weekend evening.

You might want to post this inquiry on the Salem board over at TripAdvisor.  I've been a reader there for years and I think the experts might disagree with your thoughts

[vjmatty]

1 hour ago, Nitemare said:

You might want to post this inquiry on the Salem board over at TripAdvisor.  I've been a reader there for years and I think the experts might disagree with your thoughts

 

Yup, already checked out Tripadvisor....what I read pretty much confirms weekday if you're driving, train and ferry don't matter as much since parking and traffic won't be an issue.  We'll probably take the train or the ferry anyway.