Coastal Maine

Maine | United States

Coastal Maine

Maine is romantic with sweeping seascapes, quaint towns, trees turning red and gold in the autumn, and lighthouses perched atop rocky outposts. Most visit for the fresh New England air and Acadia National Park, but spending your time visiting the small towns along the way is well worth your time. With extra time, decompress your trip and add an additional day in Portland, one of the small beach towns (our pick would be Camden) or add in a trip to Isle Haute.

Transportation: Car

Length: 7 days

Guide Book: National Geographic Driving Guide’s to America: New England

Day 1 – Portland

Day 2 – Kennebunk and Ogunquit

Day 3 – Freeport, Brunswick, Camden

Day 4 – Bar Harbor

Day 5 – Acadia National Park

Day 6 – Acadia National Park

Day 7 – Fly Home

  • Drop your car at the airport
  • Fly home

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Portland

Welcome to the coast of Maine! What better place to begin than Portland, Maine’s biggest airport and where you’ll fly in. Located about 15 minutes outside of the city, it’s easy to pick up a car and head directly in to town. Depending on when you arrive, you may land in the evening, in which case take the time to wander the charming city at night and begin this itinerary the next morning.

Portland itself is Maine’s largest city, but it feels more like a charming and funky town. It has an amazing food scene, many local artists and shops, and an incredible number of breweries. Treat yourself to at least one full day to explore.

In terms of hotels, we have found the AC Marriott to be lovely and in the perfect, walkable location to everything you’ll want to see. The Press Hotel has a more boutique feel and located in an old newspaper building. Another good option is The Francis located in a historic mansion.

Start your day with breakfast atStart with breakfast at Standard Baking Company with its excellent freshly baked pastries and bread. If you like coffee it’s worth it to walk an additional 10 minutes to Bard Coffee where they roast on site.

Take your breakfast and coffee and walk along the railroad track and well marked path to the Eastern Promenade, a large riverside park topped with pretty mansions and large swaths of grass where you can sit and munch your meal while watching boats sail by.

After breakfast drive to Fort William’s Park and the Portland Head Light, easily one of the most photogenic lighthouses in Maine. If you’re already hungry again, Bite into Maine has a food truck in the park. The long lines are worth the buttery lobster rolls (we recommend getting the mini trio to taste all the options). If you don’t want to eat another meal in a park, hold off on lunch until your next stop: a brewery.

Portland Head Light

Portland has 16 breweries, which, considering its small size, is impressive. If a brewery isn’t your thing, you can also find a cidery, meadery, and distillery as well. With a car it’s easy to get to any of them. Allagash is probably Portland’s most famous, but their microbrews at the flagship Portland location is worth the short drive. Allagash also hasBite into Maine‘s second location which you can grab lunch. Other great options include Rising Tide, Lone Pine, Goodfire, and Oxbow (they have a Duckfat eatery at their brewery), though we mention others here.

In the afternoon spend your time wandering Old Port with its cobbled streets and artisan shops. Visit the Wadsworth-Longfellow House for a quick visit of the poet’s boyhood home or the Portland Museum of Art for a small but good collection featuring both word famous (Renoir, Cassat, Winslow Homer) and local artists.

For dinner, head to one of our three favorites: Eventide Oyster Co, Fore Street, or Duckfat, though many restaurants are great and we list other options here. For dessert, head to local ice cream shop Mount Desert Ice Cream or get a drink an artisan cocktail at Blythe and Burrows or Portland Hunt and Alpine Club.

Day 2 – Kennebunks and Oqunquit

Get breakfast at Holy Donut before driving down to York where you can see a series of historic York Museum Houses (45m drive). From here take a short drive to the Nubble Lighthouse (7m).

Continue on to Ogunquit. Another artist colony, Ogunquit is full of beachside resorts along sprawling beaches. If youhaven’t had lunch yet, Crooked Pine is a good option. Visit Ogunquit Beach which offers 3.5 miles of soft sand. It’s a good place to swim if you’re so inclined and lovely to walk along if you are not. Next head to Marginal Way which is a spectacular cliff walk. Along the 1.25 paved path are benches and stairs down to sea. Finish at M.C. Perkins Cove for a drink with a view or snack.

Next drive to the Kennebunks. The Kennebunks is quintessential coastal Maine, set on the water with lobster shacks abutting fine arts galleries, historic mansion, and sand beaches. Start your time by wandering through the many galleries. The History Center of Kennebunkport also offers a self-guided walking tour map of historic homes which you can pick up. If you’re feeling historical walk to St. Anthony’s Franciscan Monastery with pretty serene grounds you can wander. If you’re hungry you can head to Clam Shack, one of those quintessential Maine seafood shacks with fresh caught fare. If you’re looking for a very fancy lunch – or save it for dinner – (and arguably one of the best restaurants in the state) head to Earth. Or consider an in-between option at Batson River. Some fun shops to poke around in include Daytrip Society, Farm + Table, and Minka. Finish your time with a walk along Goose Rocks Beach offering soft white sand.

Ogunquit Beach

You can opt to stop back in the Kennebunks at Earth for an exceptional dinner. Or return to Portland and pick another restaurant to try for dinner and drinks.

Day 3 – Freeport, Brunswick, Camden

Try to get an early start today as you have a lot to see. Say goodbye to your Portland hotel. Today if you want to try another Portland coffee option, head to Tandem Coffee Roasters or Hilltop Coffee Shop before winding your way slowly up the coast.

If you’re looking for a quick but scenic way to stretch your legs, take a short hike in Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park through pines and birches and along Casco Bay’s shore. Freeport is headquarters to the very famous L.L. Bean and Freeport Village Station has its flagship store. If you need some hiking gear, here’s your place. Maine Beer Co. is also located in Freeport. The tasting room is spacious and bright, the beer is plentiful and good, and the woodfire pizzas they serve up are hard to beat. However you’re also right near arguably one of the best lobster shacks in the state,The Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company. Pizza or lobster…not an easy choice.

Next drive to the nearby town of Brunswick to take a quick peek at the lovely grounds of Bowdoin College, a tiny but idyllic New England liberal arts school.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Next get ready to see lighthouses as you wind along the coast towards your destination of the night: Camden. First you’ll come upon Pemaquid Point Lighthouse where you can walk along the craggy rocks below and on sunny days head up the lighthouse tower. Next drive to Owls Head State Park and Lighthouse overlooking Penobscot Bay. The short hike to the lighthouse is well worth it.Stop by the Farnsworth Art Museum (10m drive) with a great collection on Maine artists, highlighting Andrew Wyeth and also his father and son. Finally visitRockland Breakwater Lighthouse, our personal favorite, where you will walk far out along a jetty into the sea where the lighthouse is situated. Fair warning, do not do this if the weather is bad or the waves are high as you’ll get fully drenched (we say this from personal experience). End your day by driving to one of Maine’s most idyllic coastal towns, Camden.

Camden is undeniably attractive, set along a colorful bay with Mount Battie rising up behind. We really can’t recommend anywhere to stay besidesAbigail’s Inn. The owners are so friendly, the B&B is so tasteful and comfortable, the breakfast is delicious – it’s a fantastic stay in a great location, walkable to downtown.

Before dinner if you have time stroll along Main Street (if you don’t, never fear, you’ll do it tomorrow!) for the shops. Visit Harbor Park which gives some of the prettiest views of Camden’s Harbor. Rhumb Line is incredibly scenic for drinks. For dinner Long Grain offers delicious and inventive Thai food (get their hand pulled noodles and chive pancakes) and both the Waterfront Restaurant andPeter Ott’s on the Water offer fresh seafood that you can eat while watching the sun sink over the harbor.

Day 4 – Bar Harbor

If you didn’t the day before, start your day by exploring the shops along Maine Street in Camden and have a coffee in Harbor Park enjoying the view. Head to Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park. You can choose to either hike or drive to the summit (though for sake of time we may recommend the drive). The summit is the perfect place to take in an incredible panoramic view of Penobscot Bay and the Maine coastline.

Camden from Mount Battie

Next drive the 2 hours up to Bar Harbor. It’s a pretty drive as you wind up Route 1 along the coast. You’ll pass through many picturesque small coastal towns along the way. Bar Harbor is the town adjacent to Acadia National Park, both of which are located on Mount Desert Island, connected by a bridge to the mainland. Bar Harbor is a beautiful city. It’s walkable, has fantastic restaurants and fun shops for the time when you are not exploring the park.

In terms of lodging, it’s probably best to stay within walking distance of the town’s main drag. Good options include Bar Harbor Inn, Ivy Manor Inn, Mira Monte Inn & Suites, Ullikana Inn, Saltair Inn, and Manor House Inn. Lodging in Bar Harbor is not cheap, especially during peak season. For a cheaper option in an ok location, you can also look atAcadia Inn.

Start by grabbing lunch (you should arrive around lunch time) at either Side Street Cafe or Bar Harbor Brew House. which both offer an option of outside dining if the day is nice, good food, and many local beers on tap.

After lunch there are 3 perfect things to do: stroll the town exploring the shops on Main Street and and Village Green, walk the 1.5 miles along the Shore Path which wraps along the Bar Harbor waterfront with great views of the harbor, islands in the distance, and ships passing by, or walk to Bar Island if the trail is exposed by low tide.

There are many afternoon ice cream options if you’re so inclined (including one that makes lobster ice cream), but we’re partial toMount Desert Ice Cream‘s flagship store for its seasonal and rotating flavors.

Get ready for your evening cruise on theMargaret Todd Windjammer, a scenic sunset boat ride on one of the masted schooners you’ll have seen floating in the harbor all day.

The Margaret Todd

For dinner head to McKay’s Public House, Thurston’s Lobster Pound, Reading Room, or Abel’s Lobster Pound. Save the finer meal at Havana for the next night after the park.

Day 5 – Acadia National Park

Today is your first chance to visit Acadia National Park. Purchase your pass ahead online and print it for your dashboard (required to enter the National Park). You can also purchase it at the Entrance Station near Sand Beach, the Visitor Center, or the Bar Harbor Village Green. Start on the Park Loop Road which you can access off Route 3 just south of Bar Harbor on the right just past Jackson Lab. Most of the road is one way but a two way section exists near Wildwood Stables. You’ll be driving the entire route.

First you’ll come across Sand Beach which is exactly as it is described. It’s a beautiful sandy beach surrounding by pines that climb behind it. Bring a towel and a book if you want to enjoy the beach. Next you’ll come across Thunder Hole which is an inlet of rocks where the tide rushes in. If it’s a stormy day the way the water hits the rocks makes a “boom” sound similar to thunder. On a calm day, it’s not terribly exciting. Otter Cliff is 110 feet high and an impressive site.

Providing you’re following our itinerary we now recommend a hike in the park, either Precipice or Beehive Loop. Both are challenging and spiral up. You will have to hold onto ladders or chains embedded into the rocks along the way – so it may not be a good option if you’re scared of heights. For other hikes, get a map or ask a ranger at the Visitor Center. Both offer beautiful views of the park. If you’re condensing this itinerary, you could opt to not hike and visit Cadillac Mountain as part of today, but we recommend for saving it for sunrise tomorrow.

The view from high on the Precipice

Finish your afternoon in the park at Jordan Pond House. This is another place with a nice easy hike around the lovely and large pond. The historic restaurant has a pretty lawn out back abutting the pond where you can enjoy the restaurant’s famous tea and popovers.

When you get back to town you can enjoy a scenic cocktail and sunset from Terrace Grill on the waterfront.

Tonight enjoy dinner at Havana on Maine Street. The food is incredible and the owner amazingly friendly. It will be a memorable meal and a perfect end to your day.

Day 6 – Acadia National Park

Today starts early. Witnessing sunrise from Cadillac Mountain is one of the most beautiful things to do in Acadia National Park. It does mean getting out of the door about 45 minutes before dawn and driving up the mountain. It’s very clear how to get there if you type the mountain into Google Maps.Park at the North Ridge Cadillac Mountain parking area on Park Loop Road. There will be a lot of people so snag a parking spot if you see one and be prepared to walk to the viewing point. Then climb out on the rocks, sit and enjoy the view as the first place to see the sun rise in the continental US.

Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain

After sunrise, head to breakfast at Jeannie’s Great Maine Breakfast, a diner style joint with seasonal specialties. If you haven’t yet, walk off breakfast along the Shore Path (mentioned above in the itinerary). Then load your boat for the Bar Harbor Nature Cruise where you’ll see Acadia National Park by water. Along this spectacular cruise, if you’re lucky (as we were), you’ll see whales, puffins, harbor seals, bald eagles, cormorants, and porpoises.

Once your cruise is finished, start the 3 hour drive back to Portland. Check into your hotel (probably easiest to pick the same one as before). Grab a pre-dinner drink at Blyth and Burrows or Portland Beer Hub. Have dinner at Duck Fat or choose one from our list of Recommended Portland Eateries.

Day 7 – Fly Home

Say goodbye to Maine. Drop your car at the airport and fly home.

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