Portland - Maine

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Went there in 2005 on a Fall in New England tour and liked it.

 

[Tuearts right boot]

I've been to Kippax which is very close to Maine.




And also in Yaaaaaaarkshe.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Give Susan Collins a slap for me while you are there.

 

[stevemacca]

I managed to squeeze a New England road trip last Sept starting at NewYork round the top (Vermont, N Hampshire) then Maine and round Mass and Conetticut, staying just one day in Portland , nowhere near enough but got a good flavour. Seemed vibrant especially at night round by the habour which is a great mix of working and tourist, some very authentic (rough) bars on the front right next to tourist restuarants.
I would say like all of the States you will need a hire car, and if you have that then use Portland as a base and get out and see the rest of Maine. The motels are reasonable (£50/night) and there is now great airbnb's to sample and get to meet a few locals. The rural lake life is a joy, the locals really know how to use there lakes for leisure.
Grasp the chance.

 

[bluemc1]

Hoping to make it our trip this year so yes any recommendations, we drove across the Deep South and that was amazing

 

[TINY]

Anyone been? If so how did you find it?

Wanted to visit Maine for some time and contemplating booking a trip with the wife and daughter.

Yep! And it was relatively easy, we used a satnav

 

[blue corby]

Many thanks for you comments. I would probably look at visiting Bar Harbour, Camden and Belfast too. Also looked at heading over to Vermont. Love New England and agree about the comments regarding Boston; it’s a great City and my favourite in the US. Thanks again.

I agree about visiting Bar Harbour , not a big place but worth a visit as is Boston .

 

[mancityvstoke]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Portland

 

[SebastianBlue]

Many thanks for you comments. I would probably look at visiting Bar Harbour, Camden and Belfast too. Also looked at heading over to Vermont. Love New England and agree about the comments regarding Boston; it’s a great City and my favourite in the US. Thanks again.

Are you planning to go in the Summer?

If so, Bar Harbour is good for a day visit, especially if you like sea kayaking or cycling — I’ve done both with the missus and mates and do recommend the harbour islands kayak tour if you have the energy. It is very touristy, mind, especially crowded peak season, and most of the shops there are geared toward that, so nothing really worth buying aside from the common memento. But you wouldn’t want to go there apart from the Summer-to-early Autumn due to the unpredictable (but generally very cold) weather, so the crowds are unavoidable. It’s isolated from other things to see in Maine apart from Acadia (beautiful National Park), so it would likely be a stop on a driving tour (toward the end).

For me, Camden isn’t really worth visiting if you are going to go to Belfast and Bar Harbour, as it is just a smaller version of a combination of the two.

Belfast is interesting, as it is a more ‘real’ version of Bar Harbour, with less to do but more authentic people and Maine life to see. Several very good pubs/breweries to visit, as well. My favourites would be Three Tides and Darby’s for a “real” Mainer experience.

I would also recommend visiting York, Rockland, or Rockport if you enjoy lighthouses and maritime history. They are only half day stops but can help fill out a driving tour.

 

[SuperstarNeilC]