By Car

Driving to Boston is not difficult. (Driving in Boston is another story.) But parking is expensive and scarce, and downtown traffic is terrible. The Big Dig highway construction project is virtually complete, but widespread construction persists downtown. If you're thinking of driving to Boston only because you want to use the car to get around town, think again.

Note: The Pike's FastLane program is compatible with New York's EZPass; your regular transponder will work in designated lanes. If you have a prepaid device from another highway system, check before you leave home to see whether you too can zip (at the speed limit, 15 mph) through the special lanes.

If you have to drive, try to book a hotel or a special package that offers free parking. If you pay for parking, expect it to cost at least $25 a day downtown and build that into your budget.

Three major highways converge in Boston. I-90, also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike ("Mass. Pike," to the locals), is an east-west toll road that originates at Logan Airport and links up with the New York State Thruway. I-93/U.S. 1 extends north to Canada. I-93/Route 3, the Southeast Expressway, connects Boston with the south, including Cape Cod. To avoid driving downtown, exit the Mass. Pike at Cambridge/Allston or at the Prudential Center in the Back Bay. I-95 (Massachusetts Rte. 128) is a beltway about 11 miles from downtown that connects Boston to highways in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York to the south, and New Hampshire and Maine to the north.

The approach to Cambridge is Storrow Drive or Memorial Drive, which run along either side of the Charles River. Storrow Drive has a Harvard Square exit that leads across the Anderson Bridge to John F. Kennedy Street and into the square. Memorial Drive intersects with Kennedy Street; turn away from the bridge to reach the square.

Boston is 218 miles from New York City; driving time is about 4 1/2 hours. The 992-mile drive from Chicago to Boston should take around 21 hours; from Washington, D.C., it takes 8 to 9 hours to cover the 468 miles.

In an emergency, you can call the State Police on a cellphone by dialing tel. *77. The American Automobile Association (tel. 800/AAA-HELP; www.aaa.com) provides members with maps, itineraries, and other travel information, and arranges free towing if you break down. At press time, the Mass. Pike was a privately operated road that arranged its own towing, but the state highway department may be taking over. If you break down there, ask the AAA operator for advice.

It's impossible to say this often enough: When you reach your hotel, leave your car in the garage and walk or use public transportation. Use the car for day trips, and before you set out, ask at the front desk for a route that avoids the construction area.

By Train

Boston has three rail centers: South Station, on Atlantic Avenue at Summer Street, near the Waterfront and the Financial District; Back Bay Station, on Dartmouth Street between Huntington and Columbus avenues, across from the Copley Place mall; and North Station, on Causeway Street near the TD Banknorth Garden. Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL or 617/482-3660; www.amtrak.com) serves all train stations, which are also linked to the MBTA subway. At South Station you can take the Red Line to Cambridge or to Park Street, the system's hub, where you can make connections to the Green, Blue, and Orange lines. The Orange Line connects Back Bay Station with Downtown Crossing, where there's a walkway to Park Street station and other points. North Station is a Green and Orange Line stop.

Amtrak runs to South Station from New York and points south and in between, with stops at Route 128 and Back Bay Station. Its Downeaster service (www.thedowneaster.com) connects North Station to Portland, Maine, with several stops en route. The MBTA commuter rail runs to Ipswich, Rockport, and Fitchburg from North Station; it also runs to points south of Boston, including Plymouth, from South Station.

Bear in mind that the train might not be cheaper than flying, especially for long trips. As with airline ticket prices, train fares are subject to change and can fluctuate depending on the time of year, so plan as far ahead as possible to get the lowest fares. Discounts are never available Friday or Sunday afternoon. Always remember to ask for the discounted rate.

Standard service from New York takes from 4 1/2 hours to just under 6 hours; round-trip fares at press time were $108 to $164. From Washington, D.C., count on 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours and a round-trip fare of at least $164.

High-speed Acela Express trains run as fast as 150 mph and are scheduled to cover the 218 miles between Boston and New York in just over 3 hours, though they often take longer. At press time, the price (from $99 one-way) was less than two-thirds of the walk-up plane fare. The trip time between Washington, D.C., and Boston is just under 6 hours, and the one-way fare is about $170. Call Amtrak or check the website for exact fares, schedules, and reservations.

By Bus

The bus is the only way out of many small New England towns. If you're coming from almost anywhere else, consider long-distance bus travel a last resort. The exception is the New York route, which is so desirable that Greyhound and Peter Pan have upgraded service. It's frequent and relatively fast (4-4 1/2 hr.), and the price is about half the regular train fare. If you can catch an express bus, which makes only one stop, it's worth the extra $5 or so.

The bus terminal, formally the South Station Transportation Center, is on Atlantic Avenue next to the train station. It's served by the following bus lines: Greyhound (tel. 800/231-2222 or 617/526-1800; www.greyhound.com), American Eagle (tel. 800/453-5040 or 508/993-5040), Bonanza (tel. 888/751-8800 or 617/720-4110; www.bonanzabus.com), Brush Hill Tours (tel. 800/343-1328 or 781/986-6100; fax 781/986-0167; www.brushhilltours.com), Concord Trailways (tel. 800/639-3317 or 617/426-8080; www.concordtrailways.com), Peter Pan (tel. 800/343-9999; www.peterpanbus.com), Plymouth & Brockton (tel. 617/773-9401 or 508/746-0378; www.p-b.com), and Vermont Transit (tel. 800/552-8737; www.vermonttransit.com).

High- and Low-End New York Bus Options

Many travelers find standard interstate bus service inadequate; for others, it's too swanky. Both have options on the New York-Boston route.

Business-oriented LimoLiner (tel. 888/546-5469; www.limoliner.com) service connects the Back Bay Hilton, 40 Dalton Street, to the Hilton New York, 1335 Ave. of the Americas (with an on-request stop in Framingham, Mass.). The luxury coach seats 28 and has Internet access, work tables, leather seats, and an on-board attendant. The one-way fare is $69.

At the other end of the spectrum, a number of companies run between Boston's Chinatown and New York's Chinatown. I've heard too many anecdotal accounts of unsatisfactory service to give this option an unqualified recommendation, but it's madly popular with students and other bargain-hunters. The one-way fare is about $15. The largest operator is Fung Wah (tel. 212/925-8889; www.fungwahbus.com), which shuttles between Boston's South Station and Canal Street in Manhattan.