Massachusetts has the region's most extensive transportation infrastructure, including a busy international airport, a cruise port that welcomes ships from eleven major cruise lines, and New England's only subway system — the “T” in Boston. If your primary destination is the capital city, it's actually a good idea to leave your car at home. If you plan to visit other parts of the state, such as the Berkshires or Cape Cod, renting a car or driving your own vehicle is often the best and sometimes the only option.

Logan International Airport (BOS)

Logan International Airport (617-561-1800 or 800-23-LOGAN, www.massport.com/logan) is located in East Boston. The nation's twentieth busiest airport, it serves more than 27 million passengers each year. This 2,400-acre transportation center is New England's largest. More than 25 domestic and international airlines fly into and out of Logan.

To reach Logan from points west and south, follow the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90 East) through the Ted Williams Tunnel to exit 26. From the north, follow Route I-93 South to exit 24B for the Callahan Tunnel and Route 1A North toward Logan.

Airport Connections

The Logan Shuttle offers complimentary transportation between airport terminals, to the airport's subway station on the MBTA Blue Line, and to the Water Transportation Terminal. Boat service to downtown Boston is provided by the MBTA Harbor Express (617-222-6999, www.harborexpress.com), Boston Harbor Water Taxi (617-593-9168), City Water Taxi (617-422-0392, www.citywatertaxi.com), and the Rowes Wharf Water Transporter (617-406-8584, www.roweswharfwatertransport.com). The MBTA Harbor Express also provides boat service to Quincy and Hull on the South Shore.

The MBTA's Silver Line Rapid Transit Bus Service connects Logan Airport with Boston's South Station in the Financial District, where other bus and train connections can be made. Logan Express (800-23-LOGAN) has bus stations with secure parking in Braintree to the south, Framingham to the west, and Peabody and Woburn to the north, from which buses depart regularly for the airline terminals. Logan Direct (508-746-0378, www.p-b.com) offers bus connections between the airport and the southern Massachusetts towns of Rockland, Plymouth, Sagamore, Barnstable, and Hyannis.

Shared van transportation between Logan Airport and destinations within the Greater Boston area and beyond is provided by a number of companies including Ace American (800-517-2281), City Transportation (617-561-9000), Easy Transportation (617-869-7760, www.easytransportationinc.com), Flight Line (800-245-2525, www.flightlineinc.com), JC Transportation (800-517-2281, www.jctransportationshuttle.com), Knights Airport Limousine Service (800-822-5456, www.knightsairportlimo.com), Logan/Boston Hotel Shuttle (617 331-8388), Star Shuttle (617-230-6005 or 877-970-7827, www.starshuttleboston.com), Thomas Transportation Services (603-352-5550 or 800-526-8143, www.thomastransportation.com), Worcester Airport Limousine (800-660-0992, www.wlimo.com), and Zebra Airport Shuttle (508-481-7300 or 800-242-0064, www.zebrashuttle.com). Call ahead for pricing and schedule information. Some services require twenty-four-hour advance reservations.

Taxi service is also readily available day and night to transport you from Logan to your destination. All drop-off points within a twelve-mile radius of downtown Boston are charged at a metered rate. Beyond the twelve-mile radius, a flat fee is assessed. Passengers are responsible for tunnel tolls and a $2 airport fee. Credit-card taxis are available on request. For sample fares, see Massport's Logan Airport Web site, www.massport.com/logan/getti_typeo_taxis.html.

Eight rental car companies operate at or near Logan International Airport: Alamo (800-327-9633, www.goalamo.com), Avis (800 831-2847, www.avis.com), Budget (800-527-7000, www.budget.com), Dollar (800-800-4000, www.dollar.com), Enterprise (800-325-8007, www.enterprise.com), Hertz (800-654-3131, www.hertz.com), National (800-227-7368, www.nationalcar.com), and Thrifty (800-367-2277, www.thrifty.com).

Trains and Buses

Amtrak (800-872-7245, www.amtrak.com) operates regional and high-speed Acela trains connecting Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York's Penn Station, and New Haven, Connecticut, with Boston's Back Bay, Westwood, North, and South Stations. Amtrak also has routes that serve Massachusetts stations in Amherst, Framingham, Haverhill, Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, and Woburn.

Boston has bus terminals at South Station (Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue) and Back Bay Station (145 Dartmouth Street). Interstate bus companies that carry passengers to Boston include Greyhound Lines (617-526-1800 or 800-231-2222, www.greyhound.com), Peter Pan Bus Lines (800-343-9999, www.peterpanbus.com), and Concord Trailways (617-426-8080 or 800-639-3317, www.concordtrailways.com).

The T — The Mass Transit System of Eastern Massachusetts

Driving in Boston is notoriously tricky. Even though the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, more commonly known as the “Big Dig,” which caused additional detours and confusion for more than a decade, is now essentially complete, out-of-towners often still find it difficult to navigate the one-way streets and crowded highways. If you must drive in Boston, verify directions with someone at your destination shortly before your departure. You may also want to check the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's Web site (www.masspike.com) for updates on road construction in the Boston area that may affect traffic patterns. Parking is expensive in Boston, too — you'll pay $25 to $30 or more per day.

The good news is that even before Boston gave birth to the notion that the American colonies should be a free and independent nation, it had already originated another modern concept we take very much for granted today — mass transit. In 1631, Thomas Williams began operating ferry service from Chelsea to Charlestown and on to Boston. In 1897, the nation's first subway line connected Boston's Park and Boylston Streets. Today, more than one million one-way passenger trips are taken each weekday on the subway, bus, water ferry, and commuter rail systems operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Their service connects seventy-eight communities in the Greater Boston area, and commuter rail and interdistrict bus routes branch out to an additional sixty-four communities. The system encompasses a total of 181 routes and 252 stations. Stations and stops are marked with a black T on a white circle, thus, the transportation system's nickname — the T.

Boston's mass transit system is known for being efficient, safe, and clean, and it provides visitors with an easy means of getting around the city. Travelers can purchase one-way fares or day or week passes valid for unlimited travel on the subway, local buses, and the inner harbor ferry.

MBTA maps are posted at all stations and may be viewed online at www.mbta.com. Route and schedule information is also available by calling the MBTA Traveler's Information Center (617-222-3200 or 800-392-6100) or by visiting the MBTA Information Booth located at Park Street station. There's also a handy online Trip Planner to help you navigate between city landmarks or addresses using public transit at www.mbta.com/rider_tools/trip_planner.

There is no subway service between about 1 A.M. and 5 A.M. Ferries stop running even earlier. If you plan to stay out late, have an alternate means of transportation in mind.

Getting Around by Car

The 138-mile Massachusetts Turnpike (617-248-2800, www.masspike.com), I-90, runs the east-west length of the state, connecting West Stockbridge near the New York State line with Logan Airport in East Boston. You'll speed your trip along this toll road substantially by using the Turnpike Authority's FAST LANE system. You can apply to receive a FAST LANE electronic transponder online at www.masspike.com/travel/fastlane/fastlane_signup.html. If you return your transponder in good condition within ninety days, you will receive a full refund of the transponder fee and any money that remains in your account.

FAST LANE can also be used to pay tolls electronically on the Maine Turnpike and at the Hampton (I-95), Hooksett (I-93), and Bedford(F.E. Everett Turnpike) toll plazas in New Hampshire. FAST LANE is compatible with E-ZPass, so it is also accepted on E-ZPass-enabled toll roads in other states. Likewise, your E-ZPass transponder can be used in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

The Massachusetts Turnpike intersects with major north-south highways, including I-91 in Springfield, I-290 in Worcester, I-495 (encircles Boston and leads to points north and south including Cape Cod), I-95 (the East Coast's major highway linking Maine's Canadian border with Miami, Florida), and I-93 (leads north into New Hampshire).

Getting to Cape Cod and the Islands

A bit of advance planning will ensure your travels go smoothly if your destination is Cape Cod or the islands of Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket.

Getting to Cape Cod

To reach Cape Cod, you must cross the Cape Cod Canal via the Bourne or Sagamore bridges. From the bridges, Provincetown at the Cape's tip is about seventy miles. Traffic crossing the bridges can back up significantly in the summer, particularly on Fridays if you're trying to get to the Cape, and on Sundays if you are departing. The $59 million “rotary flyover” project, completed in 2007, is expected to relieve some of this congestion by eliminating the Sagamore Rotary and connecting Route 3 directly to the Sagamore Bridge.

During the summer, Boston Harbor Cruises (617-227-4321, www.bostonharborcruises.com) operates a high-speed ferry that connects Boston with Provincetown.

You can fly to the Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis from Nantucket, Boston, Providence, and LaGuardia in New York. Hyannis is a destination for Cape Air (508-771-6944 or 800-352-0714, www.flycapeair.com), Colgan Air/US Airways Express (703-368-8880, www.colganair.com), and Nantucket Airlines (508-228-6234 or 800 635-8787, www.nantucketairlines.com).

Getting to Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard is situated seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod. The Steamship Authority (508-477-8600 or 508-693-9130, www.steamshipauthority.com) provides regularly scheduled, year-round ferry service to the island from Woods Hole. The Steamship Authority's ferry is the only means of transporting a car to Martha's Vineyard. Vehicle reservations are absolutely required in the summer and highly recommended at other times of the year. If your stay on Martha's Vineyard will be three days or fewer, leaving your car behind may be your best bet. Take advantage of other transportation options including public shuttle buses, taxis, rental cars, mopeds, and bicycles.

New England Fast Ferry Co. (49 State Pier, New Bedford, 866-683-3779, www.mvexpressferry.com) offers year-round passenger service between New Bedford and Martha's Vineyard on a high-speed catamaran that makes the trip in just under one hour. Other passenger ferry service is provided seasonally: Falmouth Ferry Service (508-548-9400, www.falmouthferry.com) transports passengers from Falmouth to Edgartown; the Island Queen(508-548-4800, www.islandqueen.com) will whisk you from Falmouth Harbor to Oak Bluffs in thirty-five minutes; Hy-Line Cruises (508-778-2600 or 800-492-8082, www.hy-linecruises.com) connects Hyannis and Oak Bluffs; Viking Fleet Interstate Fast Ferry (631-668-5700, www.vikingfleet.com) departs from Montauk, New York, for Oak Bluffs; Vineyard Fast Ferry (401-295-4040, www.vineyardfastferry.com) operates a ferry from Quonset Point, Rhode Island, to Oak Bluffs that makes the crossing in ninety minutes.

Martha's Vineyard can also be reached by air. Cape Air (508-771-6944 or 800-352-0714, www.flycapeair.com) offers flights to the island from Boston, New Bedford, Hyannis, Nantucket, and Providence, Rhode Island.

If you wish to reach the island via your own boat, contact the harbormaster in Edgartown (508-627-4746), Menemsha (508-645-2846), Oak Bluffs (508-693-9644), or Vineyard Haven (508-696-4249).

Getting to Nantucket

The Steamship Authority (508-477-8600 or 508-693-9130, www.steamshipauthority.com) provides regular, year-round ferry service to Nantucket from South Street Dock in Hyannis, and, as with Martha's Vineyard, this is your only option if you're planning to take a car to the island. Reserve your vehicle's spot early if you're traveling during the summer months. The car ferry makes the crossing to Nantucket in two hours and fifteen minutes. From mid-May through mid-October, the Steamship Authority also offers a high-speed, passengers-only ferry that makes the trip from Hyannis to Nantucket in just one hour.

Passenger ferry service to Nantucket is also provided year-round by Hy-Line Cruises (508-778-2600 or 800-492-8082, www.hy-linecruises.com), departing from the Ocean Street dock in Hyannis. Freedom Cruise Line (508-432-8999, www.nantucketislandferry.com) offers seasonal passenger crossings between Harwich Port and Nantucket; their high-speed ferries make the trip in one hour and fifteen minutes, and free parking is available for day-trippers.

If you would like to visit both islands, Hy-Line Cruises (508-778-2600 or 800-492-8082, www.hy-linecruises.com) offers “Around the Sound” one-day trips from Hyannis in the summer months with stops at Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

Nantucket Memorial Airport (www.nantucketairport.com) is served by Cape Air (508-771-6944 or 800-352-0714, www.flycapeair.com), Colgan Air/US Airways Express (703-368-8880, www.colganair.com), Continental (800-525-0280, www.continental.com), Island Airlines (508-228-7575 or 800-248-7779, www.islandair.net), Jet Blue (800-538-2583, www.jetblue.com), and Nantucket Airlines (508 228-6234 or 800-635-8787, www.nantucketairlines.com).