best of Maine and New brunswick-5 nights-july

We are flying into portland and renting a car. We have 5 nights for scenic drives and attractions in Maine. What do you suggest as an itinerary. Would like to go into new brunswick Canada also.

We will be flying out of Portland on July 27.

Please help us out.

best of Maine and New brunswick-5 nights-july

I have a number of routes, scenic drives, attractions etc I could recommend, but rather than just give you a long list of generalities would prefer to give you fewer items more closely matched to your interests.

To do that, I need to know a little more about you and how you like to travel:

All adults or some children also? If children, what ages?

Any specific interests like museums, history, old buildings, general geographic features?

Style of travel: athletic looking for vigorous hikes etc, lesiutely walks and simple non-stressful hikes okay, never get out of the car?

Just want to get around as much of the state as you can, or want to spend an hour or so at one or more stops along the way?

Mountains, oceans or both?

Interstates, turnpikes and divided highways, major routes or byways and back roads?

And particular part of New Brunswick, or just the idea of getting into Canada while you%26#39;re here?

Once I have some of that info, TA folks from here can probably give you some routes and ideas to consider, but your original question is just too general to answer well.

best of Maine and New brunswick-5 nights-july

Thanks,,,that makes good sense. We are a couple 61 and 56. Love history and gorgeous scenary, beaches to swim, leisurely short hikes.

Would have liked to see Nova Scotia on CAT but will not be running on the days we are there(BAR Harbor)

Here%26#39;s what I tentatively had in mind.

Portland, 1 night, Bar Harbor area/Arcadia NP 2 nights, Grand Falls (this is our anniversary night) ??.....Good choice or not? and somewhere else for our last night.

Do you feel that 2 nights is a good choice for Arcadia np/Bar harbor area or could we see what is there in night?

Probably would drive up the coast and back on the highway.

Is Bangor something we should not miss?

I would not invest time in going to Bangor--better to use the extra time to extend stay in Portland or Bar Harbor or to add Camden.

The fastest way to Bar Harbor from Portland is via the Maine Turnpike to Bangor and then east to Bar Harbor. However, the much more scenic (and slower) route is coastal Route 1, with perhaps an overnight in the New Harbor - Pemaquid area and another overnight possibly in Stonington. (For many Mainers, Pemaquid Point is the most gorgeous spot in Maine.) Then two nights in Bar Harbor and Acadia Park, followed by the faster Maine Turnpike route back to Portland. Just my $0.02.

Two nights in Bar Harbor is definitely a good idea -- great destination.

Am curious about ';Why Grand Falls, New Brunswick?'; It%26#39;s going to take most of a day just to get there from Bar Harbor...and most of another day to get back...

From Bar Harbor, you%26#39;re much closer to the Calais, ME - St Stephen, New Brunswick border crossing if your goal is to simply see some of Canada while you%26#39;re here. You could go down US 1 from Ellsworth (just north of Bar Harbor) to Calais, cross into St Stephen, stay somewhere like St Andrews By the Sea or even go as far as St John, then cross back into Calais the next day and take Maine Rt 9 (shortest direct route) to Bangor and I-95 to head south. Unless there%26#39;s a specific reason, going to Grand Falls will add at least two hundred extra miles to your trip...

Just something to consider...

Another thought - to satisfy your interest in visiting New Brunswick as well as appeal to your interest in history, perhaps Campobello Island would be attractive to you? Just drive across the bridge from Lubec, Maine, visit the Roosevelt ';cottage'; complex (which is now a joint Canada-USA National Park), and see some photogenic New Brunswick fishing villages too.

If you don%26#39;t mind a blunt answer, with only 5 days in the region I would not recommend visiting NB. As a Mainer with family in Nova Scotia, I drive through NB several times a year and find it less scenic than Maine. It%26#39;s also a long drive up through Maine to get there. Down-east ME, as a few people have mentioned, is a gorgeous area. It%26#39;s marvelous in the summertime, and should not be rushed through.

Highly recommend taking coastal drives over the turnpike... you%26#39;ll see more of the quaint towns and fewer boxed resaurants and hotels.