Like the Hamptons, with mansions
Newport: 48-Hour Escape from Boston
Gilded Age mansions, a cliff walk, and the America's Cup harbor, 90 minutes south of Boston.
Newport: Gilded Age mansions, a cliff walk, and the America's Cup harbor, 90 minutes south of Boston.
At a glance
Newport, Massachusetts is a 1 hr 30 min drive from Boston, best visited May-September. Like the Hamptons, with mansions. Top things to do: The Breakers, Cliff Walk, Fort Adams. Where to eat: The White Horse Tavern, The Mooring, Clarkeston. Stay at The Chanler at Cliff Walk or Hotel Viking.
57
of 100
Escape score
Best paired with a second town
A good day and a half, with an evening to spare.
- Drive
- 1 hr 30 min from Boston
- Best window
- May-September
- Typical stay
- ~$273/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Newport is a city of 25,000 on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, founded in 1639. In the Gilded Age it became the summer resort of America's wealthiest families, the Vanderbilts and Astors, who built marble 'cottages' along the cliff. The Breakers, a 70-room Italian Renaissance mansion, is the grandest. The Cliff Walk, 3.5 miles along the ocean, runs past the mansions. Newport was the home of the America's Cup for 132 years, and the harbor is still full of 12-meter yachts.
Newport has two layers. The first is the colonial seaport, founded 1639, with the oldest synagogue in America (Touro, 1763), the oldest tavern (White Horse, 1673), and a working naval base that hosts the Naval War College. The second is the Gilded Age overlay, the marble cottages the Vanderbilts and Astors built between 1880 and 1914, now run by the Preservation Society and open to tour. The Breakers, the 70-room Vanderbilt house, is the headline, but The Elms and Marble House are just as over the top. The America's Cup, held here from 1930 to 1983, is why the harbor still lines up 12-meter yachts you can charter.
A weekend in Newport is a mansion-and-water weekend. Tour the Breakers in the morning, walk the Cliff Walk at midday, eat at the White Horse Tavern for the history, and take a sunset sail on the harbor. Come May through September when the harbor is full. Two nights lets you add Fort Adams and the Ocean Drive, the 10-mile coastal loop of the Gilded Age estates.
The plan
48 hours in Newport
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inThe Chanler at Cliff Walk
From ~$400/night
The only hotel on the Cliff Walk, in an 1873 mansion. 20 rooms, each themed, and ocean views. The most-requested stay in Newport.
Leave Boston after work: the 1 hr 30 min drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetThe White Horse Tavern
The oldest tavern in America, 1673. The clam chowder and the roasted cod are the orders. Reserve 2 weeks ahead in summer. The fireplace is the spot.
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopThe Breakers
$30. The 70-room Vanderbilt summer 'cottage,' 1895, the grandest of the Newport mansions. Audio tour, 75 minutes. The great hall is 50 feet high. Rese...
Saturday midday
LunchThe Mooring
On the waterfront. The local lobster, the oysters, and the clam chowder are the moves. Reserve for the deck at sunset.
Saturday afternoon
Second stopCliff Walk
Free. 3.5 miles along the ocean, past the back lawns of the mansions. The paved southern half is easy, the northern half is rugged. Best at sunrise be...
Saturday night
DinnerClarkeston
On Broadway. The seasonal New American menu changes weekly. The pasta and the seasonal fish are the orders. Walk-in friendly for the bar.
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeFort Adams
$15. The largest coastal fort in the US, 1824. 45-minute guided tour through the tunnels and ramparts. The view of the harbor and the Pell Bridge is t...
1 hr 30 min back to Boston still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Newport
The Chanler at Cliff Walk
The only hotel on the Cliff Walk, in an 1873 mansion. 20 rooms, each themed, and ocean views. The most-requested stay in Newport.
Hotel Viking
1926 hotel in the historic district. 208 rooms, a great restaurant (One Bellevue), and walking distance to downtown. Good value for the location.
The Wayfinder Hotel
A modern boutique hotel in the wharf district, with a pool and a short walk to the mansions. The design stay.
What to do
The Breakers
$30. The 70-room Vanderbilt summer 'cottage,' 1895, the grandest of the Newport mansions. Audio tour, 75 minutes. The great hall is 50 feet high. Reserve ahead summer weekends.
Learn more ↗Cliff Walk
Free. 3.5 miles along the ocean, past the back lawns of the mansions. The paved southern half is easy, the northern half is rugged. Best at sunrise before the crowds.
Learn more ↗Fort Adams
$15. The largest coastal fort in the US, 1824. 45-minute guided tour through the tunnels and ramparts. The view of the harbor and the Pell Bridge is the reason to come.
Learn more ↗Pack for Newport
Beach & coast kit
Curated for sand, surf, and slow tide-pool afternoons in Newport.
Portable beach umbrella
Real shade that survives a Gulf breeze.
See price on Amazon →Low-sand beach chairs
The four-leg kind that do not slowly sink out from under you.
See price on Amazon →Waterproof dry bag
Keeps phones and keys dry from the car to the sand and back.
See price on Amazon →Reef-safe sunscreen
Mineral-based, reef-friendly, and reef-town appropriate.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
The White Horse Tavern
The oldest tavern in America, 1673. The clam chowder and the roasted cod are the orders. Reserve 2 weeks ahead in summer. The fireplace is the spot.
The Mooring
On the waterfront. The local lobster, the oysters, and the clam chowder are the moves. Reserve for the deck at sunset.
Clarkeston
On Broadway. The seasonal New American menu changes weekly. The pasta and the seasonal fish are the orders. Walk-in friendly for the bar.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Newport. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
The Red Parrot Restaurant
American
Bar 'Cino
Italian
Sardella's Italian Restaurant
Italian
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Go even deeper
Side trips near Newport
Once you've settled into Newport, these nearby towns are close enough to fold into the same weekend without moving your basecamp.
10 min from Newport
Jamestown
10 minutes across the Newport Bridge, the quieter island town with Beavertail State Park lighthouse and cliffside trails, away from Newport crowds.
30 min from Newport
Bristol
30 minutes north, the oldest July 4 parade town in America, with a walkable harbor and the Herreshoff marine museum and America's Cup heritage.
On the calendar
Coming up in Newport
Events happening in town, refreshed weekly.
Refreshed weekly
Nov 12
A Newport Songbook with Historic Music of Newport
Newport · The Newport Mansions
This evening concert celebrates Newport's rich musical heritage with 19th-century performances and songs tied to historic local salons and theaters. It offers cultural travelers a distinctive historic experience within coastal Rhode Island.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From Boston, take I-93 South to I-95 South, then RI-138 East onto Aquidneck Island. ~75 miles, about 90 minutes. Summer Friday traffic on I-95 is brutal, leave by 2pm or after 7pm. The bridges onto the island can back up on summer weekends.
Drive time
1 hr 30 min
Best time
May-September
Questions & Answers
Newport weekend FAQ
Newport is about 75 miles south of Boston, roughly 90 minutes via I-93 South and I-95 South to RI-138 East.
Gilded Age summer 'cottages' built by the Vanderbilts, Astors, and other wealthy families, 1850-1914. The Breakers (1895) is the grandest. The Preservation Society runs 11 of them, open to the public.
3.5 miles along the ocean, past the back lawns of the mansions. The southern 2 miles are paved and easy, the northern 1.5 miles are rugged and unpaved. Allow 2 hours round trip.
Yes. At 1.5 hours, Newport is the best Gilded Age coast weekend from Boston, with the mansion cliff walk, a wharf downtown, and sailing, best May through October.
June through September for sailing weather and mansion tours, with the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals in late July. Winter is quiet, with some mansions on reduced hours.
The Dispatch
Next weekend, in your inbox
One underrated town every week, with the same 48-hour plan you just read. Starting with somewhere near Boston.
No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.