How to Get to Chatham, MA from Boston, Logan Airport, and the Sagamore Bridge
Most travelers reach Chatham by car. From Boston or Logan Airport, you take Route 3 south to the Sagamore Bridge, cross the Cape Cod Canal, then follow Route 6 east to Exit 85 for Route 137, and finish on Route 28 into Chatham center. The drive runs about 87 to 90 miles and takes roughly 90 minutes to two hours in normal traffic.
If you do not have a car, the best option is a bus or seasonal train to Hyannis, then a connecting local bus to Chatham. There is no single public bus that runs straight from Boston or the airport into Chatham, so every car-free route involves one transfer near the middle of Cape Cod. The right choice depends on whether you are driving, flying in, or trying to skip the bridge traffic that builds on summer weekends.
Chatham sits at the southeastern elbow of Cape Cod, far from the canal bridges that serve as the only road links to the mainland. That position shapes every route below. Whether you start downtown, at an airport gate, or already on the bridge, the final stretch of road is the same, and so is the one variable that matters most in July and August: timing.
How far is Chatham from Boston, and how long does the drive take?
Chatham is about 87 miles from Boston by road, and the drive usually takes 90 minutes to two hours. That window widens fast on summer weekends, when traffic backs up at the Cape Cod Canal crossings.
The mileage is fixed, but the clock is not. Off-season, a Tuesday morning trip can run close to 90 minutes door to door. A Friday afternoon in July can stretch past three hours if you hit the Sagamore Bridge at the wrong time. The 87-mile figure comes from Chatham Chamber guidance, which describes the standard route and the typical travel time. Plan around the bridge, not the distance.
The route is straightforward and uses major highways the entire way. You will spend most of the trip on two roads: Route 3 to reach the canal, and Route 6, the Mid-Cape Highway, to travel the length of the Cape toward Chatham.
What is the driving route from Boston to Chatham?
The standard driving route from Boston runs south on Route 3 to the Sagamore Bridge, east on Route 6 to Exit 85 for Route 137, then south to Route 28 and into Chatham.
Here is the full sequence from downtown Boston:
- Take I-93 South, the Southeast Expressway, out of the city.
- Merge onto Route 3 South, the Pilgrim Highway, toward Cape Cod.
- Stay on Route 3 South until it reaches the Sagamore Bridge.
- Cross the Sagamore Bridge and continue onto Route 6 East, the Mid-Cape Highway.
- Follow Route 6 East for roughly 27 miles to Exit 85 for Route 137, signed for Chatham and Brewster.
- Take Route 137 South, then connect to Route 28, also called Main Street, into downtown Chatham.
One detail trips up returning visitors. The exit you want, Exit 85, was numbered Exit 11 for decades. MassDOT renumbered every exit on Route 6 to match the mileage from the Rhode Island border, so old maps and old memories now point to the wrong number. The exit itself, a partial cloverleaf where Route 137 meets the Mid-Cape Highway, has not moved. Only the sign changed.
How do you get to Chatham from Logan Airport?
From Logan Airport, the driving route is the Boston route once you leave the terminal area: connect to I-93 South, then Route 3 South, cross the Sagamore Bridge, follow Route 6 East to Exit 85, and finish on Route 28. The drive covers about 90 miles and takes around two hours, depending on tunnel and bridge traffic.
Rental cars are available from all major agencies at the airport, and a rental gives you the most direct path to Chatham. Once you clear the Boston tunnels and reach Route 3, the rest of the trip matches the route above. The only meaningful difference from a downtown start is the time spent getting out of the airport and through the harbor tunnels.
For visitors who would rather not drive, scheduled bus service connects Logan to Cape Cod. Both Plymouth & Brockton and Peter Pan run service from Logan, with stops that include the Hyannis Transportation Center. Plymouth & Brockton operates a Logan Direct service that stops at Sagamore and Barnstable before reaching Hyannis, and the Logan-to-Hyannis trip runs roughly two hours. At Logan, scheduled buses pick up on the lower level outside Terminals A, B, C, and E. Peter Pan tells riders to follow the orange-and-white "Scheduled Bus" signs to find the boarding area.
Neither bus goes directly into Chatham. Both drop you at Hyannis, where you transfer to a local route for the final leg, covered below.
How do you get from the Sagamore Bridge to Chatham?
From the Sagamore Bridge, continue east on Route 6, the Mid-Cape Highway, for about 27 miles to Exit 85, take Route 137 South, then follow Route 28 into Chatham. The stretch from the bridge to Chatham center runs 30 to 35 miles and takes 45 minutes to an hour in normal traffic.
The Sagamore Bridge matters more than any other point on the trip, and not because of the driving once you are across it. It is one of only two road crossings between mainland Massachusetts and Cape Cod.
The Cape Cod Commission notes that the Bourne and Sagamore bridges are the only vehicular links to and from the Cape, and the Cape Cod Chamber points out that both bridges sit in Bourne, the gateway town. Every car heading to Chatham funnels through one of these two structures over the Cape Cod Canal.
That bottleneck is why the bridge, not the distance, drives your arrival time. Once you are over the canal and on Route 6, the road opens up and the drive to Exit 85 is usually quick. Route 137 South then carries you toward Chatham, where it links to Route 28 and Old Queen Anne Road for the run into the village center.
Is there a bus from Boston or Logan straight to Chatham?
No public bus runs directly from Boston or Logan into Chatham. The strongest car-free route is an intercity bus to the Hyannis Transportation Center, then a transfer to the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority H2O route, which serves Chatham.
The full transit path looks like this:
- Board at Boston South Station or Logan Airport on Plymouth & Brockton or Peter Pan.
- Ride to the Hyannis Transportation Center, roughly two hours from Logan.
- Transfer to the CCRTA H2O bus toward Orleans.
- Ride the H2O along Route 28 and Route 39 to Chatham.
The H2O route travels from downtown Hyannis to Orleans Center, serving West Yarmouth, Dennis Port, Harwich Port, East Harwich, Chatham, and several other villages along the way. The full run takes about 90 minutes, and Chatham is one of its scheduled stops. CCRTA has stated that its fixed routes are free every day, though fare policies change, so confirm the current fare with CCRTA before you travel. Counting the intercity leg, the transfer wait, and the H2O ride, the total trip from Logan to Chatham by public transit runs about 3.5 to 4 hours.
This route asks for patience, but it removes the bridge from your hands entirely. You never touch a steering wheel, and you skip the parking question once you arrive.
Can you take a train from Boston to Chatham?
You cannot take a train directly to Chatham, but in summer the CapeFLYER runs from Boston to Hyannis, where you connect to a bus or rideshare for the final leg. The service operates Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
The CapeFLYER leaves from South Station and runs to Hyannis with stops including Braintree, Brockton, Lakeville, Wareham Village, Buzzards Bay, and Bourne. In 2026 the season opened on May 22 and ran through the Labor Day weekend. A round-trip ticket from South Station to Hyannis costs $40, children 11 and under ride free with a paying adult, and Sunday round trips in July, August, and on September 1 drop to $20 under the Summer Sunday Savings fare.
From Hyannis, you finish the trip to Chatham one of two ways: the CCRTA H2O bus, or a taxi or rideshare for the 35-minute drive. The train is the most relaxing option because it crosses the canal on its own bridge and avoids road traffic completely. The catch is that it is seasonal, weekend-only, and does not reach Chatham itself.
When is the best time to drive to Cape Cod and avoid traffic?
The best times to drive to Cape Cod are Sunday through Thursday, Fridays before 2 p.m. or after 9 p.m., and Saturdays before 8 a.m. or after 2 p.m. The worst windows for arriving traffic are Friday afternoons from 2 to 9 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
These windows come from Cape Cod Chamber travel guidance, and they line up with how the canal bridges behave in summer. The Cape Cod Commission identifies Route 6 and the canal bridges as recurring congestion points, with the heaviest backups on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings as visitors arrive, and Sundays as they leave. Departure traffic mirrors arrival traffic, so a Sunday afternoon trip back to Boston can be as slow as the Friday trip down.
Timing is the one lever you fully control on this trip. The route does not change, but a three-hour delay does. For live conditions, the Cape Cod Commission recommends Mass511, the state traffic service, which shows live cameras, current travel times, and alerts. Checking it before you leave can tell you whether to go now or wait two hours.
What about flying into an airport closer to Chatham?
Two smaller airports sit near Chatham, but neither replaces Logan for most travelers. Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis, code HYA, is about 20 miles west of Chatham and offers nonstop service to a limited set of cities. Chatham Municipal Airport, code CQX, handles private and charter flights only.
For visitors arriving from outside New England, Logan remains the practical entry point because of its flight options, and the drive or bus from Logan is well established. If your itinerary allows a connection into Hyannis, you cut roughly 70 miles off the ground portion of the trip and land 20 miles from Chatham. From Cape Cod Gateway Airport, a rental car, taxi, rideshare, or the CCRTA H2O bus completes the journey.
These regional options matter most for travelers with flexible routing or private aircraft. For everyone else, the choice comes down to driving from Logan, taking the bus through Hyannis, or riding the summer train.
Quick reference: choosing your route to Chatham
Your decision rests on three questions: are you driving, are you flying in, and are you traveling in peak season? If you have a car or will rent one, drive: Route 3 south, over the Sagamore Bridge, Route 6 east to Exit 85, then Route 28 into Chatham. The route is the same from downtown Boston or from Logan.
If you cannot drive, take a bus or the seasonal CapeFLYER train to Hyannis, then connect on the CCRTA H2O bus to Chatham. Budget 3.5 to 4 hours for the full transit trip and confirm current schedules and fares before you go.
If you are traveling on a summer weekend, the time you leave matters more than the route you pick. Avoid Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings for arrivals, and check Mass511 for live conditions before you start.
Planning a visit to one of the prettiest towns on the Cape? Explore the best things to do once you arrive in downtown Chatham, and if you are weighing a longer stay, our guide to the best time to travel to Cape Cod can help you pick your dates. Have questions about visiting or moving to town? Reach the local team through the Chatham visitor resources to plan your trip with confidence.