Where to Stay in Maine

Portland's Old Port runs between Commercial Street along the working waterfront and Congress Street above. Walk to Eventide Oyster Co on Middle Street in three minutes. Fore Street has some of the best restaurants in New England, not just Maine. Hotels cluster near the Old Port Exchange and along Danforth Street. The ferry terminal to Peaks Island is a five-minute walk. You don't need a car here. Everything locals care about fits inside a 15-minute walk. Parking is a genuine headache on weekends. Skip the rental car if you're staying in the Old Port. It's compact, loud on Friday nights near Wharf Street, and worth it.

Best for

First-timersfood loverscouples who want walkability without a car

Walk times

Ferry terminal on Commercial St 5 min
Eventide Oyster Co on Middle St 3 min
Portland Museum of Art on Congress St 10 min

Skip if: You need a car or want beach access. Nearest decent sand beach is 30 minutes south.

Local tip: Book on Danforth Street, not Commercial Street. You get the neighborhood feel without bar noise after midnight.

Compare prices across providers

Prices shown for 1 room, 2 adults. Click to see current availability.

$168per night

Bar Harbor

Gateway to Acadia. Packed in July, spectacular in late September.

Luxury $180-$450/night

Bar Harbor sits on Mount Desert Island, minutes from Acadia National Park's Hull's Cove entrance on Eagle Lake Road. Main Street runs through the village center and fills with tourists from June through August. Stay on Holland Avenue or Cottage Street for a quieter base while staying 10 minutes from the park's carriage roads. Village Green anchors the bar and restaurant scene. Early October is the real move: foliage peaks, crowds thin, and the Precipice and Beehive trails are yours. Prices drop 30 percent after Labor Day. The town itself is small. You can walk everywhere once you're here.

Best for

HikersAcadia visitorsfoliage travelersanyone willing to go in shoulder season

Walk times

Village Green 5 min
Bar Island causeway (low tide) 8 min
Acadia Hull's Cove entrance 10 min

Skip if: You hate crowds. July and August are genuinely overwhelming. Go late September instead.

Local tip: The Jordan Pond House popovers are overrated and take 45 minutes. Hike the Jordan Pond Loop at 7am instead, 3.3 flat miles, empty trail.

Compare prices across providers

Prices shown for 1 room, 2 adults. Click to see current availability.

$202per night

Kennebunkport

Upscale, quiet, and absurdly pretty. New England at its most postcard-perfect.

Luxury $220-$600/night

Kennebunkport divides into two zones. Dock Square is the commercial center where galleries and restaurants cluster around the Kennebunk River bridge. Drive five minutes south on Ocean Avenue and you hit the rocky coast with shingle-style mansions lining the water. The Colony Hotel has been at the end of Ocean Avenue since 1914. Gooch's Beach and Kennebunk Beach are both within two miles. Cape Porpoise is a working lobster harbor five minutes north. This is where you go for a spa weekend, a quiet anniversary trip, or a long lunch with no agenda. It's genuinely relaxed in a way Bar Harbor is not.

Best for

Couplesanniversariesluxury travelerspeople who want to do nothing at all

Walk times

Dock Square from most inns 5 min
Gooch's Beach 10 min
Cape Porpoise harbor 5 min

Skip if: Budget travelers or anyone who wants nightlife beyond a quiet inn bar

Local tip: Skip the lobster rolls on Dock Square. They're marked up for tourists. Drive to Pier 77 in Cape Porpoise. Half the price, proper quality.

Compare prices across providers

Prices shown for 1 room, 2 adults. Click to see current availability.

$246per night

Ogunquit

Best beach in Maine. Also the most welcoming town on the southern coast.

Mid-range $160-$380/night

Ogunquit Beach runs 3.5 miles along a barrier sandbar between the Atlantic and the Ogunquit River. It's the finest sandy beach in the state. The Marginal Way footpath hugs the rocky coast from the village center to Perkins Cove, 1.25 miles of uninterrupted ocean views with no cars. Perkins Cove has lobster shacks built over the water on Shore Road. Hotels and inns cluster on Main Street and along Beach Street. Ogunquit has been an LGBTQ-welcoming destination since the 1920s and has a strong community presence year-round. The trolley runs every 15 minutes all summer and costs two dollars per ride.

Best for

Beach loversLGBTQ+ travelersfamiliesMarginal Way walkersanyone who likes lobster over water

Walk times

Ogunquit Beach main entrance from village 10 min
Perkins Cove via Marginal Way 25 min
Barnacle Billy's on Perkins Cove 30 min

Skip if: Off-season visitors. Ogunquit closes almost entirely from November through April.

Local tip: Parking near the beach runs $30 per day in July. Stay walkable and use the trolley. Two dollars, runs every 15 minutes, no parking stress.

Compare prices across providers

Prices shown for 1 room, 2 adults. Click to see current availability.

$179per night