Sitting at the far tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown is where the Pilgrims first set anchor in the New World. These days, it’s a picturesque beach town and celebrated haven for artists, performers, and the LGBTQI community.
YOTEL Boston has teamed up with Boston Harbor Cruises to create a Beantown > P-town promotion. Here are some tips to make the most of your day away.
1. PLAN YOUR TIME
The Provincetown Ferry, Salacia, departs at 9am sharp from 1 Long Wharf which is about 15 minutes by foot from YOTEL Boston. We recommend you start the day with breakfast in KOMYUNITI and that you arrive at the ferry terminal at least half an hour prior to departure. Journey time is 90 minutes – time to watch the world go by, read a book, grab something from the snack bar, or pick up a map from the on-board concierge. In the summer months, the last return ferry departs P-town at 4pm, Monday to Wednesday and 8.30pm, Thursday to Sunday.
2. EXPLORE COMMERCIAL STREET
The ferry docks at Macmillan Pier, at roughly the mid-point of Commercial Street, which runs 3 miles around the shoreline of P-town. The East End (turn right on to Commercial Street from the Pier) is home to most of the town’s art galleries, including the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (founded in 1914) and relative upstarts such as The Schoolhouse Gallery, Rice Polak Gallery and Bowersock Gallery. If art is not your thing, you’ll still find lots of local shops, cafes and ice-cream parlours, not to mention people-watching.
3. LUNCH ON A LOBSTER ROLL
What’s the point of a trip to Ptown without a Cape Cod classic? Made from New England lobster so fresh that it’s likely caught that day, lobster rolls in Ptown come in surprisingly nuanced variations. Stepping off the ferry, you can hardly miss The Lobster Pot, now in its 40th year and serving up to 1,400 diners a day. Five minutes further west on Commercial Street, Canteen is a counter-service “seafood shack” with the best lobster roll on Cape Cod, according to Travel + Leisure Further east, but still on Commercial, Pepe’s Wharf has two gorgeous decks on the waterfront and is one of the prettiest spots in town.
4. RENT A BIKE
Ptown is chock-full of cyclists, and if you want to explore slightly further afield a bike is really the best way to get around. The Chamber of Commerce lists local rental companies; both Ptown Bikes and The Bike Shack allow you to book your bikes in advance (highly recommended in peak summer season). A relatively leisurely afternoon ride will take you from the town centre to Race Point Lighthouse and round to Herring Cove Beach, before heading back to…
5. MAKE TIME FOR TEA (DANCES)
If you’re not aiming for the 4 o’ clock ferry, it would be rude not to make your way to the Boat Slip Tea Dance, an LGBTQI institution that happily welcomes straight brothers and sisters, too. Very busy, very friendly, and very good fun – but if you’re not convinced there’s an embarrassment of bars where you can sip on a sundowner. Just don’t miss the ferry and drink responsibly (remember, there’s a $25 allowance to be redeemed at YOTEL Boston Sky Bar on your return).
YOTEL Boston Beantown > Ptown Package includes an overnight stay at YOTEL Boston, $25 credit at the hotel’s Sky Bar, and return day trip from Boston to Provincetown with Boston Harbor Cruises. Available for stays until 30 September 2019 across all cabin types.