Maine coasts??

We are making a quick one week tour of NH, ME, %26amp; MA. Just a fly by.

Plan on driving from Bar Harbor to Portsmouth NH in one day.

What are the very best coastal towns that are a most see. Don%26#39;t like tourist traps. Won%26#39;t have time to really explore.

Camden Hills ST Park , Pemaquid point, Portland area - Portland breakwater ';Bug'; light; Portland Head light, were some possibles.

Any suggestions would be apprec.

Maine coasts??

If you don%26#39;t really have time to explore and you are already convinced that the Maine coast has ';tourist trap'; towns, you might just as well head to the Interstate and Bangor when you leave Bar Harbor. It will be a quick five hours to New Hampshire.

Maine coasts??

The best coastal towns between MDI and Portsmouth pretty much are tourist towns, so you probably wouldn%26#39;t like them. Bar Harbor to Portsmouth is between four and five hours on the interstate, an hour or so longer via Rte 1. along the coast.

You don%26#39;t say how you are getting to Bar Harbor in the first place (it also is a tourist town). You might be better off sticking to the area between Boston and Portsmouth.

To avoid tourist ';traps';, explore some of the peninsula towns you%26#39;ve never heard of. You will need to get off of Rt. 1. Just explore, you are in for a looooooooooong day.

It is a longer trip on Route 1 than on I-95, so your quickest way is as bonniemaev suggests. Also, most attractions along the coast are not right on Route 1, so that would add time as well.

We have lots of visitors in the summer along the coast, which means that many, if not most, of the ';best coastal towns that are a must see'; will have tourists in them. Not as many as Cape Cod, for example, but maybe they would still be tourist ';traps'; in your opinion. Given that, and the driving considerations, maybe you%26#39;d be best off to just take the interstate. You could then stop in Portland for a quick stop. Portland Head Light is definitely beautiful.

Belfast might be a possibility. It is less of a ';tourist trap'; than perhaps Camden. It has some restaurants and an interesting downtown area.

I hope you don%26#39;t envison Bar Harbor as some sort of pristine, little Maine seaside village. For that, you have to come in January. It is a big time tourist destination, and for good reason, but if you aren%26#39;t into tourist crowds, it might not be the place for you.

You are right--you won%26#39;t have any time to explore. You are in for a LONG day of driving. Expect a lot of traffic that often moves slowly in some areas along Rt. 1.

I live in the Twin Villages of Newcastle %26amp; Damariscotta on the Pemaquid Peninsula and while admittedly biased absolutely love it. MUCH less touristy than BBH for example.