Cape Cod: Route 6A to Provincetown

Skip the main highway and follow Old King's Highway (Route 6A) along the bay side through Sandwich, Barnstable and Brewster. On the Outer Cape, join Route 6 to the Cape Cod National Seashore, Nauset and Highland lighthouses, then Provincetown at the tip. It suits a long weekend with beach days and seafood.

The stops

1. Start

   Sandwich, MA

2. Town

   Sandwich

   Oldest town on the Cape, with a boardwalk over the marsh.

3. Viewpoint

   Cape Cod Canal

   Walk or bike the canal paths near the bridges.

4. Town

   Brewster

   Low-tide flats and antique shops along 6A.

5. Town

   Orleans

   Start of the Outer Cape, with Nauset Beach nearby.

6. Lighthouse

   Nauset Light

   Red-and-white lighthouse overlooking the ocean beach.

7. Food · Overnight

   Wellfleet

   Oysters and the old harbour.

8. Lighthouse

   Highland Light

   Cape's oldest and tallest lighthouse, on the dunes.

9. Town

   Provincetown

   Art, whale-watching and the end of the road.

10. Finish

    Provincetown, MA

Where to stay

• Night 1

  Brewster / Orleans

  Nickerson State Park campground · Orleans inns

• Night 2

  Wellfleet / Truro

  Pilgrim Lake and Cape Cod National Seashore area campgrounds · Wellfleet cottages

• Night 3

  Provincetown

  Provincetown guesthouses · Dune-area campgrounds

When to go

Late May–Jun and Sep for beaches without peak traffic; July–Aug is busy

On the road

Traffic over the canal bridges backs up on summer Fridays and Sundays. Seashore beaches need a parking pass; Route 6A is slow and narrow.