Unless your personal vehicle is a broomstick, the City of Salem is once again advising fall visitors to use public transit when they visit this spooky season. And now there’s another day trip travel option from Greater Boston: A brand-new ferry route to Salem from the South Shore.
Boston Harbor City Cruises has conjured up a new route to Salem from Hingham, with departure times on Saturday and Sunday, October 19, 20, 26 and 27; as well as on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and on Halloween, which is a Thursday this year. The operator of many of Boston’s most popular harbor cruises and commuter ferries, BHCC is also running its usual water shuttle from Long Wharf in Boston to Salem through October 31 with increased passenger capacity. Fares are $29 for both routes and reservations are recommended.
Host of what's known as the largest Halloween celebration in the world, Salem sees its population of ~45,000 double on October weekends, while its number of public parking spots is set in stone. “Visitors to Salem in October should not plan to drive into downtown Salem, especially on weekends. Traffic is heavy and parking is severely limited,” Mayor Dominick Pangallo said in a September statement about planned fall road closures. The City of Salem also provides free shuttle bus service from satellite parking lots in the area.
Last year, more than 110,000 passengers took the Newburyport/Rockport MBTA Commuter Rail (the line that stops at Salem) on October weekends, which was the agency’s highest level of weekend ridership ever. This year, the MBTA and its Commuter Rail operating partner, Keolis, “significantly increased train frequency” to Salem on weekends in October: Extra trains from Boston’s North Station to Salem will run throughout the day on Saturdays and Sundays, particularly during peak travel times between 9am–2pm from Boston and 3–8pm out of Salem. On Halloween, trains will run every 30 minutes throughout the day.
The MBTA’s $10 unlimited weekend Commuter Rail pass most definitely applies this month, and there will be a special $10 unlimited pass sold on Halloween, as well. The Commuter Rail is also offering special $5 roundtrip fare between Salem and Beverly, its station to the north, for folks who want to park in Beverly.
The train takes about 30 minutes from Boston, 5 minutes from Beverly and it’s usually less than 90 minutes to ride the ferry. (The boat from Boston has a bar that sells Salem’s own Notch beer cans, pro tip!) The new ferry route from Hingham features BHCC’s Nathaniel Bowditch, a 149-passenger vessel with two decks. The boat has open-air seating as well as a partially enclosed area on the upper deck, plus booth-seating inside, a galley and three restrooms.
“This October, take the train, take the ferry, come by bike, or come by broom, but leave your car at home,” Salem’s mayor said. “You’ll have a much more enjoyable visit!”
Not sure what to do once you get to Salem? Well, you should really do some planning. Luckily, we’re here to help have the best time in Salem this spooky season.