Getting around Salem, MA without a car

Updated 5/27/2020. Please note this blog post may contain affiliate links. To read more about that, click here.

Regardless of if you’re driving into Salem or flying into Massachusetts from a greater distance, transportation is a common question I get. After receiving many DM’s and e-mails on that very topic, I decided to cover it in a blog post for you all today! So here we go! Getting around Salem, MA without a car. I hope this helps.

Salem is walkable

First off, Salem is super walkable. You can absolutely take some form of public transportation into the city and then walk the rest. Most attractions are within a reasonable distance so it shouldn’t be a problem on foot, honestly. Just wear comfortable shoes because a lot of the sidewalks are old bricks which are not always even or flat!

There are a few places off the beaten path

It’s also worth noting that there are a small handful of locations in Salem that are popular to visit and are a bit off of the beaten path. These might include places like Winter Island, 4 Ocean Ave., Pioneer Village, Far from the Tree Hard Cider and more. Be sure to check out a map beforehand and plot out where you want to go. You can always Uber or ride share to these spots and back if they are too far for you to walk. Everything else shouldn’t be an issue on foot.

Need some help with that?

If you need help plotting points of interest and planning your trip, check out my workbook! It is aimed at helping you sort out all of the logistics of your visit to Salem.

(Pro tip: Sign up for my newsletter for a discount on the workbook.)

The Salem Trolley

If you need a break from walking or want to streamline seeing some common attractions, my favorite recommendation for that is the Salem Trolley. It is about an hour long ride and hits a few dozen popular sight-seeing locations plus the historic (and gorgeous) McIntire district. Be sure to hang onto your ticket because it’s good to hop on and off at the Trolley’s flag stop locations. This is valid through the day you purchased the ticket. Please keep in mind that hopping on and off is sometimes limited during the fall due to crowds and the Trolley being very full.

If you don’t want to get onto the Trolley but still want to sight see on foot, follow the red line on the ground! The Heritage Trail, which is a red line painted on the ground around Salem, will bring you around to several historic locations as well as popular tourist destinations in the city.

Bike share

If you’re interested in moving a little faster than on foot but don’t want to hop the trolley, there is always the bike share program, Zagster. It’s a service that has multiple stations across Salem which can be unlocked for use via the Zagster Mobile app at any of the locations. To read all about this, find locations and more, click right here.

Whoops…

If you came to this blog post looking for basic information on how to travel INTO Salem or where to park, you can find that here.

Getting from Boston into Salem

If you are seeking information on how to get from Boston to Salem, I have you covered right here. Click to read more information.

I hope this information helped and hope you have an awesome trip into Salem. Enjoy!! <3