I might be biased, but there’s nowhere quite like Maine and if you visiting for the first time, I’m so happy for you.
If this is your first trip up the Maine coast, resist the urge to aim for Acadia. Three days isn’t enough to do Bar Harbor justice, and you’ll spend half the trip in the car instead of on the coast. What three days is enough for: York, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, and Portland: a tight, walkable stretch of southern Maine that gives you lighthouses, beaches, lobster, and a proper small city, without ever putting more than 40 minutes between stops.
This route starts close, about 20 minutes from the Seacoast, and moves north, ending in Portland, which has the best lodging and dining options to close out the trip. Total driving time over three days: under two hours.
If you feel strongly that you want to get up to Acadia, I recommend heading straight there but know it will take most of your time to drive.
Day 1: York & Ogunquit
Morning, Nubble Light & Short Sands Beach Start at Cape Neddick Light, better known as Nubble Light the most photographed lighthouse in Maine, and it’s free to view from the small park across the water. Grab coffee in York Village first if you’re an early riser; most shops open by 7.
Midday: Perkins Cove Drive 15 minutes north to Ogunquit and park at Perkins Cove, a working harbor turned art-gallery-and-lobster-shack cluster. It’s touristy, but it earns it, grab lunch dockside before the crowds peak. See what to do in Perkins Cove.
Afternoon: Marginal Way Walk the Marginal Way, a 1.25-mile paved coastal path connecting Perkins Cove to Ogunquit Beach. It’s flat, stroller- and dog-friendly, and lined with benches if you want to just sit and watch the water. Budget 45 minutes to an hour, longer if you stop often.
Evening: Ogunquit Beach Close the day at Ogunquit Beach, three miles of sand backed by dunes and the Ogunquit River. Good for a sunset walk even outside of swimming season.
Stay the night in Ogunquit or York — it keeps you close for an early Day 2 start toward Kennebunkport.
Day 2: Kennebunkport
Morning: Dock Square Kennebunkport’s town center is small, walkable, and best done early before tour buses arrive. Browse Dock Square’s shops, then grab breakfast at one of the cafés lining the square.
Midday: Walker’s Point & Ocean Avenue Drive (or bike, if you’re up for it) Ocean Avenue out to Walker’s Point, the Bush family’s summer compound. You can’t go in, but the drive itself, hugging the rocky shoreline, is the point.
Afternoon: Cape Porpoise Push three miles further to Cape Porpoise, a working lobstering village that feels a world away from Dock Square’s boutiques. Walk the pier for a view of Goat Island Light, and eat lobster here rather than in the main village it’s fresher and the lines are shorter.
Evening: Goose Rocks Beach End the day at Goose Rocks Beach, a quieter, less-crowded stretch of white sand about 15 minutes from town — a good spot for dinner reservations with a water view, or just a last walk before dark.
Stay the night in Kennebunkport. It sets up an easy 40-minute drive to Portland the next morning.
Day 3: Portland
Morning — Portland Head Light Start at Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine’s oldest lighthouse and arguably its most iconic. Fort Williams Park surrounds it, with plenty of room to walk before breakfast in the city.
Midday — Old Port Head into downtown Portland and spend the bulk of the day in the Old Port — cobblestone streets, a dense cluster of restaurants, and enough independent shops to fill a few unhurried hours. This is also the easiest place on the trip to find a proper sit-down lunch without a wait.
Afternoon — Casco Bay If the weather’s cooperating, catch a Casco Bay Lines ferry for a short island hop — Peaks Island is the easiest, at about 20 minutes each way, and gives you open water views without committing the whole afternoon.
Evening — Last dinner in the Old Port Save your best meal for last here — Portland’s restaurant scene is the strongest of anywhere on this route, and it’s a fitting final night before heading home or continuing north.
Where to Stay
You have two real options for this trip: home-base in one town and day-trip the rest, or move each night as laid out above. Moving each night means less backtracking and shorter drives overall, but if you’d rather unpack once, Kennebunkport is the most central home base for all three days.
Practical Notes
- Best time to go: Late May through early October. Marginal Way and the beaches are at their best June–September; September avoids peak crowds while keeping the weather warm.
- Parking: York, Ogunquit, and Kennebunkport all have paid lots in-season: expect to pay $10–20/day at the busiest spots (Perkins Cove, Dock Square, Ogunquit Beach). Arrive before 9am in July and August or you’ll be circling.
- Total driving: Roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours across all three days, not counting local wandering.
- Skip if: You’re set on Acadia. This route deliberately stays south: pair it with a separate trip north rather than trying to stretch it to Bar Harbor.
