Trip from Bedford, MA to Cambridge, MA

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

27m

Distance

13.3 mi

21 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

one way

EV Charging

Sparse

1 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min

4 AM

0h 25m ★

6 AM

0h 27m

8 AM

0h 32m

10 AM

0h 29m

12 PM

0h 28m

3 PM

0h 29m

5 PM

0h 32m

8 PM

0h 26m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly

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Bedford, MA

Phil Evenden

city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States of America

Cambridge, MA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This short 13.3-mile drive from Bedford, MA to Cambridge, MA takes about 27 minutes and is perfect for a single day trip. You'll navigate primarily via Massachusetts Avenue and Concord Turnpike, with about 26% of the journey on highways. The estimated fuel cost for this trip is just $2, making it a budget-friendly excursion within the Northeast region. This drive is characterized by its frequent turns, so be prepared for a more engaged driving experience rather than a straightforward cruise. It's an easy local hop that doesn't require an overnight stay.

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
Massachusetts Avenue	3.1 mi	6m
Concord Turnpike	3.1 mi	4m
Bedford Street	2.5 mi	4m
The Great Road	1.3 mi	3m
Beacon Street	1 mi	3m
Watertown Street	0.5 mi	<1m
Pleasant Street	0.5 mi	<1m
Alewife Brook Parkway	0.3 mi	<1m

Longest stretch: Massachusetts Avenue — 3.1 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Bedford, MA and Cambridge, MA.

Start on MA 4; MA 62; MA 225

1.3 mi · 3 min · The Great Road

Use the left lane.

Continue on MA 4; MA 225

2.4 mi · 4 min · Bedford Street

At end of road, turn straight

83 ft · 2 sec

Turn slight right onto MA 4; MA 225

456 ft · 7 sec · Bedford Street

Continue on MA 4; MA 225

1.9 mi · 3 min · Massachusetts Avenue

Turn right onto MA 4; MA 225

0.5 mi · 43 sec · Pleasant Street

Enter roundabout onto MA 4; MA 225

86 ft · 1 sec · Watertown Street

Continue on MA 4; MA 225

0.5 mi · 51 sec · Watertown Street

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 27 sec

Toward MA 2 East: Cambridge, Boston

Continue on Concord Turnpike

0.4 mi · 43 sec · Concord Turnpike

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 20 sec

Toward MA 2 East: Cambridge, Boston

Merge onto MA 2

2.7 mi · 3 min · Concord Turnpike

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Take the exit

473 ft · 13 sec

Toward MA 16 East, US 3 North: Medford, Woburn Use the straight / left lanes.

Merge onto US 3; MA 16

0.3 mi · 51 sec · Alewife Brook Parkway

Toward US 3 North, MA 16 East: Arlington, Medford

Turn right onto MA 2A

1.2 mi · 2 min · Massachusetts Avenue

Toward MA 2A East: Cambridge Use the straight lane.

Turn left onto Somerville Avenue

0.2 mi · 54 sec · Somerville Avenue

Use the left / straight lanes.

Turn right onto Beacon Street

1.0 mi · 3 min · Beacon Street

Use the right lane.

Turn right onto Cooney Street

295 ft · 12 sec · Cooney Street

At end of road, turn right onto Line Street

294 ft · 19 sec · Line Street

Turn left onto Leonard Avenue

460 ft · 19 sec · Leonard Avenue

Arrive at destination

Leonard Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 15

5 decision points cluster between mile 6.8 and 13.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6.8 mi into trip | ~13m in

Take the ramp toward MA 2 East: Cambridge, Boston

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward MA 2 East: Cambridge, Boston

7.6 mi into trip | ~14m in | MA 2 / Concord Turnpike

Merge onto MA 2 / Concord Turnpike

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

10.3 mi into trip | ~18m in

Take the exit toward MA 16 East, US 3 North: Medford, Woburn

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / left lanes. Toward MA 16 East, US 3 North: Medford, Woburn

10.7 mi into trip | ~19m in | MA 2A / Massachusetts Avenue

Turn right onto MA 2A / Massachusetts Avenue toward MA 2A East: Cambridge

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane. Toward MA 2A East: Cambridge

13.2 mi into trip | ~26m in | Line Street

At end of road, turn right onto Line Street

Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.13 one way

$4.26 round trip

$4.07/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$4.43	$2.32	$4.64
premium	$4.82	$2.53	$5.05
diesel	$5.61	$2.94	$5.87

Estimated Tolls: $0.19

Concord Turnpike (2.7 mi) $0.19

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

Tolls

Total

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	4	$1.40	$0.64
Efficient EV	3.3	$1.16	$0.53
EV Truck/SUV	5.3	$1.86	$0.85

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Bedford, MA

Late night in Bedford on Sunday

Local time

3:56 AM

EDT

Current temp

56°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Cambridge, MA

Late night in Cambridge on Sunday

Local time

3:56 AM

EDT

Current temp

62°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

6 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

27m on the road

Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route. While 26% of the journey includes highway sections, you'll spend a significant portion navigating local roads, primarily along Massachusetts Avenue and Concord Turnpike. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 3.1 miles on Massachusetts Avenue, offering a brief period of steady driving before the turns resume. This profile suggests a route that requires your attention, with transitions between faster highway speeds and more intricate local navigation.

Only 26% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.

21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.

Longest single stretch: 3.1 mi on Massachusetts Avenue.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 6.8 miles in.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 13.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 6.8 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7.6 miles (MA 2 / Concord Turnpike): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Bedford, MA and Cambridge, MA, road signs point toward Boston, Woburn and Medford.

Boston

6.8 mi in | ~13m

Woburn

10.3 mi in | ~18m

Medford

10.4 mi in | ~18m | via US 3; MA 16

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 27m. Total distance: 13.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

27m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 3.1 miles on Massachusetts Avenue. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.19 in tolls one way, starting with Concord Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Cambridge, MA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

Yes — Boston National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park and Adams National Historical Park (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Cambridge, MA before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Explore More

Explore more options from Bedford, MA or browse trips ending in Cambridge, MA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MA road trips.

Trip from Bedford, MA to Cambridge, MA

Best Time to Leave

Trip Overview

Main Roads

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Heads-up: tricky spots

Fuel & Cost

Travel Intel

Bedford, MA

Cambridge, MA

Same local time

6 degrees warmer at arrival

27m on the road

What kind of drive is this?

How Hard Is This Drive?

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Who Is This Route For?

Frequently Asked Questions

Which road carries most of the drive?

How do I pay the tolls on this route?

Should I avoid arriving after dark?

Is this a good trip with kids?

Where does this route get tricky?

Are there national parks near this route?

Can I do this as a round trip in one go?

How this page is built

Explore More

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