Origin
Cambridge, MA
Late night in Cambridge on Friday
Local time
1:34 AM
EDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Cambridge, MA to Waltham, MA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
7.3 mi
12 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 14m
★
6 AM
0h 15m
8 AM
0h 18m
10 AM
0h 16m
12 PM
0h 16m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 15m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Cambridge, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Waltham, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Cambridge, MA to Waltham, MA is 7.3 miles and takes about 15m via Belmont Street, Main Street, and Brattle Street, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within the Northeast region and the state of Massachusetts. It's a quick trip primarily on surface roads, making it ideal for a spontaneous outing or as a brief segment between other plans. You'll be navigating local streets for the entire duration, so expect typical urban or suburban traffic patterns. This route is best suited for a single-day endeavor, allowing plenty of time for your main activities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Belmont Street | 2.6 mi | 4m |
| Main Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Brattle Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Warren Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Cambridge Street | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| Mount Auburn Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Garden Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Mason Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Belmont Street
— 2.6 mi, about 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cambridge, MA and Waltham, MA.
1
Start on Leonard Avenue
267 ft
·
13 sec
·
Leonard Avenue
2
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Cambridge Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Continue on Cambridge Street
108 ft
·
4 sec
·
Cambridge Street
4
Turn left onto MA 2A
162 ft
·
7 sec
·
Massachusetts Avenue
5
Turn right onto Garden Street
0.2 mi
·
45 sec
·
Garden Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Turn left onto Mason Street
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Mason Street
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto Brattle Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Brattle Street
8
At end of road, turn right onto Mount Auburn Street
0.3 mi
·
30 sec
·
Mount Auburn Street
9
Keep slight right at fork onto Belmont Street
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Belmont Street
Use the right lane.
10
Continue on Belmont Street
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Belmont Street
Use the left lane.
11
Continue on Warren Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Warren Street
12
Turn right onto US 20
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Arrive at destination
US 20
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 2.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Cambridge Street
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Garden Street
Turn right onto Garden Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Mason Street
Turn left onto Mason Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
2.2 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Mount Auburn Street
At end of road, turn right onto Mount Auburn Street
Navigation decision point
6
2.5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Belmont Street
Keep slight right at fork onto Belmont Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.22 one way
$2.44 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $1.34 | $2.68 |
| premium | $5.06 | $1.45 | $2.91 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $1.61 | $3.22 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.77 | $0.35 |
| Efficient EV | 1.8 | 0 | $0.64 | $0.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.02 | $0.47 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% 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.
Destination
Waltham, MA
Late night in Waltham on Friday
Local time
1:34 AM
EDT
Current temp
78°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
1 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
15m 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?
This drive covers 7.3 miles entirely on surface roads, with no highway travel. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 2.6 miles along Belmont Street. As you navigate, you'll be experiencing mostly local street driving, which means you'll need to be aware of intersections and traffic signals for the full 15-minute duration. The absence of highway sections means you won't experience merging or high-speed cruising.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.6 mi on Belmont Street.
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 0.1 miles in near Cambridge Street.
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 9 decision points packed into just 7.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 15m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Cambridge Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (Garden Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (Mason Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
155 ft
18 ft
Total Climb
153 ft
Total Descent
109 ft
Highest Point
155 ft
~3.6 mi in
Elevation Range
137 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Cambridge, MA
Full guide →Founded 1630
Cambridge is a city in Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston. It is renowned as the home of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both widely considered to be among the best universities in the world. The city's population was 118,000 in 2020; the fourth largest in the state.
Top landmarks
- • Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology — museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- • Harvard Art Museums — art museums at Harvard University
- • Museum of Comparative Zoology — natural history museum at Harvard University
Arriving in Waltham, MA
Full guide →Founded 1634
Waltham is a city in the American state of Massachusetts. It is 10 miles (16 km) west of central Boston on the Charles River, and 3 miles from the city limits to the east. Waltham is part of the Greater Boston conurbation; even so, it has a unique character compared to Boston's other suburbs, and is one of the most significant regional centers for employment, culture, education and food in the entire metro area. It is sometimes called "Watch City" because it was home to Waltham Watch Company. Many high-tech companies have made Waltham their home. It is also home to Bentley College and Brandeis University.
Top landmarks
- • Boston Manufacturing Company — cotton mill in Waltham, Massachusetts
- • Rose Art Museum — art museum in Waltham, Massachusetts
- • Wilson's Diner
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 7.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
15m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 2.6 miles on Belmont Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Waltham, 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Cambridge Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (Garden Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (Mason Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Waltham, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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