Origin
Essex, MA
Late night in Essex on Sunday
Local time
5:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Essex, MA to Boston, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
47m
Distance
29.5 mi
48 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 43m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 50m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Essex, MA
Italo Melo
Boston, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Essex to Boston covers a manageable 29.5-mile stretch that typically takes about 47 minutes to complete. Because this journey is well within the Northeast region of Massachusetts, it works perfectly as a straightforward day trip that requires no overnight stays. You will primarily navigate via the Yankee Division Highway, Broadway, and the Northeast Expressway. With a fuel cost of just $5, it is an incredibly budget-friendly commute or weekend excursion. Whether you are heading into the city for business or leisure, this route provides a direct connection between the North Shore and the state capital. You can easily complete the entire trip in a single day, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy your destination.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Yankee Division Highway | 6.6 mi | 9m |
| Broadway | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| Northeast Expressway | 3.1 mi | 3m |
| Essex Street | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| Dodge Street | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Tobin Bridge | 1.7 mi | 1m |
| Bennett Highway | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Western Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Yankee Division Highway
— 6.6 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Essex, MA and Boston, MA.
1
Start on MA 22
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Martin Street
2
Continue on MA 22
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Western Avenue
3
Continue on MA 22
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Essex Street
4
Continue on Larch Row
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
Larch Row
5
Turn left onto Dodges Row
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Dodges Row
6
Continue on Dodge Street
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Dodge Street
7
At end of road, turn left onto MA 1A
163 ft
·
3 sec
·
Enon Street
8
Continue on MA 1A
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Dodge Street
9
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward MA 128 South: Peabody, Boston
10
Merge onto MA 128
6.6 mi
·
9 min
·
Yankee Division Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
Exit 63
Toward US 1: Danvers, Boston
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Toward US 1 South: Boston
Use the slight left lane.
13
Continue on US 1
0.4 mi
·
36 sec
·
Newbury Street
14
Continue on US 1
0.6 mi
·
57 sec
·
Broadway
15
Continue on US 1; MA 129
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
·
Newburyport Turnpike
16
Continue on US 1; MA 129
3.2 mi
·
4 min
·
Broadway
Use the straight / right lanes.
17
Continue on US 1
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Newburyport Turnpike
18
Continue on US 1
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Bennett Highway
Toward Boston
19
Continue on US 1
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Cutler Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
20
Continue on US 1
3.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Northeast Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21
Continue on US 1
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Tobin Bridge
22
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
Toward I 93 North: Somerville, Charlestown
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
23
Turn right onto MA 99
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
New Rutherford Avenue
24
Continue on MA 99
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Washington Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
25
Turn right onto New Chardon Street
0.2 mi
·
51 sec
·
New Chardon Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
26
Turn left onto Bulfinch Place
492 ft
·
18 sec
·
Bulfinch Place
27
Turn right onto Sudbury Street
121 ft
·
6 sec
·
Sudbury Street
28
Turn left onto Cambridge Street
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
Cambridge Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
29
Continue on Tremont Street
190 ft
·
6 sec
·
Tremont Street
Use the straight lane.
30
Arrive at destination
Tremont Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 7 and 27.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
7 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
MA 1A / Enon Street
At end of road, turn left onto MA 1A / Enon Street
Navigation decision point
5
7.8 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway
Merge onto MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
14.4 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward US 1: Danvers, Boston
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 63
Toward US 1: Danvers, Boston
7
14.7 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Keep slight left at fork toward US 1 South: Boston
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward US 1 South: Boston
7
27.8 mi into trip
|
~42m in
Take the exit toward I 93 North: Somerville, Charlestown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 93 North: Somerville, Charlestown
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.72 one way
$9.44 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $5.15 | $10.30 |
| premium | $4.82 | $5.60 | $11.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.51 | $13.03 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.05
Newburyport Turnpike
(0.7 mi)
$0.05
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$0
Total
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.10 | $1.42 |
| Efficient EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.58 | $1.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.13 | $1.89 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Boston, MA
Late night in Boston on Sunday
Local time
5:59 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
47m 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 that requires your full attention as you transition from smaller roads into the city. Only about 14% of this 29.5-mile route consists of highway driving, meaning you will spend the vast majority of your time navigating local streets. Your longest uninterrupted stretch occurs on the Yankee Division Highway, which spans just 6.6 miles. The character of the drive shifts noticeably as you move away from the quieter Essex area and into the denser traffic patterns closer to Boston. Because the route is not a monotonous interstate grind, you should prepare for frequent turns and a more technical driving experience than a typical highway cruise.
Only 14% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
30 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.6 mi on Yankee Division Highway.
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 7 miles in near MA 1A / Enon 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 12 decision points packed into just 29.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 47m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 7 miles (MA 1A / Enon Street): Navigation decision point; at 7.8 miles (MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.4 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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Essex, MA to Boston, MA, road signs begin pointing toward Charlestown along the way.
Charlestown
27.8 mi in
|
~42m
About the Cities
Starting in Essex, MA
Full guide →Essex is a town in on Cape Ann in the North Shore region of Massachusetts. Settled by direct descendants of the Mayflower passengers in the early 1600s, it was later world-renowned as North America's fishing schooner construction center. Today, history permeates the town, enhanced by its many antique stores. Its population was shy of 4k during the 2020 census.
Arriving in Boston, MA
Full guide →A city of history and tradition, Boston offers a proud legacy of culture, education, and numerous sporting championships. The "shining city on a hill"s independent spirit has been displayed to the world ever since colonists were angry over a British tax on their beloved tea and dumped shiploads of it into the harbor in protest. In the early 1600s, the peninsula in Massachusetts that would become known as Boston was controlled by Native Americans until John Smith (English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author) named the area New England to attract European settlers. Boston was founded in 1630 by John Winthrop, making it one of the oldest cities in the U.S. No other American city has made more of an effort to preserve its history, and you'll find buildings that pre-date the republic dotted throughout the region.
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 47m. Total distance: 29.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m 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 6.6 miles on Yankee Division Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.05 in tolls one way, starting with Newburyport 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 Boston, 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 7 miles (MA 1A / Enon Street): Navigation decision point; at 7.8 miles (MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Boston National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historical Park and Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (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 Boston, 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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