Origin
New Bedford, MA
Late night in New Bedford on Sunday
Local time
3:36 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from New Bedford, MA to Plymouth, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
50m
Distance
31.4 mi
51 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 59m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 54m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 48m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
New Bedford, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Plymouth, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
New Bedford to Plymouth is 31.4 miles and takes about 50 minutes via I 195 and County Road, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Massachusetts, moving you from the Northeast region to another part of the same region. The drive is a straightforward connection between two points, suitable for a quick excursion or an easy leg of a longer journey. You'll find it a practical route with minimal time commitment, perfect for a day trip or to connect to other destinations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 195 | 13.6 mi | 16m |
| County Road | 6.7 mi | 11m |
| Federal Furnace Road | 3.6 mi | 7m |
| Cranberry Highway | 2.7 mi | 4m |
| Samoset Street | 2 mi | 4m |
| John F. Kennedy Highway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Seven Hills Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Pleasant Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 195
— 13.6 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between New Bedford, MA and Plymouth, MA.
1
Start on Pleasant Street
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Pleasant Street
2
Turn right onto Hillman Street
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Hillman Street
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Toward MA 18 North
4
Merge onto MA 18
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
John F. Kennedy Highway
5
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Toward I 195 East: Cape Cod
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 195
14 mi
·
16 min
·
I 195
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 39
Toward MA 28: Wareham, South Middleboro
8
Keep slight left at fork
242 ft
·
7 sec
9
Turn left onto MA 28
2.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Cranberry Highway
10
Turn right onto MA 58
6.7 mi
·
11 min
·
County Road
11
Continue on Federal Furnace Road
3.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Federal Furnace Road
12
Turn left onto Seven Hills Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Seven Hills Road
13
Turn slight right onto Samoset Street
2.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Samoset Street
14
Turn right onto MA 3A
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Court Street
Use the right lane.
15
Arrive at destination
MA 3A
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
16 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 31 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 15.7 miles from New Bedford, MA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 31.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward MA 18 North
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Toward MA 18 North
6
1.3 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the exit toward I 195 East: Cape Cod
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 195 East: Cape Cod
6
15.3 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward MA 28: Wareham, South Middleboro
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 39
Toward MA 28: Wareham, South Middleboro
5
15.5 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
5
31.2 mi into trip
|
~49m in
|
MA 3A / Court Street
Turn right onto MA 3A / Court Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.03 one way
$10.05 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $5.48 | $10.96 |
| premium | $4.82 | $5.96 | $11.92 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.93 | $13.87 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.30 | $1.51 |
| Efficient EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.75 | $1.26 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.6 | 0 | $4.40 | $2.01 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Plymouth, MA
Late night in Plymouth on Sunday
Local time
3:36 AM
EDT
Current temp
41°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
34 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
50m 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?
About 43% of this drive is on highways, with the longest stretch on I 195 covering 13.6 miles. After this highway segment, you'll transition to surface roads like County Road and Federal Furnace Road. Expect a mixed driving experience with some faster-paced highway cruising followed by more local road navigation as you approach your destination. The change in road type is noticeable as you move from interstate travel to more community-focused streets.
43% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.6 mi on I 195.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 31.4 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 New Bedford, MA to Plymouth, MA, road signs begin pointing toward Middleboro along the way.
Middleboro
15.3 mi in
|
~19m
About the Cities
Starting in New Bedford, MA
Full guide →New Bedford is in Massachusetts on the southern coast. New Bedford's excellent harbor made it a natural fishing and whaling center. It was the world's premier whaling port in the 19th century, and, for a time, "the richest city in the world" and "the city that lit the world" because of whale oil production. New Bedford neighbor Acushnet is the birthplace of the Titleist golf ball.
Arriving in Plymouth, MA
Full guide →Plymouth is on the South Shore of Massachusetts. Known as "America's Hometown," Plymouth is most famous for being the final landing place of the Pilgrims who arrived on board the Mayflower in 1620, after storms lead them away from their desired settlement, the Hudson River. The settlement they established, Plimoth Colony, was one of the earliest successful settlements of Europeans in North America. In addition to its obvious historical draws, modern-day Plymouth is a picturesque seaside town with a bustling summer resident population who come back year after year to enjoy its beaches, ponds, and forests. Although summer is Plymouth's peak tourist season, spring (before Memorial Day) and fall (after Labor Day) can be excellent times to visit. These bumper seasons are less crowded and certainly more comfortable temperature-wise.
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 50m. Total distance: 31.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
50m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (43%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.6 miles on I 195. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Plymouth, 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 0.5 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Plymouth, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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