Origin
Old Orchard Beach, ME
Morning in Old Orchard Beach on Sunday
Local time
6:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
--
Unavailable
Trip from Old Orchard Beach, ME to Portland, ME
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
24m
Distance
18.8 mi
30 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Old Orchard Beach, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Portland, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking to travel from Old Orchard Beach to Portland, you are in for a quick 18.8-mile journey that typically takes about 24 minutes. This route is perfectly suited for a single-day trip, as the proximity of these two Northeast locations makes it an easy commute. By sticking to the Maine Turnpike, I-295, and I-195, you will spend the vast majority of your time on major thoroughfares. Budgeting around $3 for fuel should cover your needs for this short hop between the two coastal towns. It is a straightforward, no-nonsense drive that prioritizes efficiency over exploration, making it ideal if you need to reach your destination quickly.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Maine Turnpike | 7.8 mi | 8m |
| I 295 | 5.2 mi | 7m |
| I 195 | 2.2 mi | 2m |
| Saco Avenue | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Ocean Park Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Portland Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Forest Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Preble Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Maine Turnpike
— 7.8 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Old Orchard Beach, ME and Portland, ME.
1
Start on ME 5
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Saco Avenue
2
Continue on ME 5
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Ocean Park Road
3
Turn straight onto I 195
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
I 195
4
Keep slight right at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 95 North: Portland
5
Merge onto I 95
7.8 mi
·
8 min
·
Maine Turnpike
6
Keep slight right at fork onto I 295
5.2 mi
·
7 min
·
I 295
Exit 44
Toward Downtown Portland
Use the slight right lane.
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
Exit 6A
Toward ME 100 South
8
Keep slight left at fork
156 ft
·
7 sec
9
Continue on ME 100
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
Forest Avenue
10
Turn left onto Portland Street
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
Portland Street
11
At end of road, turn right onto Preble Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
Preble Street
12
At end of road, turn left onto Congress Street
156 ft
·
5 sec
·
Congress Street
13
Arrive at destination
Congress Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 4.3 and 18.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
4.3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 95 North: Portland
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 95 North: Portland
8
12.7 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
I 295
Keep slight right at fork onto I 295 toward Downtown Portland
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 44
Toward Downtown Portland
5
17.9 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward ME 100 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 6A
Toward ME 100 South
5
18.1 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
6
18.7 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
Congress Street
At end of road, turn left onto Congress Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.03 one way
$6.05 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $3.33 | $6.66 |
| premium | $4.86 | $3.60 | $7.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.15 | $8.30 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.47
Maine Turnpike
(7.8 mi)
$0.47
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.97 | $0.90 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.75 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.63 | $1.20 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Portland, ME
Morning in Portland on Sunday
Local time
6:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°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.
Road read
24m 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 highway-focused experience, as 81% of this drive is spent on high-speed roads. You will navigate a series of interconnected interstates, with the longest uninterrupted stretch covering 7.8 miles on the Maine Turnpike. The transition between these major arteries is seamless, providing a consistent driving environment from start to finish. Because the entire trip is less than 20 miles, you will find the road feel remains uniform throughout the duration. You won't face complex navigation or technical local roads here, just a reliable, steady pace that gets you from point A to point B without any unexpected turns.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.8 mi on Maine Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Maine Turnpike and I 295. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.3 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 8 decision points packed into just 18.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 24m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 12.7 miles (I 295): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 17.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
145 ft
21 ft
Total Climb
213 ft
Total Descent
180 ft
Highest Point
145 ft
~6.7 mi in
Elevation Range
125 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Old Orchard Beach, ME
Full guide →Old Orchard Beach is a city of 8,800 people (2014) in the Southern Coast region of Maine. Old Orchard Beach has a seven-mile stretch of wide-open beach. There are 25 rides and arcade games at Palace Playland, its seaside amusement park. Funtown/Splashtown USA is home to one of the largest wooden roller coasters in the country, and to a ride featuring a 200-foot free-fall descent.
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 24m. Total distance: 18.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.8 miles on Maine Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.47 in tolls one way, starting with Maine 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 Portland, ME 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.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through ME can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 4.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 12.7 miles (I 295): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 17.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Portland, ME 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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