Origin
Plymouth, MA
Afternoon in Plymouth on Sunday
Local time
4:21 PM
EDT
Current temp
41°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Plymouth, MA to Lexington, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 14m
Distance
53 mi
85 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 9m
★
6 AM
1h 15m
8 AM
1h 26m
10 AM
1h 19m
12 PM
1h 18m
3 PM
1h 19m
5 PM
1h 26m
8 PM
1h 11m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Plymouth, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Lexington, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Plymouth to Lexington is a straightforward 53-mile journey that typically takes about 1 hour and 14 minutes. Because the entire route stays within the Northeast, you will experience a familiar regional feel as you transition from the coast toward the inland suburbs. You can easily complete this trip in a single day, as it is designed to be a quick, efficient transit. With an estimated fuel cost of just $8, it is a very budget-friendly excursion. Whether you are heading out for business or a visit, the lack of mandatory stops makes this a highly flexible drive for your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pilgrims Highway | 27.5 mi | 34m |
| MA 3 | 8.4 mi | 11m |
| John F. Fitzgerald Expressway | 3.2 mi | 5m |
| I 93 | 3.1 mi | 4m |
| Woburn Street | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Winthrop Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Lexington Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Cambridge Street | 1.1 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Pilgrims Highway
— 27.5 mi, about 34m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Plymouth, MA and Lexington, MA.
1
Start on MA 3A
0.2 mi
·
42 sec
·
Court Street
2
Turn left onto US 44
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Samoset Street
3
Take the ramp onto US 44
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
US 44
Toward MA 3 North: Kingston, Boston
4
Merge onto US 44; MA 3
27 mi
·
34 min
·
Pilgrims Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Continue on MA 3
8.4 mi
·
11 min
·
MA 3
Exit 43B
Toward I 93 North: Boston
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on I 93; US 1; MA 3
3.2 mi
·
5 min
·
John F. Fitzgerald Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 93
3.1 mi
·
4 min
·
I 93
Toward I 93 North: Concord NH
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 22
Toward MA 16 West: Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlington
Use the slight right lane.
9
Continue on MA 16
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Mystic Valley Parkway
10
Turn right onto MA 38
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
Winthrop Street
Use the right lane.
11
Enter roundabout onto Winthrop Street
117 ft
·
2 sec
·
Winthrop Street
12
Continue on Winthrop Street
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Winthrop Street
13
Continue on MA 38
0.5 mi
·
46 sec
·
Main Street
14
Enter roundabout onto Bacon Street
94 ft
·
1 sec
·
Bacon Street
15
Continue on Bacon Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Bacon Street
16
Turn left onto Church Street
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
Church Street
17
Turn right onto US 3
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Cambridge Street
18
Continue on US 3
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Cambridge Road
19
Turn sharp left onto Lexington Street
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Lexington Street
20
Continue on Woburn Street
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Woburn Street
21
Turn right onto MA 4; MA 225
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Massachusetts Avenue
22
Turn right
309 ft
·
22 sec
23
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
27 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 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 26.5 miles from Plymouth, 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 135 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 44.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.2 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 44; MA 3 / Pilgrims Highway
Merge onto US 44; MA 3 / Pilgrims Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
40.3 mi into trip
|
~54m in
|
I 93
Keep slight right at fork onto I 93 toward I 93 North: Concord NH
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward I 93 North: Concord NH
8
43.4 mi into trip
|
~58m in
Take the exit toward MA 16 West: Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlington
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 22
Toward MA 16 West: Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlin...
5
44.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 1m in
|
MA 38 / Winthrop Street
Turn right onto MA 38 / Winthrop Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
44.9 mi into trip
|
~1h 1m in
|
Winthrop Street
Enter roundabout onto Winthrop Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.48 one way
$16.96 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
19 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $9.25 | $18.50 |
| premium | $4.82 | $10.06 | $20.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.70 | $23.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.9 | 0 | $5.56 | $2.54 |
| Efficient EV | 13.3 | 0 | $4.64 | $2.12 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21.2 | 0 | $7.42 | $3.39 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (68% 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
Lexington, MA
Afternoon in Lexington on Sunday
Local time
4:21 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°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
15 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
1h 14m 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 trip offers a mixed driving profile that combines high-speed transit with local navigation. You will spend roughly 30% of your time on major highways, primarily utilizing the Pilgrims Highway, MA 3, and the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway. Your longest uninterrupted stretch occurs early on, covering 27.5 miles along the Pilgrims Highway. As you progress, the road character shifts from these broader highway arteries into the local roads necessary to reach your final destination. Expect a functional drive that prioritizes directness over scenic wandering.
30% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
23 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 27.5 mi on Pilgrims Highway.
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 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in near US 44; MA 3 / Pilgrims Highway.
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 53 miles you will encounter 13 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 1.2 miles (US 44; MA 3 / Pilgrims Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 40.3 miles (I 93): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 43.4 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 Plymouth, MA to Lexington, MA, road signs begin pointing toward Arlington along the way.
Arlington
43.4 mi in
|
~58m
About the Cities
Starting 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.
Arriving in Lexington, MA
Full guide →Lexington is a northwestern suburb of Boston in Massachusetts. The Lexington Green is where the first shot of the American Revolution was fired and the first blood shed, and is known as "the Birthplace of American Liberty". It has several sites that are important in American history.
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 1h 14m. Total distance: 53 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 14m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (30%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 27.5 miles on Pilgrims Highway. 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 Lexington, 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 1.2 miles (US 44; MA 3 / Pilgrims Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 40.3 miles (I 93): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 43.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Adams National Historical Park, Boston National Historical Park and Minute Man 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 Lexington, 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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