Origin
Sandwich, MA
Evening in Sandwich on Sunday
Local time
7:15 PM
EDT
Current temp
42°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sandwich, MA to Cambridge, 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 24m
Distance
59.7 mi
96 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 18m
★
6 AM
1h 25m
8 AM
1h 38m
10 AM
1h 30m
12 PM
1h 28m
3 PM
1h 30m
5 PM
1h 37m
8 PM
1h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sandwich, MA
Costin Cerednicenco
Cambridge, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Sandwich, MA to Cambridge, MA is 59.7 miles and takes about 1h 24m via Pilgrims Highway and MA 3, with a fuel budget near $10 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Massachusetts, taking you from the Northeast region towards another part of the Northeast. It's a fairly straightforward trip that covers a moderate distance, making it ideal for a single day. You'll primarily be on surface roads with some highway time, so expect a mix of speeds and traffic patterns. Consider this a convenient option when you need to travel between these two points without a complex itinerary.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pilgrims Highway | 42.3 mi | 53m |
| MA 3 | 8.9 mi | 12m |
| John F. Fitzgerald Expressway | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| Route 6A | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Cambridge Street | 1.4 mi | 4m |
| Cranberry Highway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Sandwich Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Sagamore Bridge | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Pilgrims Highway
— 42.3 mi, about 53m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sandwich, MA and Cambridge, MA.
1
Start on Jarves Street
73 ft
·
10 sec
·
Jarves Street
2
Turn left onto MA 6A
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Route 6A
3
Continue on MA 6A
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Sandwich Road
4
Turn left onto MA 6A
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Cranberry Highway
5
Take the ramp onto MA 6A
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
MA 6A
6
Merge onto US 6
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
·
Sagamore Bridge
7
Continue on US 6
0.3 mi
·
20 sec
·
Pilgrim Highway
8
Continue on MA 3
42 mi
·
53 min
·
Pilgrims Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on MA 3
8.4 mi
·
11 min
·
MA 3
Exit 43B
Toward I 93 North: Boston
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on I 93; US 1; MA 3
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
John F. Fitzgerald Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit onto MA 3
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
·
MA 3
Exit 18
Toward Storrow Drive
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
Toward MA 28 North: Leverett Circle, North Station
13
Keep slight left at fork
213 ft
·
9 sec
Toward MA 28 North: O'Brien Highway
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
14
Continue on MA 28
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Charles River Dam Road
Use the straight lane.
15
Continue on MA 28
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Monsignor O'Brien Highway
Toward MA 28 North: O'Brien Highway, Somerville
Use the straight lane.
16
Turn left onto Cambridge Street
1.4 mi
·
4 min
·
Cambridge Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
17
Turn right onto Line Street
0.2 mi
·
51 sec
·
Line Street
18
Turn left onto Leonard Avenue
460 ft
·
19 sec
·
Leonard Avenue
19
Arrive at destination
Leonard Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
30 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 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 29.8 miles from Sandwich, 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 115 decision points cluster between mile 56.8 and 59.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
56.8 mi into trip
|
~1h 15m in
|
MA 3
Take the exit onto MA 3 toward Storrow Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 18
Toward Storrow Drive
6
57.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 16m in
Keep slight left at fork toward MA 28 North: Leverett Circle, North Station
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward MA 28 North: Leverett Circle, North Stat...
8
57.4 mi into trip
|
~1h 17m in
Keep slight left at fork toward MA 28 North: O'Brien Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward MA 28 North: O'Brien Highway
6
58 mi into trip
|
~1h 18m in
|
Cambridge Street
Turn left onto Cambridge Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
59.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 24m in
|
Leonard Avenue
Turn left onto Leonard Avenue
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.55 one way
$19.11 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
21 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $10.42 | $20.84 |
| premium | $4.82 | $11.34 | $22.67 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $13.18 | $26.36 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 20.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.9 | 0 | $6.27 | $2.87 |
| Efficient EV | 14.9 | 0 | $5.22 | $2.39 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 23.9 | 0 | $8.36 | $3.82 |
Gas CO2
21 kg
EV CO2
7 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
Cambridge, MA
Evening in Cambridge on Sunday
Local time
7:15 PM
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
20 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 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?
This drive features 22% highway driving, with the longest continuous stretch on Pilgrims Highway covering 42.3 miles. You'll transition from surface roads to highway and back again. Expect to encounter dense exits as you navigate through developed areas and merge onto MA 3 and the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway. The majority of the route, however, is on surface roads.
Only 22% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 42.3 mi on Pilgrims 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 56.8 miles in near MA 3.
Driving Effort
7/10
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 59.7 miles you will encounter 11 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 56.8 miles (MA 3): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 57.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 57.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Sandwich, MA
Full guide →Sandwich is on Cape Cod in Massachusetts at the east end of the Cape Cod Canal, and includes the villages of East Sandwich and Forestdale. It is the oldest town on the Cape, settled in 1637. Sandwich is famous for the glassware produced here in the 1800s. It is also home to numerous gift and antique stores, art galleries, and rare book stores.
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 24m. Total distance: 59.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 24m 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 42.3 miles on Pilgrims Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 6 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 Cambridge, 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 56.8 miles (MA 3): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 57.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 57.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Adams National Historical Park, Boston 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 Cambridge, 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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