The Best Cape Cod Towns

Choosing the Right Town for Your Stay on Cape Cod

Deciding ... "Where should we stay? Which town is best?"

The best Cape Cod town for your vacation depends on your personal preferences, of course.

But take heart! There's a town or village here on the Cape that you'll fall in love with, instantly. I'm sure of that.

Now, it's up to me to help you find it!

What's Your Vacation Personality?

Do you enjoy quaint, Colonial towns with tree-shaded streets, stately old sea captains homes, antiques shops, museums, small Inns and B&Bs, and a laid-back pace?

Any of the towns and villages along Route 6A on the Cape's north side would be a great choice.

Sandwich, Barnstable Village, West Barnstable, Yarmouthport, Dennis and East Dennis, and Brewster all have that "Olde Cape Cod" feel, through and through.

The towns and villages along Rt. 28 on the Cape's south side, especially Falmouth, Hyannis, South Yarmouth, West Dennis and Dennisport, have all that and sooooo much more for your active family.

Is an upscale vacation in this year's plans? Full-service resorts, exclusive golf courses, unique boutiques and top-notch dining make for a very special Cape Cod getaway!

When I think of upscale, the classic elegance of the town of Chatham instantly comes to mind, as does the understated, "old money" charm of the villages of Osterville and Hyannisport in the town of Barnstable.

What do you like to do on vacation?

If you're ready to get away from it all, someplace where you can wander through acres of pristine nature preserves, hang out on a dune-backed beach with a good book, explore miles of scenic hiking trails, and generally relax and re-charge your batteries, then Wellfleet and Truro are waiting for you!

Much of the land in these Outer Cape towns is within the federally protected Cape Cod National Seashore, so there's not much commercial development here at all. Just lots of lovely beaches, a thriving arts community, fantastic local seafood, and easy access to the hustle-bustle of Provincetown just up the road.

In these towns - and to some extent in the town of Mashpee, at the popular shopping and entertainment venue Mashpee Commons - restaurants, pubs, theater and music abound.

Whether you have sunset cocktails and a leisurely dinner overlooking the water, or grab a burger and a brew at a lively in-town pub, you won't lack for nightlife in any of these towns. That's for sure!

Are you planning an all-out beach vacation? If you are, do you plan to spend all your beach days at the same beach, or would you rather have the option of trying a few (or many!) different beaches while you're here?

For "same beach every day" vacationers, the best town for you depends mainly on what type of beach suits your fancy.

Big waves or small, warm or briskly cool water, small neighborhood beaches or miles-long stretches of sand. We have it all.

(May I suggest you peruse my Cape Cod beaches pages to get your feet wet on our Ocean, Bay and Sound beaches - virtually speaking, of course!)

First, the Cape Cod National Seashore area. That's a 40-mile stretch of coastline from Chatham, up through Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and out to the northern tip of the Cape in Provincetown.

Whichever one of these Cape Cod towns you decide to stay in, you'll have a phenomenal number - and variety - of breathtaking Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay beaches to visit.

Second, the Mid-Cape area. Especially the towns of Yarmouth and Dennis.

These two towns span a narrow (about 7 miles wide) strip of land that's bordered by Cape Cod Bay to the north and Nantucket Sound to the south.
So on any given day, you'll have easy access to many different Bay and Sound beaches to sun and snooze on - and an easy drive out to the National Seashore's Atlantic Ocean beaches, too, if that's what moves your spirit!

Good home-base towns for taking daytrips are Hyannis, Yarmouth, Dennis and Harwich.

Any these Cape Cod towns is a perfect jumping-off spot for exploring from one end of the Cape to the other, and convenient for catching a ferry to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard, too.