New England: The Rough Guide (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Rough Guides brings a breath of fresh air to this intrinsically American region. The Rough Guide recaptures New England's rich history with in-depth coverage of authentic fishing ports, Shaker Villages, lighthouses, and literary landmarks; then jumps ahead to Boston and today's vibrant college towns; and takes in the timeless beauty of New England's diverse scenery. Features extensive coverage of hiking, skiing and other outdoor activities. With 51 maps and 8 pages of color photos.

Boston is the undisputed capital of New England, perhaps America's most historic city, certainly one of its most elegant, full of enough colonial charm and contemporary culture to satisfy most appetites. Together with its energetic student neighbor, Cambridge, Boston has plenty to merit a visit of at least a few days, including a fine array of restaurants, bars and venues for both high- and lowbrow culture. The city also makes a good base for day-trips out to historic Lexington and Concord, the rocky North Shore, where the witch sights of Salem probably hold the most interest, and Cape Cod - an admittedly somewhat overrated, usually very crowded peninsula, but one which does at least have delightful, quirky Provincetown at its outermost tip.

West of Boston, there's the collegiate Pioneer Valley, which gives way to the Berkshires, a scenic, if hopelessly twee retreat for Boston and New York's cultural elite - much like its Connecticut cousin, Litchfield Hills, just to its south. Southwest of Boston, along the coast, tiny Rhode Island's two main attractions are youthful Providence and wealthy Newport, beyond which you can take in the better parts of the Connecticut coast - the seaport of Mystic, and, further on, likeable New Haven, home to Yale University.

In the opposite direction from Boston, in the three states to the north, New England is more varied: the weekenders are thinner on the ground, there's a greater sense of space, and a simpler way of life rules. In Vermont, outside of the pleasant towns of Brattleboro and Burlington, you're best off just wandering the state's backroads in search of country inns, dairy farms, and some peace and quiet - unless of course you've come to make the pilgrimage to Ben & Jerry's in Waterbury, to see how an ice-cream empire began. Over in New Hampshire, the rugged glory of the White Mountains is the most dramatic lure, with the highest peaks in the area and countless outdoor opportunities - and coastal Portsmouth is also as nice a town as you'll find most anywhere in New England. Finally, there's Maine, in the far northeast of the country, which has perhaps New England's most extreme blend of seaside towns (Portland, Bar Harbor) and untamed interior wilderness, in which you can spot moose outside of Rangeley, whitewater raft near Moosehead Lake, and do some remote hiking in Baxter State Park.

When to go

New England can be a rather pricey place to visit, especially in late September and October, when visitors flock to see the magnificent fall foliage. The region is at its most beautiful during this time, which makes the crowds and prices understandable, if not more bearable. It can get quite cold, unsurprisingly, during winter months, but that's fine if you're thinking of skiing or other winter sports. Bear in mind, though, that, whichever resort you choose, you likely won't be alone. Summers are warm and dry, but this is New England's prime season and it can get extremely crowded, especially in overpopulated getaway towns like those on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, the Rhode Island coast and in southern Maine - though the upside of coming then is that at least you know everything will be open. On balance, late spring is probably the nicest time to come: the temperature is generally clement, if a little unpredictable, the crowds are less, and prices have yet to go up for the tourist season.