You’re standing in Portland, Maine, looking at the clock. Maybe you’re at the Fore Street Garage or just finishing a coffee at Bard, and you realize you’ve got a flight out of Logan in four hours. The panic starts to set in. Getting from Portland to Boston Logan should be easy—it’s only 100 miles—but anyone who has actually done the drive knows that the stretch of I-95 between the Piscataqua River Bridge and the Saugus tolls is basically a gamble with your sanity.
It’s a trek. Honestly, it's the kind of trip that feels like it should take 90 minutes but frequently devours three hours of your life.
Between the fluctuating gas prices, the "will-it-won't-it" nature of North Shore traffic, and the sheer soul-crushing cost of parking at Logan’s Central Parking Garage, the logistics are a headache. Most people just default to driving their own car because they want "control." But let’s be real: sitting in a gridlock near the Revere beach exit isn't control. It's a hostage situation.
The Concord Coach Lines Factor
If you ask a local how they get from Portland to Boston Logan, nine times out of ten, they’re going to say "the bus." It sounds less glamorous than a private car, sure. But Concord Coach Lines has basically cornered the market for a reason.
They run out of the Portland Transportation Center on Thompson’s Point. You show up, toss your bags underneath, and suddenly the "Blueberry Expressway" becomes your best friend. The wifi is... okay. It’s not going to win any awards for speed, but it’s enough to send a few emails or check your gate status. The real win is the drop-off. The bus stops at every single terminal at Logan. You step off the bus, walk twenty feet, and you’re at the security line. No shuttles. No walking from a distant economy lot in the freezing rain.
The price is the kicker. As of early 2026, a round trip is significantly cheaper than four days of airport parking. If you’re traveling solo or as a couple, the math almost always favors the bus. Plus, they give you a little bag of pretzels and a tiny bottle of water. It’s nostalgic. It feels human.
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Why the Amtrak Downeaster is a Great Train with a Logan Problem
I love the train. Everyone loves the train. The Downeaster is comfortable, it has a cafe car with local Maine beers (Shipyard, usually), and the views of the marshes in Scarborough are genuinely stunning. If you're going to a Red Sox game or a meeting in the Seaport, take the train.
But for Portland to Boston Logan? It’s complicated.
The Downeaster terminates at North Station. Logan Airport is... not at North Station. To get from the train to your flight, you have to get off, navigate the sea of people at the TD Garden, and then either grab an Uber or hop on the "T." You’d take the Orange Line to State Street and then the Blue Line to Airport Station, finally catching a shuttle bus to your terminal.
That is a lot of moving parts. If you have three suitcases and a stroller, it's a nightmare. Honestly, unless you just really hate buses or really love the Blue Line, the train adds an extra 45-60 minutes of "transfer friction" that most travelers don't want to deal with.
The Reality of Driving and the "Logan Express" Hack
Sometimes you just have to drive. Maybe you live in Falmouth or Yarmouth and the bus schedule doesn't align with your 6:00 AM international departure. If you do drive, don't just put "Logan Airport" into your GPS and hope for the best.
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The tolls on the Maine Turnpike and the NH-95 stretch add up. Then you hit the Tobin Bridge.
Pro tip: Look into the Logan Express in Woburn.
If you don't want to deal with the tunnel traffic or the $40+ per day parking fees at the airport, you can drive down to Woburn (exit 30 off I-93), park in their dedicated garage for a fraction of the cost, and hop a 20-minute shuttle straight to the terminals. It’s a hybrid approach that works surprisingly well for Mainers who want their car waiting for them halfway home.
The Cost Breakdown (Rough Estimates)
- Concord Coach: ~$60-$70 round trip. Zero stress.
- Driving + Central Parking: ~$20 in gas/tolls + $40+ per day. High stress.
- The Downeaster: ~$50 round trip + $20 for Ubers/T-passes. Medium stress.
Hidden Traffic Traps You Need to Know
The stretch of I-95 South through Hampton, New Hampshire, is a deceptive beast. In the summer, Saturday morning traffic heading toward the beaches can turn a 1.5-hour drive into a 3-hour crawl.
And then there's the Chelsea/East Boston bottleneck.
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Construction on the Sumner Tunnel has been a recurring nightmare for years. Even when it’s "finished," the volume of traffic trying to squeeze into the Ted Williams Tunnel or over the Tobin is immense. If you are traveling during rush hour (6:00 AM – 10:00 AM or 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM), add an hour to your estimate. Seriously. Don't be the person sprinting through Terminal B because you thought "90 minutes" was a hard rule.
Is it worth flying out of PWM instead?
People always ask: "Why don't you just fly out of the Portland International Jetport (PWM)?"
It’s a valid question. PWM is arguably the easiest airport in America. You can get from the curb to your gate in eight minutes. But the flights from PWM to Logan are practically non-existent now—most people are connecting through Philly, DC, or Baltimore. If you're flying to Europe or the West Coast, you’re almost certainly looking at a bus or a drive to Logan to get those direct flights and save $400.
Value is subjective. If the price difference is only $100, fly out of Portland. If the difference is $500 (which it often is for families), the trip from Portland to Boston Logan is a necessary evil.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Trip
Stop overthinking the logistics and follow this hierarchy for a smooth trip:
- Check the Concord Coach schedule first. If your flight lands or departs within two hours of their bus times, book it. It’s the gold standard for this route.
- Use the C&J bus from Portsmouth if you miss the Portland bus. Sometimes the Portland schedules are thin, but the C&J bus runs nearly every hour from Portsmouth, NH (about 45 mins south of Portland). It has a massive parking lot and is incredibly reliable.
- Download the "FlyLogan" app. It gives you real-time parking availability and wait times for the shuttles.
- If you must drive, use the Ted Williams Tunnel. Avoid the city streets of Boston at all costs. Follow the signs for I-90 East; it takes you directly into the airport heart.
- Always check the Sumner Tunnel closure schedule. MassDOT likes to do weekend closures that can reroute the entire North Shore.
The trip is about 100 miles, but in New England, miles don't matter—minutes do. Plan for the worst of the I-95 corridor, and you'll actually make your flight. Don't forget to grab a sandwich at The Big Apple or a coffee at Tandem before you leave Portland; the food options at Logan are fine, but they aren't Maine-level good.
Next Steps for Your Trip:
- Verify the current Concord Coach Lines schedule as they frequently adjust for seasonal demand.
- Check Mass511 on the morning of your travel for any emergency construction on the Tobin Bridge or the tunnels.
- Compare your "total trip cost" (gas + tolls + parking vs. bus ticket) to see if driving actually saves you any money at all. Usually, it doesn't.