<p>My dad and I want to visit Harvard, Yale, and UPenn, and we'd like to know what is the best way to travel to all these three locations. If we fly into Boston:
1. Is it best to rent a (unlimited mileage) car and drive down to New Haven and Philadelphia? Will we even need a car to drive around Boston/NH/Philly and see the sights?
2. Or is it better to go from Boston to New Haven, and then Philly, via Amtrak or Greyhound? </p>
<p>Thanks! :)</p>
<p>bump (10 char)</p>
<p>You definitely don't need a car if you stay at a central downtown / on-campus location in each city and are willing to take Amtrak from one to the other. You can use taxis to get from the train stations to the campus and vice versa (get the best # from the visitor centers, in case you have to call one). But it also depends on your style. If you're going to be spending 2-3 days at each campus staying overnight, visiting classes, and talking with as many students and faculty as humanly possible (as you should if you're actually trying to make an informed decision), you probably won't need one. If you want to visit nearby parks or check out the beach, or wander around in/in between the various cities, and have a general "road trip" experience, be able to cruise area restaurants, etc, it's always fun to drive. </p>
<p>Timewise, if you're going with mass transit, I'd definitely recommend Amtrak for the NHV-PHL run, either Amtrak or Greyhound (express buses, not local) for BOS-NHV, and Amtrak if you're going to be taking a return trip. The train tickets may seem expensive when you see the price online, but if you add up all the incidental costs of renting a car, parking, gas etc, the train is usually the same price or better. </p>
<p>If you are planning to visit NYC in between NHV and PHL, which I would recommend doing if you have an extra day, take the Metropolitan Transit Authority - Metro North commuter train from NHV to Grand Central, do your visit, then take Amtrak or Greyhound from New York-Penn/PA to PHL. New Haven is the only one of your three destinations connected to NYC 24/7 by affordable commuter trains, and frankly, NYC makes both Boston and Phila look like small villages in South Dakota by comparison.</p>