Getting to Salem Without a Car Train, ferry, bus and Uber from Boston and Logan

The commuter rail

Trains leave from North Station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line and stop at Salem, about 30 minutes out. Buy a ticket in the mTicket app before you board, or use the fare machines.

• Weekends: the $10 Weekend Pass is good for unlimited rides on any line on Saturday or Sunday, and it's the best deal if you're making a day of it.
• October weekends: the MBTA adds extra Salem trains every weekend in October, and runs a $5 Beverly-to-Salem round trip for people who park in Beverly.
• Bikes: not allowed on Newburyport/Rockport trains from October 3 through November 1.
• Accessibility: Salem station has elevators and a full-height platform, but as of October 20 the elevator from Bridge Street to the garage and platforms (Elevator 997) is out of service, with no return date. Check the MBTA's alerts before you go.

Last trains

A new fall and winter schedule starts Monday, October 26. On that schedule, the last weekend train from North Station to Salem leaves at 11:50pm, and the last weekend train from Salem back to Boston leaves at 11:01pm. On weeknights the last train out of North Station is at 11:55pm, and the last one from Salem back to Boston is at 11:02pm. Haunted Happenings weekends run on a special schedule with more trains. Halloween gets its own timetable, which the MBTA hadn't posted as of October 20; in 2025 the last train to Boston that night left at 11:05pm. More in Halloween 2026 in Salem.

The ferry

The Salem Ferry runs between Long Wharf in Boston and the Salem Ferry Terminal at 10 Blaney Street, in under an hour. It's seasonal: the city lists late May through October 31. Book ahead on October weekends. After Halloween, it's the train.

For fares and sailings, check the operator, Boston Harbor City Cruises (888-534-3516).

The bus

Two MBTA buses connect Salem to the Blue Line. Route 450 runs between Salem Depot and Wonderland or Haymarket. Route 455 runs between Salem Depot and Wonderland. They're slower than the train, but they're an option when the train schedule doesn't fit.

In October, both are detoured on Fridays and weekends. Route 455 doesn't reach Salem Depot on those days and ends at Lafayette Street at Harbor Street instead. On Halloween, after 6pm, neither the 450 nor the 455 serves Salem Depot.

From Logan Airport

There's no direct train or bus from Logan to Salem. You have two good transit routes, both starting with the free Massport shuttle from your terminal to Airport station on the Blue Line. A subway ride is $2.40.

1. Blue Line to State, Orange Line to North Station, then the commuter rail to Salem. Best if the train schedule lines up.
2. Blue Line to Wonderland, then Route 450 or 455 to Salem. Fewer transfers, slower ride.

The free Silver Line SL1 from Logan goes to South Station, which is the wrong station for Salem trains. A rideshare from Logan takes about 25 minutes by road when traffic is light. On October weekends, it isn't.

Uber and Lyft in Salem

Rideshare works fine on weekdays. On October weekends, downtown streets close and pickups move to set spots: the Old Salem Jail lot cul-de-sac (161 Bridge St), the south side of the Green Trail, 55-79 Margin St in front of Lifebridge, and North Street (Zone 697, off Franklin Street). Walk to one first.

Getting around once you're here

Walk. The train station, the Common, Essex Street, the Peabody Essex Museum and the waterfront are all close together. For farther spots like Salem Willows, the Salem Skipper rideshare covers rides within Salem for $2 ($1 for seniors, students and riders with disabilities). The city got another $1 million from MassDOT in September to keep it running for additional months.

If you drive anyway

Park outside downtown and walk in, or park at the Beverly MBTA garage and take the train one stop. The free weekend lot at 108 Jefferson Ave has no shuttle this year. Everything else, including where you'll get towed, is in Parking in Salem.