How to Get from Boston to Vermont on Transit (There Is No Train)
I grew up in Vermont and moved to New York City at 20, but Boston is the other big city Vermonters orbit. It is closer, it has a major international airport, and it feels like half the people I grew up with ended up there for school or work. I do not own a car and I do not take short flights, so I have made this trip the car-free way plenty of times. Here is the honest breakdown of how to get from Boston to Vermont on transit.
And I have to start with the worst news.
Sadly, There Is No Train
You would think you could take a train from Boston, one of the biggest cities in the Northeast, to Vermont, especially because it’s on the way to Montreal. You cannot. There is no Amtrak service from Boston to Vermont. None. This baffles me every time I think about it, because New York gets two daily trains into the state, the Ethan Allen Express and the Vermonter, and Boston gets zero.
So the trip is a bus trip. The good news is that a couple of the bus options are very good, and this Greyhound is one of the better Greyhound routes in my experience. Like Vermont itself, the right choice depends entirely on which part of the state you are headed to.
The Short Version. Best Ways to Get from Boston to Vermont, Car-Free
| Option | Cost (One Way) | Time | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greyhound (Boston to Burlington) | ~$35 to $130 (dynamic pricing) | ~4 to 5 hrs | The Burlington area, plus Montpelier and White River Junction. The only direct bus to Burlington. |
| Dartmouth Coach | ~$36 (fixed fare) | ~2.5 to 3 hrs | The Upper Valley. Hanover, Lebanon, White River Junction. Premium, frequent, and reliable. |
| Concord Coach to Littleton, NH | ~$38 to $45 | ~3.5 hrs | The Northeast Kingdom, if someone can pick you up in Littleton. |
If you are going to the Burlington area, the direct Greyhound is the simplest option, and yes, I mean that. If you are headed to the Upper Valley, take Dartmouth Coach. If you are aiming for the Northeast Kingdom, look at Concord Coach to Littleton. Dartmouth Coach and Concord Coach also stop right at Boston Logan Airport.
Option 1. The Greyhound to Burlington (The Only Direct Bus, and Better Than You Think)
If Burlington is your destination, this is your ride. There are usually four direct Greyhound buses a day from Boston South Station to Montreal, stopping at Burlington’s Downtown Transit Center. The trip takes roughly 4 to 5 hours. The route also stops at White River Junction and Montpelier, so it works for central Vermont too. Check your ticket for the exact stops on your departure.
Now, I have written plenty about how Greyhound can be a rough, seedy experience, and in a lot of the country it is. But this particular route is different, and I am speaking from experience. The Boston to Montreal through Burlington Greyhound is mostly college kids heading to and from UVM or McGill or other schools. The bus is usually fine, and it is honestly the cleanest, simplest way to get to Burlington from Boston.
The downsides are timing and price. Depending on your direction, the departures are not always at great hours. One northbound bus leaves Boston at 11:45 PM and rolls into Burlington around 4 AM, which is a rough way to arrive anywhere. And because Greyhound uses dynamic pricing, a fare that starts in the $30s can climb past $100 on busy dates, like the start and end of a semester. Book early and/or on off-days if you can.
Since it is a Greyhound, I would pack accordingly. That means hand sanitizer, your own snacks, a charged power bank, and a travel pillow. Greyhound’s bus fleet varies. On this route, I’ve gotten buses that aren’t the new ones, so don’t count on the outlets or wifi to work.
Option 2. Dartmouth Coach (Best for the Upper Valley)
If you are headed to the Upper Valley, meaning Hanover, Lebanon, or White River Junction, take Dartmouth Coach.
It runs from Boston South Station and Logan Airport up to Lebanon and Hanover, New Hampshire, both of which sit on the Vermont border across the river from White River Junction and Norwich. The ride is short for this kind of trip, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours, and there are about a dozen departures a day in each direction. Nothing else on this list comes close to that frequency.
I rode Dartmouth Coach from Hanover to New York and called it probably the best bus experience in the U.S. I haven’t ridden the Boston route in many years, but it is the same company, and I expect a lot of that experience carries over, especially the tight, professional operation. The Boston buses are not quite as luxurious as the executive coaches on the New York run, though. But it will be a clean, reliable bus that will have basics like toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
It is also a good deal. A one-way ticket runs about $36, the fare does not swing with demand the way Greyhound’s does, and there is a same-day round trip for $58. One thing to know before you go. The Boston route does not take reservations. Seats are first come, first served, and Dartmouth Coach recommends showing up 30 minutes early, which I would take seriously around Dartmouth breaks and holidays.
Option 3. Concord Coach to Littleton, NH (For the Northeast Kingdom)
If your final destination is closer to the Northeast Kingdom or northern Vermont, consider Concord Coach Lines to Littleton, New Hampshire, which sits just across the Connecticut River from that part of the state.
I have not personally ridden this one, so put an asterisk on my recommendation. Here is why I would still trust it. Concord Coach Lines is the same company that runs Dartmouth Coach. Given how good and reliable Dartmouth Coach is, I strongly suspect Concord Coach is a decent, professional service in the same mold, and a clear step above Greyhound if the route makes sense for where you are going.
The catch is that only one bus a day goes all the way to Littleton. It leaves South Station at 8:00 AM (with a Logan stop) and gets in around 11:35 AM. Expect to pay roughly $38 to $45. And from Littleton, no public bus crosses into Vermont, so you will need a friend or a ride for the last 20 or so miles to St. Johnsbury.
If you want to stay fully car-free, there is a slower option. Take the Greyhound to Montpelier, then catch the US 2 Commuter bus to St. Johnsbury. It only runs on weekdays, and since the midday run was cut in March 2026, the only eastbound trips leave Montpelier early in the morning and around 5:20 PM. That likely means a few hours in Montpelier, but it is a walkable little capital, so there are worse places to wait.
Coming From Worcester or Western Mass? Look at the Amtrak Vermonter
From Boston itself, I would not bother crossing the state to Springfield for a train. But if you live in Worcester, Springfield, or anywhere else in Central or Western Massachusetts, it can make more sense to catch a bus to Springfield Union Station then take the Amtrak Vermonter.
The northbound Vermonter leaves Springfield once a day in the afternoon and reaches Brattleboro around 5 PM, then continues to Bellows Falls, Windsor, White River Junction, Montpelier, and Essex Junction for Burlington. Windsor is where I got off for my car-free-ish camping weekend at Mt. Ascutney. Heading back, the southbound train reaches Springfield around 2:45 PM.
It is slow, often delayed, and there is only one a day, so check my Vermonter guide linked above before you plan around it.
Don’t Overlook the Airport Connections
Vermont’s own airport in Burlington is small, with limited routes and frequent layovers. So plenty of Vermonters skip it and route through Logan instead to catch international flights or nonstop domestic ones. Dartmouth Coach and Concord Coach both stop at Logan directly, which means you can go from a Vermont border town to a Boston international terminal. The Greyhound does not stop at Logan, but from South Station the Silver Line SL1 will get you to the terminals. If you are a Vermonter planning a big trip abroad, this bus-to-Logan connection is often the smartest way to start it.
Usually, flights from Boston are a lot cheaper than flights from Burlington. You avoid the short flights that add to your cost and replace them with a relatively cheap bus ride. It’s one of my strategies in my guide on how to save hundreds on flights.
A Few Tips for the Boston to Vermont Trip
Match the Bus to Your Destination
Greyhound for the Burlington area, Dartmouth Coach for the Upper Valley, and Concord Coach for the Northeast Kingdom. Pick the one that gets closest to where you are going.
Book the Greyhound Early
With only four direct Burlington departures a day and dynamic pricing, the Greyhound gets more expensive and less convenient the longer you wait. Look at the schedule and fares before you build the rest of your plans around it.
Plan Your Last Mile
Outside Burlington, Vermont is rural and rideshares get thin. In Burlington and Montpelier, the GMT local buses leave from the same transit centers the intercity buses use. In the Upper Valley, Advance Transit runs free buses between Hanover, Lebanon, Norwich, and White River Junction. In the Northeast Kingdom, plan on a friend or a pre-arranged ride.
Use the Logan Connection if You Are Flying Out
If your real trip is an international flight, remember that Dartmouth Coach and Concord Coach both feed into Logan. It can beat flying out of Burlington.
Hopefully One Day We’ll Have a Train
I’m not super read up on the drama here, but I believe what’s stopping a Boston to Montreal via Burlington train is, like almost anything, political will. In particular, it would have to go through the notoriously anti-transit state of New Hampshire. Alas, I’m still hoping for this train to get built in my lifetime.
For now, we’re taking the bus.
Starting from New York instead? I broke that one down in my NYC to Vermont transit guide. Doing the full loop through Boston? Here is how I get from NYC to Boston car-free. And if you want to know how I get around the whole country this way, here is how I live in the U.S. without a car.
Ridden the Boston to Burlington bus, or found a better routing? Let me know in the comments.
