You're standing in front of Faneuil Hall in Boston, maybe with a half-eaten cannoli in your hand, and you decide you want to see some mountains or hit a liquor outlet with no sales tax. Naturally, you ask: how far is New Hampshire from Boston?
It's a trick question.
If you just want to touch the state line, you aren't going far at all. You could basically throw a rock from the northern Massachusetts border and hit a "Welcome to New Hampshire" sign. But New Hampshire isn't just a monolith. It’s a massive stretch of land that goes all the way up to the Canadian border.
The distance between Boston and the New Hampshire border is roughly 35 to 40 miles. If you’re driving up I-95 North toward Portsmouth or I-93 North toward Salem, you’re looking at about a 45-minute trip on a good day. But "good days" on I-93 are about as rare as a sober person at a Sox-Yankees game. Traffic changes everything.
The geography of the "NH commute"
New Hampshire is basically the backyard for half of Boston's workforce. Because of that, the distance feels shorter than it actually is until you hit the 5:00 PM rush.
If your destination is Nashua, you're looking at about 45 miles. Nashua is the first major city you hit if you take Route 3. It's the land of shopping malls and suburban sprawl. Most people who live there and work in Boston spend about an hour and fifteen minutes in their cars each way. Is it worth it for the lack of income tax? Ask their podcasts.
Then you have Manchester. It’s the biggest city in the state. From downtown Boston to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT), you’re covering roughly 53 miles. On a Saturday morning, that’s an easy hour. On a Tuesday morning at 7:30 AM? You might as well bring a sleeping bag. The I-93 corridor is notorious for bottlenecks, especially around the split in Braintree (if you're coming from the south) and the Zakim Bridge.
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Portsmouth: The coastal escape
Portsmouth is different. It’s about 56 miles from Boston, but you take I-95 the whole way. It feels more "vacationy." The drive is flatter, coastal, and frankly, a bit more scenic once you get past the industrial parts of Lynn and Revere. You can usually make it in an hour. Portsmouth is where the "New Hampshire is close" vibe really hits home. You can leave a 5:00 PM meeting in the Seaport and be eating oysters at The Friendly Toast by 6:30 PM if the gods of the Tobin Bridge are smiling on you.
Why the "distance" is a lie
The odometer doesn't tell the whole story. To understand how far is New Hampshire from Boston, you have to account for the "Gateway Effect."
Massachusetts and New Hampshire have a weird, symbiotic relationship. Massachusetts provides the high-paying tech and medical jobs; New Hampshire provides the housing (sort of) and the "Live Free or Die" lifestyle. This means the 40-mile gap is one of the most heavily trafficked corridors in New England.
- The I-93 Factor: This is the main artery. It’s direct. It’s also a parking lot during peak hours.
- The Route 1/I-95 Alternative: Better for the coast, but you have to pay the toll at the Hampton side, which can back up for miles during beach season.
- The Bus Option: C&J and Concord Coach Lines are legendary. They run from South Station and Logan Airport. Honestly, the distance feels shorter when someone else is driving and there’s free Wi-Fi.
Heading deeper: The White Mountains and beyond
Most people asking about the distance aren't just looking for the border. They want the real New Hampshire. The Granite. The pine trees. The "I haven't seen a Starbucks in twenty miles" New Hampshire.
North Conway is about 135 miles from Boston. That’s a three-hour drive. This is where the landscape shifts from "Boston Suburb" to "Actual Wilderness." You’ll pass through the Lakes Region—places like Winnipesaukee and Meredith—which are about 100 miles (two hours) out.
If you’re heading to Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, you’re looking at 160 miles and nearly three and a half hours of driving. By the time you get there, you’ve traveled further than the distance between Boston and Hartford, Connecticut. You're in a different world. The air is thinner, the people are wearing more flannel, and the Boston accent has been replaced by something a bit more rural and clipped.
Getting there without a car
Can you do it? Yes. Is it easy? Kinda.
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You can't take the "T" (the Boston subway) to New Hampshire. The furthest north the MBTA Commuter Rail goes on the Lowell Line is, well, Lowell. From there, you’re still a few miles from the border. However, the Haverhill Line gets you very close to the Atkinson/Plaistow area.
The best way to bridge the gap without owning a Subaru is the bus.
- C&J Bus Lines: They run from South Station to Portsmouth and Seabrook. It's incredibly reliable.
- Concord Coach Lines: This is your ticket to Manchester, Concord, and even all the way up to Berlin if you really want to get lost.
- Boston Express: They specialize in the I-93 corridor, hitting Nashua and Manchester.
Small town distances you might care about
Sometimes you aren't going to a city. You're going to a wedding in a barn or a specific hiking trail.
- Salem, NH: 35 miles. Home of Canobie Lake Park and a massive new development called Tuscan Village. It’s basically North Boston at this point.
- Keene, NH: 86 miles. This is in the southwest corner. You take Route 2 to Route 119. It’s a winding, beautiful drive that takes about two hours. It feels much further because it's not a straight shot on a highway.
- Hanover, NH: 125 miles. Home of Dartmouth College. Straight up I-89. It’s a very easy two-hour-and-fifteen-minute drive because I-89 rarely has the soul-crushing traffic that I-93 has.
The "Sales Tax" Trip
Let's be real. A lot of people ask how far is New Hampshire from Boston because they want to buy a MacBook or a refrigerator without paying the 6.25% Massachusetts sales tax.
The closest tax-free shopping is usually at the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua. Fun fact: the mall was actually built so that part of the parking lot is in Massachusetts, but the actual building is in New Hampshire. If you're coming from the North End of Boston, you're looking at a 42-mile drive. Is the gas money worth the tax savings? For a $2,000 laptop, probably. For a pair of jeans? Probably not, unless you just really like the Auntie Anne's at that specific mall.
Seasonal shifts in distance
In New England, distance is measured in time, and time is dictated by the weather.
In the fall, during "Leaf Peeping" season, the distance to New Hampshire might as well be measured in light-years. The Kancamagus Highway (Route 112) is one of the most beautiful drives in the world, but the traffic getting there from Boston on a Saturday in October is legendary. A two-hour drive can easily turn into five.
In the winter, snow changes the game. New Hampshire highway crews are some of the best in the world—they have to be—but I-93 through the Franconia Notch can be treacherous. If you're heading up to Loon Mountain or Cannon for a ski day, you need to leave Boston by 5:30 AM to beat the "Ski Train" of SUVs clogging the fast lane.
Final logistical breakdown
If you are planning this trip right now, here is the brass-tacks reality:
- To the border: 40 minutes.
- To the first real city (Nashua/Portsmouth): 1 hour.
- To the mountains: 2.5 to 3 hours.
- To the Great North Woods: 4+ hours.
Don't trust the GPS blindly at 4:30 PM on a Friday. It will tell you 50 minutes to the border, but by the time you hit Medford, it will jump to 90. The "distance" is a fluid concept in New England.
Actionable Steps for your Trip:
Check the Mass511 or New Hampshire DOT websites before you leave. If you see a sea of red on I-93, try taking Route 1 North to I-95; it’s a few extra miles, but sometimes moves faster. If you're headed to the liquor store in Hampton, remember that the I-95 toll only takes E-ZPass or mail-by-plate—no cash. Finally, if you're going deep into the White Mountains, download your maps offline. Once you get about 20 miles north of Concord, cell service becomes a suggestion rather than a guarantee.
Strategic takeaway: New Hampshire is incredibly accessible from Boston, making it the perfect day trip or weekend getaway. Just remember that everyone else in Massachusetts has the same idea, so timing your departure is more important than the actual mileage on the map.