Salem and North Shore Private Driving Tour

Explore Salem’s witch history, scenic lighthouses, and charming coastal towns on a private North Shore tour from Boston. Customize your adventure today!

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Salem - Salem, MA, attracts visitors with its witchcraft history, museums, and maritime allure. Discover witch trial sites, the Salem Witch Museum, and waterfront attractions.

  • The House of the Seven Gables - Our tour will pass by this Salem museum, which inspired one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most renowned works.

  • Salem Witch Trials Memorial - Our Salem tour will visit this poignant memorial dedicated to the victims of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, offering a moment to reflect on a darker, often misunderstood chapter of the area’s history.

  • Old Burying Point Cemetery - Also known as the Charter Street Cemetery, this burial ground is the final resting place for many notable residents, including a Mayflower sea captain, an American Revolutionary War soldier, and a notorious judge linked to the Salem Witch Trials.

  • Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery - If you’re a film enthusiast with a passion for horror movies, this museum is a must-see! Inform your tour guide if you’d like to visit this museum filled with horror film props and memorabilia.

  • Witch House - One of the top attractions in Salem is this historic structure, one of the remaining houses connected to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Arrange admission in advance or pay at the door to enter the museum and learn more about one of the most infamous events in colonial American history.

  • Witch Dungeon Museum - Our Salem tour will pass by this museum and house designed to recreate the experience of Salem, Massachusetts, during a time of paranoia and literal witch hunts.

  • Bewitched Statue of Elizabeth Montgomery - Visit this cherished statue dedicated to the 60s sitcom Bewitched and hear some background on its connection to the town from your local tour guide.

  • Salem Witch Museum - Our private Salem tour will pass by this museum dedicated to the history of witchcraft and the Salem Witch Trials. You’ll learn all about the myths and facts behind the trials and their tragic aftermath.

  • Peabody Essex Museum - For any art lovers in the group, we’ll be happy to arrange admission or stop at this museum, one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States, featuring an impressive collection of art from around the world.

  • Pickering Wharf - This historic wharf in Salem is home to various shops and restaurants where you can enjoy some New England seafood with views of the marina.

  • Salem Maritime National Historic Site - History enthusiasts will appreciate a tour stop at this national historic site, which preserves several colonial American houses, an 1871 lighthouse, and a replica tall ship.

  • Phillips House - This elegant historic New England home is located on Salem’s famous Chestnut Street, where you’ll have a chance to stroll down what is considered one of America’s most beautiful streets! You’ll learn about some of the architectural aspects and history of this street’s most iconic houses.

  • Essex Street Pedestrian Mall - Enjoy a walk down this pedestrian-only cobblestone-and-brick street where you can learn about its history and enjoy some shopping and dining along the way.

  • Ropes Mansion and Garden - Take a tour of this 18th-century mansion, once home to three generations of the Ropes family and made famous more recently in the film Hocus Pocus.

  • Salem Common - You might want to stretch your legs and take a break at this grassy lawn that has served as a common area and militia training site in Salem since the 16th and 17th centuries.

  • Bearskin Neck - Your North Shore tour will stop at this peninsula, which has ties to the War of 1812 and is now a tourist destination with various shops and restaurants. Ask your tour guide where you can stop for some great New England seafood!

  • Fishermen’s Memorial Monument - We’ll stop for tour photos and some historical background on this iconic eight-foot-tall statue located on Gloucester’s Stacy Esplanade.

  • Singing Beach - Discover the story behind this uniquely named beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Please note this is a popular beach with limited parking during high season. The North Shore has plenty of beach and natural area options for your driving tour!

  • Motif Number 1 - Learn from your tour guide why this Rockport fishing shack is one of the top destinations on the North Shore for artists and has earned the title of “the most often-painted building in America.”

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Local English-speaking guide
  • Exploration of Cape Ann peninsula, including Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester, and Rockport
  • Visit to historic sites in Salem
  • Opportunity to explore several seaside towns
  • Custom pick up and drop off
What's Not Included
  • Food and drink, souvenirs, tips/gratuities for your guide
  • Not all locations listed are guaranteed stops
Additional Information

This tour from Boston to the North Shore is the perfect day trip, customized for your group! As we journey up the Atlantic Coast, we can stop at any location for exploration on foot.

We’ll start with a Salem tour, delving into this town’s complex past, passing by the Salem Witch Museum and House of Seven Gables. Among the top things to do in Salem: visit a cemetery with notable burials and connections to the Salem Witch Trials.

Other fascinating places in Massachusetts include Rockport and Gloucester, known for picturesque lighthouses, and Marblehead, boasting charming houses along a rocky coastline. Discover the beauty and art scene of a hidden gem, Bearskin Neck, and see the most-painted building in the U.S., the Motif No. 1 fishing shack!

In Manchester-by-the-Sea, you’ll find serene beaches and upscale boutiques, and in Beverly, beautifully preserved colonial architecture.

From haunting history to coastal splendor, this tour promises to capture the essence of the North Shore.

  • Infant seats available upon request
Location
Salem
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(15 Ratings)
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Maggiemn9859pc
Jul 28, 2024
Awesome Experience - This tour was awesome. Nabil, the tour guide, was kind, knowledgeable and generous with his time. He pointed out the best historical sites, best places for shopping and best restaurants. Nabil ensured everyone on the tour got to experience something they wanted to and didn’t rush anyone. Nabil kept us interested with stories of the area and fun facts not taught in your typical history class. Having a private tour allowed us to ask questions and immerse ourselves into the history of the areas. This was truly a wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ohms2021
Jul 3, 2024
Beautiful and fun day out of the city - On the way from Boston to Salem, our guide, Nabil, gave us an overview and background story of Salem (what happened, what is real ...what is not). Nabil walked us through Salem and pointed out sites with facts and tales which made Salem known. We drove up the beautiful North Shore up to Cape Anne. Again the history and tales make the trip highly interesting as well as entertaining. Highly recommended day trip out of Boston !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tinago1804or
Jun 24, 2024
Take the tour!! - What a day!! We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the North Shore with Allen. His pleasant personality and historical knowledge was a plus. Our favorite part was exploring the little town of Marblehead. We stopped for a great seafood lunch at Barnaby’s complete with lobster rolls, sat outside and enjoyed the breathtaking view. We watched all the fishermen fish while we enjoyed our lunch. The restaurant owner was even out on his boat lobster fishing!! We had time to explore and see houses dating back to the early 1700s, browse the local shops along Washington Street and stop for photos. Thanks for a memorable day!!
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Allenpu2635uz
Jun 18, 2024
Driving Tour of Boston's Historic North Shore Towns - I thoroughly enjoyed my driving tour of Boston's North Shore yesterday with Nabil through the historic towns of Salem, Danvers, Beverly, Gloucester and Rockport. With his easy-going style and wealth of historical knowledge, Nabil was the perfect guide. THe drive along the coast was magnificent, and what a treat to have authentic new England Clam Chowder in Rockport. I highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lexie144
Jun 17, 2024
This tour is North Shore spectacular. - Nabil, our guide for the day, was incredibly entertaining and so very knowledgeable - not only conversant in the complicated history of Salem, but also about the maritime history of the North Shore seaside towns. With spectacular vistas and a competent, learned guide, we enjoyed a perfect day exploring Boston’s neighbors to the north. And wow - our clam chowder at Roy Moore’s in Rockport was divine.
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Allison
May 18, 2024
Seaside stories along Cape Ann - Our tour guide took us through the history of the region starting back 700 million years ago — with lots of details about more recent characters and places along Cape Ann. I especially loved the way our route kept us near the shore, as so much of this area’s prosperity and growth came from the sea. A tasty seafood dinner in Gloucester capped off a wonderful day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peterhs1265hk
May 17, 2024
Great day on the North Shore with Will! - Will gave us a great tour last weekend. We learned so much and had a great time. The peaceful rose garden in a park where President Taft had his summer White House was a delightful surprise stop. The changing landscape along the coast with fascinating stories of native peoples, witch trials, lost fishermen, and Gilded age estates were well worth the day trip. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Road54839807740
May 14, 2024
Book this tour, trust me - This tour was phenomenal. I highly recommend it if you are even slightly interested in the witch trials, the founding of the country, or beautiful scenery and stunning ocean views. My favorite was bearskin neck - cutest place i've ever seen! Thank You Tim!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Williamho8417ms
May 13, 2024
Cape Ann Hidden Gems, Highly Recommend! - Such a cool tour, I’ve visited the Boston area plenty of times before but hadn’t been to Cape Ann, and even on a cloudy and cold day, what a beautiful experience! I had no idea we had such an idyllic coastline mixing natural beauty with great architecture and such rich history. Tim did an incredible job with storytelling, sharing the history of how the people and communities in that area have evolved. The witch trials aren’t my favorite topic and I’d been to Salem before but I still learned new nuances about how and why the witch trials went down. What a wild story about human behavior. The whole tour felt like it was straight out of a movie, 10/10 recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Allyeb5
Apr 16, 2024
Worth the trip to Salem! - I loved this tour, and I loved seeing and learning more about the coastal MA towns. Tim, our guide, was a wealth of knowledge. He was able to answer all of our questions, and seemed to know the history and entertaining side stories everywhere we went. I especially enjoyed learning about the history of Salem and particularly the witch trials. Tim was so helpful in helping us understand all that happened during that time period. Would highly recommend this tour!
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