One of my girlfriends and I just spent a two-day, one-night getaway in Provincetown, Massachusetts—and I can’t recommend this place enough! Since we had limited time on the cape and so much we wanted to do, we did a lot of research prior to arriving so we could explore as much as we could right when we got there. P-town is a perfect place to get away as a couple or a group of friends. Even though we did a quick trip, you could definitely make this destination a longer vacation and never run out of things to do, areas to explore, and places to eat. Here is a breakdown of everything we did—all of which I would recommend!
Beaches:
The day we arrived, we hit the beach as soon as we got there in the morning. We went to Race Point Beach on the first day, which was beautiful! The beach itself wasn’t very busy at all, so we had plenty of room to spread out. Parking at this location is super easy, affordable for the day, and a short walk onto the beach. The second day, we hit the beach for a few hours in the afternoon—this time we tried Herring Cove Beach. Same deal as Race Point Beach for parking and access from the parking lot to the beach. We found out that most of this beach is dog friendly, however, there is part of the beach that prohibits dogs.
Race Point and Herring Cove are both in Provincetown and less than a ten-minute drive from downtown. It would be easy to ride bikes to either beach rather than driving. Depending on where you stay, you could even walk. Overall, both beaches were extremely clean, had beautiful sand and water, not overcrowded, and had gorgeous views—you don’t even feel like you’re in New England when you’re on these beaches!
Eats:
We went to a lot of cool restaurants and establishments while we were in Provincetown, and we both loved all of them! The one night we were there, we went to Ciro and Sal’s for dinner, an amazing Italian restaurant. They have a gorgeous outdoor seating area as well as a really cool atmosphere inside. They have a pretty large menu that has a ton of food and drink options. We got Shrimp Scampi and Bolognese, and both dishes were amazing. This is one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to and I will definitely go back again.
The second morning we were there, we woke up early and got coffee at Kohi Coffee Company downtown—this was a recommendation from a local and it did not disappoint. The coffee shop itself was wicked cute. After ordering our lattes we walked out back which flows right out to the beach with a beautiful view of the ocean. Sipping coffee and looking out towards the water was the perfect way to start the morning.
After a long bike ride on day two, we walk right across the street from our bike rental location and landed at Provincetown Brewing Company. We both got flights to try a good portion of the beer they had to offer and loved all the ones we chose. This place had an awesome outdoor seating area which is pretty big, as well as a really fun atmosphere inside. You’ll notice that a lot of restaurant sell Provincetown Brewing Company beer, so if you aren’t able to make it to their location, look out for it on menus around P-town. Our favorite was an IPA called ‘Bearded Mistress.’
For lunch we went to The Canteen, which was also recommended to us on our first day. This restaurant is very casual. You walk up to the counter and can order food and/or drinks. Once you get your order you can walk out back to sit right on the beach and enjoy your lunch! This was one of our favorite spots since the scenery was so beautiful. We got sandwiches, clam chowder, and Provincetown Brewing Company beer and all of it was delicious!
Activities:
We woke up early the day we were leaving to rent bikes and explore the town a little bit. We rented bikes from Provincetown Bike Rentals. The staff was so friendly, and they gave us plenty of options for great paths to take on our ride. We rented the bikes for 2 hours and it was hands down the most fun I’ve had in a long time. We did a ten-mile loop all around Provincetown. From the rental location we went up toward Race Point Beach and rode the trails all through the sand dunes and down towards Herring Cove Beach, then looped back toward downtown and back to our starting point. This was one of the longest loops you could do, but there were a lot of other options too. The paths were all very well marked, not crowded at all, and had beautiful views.
Another popular activity in Provincetown is visiting the galleries downtown. There are so many art galleries in P-town and they were absolutely gorgeous. We did a lot more sight seeing and walking around downtown but next time I visit I would definitely go into more galleries. If you’re into art, this is the spot for you! Just walking around downtown was so fun since there was so much to see and take in.
Planning a trip to Provincetown is a must do in my opinion, I definitely plan to go back again before the summer ends. Everyone in P-town is so nice, we couldn’t stop talking about how friendly everyone we came across was. Many people recommended places to go and things to do while we were here. The staff at the Inn we stayed at, all the restaurant employees, and people we interacted with were so sweet! We felt so welcome right from the beginning, after just two short days I felt like a regular around town—I can certainly see why people love Provincetown so much. I can’t recommend this destination enough, if you have any other spots you love in P-town, please share with us!