Favorite New England Fall Foliage Tours
Ready for some leaf-peeping but not sure where to go? One of these guided New England fall foliage tours may be just what you need.
By Ian Aldrich|Jul 28 2022|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanOne of the best ways to experience the autumn landscape is via one of the many New England fall foliage tours that roll through the region each year. For a story in Yankee’s September/October 2017 issue (“Leaf People”), I took a New England fall foliage tour with Tauck Tours, which has been leading guided visits to the region in fall for more than nine decades. Tauck is considered by many to offer the best New England fall foliage tours, but it’s far from the only company with such excursions. Read on for a selection of great New England fall foliage tour operators.
Favorite New England Fall Foliage Tours
Tauck Tours
It’s not an overstatement to say Tauck invented the New England foliage tour because, well, it sort of did. In 1925, Arthur Tauck, a 27-year-old traveling salesman, decided to share the beauty he often discovered while motoring along the region’s back roads. He advertised his guided tour in a local New Jersey paper, pricing his one-week excursion, which included all meals and accommodations, for $69. Six people signed on for the journey, and a business was born.
Today, Connecticut-based Tauck leads tours all over the world. But its New England fall foliage tours continue to be one of its biggest draws. Tauck offers several choices. Its 12-day “Grand New England” provides an in-depth portrait of the region, from Revolutionary War sites in Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, to a weather lesson atop New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, to a full-on lobster experience in Portland, Maine. A more condensed version of this journey is offered in Tauck’s eight-day “Hidden Gems of New England” tour.
SEE MORE: Leaf People | Autumn in New England Through a Leaf-Peeper’s Eyes
Photo Credit : Ian Aldrich
Tours4fun
This tour operator’s nine-day New England fall foliage tour begins in Boston and includes visits to the Martha’s Vineyard villages of Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, the southern Maine coast towns of York and Ogunquit, the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, and the White Mountain National Forest. Another ten-day tour option includes the Vermont side of Lake Champlain.
Photo Credit : Ian Aldrich
Caravan Tours
On this eight-day guided journey, travelers hit many New England highlights: Boston, Plymouth Rock, Martha’s Vineyard, the Newport mansions, Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, the Norman Rockwell Museum in the Berkshires, picture-perfect Woodstock, Vermont, and a Maine lobster dinner.
Photo Credit : Ian Aldrich
Photo Credit : Ian Aldrich
Northeast Unlimited Tours
Over the course of eight autumn-themed days, travelers on the “Taste of New England” tour cover a lot of ground and sample a lot of delicious local food, from Boston and the Berkshires to the historic downtown of Manchester, Vermont, to a trip up Mount Washington on the famed Cog Railway and a lobster cruise in Maine.
Know of any New England fall foliage tours we missed? Let us know!
This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.
SEE MORE:
10 Places to Visit in New England in Fall
Prettiest Fall Foliage Villages in Vermont
The Ultimate New England Fall Foliage Road Trip
this was no 1 on my bucket list my cousins and i flew there Best vacation ever
do u have short tour 3 days( from new york?) to new england foliage thanks baruch
Can’t wait to book a tour for next fall.
Is there a tour for a handicapped person. Transportation, lodging, etc? Thank you.
Looking for a tour from Boston for 5 days including transportation-
I’am seeking a 3 to 4 day tour which I hope will encompass MA, NH, VT. If you offer this type of tour, what would the cost be for one person? Thank you.
I am seeking a 3 to 4 day fall foliage tour for NH, VT, and ME. What would the cost be. I will be available as of 10/12
I also am seeking a 3 to 4 day fall foliage tour for NH, VT, and ME for 2 people. Do you have such tours?
Actually we are six people from new York seeking 3-4 days fall foliage tour for NH,CT& Me
1-What is the differences between the three packages of: super value, great value, and special value?
2-If no more single rooms are available, can a single get a double room for the double price?
Researching 3-4 day van tours of New England for fall foliage. 4 ladies, one in her 80’s.
My wife and I are looking for a 7/8 day tour of foliage in the New England area in the first fortnight of october 2019. We would like 4 star comfort. My wife is a strict vegetarian and I prefer vegetarian food. Can you make a proposal or two.
I’d like to visit Washington DC, New York City, Boston, and fall foliage. 3-5 days per city. I’m a solo traveler. TIA
Looking for the best Fall Foilage trip (affordable) to finally check off as #1 on my bucket list. Possibly by myself.
Looking for a 3-4 days New England autumn leaf photography tour in oct 2019 for me and my wife either before or after 4 day trip to Montreal Quebec
Tell me about this tour. I live in Edmonton Canada
My best girlfriend and I would like to get from NYC to Maine to visit a girlfriend there. We’d like to see some fall foliage as we go. Can this be done by Amtrak travel or do we need to book a tour of some type?
I have in PA. I am interested in learning more about a trip to Vermont, Maine and NH. I am not sure how long I will need. I would like to go in Oct
We will be in Connecticut for a wedding in October 2020. We would like to do a New England Fall Foilage tour (that includes Cape Cod or Martha’s Vineyard). We are deciding between a bus tour or train tour. Any recommendations? Thanks.
We are thinking of enjoying New England during the fall of 2020. We will be based in the Norwalk, CT area and would like to do a coach tours of say 5/7 days?
We are planning a fall foliage tour for 2020. What company would you recommend for a reasonably priced tour?
Flew to Manchester, NH..rented a car..drove thru NH into Vermont..visited the Country Store In Weston. Stayed on route 100 all the way into the Northern Kingdom with stops in Woodstock, Killington, Stowe, Burlington. Then back to Franconia Notch and then Manchester… took about 10 glorious days in late September into October….the foliage was spectacular!!!
We did the same thing at the same time, although I also went down to Sturbridge Mass for a couple of days.
Main interest is foliage viewing. Any three day tours and where do I connect to train transportation?
My sister has a terminal brain tumor. She wants her siblings and parents to do a fall foliage road trip. There would be 9 people total on the trip. (7 siblings and hopefully my parents). Can you please get back to me with information regarding a custom tour?
We are staying in Boston for 5 nights. Wanted just a day tour to see the foilage up in NH and/or ME. Can you recommend? Thanks.
We are looking for a fall leaf tour in the next couple of weeks which would be in an or bus and completely a guided tour. We are 74 yrs. young but not comfortable driving in unfamiliar areas. Thank you so much for your help & info. Delores Reno
Looking for 5-7 day tour under $2300 per person this month.Thanks
Would like to go on a fall foliage trip next couple of weeks what do u recommend
Just want a 4 day tour!do u have that shorter one?
Will surely visit next fall! Thanks for this wonderful post.