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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Exeter
Exeter, New Hampshire
Give Exeter one night, or a half-day stop off the Amtrak Downeaster: the walkable centre, two small museums and a prep school fill an afternoon.
Exeter is a small New Hampshire town on the Exeter River, about an hour by train from Boston and 20 minutes from Portsmouth. It is a real town rather than a resort: a compact downtown of brick storefronts, a 1781 boarding school, a Revolutionary-era museum and a river walk. Most travellers see it as a half-day or one-night stop on the Seacoast, not a destination in itself.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Exeter, New Hampshire
- Best months
- May–Oct; foliage peaks early-to-mid October
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, ice), mud season in March
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Exeter Police non-emergency 603-772-1212 · Poison Control (24 h) 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–5 |
| Deli sandwich or bowl | $10–16 |
| Dinner main, mid-range restaurant | $18–32 |
| Draft beer | $7–9 |
| Museum entry | $8–12 |
| Amtrak Downeaster, Exeter to Boston | about $20 one way (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BOS · Boston Logan International
- Amtrak Downeaster from Boston North Station, about 1 h 10 min; driving is about 1 h
- MHT · Manchester-Boston Regional
- About 40 min by car via NH-101
Typical fares
- Amtrak Downeaster, Boston North Station → Exeter
- about $20 one way, about 1 h 10 min (check)
- Taxi or rideshare, Exeter station → downtown
- about $8–12, 5 min (check)
- Car, Exeter → Portsmouth on NH-101
- about 20 min, no toll (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is walkable in 15 minutes end to end. There is no useful local bus for visitors; a car helps for Route 108, the malls and day trips. Amtrak's Downeaster stops at Exeter station, 60 Lincoln Street, with five or six trains a day each way between Boston and Brunswick, Maine.
See and do
Known for
- Phillips Exeter Academy
- American Independence Museum
- Downtown Water Street shops
- Amtrak Downeaster stop
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth, New Hampshire | Amtrak Downeaster to Dover then bus, or 20 min by car on NH-101/US-1 | About 30 min by car |
| Hampton, New Hampshire | Car on NH-101 east, about 20 min | About 25 min |
| Durham, New Hampshire | Amtrak Downeaster, one stop north, about 8 min | About 20 min |
| Dover, New Hampshire | Amtrak Downeaster, about 15 min | About 25 min |
| Boston | Amtrak Downeaster from Exeter station | About 1 h 10 min |
Sleep
- Downtown / Front Street
- Walk to the bandstand, Water Street shops and restaurants; one historic inn.
- Portsmouth Avenue (NH-101 Exit 11)
- Chain hotel with parking; you need a car for the 5-min drive downtown.
- Portsmouth or Hampton as a base
- More beds and dining; Exeter becomes a day trip by train or car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the station? | Where is the train station? |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take cards? |
| A table for two, please | Table for two, please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Is it far to walk? | Is it walkable from here? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Rush hour on NH-101 and Portsmouth Avenue adds a few minutes of stop-and-go.
- Winter ice on sidewalks and river paths; boots with grip, not sneakers.
- Small-town hours: many shops and restaurants close early and some close Monday or Tuesday.
A low-crime small town; the real risks are winter ice, deer on NH-101 at dusk and unlit river paths after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Exeter yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Phillips Exeter Academy
- American Independence Museum
- Downtown Water Street shops
- Amtrak Downeaster stop
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Amtrak — Exeter station (EXR): www.amtrak.com/stations/exr
- Amtrak Downeaster: www.amtrak.com/
- Phillips Exeter Academy: www.exeter.edu
- Wikivoyage: Exeter (New Hampshire), revision 5030199 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5030199
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
ExeterExeter, New Hampshire
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Exeter Police non-emergency603-772-1212
- Poison Control (24 h)1-800-222-1222
No embassies here; your consulate is in Boston. US visitors: your own country's embassy is in Washington, DC.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/exeter-new-hampshire). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.