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Major city · United States

Keene, New HampshireKeene

Give Keene one full day and one night: Main Street, the Colonial Theatre and a Monadnock hike. Two nights if you want a second trail day.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
USD
Best months
Jun–Oct for hiking; Sep–Oct for foliage
avoid Jan–Mar (ice and cold), mud season in April
Airports
EEN · MHT · BOS
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs …Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but ta…
  • North America ↗Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs your passport even on a day trip; rental cars need the company's written permission to cross, and most US and Canadian rental insurance stops at the Mexican border.
  • North America ↗Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but taking any amount across the US, Canadian or Mexican border is a federal crime — including edibles and vapes.
  • North America ↗The busiest US and Canadian national parks need timed-entry, campsite or lodge reservations in summer; release dates are months ahead.
  • United States ↗Check whether you need an ESTA (Visa Waiver Program) or a visa on the official CBP and State Department sites; apply only through esta.cbp.dhs.gov, not third-party sites, and allow time before you book.
  • United States ↗Several popular national parks use timed-entry or vehicle reservations in peak season; check each park's page on nps.gov and book on recreation.gov before fixing your dates.
  • United States ↗Medical care is very expensive for visitors; buy travel insurance with high medical cover before you fly.
  • United States ↗Tipping is expected: about 15–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, and a tip for taxis, hotel staff and guides.

Keene is a small New Hampshire city of about 23,000 people, the Cheshire County seat, and the practical base for Mount Monadnock — the most-climbed mountain in the world by some counts. Downtown is walkable in 20 minutes end to end, with a 1924 theatre, a brewpub in an old mill and no state sales tax. Most visitors come for one night, a hike and a drive through the Monadnock Region.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Keene, New Hampshire, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee$3–6
  • Sit-down mealBrewpub main course$16–28
  • Street or quick mealCafé breakfast or lunch plate$10–18
  • BeerDraught beer at a Main Street bar$7–10
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxi or rideshareSupply is thin late at night.$12–20
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week$15–35
  • Budget bedHostel or shared-room bed, a night, per personUS$45
  • Mid-range bedChain-hotel double room, a night, per roomUS$170
  • High-end bedChain-hotel double room, a night, per roomUS$280

A day, not counting the bed: Budget US$60 · Mid US$130 · High US$260

Prices in local money; change the currency in the header to see yours next to them. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Mount Monadnock hikingThe Colonial Theatre (1924)Main Street and Central SquareNo New Hampshire sales tax
Airports
EEN Dillant-Hopkins Airport, Keene (Small regional field with two runways; no scheduled airline service — check before planning around it.) · MHT Manchester-Boston Regional (About 1 h 30 min by car via NH-101 (check).) · BOS Boston Logan International (About 2 h by car (check); a common arrival point for overseas visitors, but confirm your own routing.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Keene, New Hampshire: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

−1°C

−12°C

10 rd

Feb

1°C

−11°C

9 rd

Mar

6°C

−6°C

10 rd

Apr

14°C

1°C

11 rd

May

20°C

7°C

12 rd

Jun

25°C

12°C

12 rd

Jul

28°C

15°C

11 rd

Aug

27°C

14°C

10 rd

Sep

22°C

9°C

9 rd

Oct

15°C

3°C

10 rd

Nov

8°C

−2°C

11 rd

Dec

2°C

−8°C

11 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Downtown Keene is walkable — Main Street and Central Square are a few minutes apart on foot. For Monadnock, the airport or outlying hotels you need a car: there is no useful bus to the trailheads. Downtown parking rules vary by lot and by day — check the signs or the city's parking page before you leave the car.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Mount Monadnock, Jaffrey

go

Door to door: About 30 min each way (check) plus 3–4 h on the trail — allow a full day

Car via NH-101 east then NH-124, about 12 miles to the park entrance

Start before 9am on weekends; the pump house and White Dot routes are the usual up-and-down.

Peterborough, New Hampshire

go

Door to door: About 40 min (check)

Car via NH-101 east, about 30 min (check)

Small downtown, galleries and the MacDowell area; pairs well with a Monadnock morning.

Swanzey, New Hampshire

go

Door to door: About 20 min (check)

Car via NH-12 south, about 15 min (check)

Covered bridge and quiet back roads; a short stop, not a day.

Claremont, New Hampshire

caution

Door to door: About 1 h 10 min (check)

Car via NH-12 north, about 1 h (check)

Doable as a loop with the Connecticut River, but thin on sights for the drive time.

Francestown, New Hampshire

caution

Door to door: About 55 min (check)

Car via NH-101 east and NH-47, about 45 min (check)

Village green and meetinghouse; go only if you are already driving the back roads.

Westmoreland, New Hampshire

caution

Door to door: About 35 min (check)

Car via NH-12 north and NH-63, about 25 min (check)

Park Hill Meetinghouse (1764) is the draw, but it is not confirmed as regularly open — verify access before you drive out.

Rindge, New Hampshire

caution

Door to door: About 50 min (check)

Car via NH-101 east and NH-202, about 40 min (check)

Cathedral of the Pines is the reason to come; combine with a Monadnock hike.

Marlow, New Hampshire

skip

Door to door: About 50 min (check)

Car via NH-10 north, about 40 min (check)

Very small; only worth it if you are already heading up NH-10.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Downtown / Main Street

Walk to dinner, the Colonial Theatre and Central Square; one hotel sits right on Main Street.

Winchester Street (NH-101 west)

Chain hotels and the Monadnock Marketplace plaza; you need a car for everything.

Key Road / NH-12 south

Highway-side hotels with free parking; 5–10 min drive to downtown.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
$60–110 excl. bed
Mid
$110–200 excl. bed
High
$200+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Chain-hotel double room1 × 1 night × US$170US$170
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × US$130US$260
Rental car, one day1 × US$80 · Book ahead for foliage weekends.US$80
Fuel, Keene–Monadnock loop, one day1 × US$12US$12
Monadnock State Park day-use fee, per adult2 × US$5US$10
eSIM, about a week of data2 × US$20US$40
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeUS$57
Trip total≈ US$315 per person per day, bed includedUS$629

2026 estimate in US dollars; sales tax is not charged in New Hampshire but meals and rooms taxes apply. Flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee$3–6
Café breakfast or lunch plate$10–18
Brewpub main course$16–28
Draught beer at a Main Street bar$7–10
5 km taxi or rideshareSupply is thin late at night.$12–20
Chain-hotel room, midweekHigher in foliage season.$110–180
eSIM or data SIM, about a week$15–35

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Keene is a low-crime small city and downtown is fine on foot at night. The real risks are trail-related: ice, exposure and getting benighted on Monadnock, plus deer on rural roads after dark.
  • Mount Monadnock trails are rocky and exposed near the top: carry water, a map and a layer even in summer.
  • Trailhead lots at Monadnock fill on fall weekends — arrive before 9am or park at the staffed park HQ.
  • Winter and early-spring ice makes the summit trails genuinely dangerous without traction; many people turn back.
  • Cell coverage is patchy on the mountain's upper slopes.
  • Rural roads are dark and deer are common at dusk — drive slowly after sunset.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
911
Keene Police (non-emergency)
603-357-9813
Monadnock State Park HQ
603-532-8862

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Keene, New HampshireKeene

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance911
  • Keene Police (non-emergency)603-357-9813
  • Monadnock State Park HQ603-532-8862

Embassy

No embassies in Keene; consulates and embassies are in Boston and Washington, DC. Check your country's list before you travel.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Rideshare, downtown Keene → NH-101 hotels: $10–16
  • Rental car, one day: $55–130 plus fuel
  • Monadnock State Park day use: about $5 per adult

Say or show

  • Thank you — Thank you
  • Where is the trailhead? — Where is the trailhead?
  • Can I pay by card? — Can I pay by card?
  • Is there a table for two? — Is there a table for two?
  • How far is it on foot? — How far is it on foot?
  • I need help — I need help

New Hampshire has no state sales tax, but meals and rooms taxes apply — the price on the menu is not the price on the bill.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Keene, New Hampshire. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Jun–Oct for hiking; Sep–Oct for foliage · avoid Jan–Mar (ice and cold), mud season in April · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 8 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contracts for EEN, MHT and BOS: last sensible arrival times, taxi and rideshare fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: Main Street and Central Square, the Colonial Theatre block, the mill district, and the NH-101 hotel strip.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Colonial Theatre box office, Monadnock State Park HQ, Park Hill Meetinghouse) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Foliage-season and ice-season fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to United States

Sources