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Major city · United States

Wakefield, MassachusettsWakefield

Stay 1 night only if you want a lake walk and a commuter-rail base north of Boston; otherwise day-trip from Boston in about 30 min by train.

Not yet checkedSourcesWhat these labels mean

Wakefield is a small town 12 miles north of Boston, built around Lake Quannapowitt and a 1681 house on the National Register. There is no big attraction here: the draw is a flat 3.5-mile lakeside loop, a historic common, and cheap commuter-rail access to Boston. Most travellers see it as a half-day or a single night, not a base.

basic guide: no trip line yet
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
More ways in
Print / PDF guide
Local time, weather, currency, airports
Weather
see forecast
Currency
USD
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
avoid Jan–Feb (ice and wind off the lake); July–Aug weekends are busy at the common
Airport
BOS
Nights
1
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.

Entry rules depend on your passport. Full visa guide

Checking your follows…
What is in this basic guide9 covered · 4 not yet ▾

Not in this guide yet

  • Walking areas with bag rules
  • Day plans checked against opening hours
  • Airport-to-bed timings and the last safe connection
  • Field-checked times and prices
Emergency numbers for Wakefield, Massachusetts911 ▾

Tap a number to call from your phone. These are the numbers listed in this guide; a row marked check has not been verified.

EssentialsQuick answers and what things cost

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Wakefield, Massachusetts, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Show all 12 answers

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
  • Street or quick mealRoast-beef sandwich$10–16
  • BeerDraught beer$7–10
  • Taxi, about 5 km (3 mi)Rideshare, 5 km (3.1 mi)Surge pricing at peak times.$12–20
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week$10–30
  • Budget bedFamily room (up to 4), a night, per roomUS$200
  • Mid-range bedChain-hotel double room, a night, per roomUS$190
  • High-end bedChain-hotel double room, a night, per roomUS$320

A day, not counting the bed: Budget US$70 · Mid US$140 · 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 →

DecideWhat it is known for, and when the weather works

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.

Lake Quannapowitt loopCol. James Hartshorne House (1681)Wakefield Common and its gazeboCommuter rail to Boston
Airports
BOS Boston Logan International (About 20–30 min by car via I-93 and Route 128/I-95; no direct rail link to Wakefield, so expect a taxi, rideshare or a two-leg transit trip into Boston first)

Best months at a glance

From the guide's best and avoid lists

  1. Jan

    Avoid

    2°C (36°F)

  2. Feb

    Avoid

    4°C (39°F)

  3. Mar

    not flagged

    8°C (46°F)

  4. Apr

    not flagged

    14°C (57°F)

  5. May

    Best

    20°C (68°F)

  6. Jun

    Best

    25°C (77°F)

  7. Jul

    Avoid

    28°C (82°F)

  8. Aug

    Avoid

    27°C (81°F)

  9. Sep

    Best

    23°C (73°F)

  10. Oct

    Best

    17°C (63°F)

  11. Nov

    not flagged

    11°C (52°F)

  12. Dec

    not flagged

    5°C (41°F)

Best: May–Jun, Sep–Oct. Avoid: Jan–Feb, Jul–Aug. Month by month →

Warmest Jul (28°C (82°F)), coolest Jan (−7°C (19°F) low), wettest May (12 rain days), driest Feb (9). Averages, not a forecast.

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Wakefield, Massachusetts: 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

2°C (36°F)

−7°C (19°F)

11 rd

Feb

4°C (39°F)

−6°C (21°F)

9 rd

Mar

8°C (46°F)

−2°C (28°F)

11 rd

Apr

14°C (57°F)

4°C (39°F)

11 rd

May

20°C (68°F)

9°C (48°F)

12 rd

Jun

25°C (77°F)

14°C (57°F)

11 rd

Jul

28°C (82°F)

18°C (64°F)

10 rd

Aug

27°C (81°F)

17°C (63°F)

9 rd

Sep

23°C (73°F)

13°C (55°F)

9 rd

Oct

17°C (63°F)

7°C (45°F)

10 rd

Nov

11°C (52°F)

2°C (36°F)

11 rd

Dec

5°C (41°F)

−3°C (27°F)

11 rd

High / low, both scales · rd = rain days

Arrive & moveAirports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Arrive & move

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

Getting around

A car is the practical choice: the town spreads along Route 128/I-95 between exits 38 and 42, and Route 129 comes in from the east. Without a car you have the MBTA 136/137 bus and two commuter-rail stations. The lake loop itself is walkable and bikeable.

Nearest full guides

Straight-line distance, not travel time

See & doDay-trips, door to door

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Bostongo

Door to door: About 40–50 min

MBTA commuter rail from Wakefield station, 225 North Ave

Check the timetable: off-peak trains are roughly hourly.

Cambridge, Massachusettsgo

Door to door: About 1 h

Commuter rail or bus to Boston, then the Red Line

Somervillego

Door to door: About 1 h

Rail to Boston, then the Green or Orange Line

Salem and the North Shore

go

Door to door: About 45 min by car

Car via Route 128/I-95 north, or rail with a change in Boston

October is the busiest month; go early.

Lexington, Massachusettsgo

Door to door: About 30 min by car

Car via Route 128/I-95 south and Route 2A

Eat & sleepWhich area to sleep in

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

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

Lake Quannapowitt shore (North Ave)

Waterfront inns and the walkable common; best for one night and an early lake loop.

Route 128/I-95 corridor (Audubon Road)

Highway hotels with parking; best if you have a car and are moving on the next morning.

Wakefield centre near the rail station

Walk to trains and cafés; limited rooms, so book ahead.

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

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$190US$190
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × US$140US$280
MBTA commuter rail, Wakefield to Boston, both ways2 × US$16US$32
Rideshare, Logan to Wakefield1 × US$60US$60
eSIM, about a week of data2 × US$15US$30
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeUS$59
Trip total≈ US$326 per person per day, bed includedUS$651

2026 estimate in US dollars; sales tax is added at checkout and is not included. Flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee$3–6
Roast-beef sandwich$10–16
Pizza or pasta main$15–26
Draught beer$7–10
Rideshare, 5 kmSurge pricing at peak times.$12–20
MBTA commuter rail, one zone$2.40–8
eSIM or data SIM, about a week$10–30

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

A low-crime Boston suburb; the real risks are Route 128/I-95 traffic, thin evening transit and winter ice on the lake paths.
  • Public transport is thin: the 136/137 bus and commuter rail only, with limited evening service.
  • Route 128/I-95 traffic peaks on weekday mornings and late afternoons; add buffer time to Logan.
  • Lake Quannapowitt paths are open sunrise to sunset only.
  • Winter ice and unshovelled lake paths: check conditions before a loop.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
911
Wakefield Police (non-emergency)
781-245-1212
Poison Control (24 h)
1-800-222-1222

Pocket card

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Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Wakefield, MassachusettsWakefield

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance911
  • Wakefield Police (non-emergency)781-245-1212
  • Poison Control (24 h)1-800-222-1222

Embassy

No embassies in Wakefield; consulates-general and embassies are in Boston.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Commuter rail, Wakefield → Boston: about $8 one way, about 30 min
  • Rideshare, Logan → Wakefield: $50–70, 20–30 min
  • Taxi, Wakefield centre → Lake Quannapowitt: $8–12

Say or show

  • Thank you — Thank you
  • Excuse me — Excuse me
  • How much is it? — How much is it?
  • Can I pay by card? — Can I pay by card?
  • Where is the station? — Where is the station?
  • To this address, please — To this address, please

Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.

Deep diveWhat this guide covers so far, and its sources

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 Wakefield, Massachusetts. 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: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · avoid Jan–Feb (ice and wind off the lake); July–Aug weekends are busy at the common · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for BOS: field-checked taxi and rideshare bands, last commuter-rail departures, overnight fallback.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: Lake Quannapowitt and the common, Wakefield centre and the rail station, the Route 128 hotel strip.
  3. Place pages with verified hours (Hartshorne House, lake paths) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Hostile-weather fixtures for ice, snow and summer heat so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to United States

Sources

Ask about Wakefield, Massachusetts

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