NYC->Cape Cod via public transport?
 

Over the summer I’d like to take trains or a bus from New York to Cape Cod, if that’s possible...

From the searching I’ve done it seems we could pack bikes as if for shipping, disassembled, and put them on a bus as luggage, but we’d obviously prefer to ride to a train or bus station, load up, and then disembark and ride around the Cape.

Has anyone done this?

You could AMTRAK to Boston, then catch the ferry to Provincetown and west from there.

BoltBus goes from NY to Boston. You don't have to dismantle your bike. When I took BoltBus (on a different route), passengers with bikes loaded and unloaded their own bikes. It was very simple.

The fast ferry to the Cape is phenomenal, but somewhat expensive, though there is a bus company called Plymouth and Brockton that goes to the Cape from Boston. They're the only one that goes there, far as I know. I don't know what their bike policy is, however. Most likely, they need to be boxed, although often with buses, the driver has some latitude, so friendliness goes a long way.

To get to Boston, you could take the Amtrak, which does allow roll-on service these days. Another bus company called Peter Pan goes from NYC to Boston, but I'm sure it has to be boxed up.

Hope you have a great trip! The Cape is one of the best places to ride in the country with its bike trail network and staggering beauty. I've spent significant time riding there, so if you have questions, feel free to ask. I could talk about the Cape all day.

Cheers

Edit:I just looked up the prices and bike policy for Plymouth and Brockton. They do not require bikes to be boxed! It costs $48 round trip including the bike, while the ferry is $106.

I have posted about another enjoyable bus service between New York City and Boston:

You can take the commuter train out bound from Boston, off hours. That would be Am and not pm rush hour, at least week days. Get you to Kingston. Pedal from there? Miles Standish SF is a good stop. There is one bridge you can " ride" across. 2 ' high, traffic very close with trucks pushing a lot of air coming at you. Took me a bit. Then the service road after that. Just a thought. Just read the rules, regs and hours carefully for the MBTA commuter line.

This is a good idea but much depends on where on the cape you're trying to get to. The Miles Standish SF is wonderful. It has the largest intact pine barens in the country. From there to the Bourne Bridge is a good ride, except the last several miles, because it's so busy. Once you cross, really the only tenable way is to go south towards Martha's Vineyard. A bike trail gets you most of the way. From there you can take mostly back roads to Harwich for the CCRT.

To get to the CCRT using 6A is terrible. No shoulder and super busy with aggressive, impatient drivers. I'd be nice if there was a shoulder on this route, because it has some of the oldest structures in the country. I've ridden it twice, but both times I had an awful experience.

What about ferries? You could ride East on LI to Port Jefferson, or on to Orient Point. Port Jeff ferry goes to New London and you could ride from there. There are also ferries between RI and Block Island and Martha's Vinyard and between Martha's Vinyard and Woods Hole. Block and MVY also have lovely riding. Ferries are roll on/roll off, with no need to unpack. With a little planning, you could probably make a loop out of it. P'town to Boston is also served by ferry, IIRC; surely you could pick up a train there back to NYC.
Good luck

I took the service road form rt 130 to rt 132, goes right next to rt 6, seemed to be low traffic when I was there. A "few" hills.

Only on very few trains, for example when I look on a random weekday in May only the 2:40 am - 7:58 am Northeast Regional, and then only a limited number with specific add-on reservation.

The majority of trains in the northeast don't even allow ordinary checked baggage.

What generally does allow bikes are commuter trains, but you can't do NYC to Boston on those since there's no commuter service between New London and Providence or Springfield and Boston.

This is a lot of what I found, especially the 2am roll on service... 🙄

This is a trip for two, and with the virus going on, having driven my classes to “remote viewing,” and my wife’s engagements being mostly canceled I’m wondering if it might not be a bad idea to get out of New York proper for a few weeks.

My dad lives in Buttermilk Bay, just before the Bourne Bridge, on the mainland side. Other options are more family in Brewster.

My wife may want to stay in the city, we have more space in our apartment here than in my fathers Cape house, it’s not officially a “tiny house” but it’s really sized for no more than 2 people.

...the New York to Martha’s Vineyard ferry doesn’t start up till the end of May, but they do take bicycles for 20 fee, 30 round trip.