Readers Say
“Small-town feeling, nice place to walk around, beautiful beaches.”
Main Street in Harwich Port on Cape Cod. Kristi Palma / Boston.com
A Mass. destination with a charming downtown and gorgeous beaches is the best town on Cape Cod, according to Boston.com readers.
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Bracket Round 1: What is the best New England beach town?
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5 things to do when visiting Harwich
In an informal poll, we asked Boston.com readers to choose their favorite of Cape Cod’s 15 towns and Harwich came out on top.
More than 850 readers weighed in and Harwich and Falmouth drew the most votes — 17% and 16%, respectively. However, Harwich beat out Falmouth by just four votes to claim the top spot (145 to 141 votes, respectively).
Harwich, located on the Lower Cape, is comprised of seven distinct villages: East Harwich, Harwich Center, Harwich Port, North Harwich, Pleasant Lake, South Harwich, and West Harwich. Harwich Port’s walkable downtown is dotted with boutiques, restaurants, spired churches, and offers live music in the summer. Harwich also has a full service marina and an 11-acre lavender farm.
Here’s what readers had to say about Harwich:
Small-town feeling, nice place to walk around, beautiful beaches. — John from Wakefield
“Lots to do in Harwich. Great dining, walking (Harwich Port), beaches (Red River Beach, Bank Street Beach), lots of hiking and biking trails. Half hour ride to Hyannis and about the same to reach the National Seashore beaches. Provincetown and Falmouth can be visited within about 45 minutes. Harwich is next to Chatham, which offers additional shopping and Cape charm.” — Jim P. from Harwich
“Red River Beach is a family favorite.” — Tricia B. from Boston
“Wonderful Main Street. Also, love the Harwich Outdoor Craft Fair.” — Debra M. from Framingham
“Best downtown, always new stuff opening up. Amazing restaurants. Not too crowded.” — Claire from Harwich
“My wife has an aunt who lives there, and the town is gorgeous, all mostly older houses and the history of Cape Cod is very interesting.” — David J. from Plainville, Conn.
“It’s got a small but fun downtown, very chill, great community with Cape Roots [Market & Cafe] being a fantastic local welcoming cafe and Brax [Landing] a quintessential Cape old school restaurant. Oh and Harwich Port beaches are super clean and beautiful for walks.” — Patrick B. from Harwich
“Charming Cape Cod town!” — Christine M. from Harwich
Grey Neck Beach in Harwich. Kristi Palma / Boston.com
What’s your favorite Cape Cod town?
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Kristi Palma
Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.
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