The Short Answer
The main tourism corridor runs up the coast: southern beaches from Kittery to Old Orchard Beach, then Portland, then the MidCoast peninsulas, then Bar Harbor and Acadia. Where you plant yourself depends on what you're driving toward. First-timers splitting a week often base in Portland for two or three nights (central location, easy airport access at PWM, a serious food scene), then move up to Bar Harbor or Camden for the rest. If Acadia is the whole point, sleep in Bar Harbor or Southwest Harbor and use Portland as a stop on the drive in or out. If you're after the southern beaches and nothing else, Ogunquit or Kennebunkport is all you need. For help matching your goals to a season before you book, read the Best Time to Visit Maine guide.
The one thing that catches people off guard: Route 1, the coastal spine, crawls in July and August. A drive that looks like 45 minutes on a map can run 90 or more in midsummer. Basing close to where you're spending your days matters more than it does in most states.
Southern Coast and Greater Portland
The southern stretch runs about 50 road miles from Kittery at the New Hampshire line up through Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunkport, and Old Orchard Beach. Ogunquit is a solid walking-friendly base: the beach is three miles long, the Marginal Way cliff path takes you to the lobster harbor at Perkins Cove in 20 minutes on foot, and inn rates run roughly $200-$400 a night (estimate) in July and August. Cliff House Maine, perched on the cliffs in Cape Neddick just south of Ogunquit, is the full-service resort option on this stretch: ocean views from the rooms, a spa, and a pool above the water. Anchorage By The Sea, part of the Ogunquit Resort Collection and closer to the village center, runs a bit more affordable and books up by April for July weekends. Kennebunkport, about 20 minutes north on Route 9, runs higher: the sea-captain inns around Dock Square and out on Ocean Avenue push $350-$600 in peak summer. Old Orchard Beach, about 20 minutes south of Portland, is the budget move on the coast, with motel and cottage options closer to $100-$180 in season and an old-school boardwalk energy unlike anything else on the Maine shore. All three towns are covered in depth on The Maine Beaches region page.
Portland is the most practical base if you're mixing beach days and the MidCoast. Old Port hotels run $200-$350 in peak summer, with B&Bs and smaller inns a bit lower. Portland International Jetport (PWM) is 10 minutes from the Old Port, making it the easiest airport in the state for arrivals and departures. Freeport, 20 minutes north on I-95, offers a handful of good inns. The Harraseeket Inn sits right in the middle of Freeport village, a full-service property with a well-regarded restaurant and enough room to park for an L.L.Bean run. Wolf Cove Inn, a highly rated bed and breakfast on a quiet lake a few miles south of Freeport near Poland, is the right pick if you want something with more character than a downtown hotel and a proper Maine breakfast in the morning. If you're weighing Portland against Bar Harbor as your main base, the Portland vs Bar Harbor guide lays out the tradeoffs directly.
MidCoast: Camden, Rockland, and the Peninsulas
Camden is the MidCoast's best overnight base. It's a real harbor town where the Camden Hills drop straight to Penobscot Bay, and it puts you within an hour of Rockland, Boothbay Harbor, and the ferry landing for Monhegan Island. The inns and bed-and-breakfasts run $250-$450 (estimate) in peak summer. Samoset Resort in Rockport, just north of Rockland on Penobscot Bay, is the MidCoast's standout full-service property: an oceanfront golf course, bay views from most rooms, a spa, and a restaurant that doesn't require driving off the property. It's also a short drive from the Maine State Ferry Service terminal in Rockland for runs to Vinalhaven and North Haven. Boothbay Harbor, on a peninsula about 60 miles northeast of Portland via Route 1 and Route 27 (around 90 minutes in season), suits people who want a quieter, more boat-focused base without Camden's foot traffic.
The MidCoast also works as a middle-ground base for a trip that's trying to cover both the southern coast and Acadia. From Camden, you're about two hours from Portland and about 90 minutes from Bar Harbor, which makes it possible to do both without relocating every two days.
Downeast and Acadia: Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island
Bar Harbor holds the widest range of lodging on Mount Desert Island and is the natural base for Acadia. In July and August, rooms at decent inns start around $250 a night, and the better waterfront properties run $400-$600 or more. Book by February or March if you want any real selection for peak summer weekends. Bar Harbor Inn & Spa, right on the waterfront near Bar Harbor Pier with Frenchman Bay in front of it, is the highest-rated full-service inn in town. Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina, also in Bar Harbor, draws guests who want their own marina access as well as a room.
Southwest Harbor and Bass Harbor, on the quieter western shore of Mount Desert Island, have smaller inns with shorter morning waits to get on the Park Loop Road, and rates that run 20-30 percent lower than comparable Bar Harbor properties. The drive to the Cadillac Summit Road entrance from Southwest Harbor is about 25 minutes, and the village itself is far calmer in August than Bar Harbor's downtown. Bangor, roughly an hour from Bar Harbor on I-395 and Route 1A, functions as a budget satellite: chain hotels run $100-$180, the town has Bangor International Airport (BGR) with about a dozen nonstop routes, and it's useful if you can't get a direct flight into Portland. The island is about 15 miles across, so neither side of Mount Desert Island is far from the park's main features.
The Interior: Western Mountains and the Highlands
The western mountains center on Bethel, near Sunday River, and Rangeley, near Sugarloaf. In ski season, roughly December through March, slope-side rooms run $300-$600 a night and book out early for January and February weekends. The inn and lodge options in both town centers run about half that. In summer, the same towns draw hikers, paddlers, and lake visitors at $150-$280 a night and far smaller crowds than anything on the coast. Sebago Lake, roughly 45 minutes northwest of Portland via Route 302, is the nearest inland base for a cottage or camp stay if you want to stay close to the city.
For the North Woods, Greenville at the southern tip of Moosehead Lake is the main lodging town for wilderness and moose-safari trips: sporting camps and inns in the $150-$300 range. Baxter State Park has no lodging inside its 200,000 acres. The closest options are in Millinocket, about 18 miles south of the Togue Pond Gate and the Katahdin trailheads. Plan well ahead if you're going in July or August, since the sporting camps fill and day-use parking reservations at Katahdin go fast. Before any North Woods trip, check the What to Pack for Maine guide for gear that isn't optional in the interior.
Practical Tips
Booking windows are earlier than most travelers expect. The sought-after inns in Camden, Kennebunkport, and Bar Harbor fill on a timeline closer to national park lodging than to a standard hotel: the best properties for peak-summer weekends can be sold out by February. If you're flexible on timing, early June and mid-September cut rates 20-40 percent, thin the crowds significantly, and still give you full access to the coast and the parks. Many seasonal inns on the southern coast close after Columbus Day weekend in mid-October, so verify before booking a late-fall stay. The full planning picture, including how the regions connect and what crowds look like by month, is on the Maine Travel Guide home page.
On price, the floor for a decent coastal inn room in July and August is roughly $200 a night. Budget under $150 on the coast in peak season and you're choosing between older motels and driving further from the water each day. The interior, from the western mountains to the Highlands, runs consistently 30-40 percent lower than the coast for comparable quality. If you're splitting a longer trip across multiple bases, keep Route 1 drive times in mind: Portland to Camden is about 85 miles and takes 1.5 to 2 hours in summer traffic. Camden to Bar Harbor is another 100 miles and closer to 2 to 2.5 hours on Route 1.
Frequently asked questions
Should I stay in Portland or Bar Harbor for a Maine trip?
It depends on where you're spending the most time. Portland works better if you're mixing the southern beaches, the city restaurant scene, and day trips to the MidCoast. Bar Harbor is the right call if Acadia National Park is the primary destination, since it puts you on Mount Desert Island with walking distance to the ferry piers and whale-watch boats. If you have a week or more, consider splitting: two to three nights in Portland and three to four in Bar Harbor. The full comparison is in our Portland vs Bar Harbor guide.
How far in advance should I book Maine lodging?
For July and August on the coast, book by February or March if you have specific properties in mind. Popular inns in Camden, Bar Harbor, and Kennebunkport operate on roughly the same booking timeline as national park lodging. For the shoulder season, early June and mid-September, two to three months ahead is usually enough, though waterfront and harbor-view rooms still go fast. The western mountain resorts follow a similar early-booking pattern for January and February ski weekends.
What is the most affordable area to stay in Maine?
Old Orchard Beach on the southern coast is the most budget-friendly coastal option, with motels and seasonal cottages in the $100-$180 range in peak summer. Bangor runs $100-$180 for chain hotels and sits about an hour from Acadia. The western mountain towns like Bethel and Rangeley run $150-$250 in summer. Any coastal base under $200 a night in July means trading location or room quality for price. Arriving a week before or after the July 4th rush cuts rates noticeably across the board.
Can you stay inside Acadia National Park?
Acadia has two NPS campgrounds on Mount Desert Island: Blackwoods on the eastern shore near Otter Cliff, and Seawall on the quieter southwest side. Both require advance reservations through recreation.gov and fill weeks to months ahead in summer. There is no in-park hotel lodging. The nearest towns with the broadest selection of inns and hotels are Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and Southwest Harbor, all on Mount Desert Island within 15 miles of each other.