Overview
Truro is a town in Massachusetts on Cape Cod and includes the village of North Truro. Truro has great unspoiled natural beauty and beaches with high sandy cliffs on the ocean side. Cape Cod Light (sometimes called Highland Light) is the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod. One of the joys in Truro is exploring all the back roads, discovering small beaches and quaint properties.
1 sights · 1 things to do · 6 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 15 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Truro
Truro Historical Museum and Highland Light
Admission $4 for one, $6 for both, under 12 free (must be 51 inches (1.3 m) tall to climb the lighthouse). The oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod was built in 1797, and rebuilt in 1857. It is one of the most powerful lights o…
Payomet Performing Arts Center
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 79°F; winter lows dip to about 25°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Mar and Nov. (climate data from nearby Provincetown)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- HYA Cape Cod Gateway Airport, Hyannis — 25 mi away. Directions
- ACK Nantucket Memorial Airport, Nantucket — 51 mi away. Directions
- BOS Boston Logan International Airport, Boston — 55 mi away (major hub). Directions
Wellfleet and Provincetown are the bordering towns.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $29–$29 a night (typical $77), from 2 listed prices.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$70, mid-range ~$150, comfortable ~$200.
Options are grouped as Campgrounds, Hostel in the Sleep guide ↓.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Truro Historical Museum and Highland Light
- Lunch Adrian's Restaurant
- Afternoon Payomet Performing Arts Center
- Dinner Babe's Restaurant
- Evening Truro Vineyards
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
- Town of Truro website
Get in
Wellfleet and Provincetown are the bordering towns.
By car
Truro is about an hour from the Cape Cod Canal in Bourne via Route 6.
- From Boston take I-93 south to Route 3 south to the Sagamore Bridge (becomes Rt. 6).
- From Providence or points south take I-95 north to I-195 to Route 25 south to the Bourne Bridge (I-495 also becomes Route 25). At the rotary (traffic circle) on the Cape side, go almost all the way around and travel along the Canal to Route 6 east.
By bus
- Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway, 17 Elm Av., Hyannis, +1 508-771-6191.
- The Flex, Hyannis Transportation Center, Hyannis, Regional Transit Authority Customer Service: +1-800-352-7155; TTY for Deaf and Hearing Impaired: +1 508-385-4163. Service between Mid Cape and Outer Cape towns.
Get around
Route 6 is the main highway connecting Truro with contiguous towns. An alternate Route, 6A, parallels Route 6 to the west and skirts the bay. A car is useful for exploring the bordering towns of Provincetown and Wellfleet and the Cape Cod National Seashore.
See
See Truro Historical Museum and Highland Light
Admission $4 for one, $6 for both, under 12 free (must be 51 inches (1.3 m) tall to climb the lighthouse). The oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod was built in 1797, and rebuilt in 1857. It is one of the most powerful lights on the East Coast, with a beam reaching 23 miles offshore. Perched on one of the highest cliffs (120 ft (40 m)) on the Cape, it was moved back from the edge of the cliff in 1996. The museum, built in 1907 as an inn for tourists, is interesting in itself, but also has 17th-century firearms, shipwreck mementos, early fishing and whaling gear and a pirate’s chest.
Do
Beaches
Beach stickers are no longer required to visit Town of Truro beaches or to park at beach parking lots.
Beach permits are required to drive on the beach or access the Off-Road Vehicle Corridors. To obtain a permit, bring to the Beach Office your car registration, and a lease or some other document which demonstrates your temporary residence in Truro. Permits are available seven days a week from 8AM to 4PM from the office at 36 Shore Road/Route 6A next to the old North Truro post office, call with any questions at: +1 508-487-6983. 2020 beach permit rates for non-residents: $75 for 1 week, $250 for the season.
Bay Side
- Corn Hill Beach, Corn Hill Rd, Great family beach with nice sunsets.
- Fisher Road Beach, Fisher Rd.
- Great Hollow Beach, Great Hollow Rd.
- Cold Storage Beach, off Route 6A North Truro
- 'Beach Point Landing, as it's locally known, also off 6A
Ocean Side
- Long Nook Road, Long Nook Rd. Dramatic high, sandy cliffs.
- Ballston Beach, South Pamet Rd.
- Coast Guard Beach, Coast Guard Rd.
- Head of the Meadow Beach, Head of the Meadow Rd.
Buy
Eat
Eat Babe's Restaurant
Mediterranean and Persian cuisine. Features excellent Turkish shish-kebabs, Moroccan tagines, middle-eastern delicacies, etc. Simply wonderful and mouth-wateringly exotic.
- Blacksmith Shop Restaurant, Route 6A, Truro Center, +1 508-349-6554. Special.
- Harbor Lights Restaurant, Route 6A, North Truro, +1 508-487-3062. Breakfast. Omelettes a specialty.
Eat Montano's Restaurant
Route 6. Year round daily from 4:30PM. This family-run restaurant is doing it right. Creative dishes with plenty of quantity. Bottomless salads served with all meals. Sauces cooked to order. Sixty different entrees.
Eat Small Indulgences Cafe & Catering
North Truro. Gourmet dining and catering.
Eat Terra Luna
Very creative cuisine without being trendy at this innovative bistro. The perfect place for a romantic dining experience. Inventive and eclectic catering is also available year-round.
Eat Whitman House
County Rd. How about a 3-pound lobster filled with scallops? Vegetarian dishes available.
Drink
Drink Truro Vineyards
Shore Rd. (Rt. 6A), North Truro. Cabernet, chardonnay, semi-dry white and blush. Home of the lighthouse bottle.
Sleep
The town's largest concentration of cottages is in North Truro along Route 6A at "Beach Point."
Stay East Harbour Motel & Cottages
Campgrounds
- North of Highland Camping Area, +1 508-487-1191. 237 sites.
Hostel
Stay HI-Truro
42 beds. Right in the Cape Cod National Seashore. Open mid June through early September.
Go next
Day trips to any other Cape Cod town, particularly Provincetown.
Nearby
Cape Cod National Seashore
Park · 48 listings · 4 mi away
Wellfleet
City / town · 53 listings · 4 mi away
Provincetown
City / town · 112 listings · 8 mi away
Eastham
City / town · 38 listings · 12 mi away
Orleans
City / town · 24 listings · 14 mi away
Brewster
City / town · 27 listings · 16 mi away
Dennis
City / town · 34 listings · 19 mi away
Harwich
City / town · 27 listings · 21 mi away
My experience
Write about your trip here. Notes save automatically in this browser as you type; back them up from My journal.