The Massachusetts state capital is perhaps best known for its educational institutions, and Harvard University is even situated in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Boston also developed the first, and still one of the best, underground systems in the USA, so is there any need to hire a car there?

Why hire a car in Boston?

• Leaf fall — New England is most famous for its autumn leaves, and Boston is the main gateway for this. Although new England leave fall bus tours are available, this really is the kind of excursion that is best done in the car.
• Cape Cod — a car is best for Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Cape Cod.
• LimiTed although the famous ‘T’ (MBTA) network is generally excellent for getting round Boston itself, it becomes much more limited outside the central city area. The lines don’t always intersect with each other, so you often have to change twice, whereas journey to the west of the city on the Green line can be tortuously slow, as this route has so many stops, and it divides into five separate fingers, so you can sometimes wait a very long time for your train. Suburban trains operate in two separate north and south stations, but there are no direct Metro link between, and many routes only have limited hours of operation.
• New Hampshire/Salem?

Why not?

• Ride the ‘T’ – despite having some limitations as mentioned above, MBTA (Massachusetts-bay Transit Association) does offer a comprehensive network of routes within and around the city of Boston.
• Whale watching tours — take a whale watching trip from Boston harbour, and this will be one of your most memorable experiences of a visit to Boston. No car needed.
• Big dig — Boston’s infamous ‘big dig’ has ended up being one of the most expensive engineering projects in US history, but it has finally buried a waterfront elevated highway which strangled access from the city to its coastal shores. Now visitors to the city can enjoy a network of links parks, whilst the cars whiz around in tunnels below. This is definitely one to appreciate on 2 feet, not from behind the steering wheel.
• Quincy — take the T out to Quincy, Massachusetts, birthplace of John Quincy Adams, and home to the famous Quincy library, rated as one of America’s favourite buildings.

Conclusion – whilst public transport in Boston itself is perfectly adequate, you will almost certainly want to leave the city, and although you can venture out by bus or train, a hire car will definitely be best for this. This is especially so during the leaf fall season.

Verdict — yes (seasonal)

The US capital plays a strong hand in terms of its public transit, and places to visit in excursions by car from the city. What would you decide?

Why rent a car in Washington DC?

• History – most people visiting Washington DC on leisure trips do so because of a strong sense of history – and if that means Gettysburg, Mount Vernon and Monticello, you are much better off with a rental car.
• Scenic drives – even within the city, take a scenic drive like on the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. This kind of wide, scenic, driving road is not common in Europe.

Why not?

• Metro – Washington has one of the most extensive (after New York), and most pleasant metro systems in the USA – we would rate it second only to BART in San Francisco.
• Capital Bike Share (CaBi) – Like London, Washington has a communal bike sharing system, known as CaBi. This is ideal for exploring the many green spaces the city has to offer.
• Walk – The huge amount of green space in Washington makes it a pleasure to walk around (less so at night).
• Union Station – without doubt the finest station in the Americas, Union Station is a destination in its own right, both because of its splendid architecture (based on, but an enhancement of, Milan Centrale), and because of the huge range of shops and restaurants inside.
• Rail trips – or, alternatively, you might want to use the station for the original purpose it was designed for – and take a train north to Baltimore, Philadelphia or even New York.

Summary – unlike many cities in North America, there is certainly no need to hire a car in Washington. However, that only really applies if you want to restrict yourself to the area in and around D.C. – including Arlington and Alexandria; or if you want to zip up the northeast corridor towards New York. For the many historic sites around D.C., a car will be needed, hence our suggestion being that a hire car is highly recommended for at least some of your stay.

Note – we looked at car hire prices at Washington Dulles airport, the main gateway to the capital metro area. Flights to Washington Dulles are available from various airports in Europe, aswell as from throughout the USA and Canada. Regular shuttle buses are available into central DC from Dulles. However, Reagan National Airport is much closer to the city centre, and directly connected to the metro system. It also offers superb views of the city if you approach from the north. You can also fly to BWI Airport from London, and from a variety of cities in the USA. A shuttle bus provides a quick link to BWI Amtrak station, from where Washington Union station is a short ride away.

Orlando is one of those popular family holiday spots where car hire is a natural addition to the flight purchase. So, is it possible to enjoy a week in Orlando without renting a car? We think it is:

 Why hire a car in Orlando?

• Obvious isn’t it? This is the USA, and doesn’t everyone drive?
• This isn’t just about Orlando. There are so many places that are within range of an easy day trip from Orlando, including Cape Canaveral, the Tampa Bay area, or even Miami at a push, although Miami is best done as an overnight trip at least.
• Cost: Petrol is cheap, buses are nothing like as good as they are in Europe, and taxis can be expensive, especially as Orlando is a large sprawling city. Simples?
• Competition: Orlando is one of the world’s largest car hire markets, so plenty of cheap car rental options are available.
• Rail travel is virtually non-existent. For example, the train between Orlando and Miami is infrequent and takes forever. (Florida is one of the places in the USA which has been earmarked for high-speed rail. They are still talking. Chances are that by the time you return to Florida for the 10th time, they will still be talking).
• Orlando shares with Las Vegas the curious distinction of being one of the world’s major inland sunshine resort destinations. A car is best if you want to actually spend some time on a beach proper.

Why not?

• Safety: Even for locals, road accident rates in the USA are at least twice that of the UK. Getting off a long haul flight and straight into a hire car where road conditions take some getting used to is an additional challenge. International drive (I192) has a particularly poor reputation for accidents, as it has a wide road with so many turnings on and off.
• Pointless parking: A car might be fine for travelling around different places, but if you’re planning on spending most of your time visiting theme parks, why bother? The car will just sit on tarmac all-day. It would be much easier to use local shuttle buses to get to and from the major theme parks.
• What would Walt do? Remember that Disney himself envisaged futuristic cities where the car was relegated to the edges. Not only are Disney theme Parks traffic free, but part of the Disneyworld resort experience is the monorail that connects them all together.
• Hotels: For the full Disney experience, stay on-site at one of the Disney hotels — they might cost a little more, but not hiring a car would help make up part of the difference.
• Selective Shopping: A hire car should be a natural advantage for getting the best out of the outlet mall bargains that are available in this part of the world, but the easy temptation is to end up buying far more than your suitcases can hold, and then having to pay extortionate excess luggage charges. Using the readily available buses that ply up-and-down International Drive to get to and from the main outlet malls will make it much easier to keep your holiday purchases in check.
• Resorts: The large resort hotels offer numerous activities on-site, so you will never run out of things to do whether or not you have a car.
• Boring driving: This part of the USA is relatively flat and quite densely populated, so it is crisscrossed with concrete freeways adorned with the usual suburban sprawl chain outlets and advertising boards. So whilst the roads will take you where you want to go to, the experience is not particularly pleasant, and unlike Miami, where we do recommend getting a hire car, there are no particularly outstanding driving routes.
• If you do intend to travel between Orlando and Miami, regular coach services are available, but you can also fly. Miami to Orlando flights are very frequent and incredibly cheap.

Verdict: Most people visiting Orlando will pick up a rental car for their trip, and it will make life easier. Whether or not it is essential will depend on where you are staying  — rent a villa in suburban Kissimmee and you will be hard pushed to go anywhere without a car, whereas you are unlikely to miss having a car if you’re staying at one of the big resort hotels. We’re not here to advise on whether or not a car is needed, as holidays are about dreams and desires, not need. The question is whether or not a car will significantly enhance your holiday, or perhaps the question should be would Walt Disney hire a car if he was a 25-year-old visiting Florida for the first time? We think the answer to that question is no. If you beg to differ, comment below.

VERDICT : NO

Miami to us is the real Florida, a simmering melting pot of cultures that is a complete contrast to the theme park land of Orlando. These different cultures have created many cities within the city, so the question is what is the best way to get around?

Why hire a car in Miami?

• Florida Keys. This isn’t just about driving around Miami, where alternative options are available, as mentioned below. A drive down through the Florida Keys is an absolute must, and you really need a car to have the flexibility to do this at your own pace. The numerous bridges that connect the islands that make up the Keys provide an endless rotation of natural and man-made wonders, with the world-famous 7 Mile Bridge being the highlight. For this reason alone, our recommendation for Miami is that a hire car is needed even when we don’t think it’s an essential for Orlando.
• Attitude. We know that the USA has a big car culture. On arriving at Miami airport, I asked about a bus into central Miami, and was told that they did not exist. This was not the case, but it does show the attitude people have in this part of the world. Now some people don’t care what others think — and as it turned out, the bus appeared to be full of airport workers and a handful of Scandinavians who couldn’t care less about how they got around. On its own, the attitude really isn’t an issue, but to actually get to South Beach, a transfer had to be made at a busy highway intersection, and this was certainly not pleasant. After a day of enjoying the Miami beach boardwalk at a leisurely pace, a car was hired to enjoy the Florida Keys, as mentioned above.
• Be Flashy. If there is one place in the world where you really want to show off in a snazzy performance car, Miami is as good as anywhere.
• Did somebody say walk? In Miami? Do they not know how hot and sticky it is?
• Sprawl.Whereas some cities on the US east coast have central areas which are quite compact — for example Boston, Miami is certainly not one of them. Nor will you necessarily be rushing to head into downtown Miami, which is predominantly a business district. The geography of Miami is much more dispersed, and this really tips the scales in favour of having a rental car, even if you aren’t planning on leaving town. If you are visiting people, or businesses, then Miami is a city of sprawl, even by US standards. Over half of the population of the Miami metropolitan area do not live in incorporated cities, and walkable neighbourhoods are rare. Even the central business area only plays home to 13% of office space in the metropolitan region.
• Everglades: A car is a must to visit the Florida Everglades, unless you would rather go on a packaged tour.
• Cruise. If you are in Miami because you are using the cruise terminal and you have a few days before your flight home, why stay restricted to slow public transport? You’ve been stuck on a boat at 25 knots all week (or fortnight), only a car can give you freedom to see the best the area has to offer.
• City of cities: Miami has more foreign born residents than any other city in the USA, and it isn’t just about Latinos and gringos — there are so many different nationalities represented within the immigrant groups who have settled here. Most famous amongst the different Miami communities is Little Havana, but there are many others. A car will give you the flexibility to drive around all these different areas.
• Public transport is terrible: Although we want to be as unbiased as possible at Carornocar, we are still ‘driven’ (if that is the best word) by Architecture, and this gives us a bias towards public transport, as stations can often be very impressive buildings, whereas freeways and car parks rarely are. Yet, Miami somehow manages to reverse this notion – the new Miami Central Station is one of the most monstrous carbuncles to be built anywhere in the world, yet Miami has so many spectacular road bridges. Putting the buildings to one side (transport is there to get you from A to B), its location says it all – the so-called ‘centre’, sorry ‘center’ of Miami is actually just next to the airport. This might well be the geographical centre of the Miami area, but the metro (Metrorail) and suburban (Tri-Rail) rail links will just connect you to more sprawl and the barren business district, not to Miami Beach, where the major resort hotels are.
• Vistas: Roads in Miami are in stark contrast to the roads in Orlando. Around Orlando, you can drive on mile on mile of flat concrete peppered with suburban sprawl. Miami is a city of waterways. Now it would be a stretch to compare ultramodern Miami with classical Venice, but Miami is still a city of bridges and sweeping vistas dotted with lush palm trees. If you are unfortunate enough to be travelling around the city by bus, you will find yourself wanting to get off and take pictures, and then realising that you might have to wait another half an hour until the next bus comes along.
• Miami Mansions: Miami will tempt you to drive around some of its plusher neighbourhoods, where you’ll see all manner of villas of different architectural styles. Again, a car is a must.
• Beaches: With a hire car, you can drive up the coast to Fort Lauderdale, or just get away from the bustle of the city itself and visit some less crowded beaches – but you might have to drive for a while to find them!
• Tampa and Orlando? There are no big theme parks in Miami, so a rental car is also good for heading north west to the Tampa Bay area (for Busch Gardens), or north to Orlando – but both of these are relatively long drives – 4 1/2 hours or 4 hours respectively. You might find it easier to catch a local flight to enjoy a multi-city stay including either of these two locations – see our Orlando page for more about car hire there.

Why not?

• Elevation: Miami may have a terrible transport system, but the Metrorail is at least elevated. Better still, the MetroMover in the downtown area is one of the world’s few elevated city centre transport systems, and the skyscrapers in Miami are a wonderful mix of looking up to glass and concrete reflecting a clear blue sky, and looking down at verdant landscaping. However, this won’t take you anywhere near the hotel resorts on Miami beach!
• Deco bikes – who could think of a cooler name for the community bikes program(me) which operates on Miami Beach. Unfortunately, the scheme hasn’t extended beyond this area, so you will still need either a hire car or to use public transit.
• Who cares about the local attitude? You’re here to enjoy your Miami holiday on your terms.
• Boats: To enjoy views of some of Miami’s most upmarket homes, you will need to take to the water. This is best done on a tour boat, and you will be picked up from your hotel anyway, so no car needed.
• Be lazy: Miami is a city of lazing around cabanas and then going to sizzling late-night parties. We don’t all have to turn up like the celebrities in programmes like CSI Miami, a taxi will do perfectly well.
• Fly or Drive? If you do intend to travel between Orlando and Miami, regular coach services are available, but you can also fly. Miami to Orlando flights are very frequent and incredibly cheap.
• Everglades? Swamps? Doesn’t that mean alligators? Maybe somebody else can drive!
• Coaches and Trains: You can, of course, visit the Florida Keys by coach, but bear in mind that scheduled bus services heading for Key West are there to provide transportation, so you will miss many of the best photo opportunities. Other bus and coach services are available to nearby cities, and Tri-rail provides service to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
• Tours: Miami has a varied network of tour providers who will show you the best the city has to offer, without needing to use a rental car. Excursions are available to the Everglades, and even as far as the Disney resorts in Orlando.
• Crime: Much as though we prefer to think of ‘Miami Nice’, the city does still have a reputation for the vice, and this includes car crime.

VERDICT – YES (and a strong one!)

Water: A personal note — normally I find local drinking water reasonably tolerable, but in Miami it was a big no-no. Water was so heavily chlorinated that it was even noticeable in ice cubes. Be warned!