Bar Harbor, Maine: Things to Do, Stay & Eat

Bar Harbor, Maine, is a waterfront town on Mount Desert Island and a practical base for Acadia National Park. Frenchman Bay shapes the view from town; the park shapes many visitors’ days. Leave room for both. Downtown meals, the Shore Path and a boat outing give Bar Harbor a purpose beyond being the place where you sleep between hikes.

Quick facts

Region: Downeast & Acadia, Maine
Best months and seasons: In terms of weather, Bar Harbor has humid, warm summers and extremely cold winters.
Nearest airport:: Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport (Trenton) (BHB), about 9 miles in a straight line.
Top draws: Shore Path; Bar Island Land Bridge; Sand Beach
Nearby towns: Compare Southwest Harbor as an island base; Gardens and harbor walks in Northeast Harbor

Bar Harbor: The Best Views in Maine

Located in Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Bar Harbor, Maine is home to approximately 5,200 people. More than anything, Bar Harbor is known for being a popular tourist destination in Maine, attracting thousands of out-of-staters every year from around the globe. Bar Harbor offers visitors the chance to explore Acadia National Park, specifically Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest point within twenty-five miles of the coastline of the Eastern United States.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Bar Harbor is 63 square miles. Sitting on Frenchman Bay, the town is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory, and MDI Biological Laboratory as well. Visitors can easily get in and out of Bar Harbor via the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport, which serves year-round direct flights to Boston, Massachusetts.

The town attracts a large number of outdoor enthusiasts who come to Bar Harbor to hike, bike, explore the trails of Acadia, or try to spot Maine’s beautiful wildlife throughout the summer, spring and fall months. Marine life enthusiasts often go to Bar Harbor’s marina at the end of Main Street and sign up for tours that feature puffins, whales, lobster, seals, pelagic seabirds, and island lighthouses.

Weather in Bar Harbor

In terms of weather, Bar Harbor has humid, warm summers and extremely cold winters. However, due to all the town has to offer, Bar Harbor is truly a fantastic place to visit year-round. Throughout the spring and fall months, the days hover between 50-60 degrees, and cool off to the 30-40’s. During this time of year, the town offers many outdoor activities such as movies in the park, communal nature walks and wildlife tours. Also, Bar Harbor also hosts many long-distance cyclists, as it is the eastern terminus of the Adventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier Bicycle Route (which ends in Anacortes, Washington), and the northern terminus of its Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route (which ends in Key West, Florida).

In addition to tourists visiting Bar Harbor to hike Acadia National Park, another popular way that visitors flock to the town is via cruise ships. Cruise ships arrive in the harbor from May through October, most often in September, and on a ship day the town center is noticeably busier than the overnight visitor numbers alone would suggest.

Staying in Bar Harbor

Although some popular hotels will close for the winter in Bar Harbor, such as the Harborside Hotel, there are plenty of cozy B&Bs and hotels open year-round. It’s important to ask whether or not the smaller bed and breakfasts and local hotel chains take winter bookings prior to planning your trip to Bar Harbor.

Restaurants in Bar Harbor

In terms of cuisine, there are some incredible restaurants in Bar Harbor, such as Havana, which is a fine-dining staple in Bar Harbor, offering American cuisine with a Latin flair. Be sure to explore all of our restaurant options for the town.

5 Fast Facts About Bar Harbor, Maine:

Mount Desert Island is the largest island off the coast of Maine and the sixth largest island in the contiguous United States.
By 1880, there were 30 hotels in Bar Harbor, including the Mira Monte Inn, a historic landmark that would later survive the massive fire in 1947.
President William Howard Taft played golf at Bar Harbor’s Kebo Valley Golf Club in 1920.
In October, 1947, during a severe drought, sparks at a landfill eight miles from town ignited a wildfire that would intensify over ten days, destroying 67 palatial summer houses on Millionaires’ Row. Five grand hotels and 170 permanent homes were also destroyed, as well as 10,000 acres of Acadia National Park.
Looking for some spooky entertainment? The town offers Ghost Tours! You can learn more and book yours today by calling (207) 404-4113.

The gateway to Acadia

Bar Harbor is the reason most people can visit Acadia National Park comfortably. The park has no lodging beyond its campgrounds, so the town supplies the rooms, the restaurants and the boat trips, and it sits minutes from the northern end of the Park Loop Road.

That is also its drawback. In July and August the town center is busy, parking is scarce, and cruise ships add day visitors on top of overnight ones. The free Island Explorer shuttle runs from town into the park through the season and removes the parking problem entirely. It is the single best piece of planning advice for a summer visit.

What to do from town, without a car

The Shore Path leaves from the town pier and runs along the waterfront, level and open since the 1880s. The Bar Island Land Bridge surfaces off Bridge Street for roughly ninety minutes either side of low tide and lets you walk to an island. Check the tide before you set out, because people do get caught.

Boat trips leave from the pier for whales, puffins and lobster hauls. On the park side, the shuttle reaches Sand Beach, Thunder Hole and Jordan Pond, and the Ocean Path links the first two on foot.

Where Bar Harbor sits on the island

Bar Harbor is one of four towns on Mount Desert Island. Southwest Harbor and Tremont on the western side are working harbors with a fraction of the traffic, Northeast Harbor and Mount Desert hold the gardens and Jordan Pond, and Trenton on the mainland is where the airport and the cheaper rooms are.

For a coast trip that includes several overnight bases, follow the 5–7 Day Maine Coast Road Trip Itinerary; it allocates full days to Portland, the Midcoast and Acadia.

For the onward journey between city and park, the Portland to Bar Harbor, Maine: Road Trip via Acadia compares a direct transfer with a Rockland–Camden stopover.

For a short park stay, the 2 Days in Acadia National Park: A Maine Trip Plan gives Ocean Path and Jordan Pond their own days and makes the Cadillac drive optional.

For autumn travel, the Maine Fall Foliage: A Five-Day Coastal Itinerary pairs coastal foliage stops with city and museum days and separates color timing from service closing dates.

For the overnight-base decision, the Where to Stay in Maine: Portland or Bar Harbor? distinguishes a city-and-ferry stay from a park-centered Acadia visit.

For the transport decision, the Do You Need a Car in Maine? Choose the Right Trip shows which trips work around one connected base and which benefit from a rental.

For park lodging, the Where to Stay for Acadia, Maine: Towns or Camping? compares the main island towns, Schoodic and camping by the part of Acadia you intend to visit.

For travel dates, the Best Time to Visit Maine: A Month-by-Month Guide compares beach, foliage, wildlife, city and winter trips rather than assigning one best month to every region.

For an autumn visit, the Maine in October: Foliage, Acadia and What Closes puts foliage plans beside the separate shuttle, campground, ferry and Cadillac calendars.

For a wildlife outing, the Puffins and Whales in Maine: When and Where to Go compares seasons, departure ports, cruise lengths and the operators’ published fares.

For park access, the Acadia National Park, Maine: Fees, Hours and Reservations separates entrance admission, Cadillac vehicle reservations and campground bookings.

For time in town, the Bar Harbor Parking, Maine: Rates, Lots and Day Plans compares standard and premium rates, the four-hour street limit and all-day options.

For arrival without driving, the Getting to Maine and Acadia Without a Car separates rail, airport transfers, ferry routes and the local Acadia shuttle network.

Where should you park for a long Bar Harbor visit?

Choose an all-day lot for a boat trip or a town visit longer than four hours. Bar Harbor's premium street spaces allow one four-hour session per vehicle; extra payment does not restart the limit. The current town guidance charges $2 hourly in standard areas and $6 in premium areas, during May 1–October 30, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily. Public lots have a 72-hour maximum. The Bar Harbor parking guide gives the full lot comparison and seasonal shuttle alternative. ^[1]

Sources (checked September 27–28, 2026)

bhmdpoliceme.gov — Parking rates and hours; Maine registration exemptions; winter restrictions; checked 2026-09-27.

Common questions

Is Bar Harbor part of Acadia National Park?

No.

Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island, and Acadia surrounds it rather than contains it.

The park's Hulls Cove Visitor Center sits just outside town and is where the Park Loop Road begins.

You need a park pass to enter Acadia, but not to walk around Bar Harbor itself.

Do you need a car in Bar Harbor?

Not to get around town, and often not for the park either.

Downtown Bar Harbor is small enough to walk end to end, and the seasonal Island Explorer buses link the village with trailheads, campgrounds and the rest of Mount Desert Island.

A car helps if you want to be on the Park Loop Road at sunrise or reach the quieter west side of the island.

Is Thunder Hole worth the stop?

That depends entirely on the sea.

On a flat calm day it is a handsome slot of pink granite and nothing more.

When is the best time to visit Bar Harbor?

Early September to mid-October is the sweet spot, with settled weather, foliage coming in and the summer crush easing off.

July and August are the warmest and by far the busiest.

Winter is very quiet: a good share of the lodging and restaurants close for the season, and park roads are only partly open.

Can you walk to Bar Island whenever you like?

No. The gravel crossing is tidal. NPS describes a window around low tide and warns that a missed return can leave you waiting for the next low water. Consult its Bar Island instructions and the local tide prediction, and allow ample time to return.

Is Bar Harbor the same place as Acadia?

No. Bar Harbor is a town; Acadia is a national park spread across several areas, including land on Mount Desert Island. A town hotel reservation does not replace a park entrance pass or a Cadillac Summit Road vehicle reservation.