Portland International Jetport (PWM) is a surprisingly pleasant airport to land in. Small, easy to navigate, and right at the edge of the city. But for a lot of people flying into Maine, Portland is the starting point — not the destination. Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, Camden, Rockport, Kennebunkport — these places are spread out across a beautiful, coastal, somewhat rural state where having a plan for ground transportation genuinely matters.
Renting a Car at PWM
This is the most practical choice for most visitors, full stop. Maine outside of Portland is not a place you want to be without wheels. Public transportation between towns is limited, and the distances add up fast. Bar Harbor, for instance, is about 175 miles from PWM — a roughly three-hour drive up Route 1 along the coast, or a more direct shot up I-95 and Route 395.
The rental car counters at Portland Jetport are conveniently located inside the terminal itself. No shuttle, no extra facility. You grab your bags and walk a short distance to the counter. The major brands are all represented — Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, Budget, National, and Alamo. The process is fast compared to larger airports because the volume is lower.
One thing to pay attention to: summer is high season in Maine. July and August, rental car availability gets tight at PWM. Anyone traveling during those months should book well in advance. Waiting a week out can leave you with overpriced leftovers or nothing at all. The demand spikes particularly fast around Fourth of July and the peak weeks of summer.
The Drive Up the Coast
Getting from Portland to Bar Harbor via Route 1 takes longer than the direct highway route but the trade-off is one of the better coastal drives in New England. The road passes through Freeport, Brunswick, Bath, Rockland, and Camden before heading north toward Ellsworth and eventually Mount Desert Island. Each of those towns is worth a stop on its own. Freeport alone, with the original L.L. Bean store open 24 hours, tends to slow people down for an hour or two.
For the faster route, take I-95 north out of Portland to Augusta, then cut east on Route 3 through Unity and Belfast before joining up with Route 1 closer to Bucksport. That gets you to Bar Harbor in closer to two and a half hours depending on traffic. Not scenic in the same way, but efficient.
Rideshare in Portland Itself
If the plan is to stay in Portland for a night or two before heading further, Uber and Lyft both operate in the city and will meet you at the airport. Coverage in Portland proper is solid. But expect that to thin out considerably once you head north or east into more rural parts of the state. Waiting 30 minutes for an Uber in Bar Harbor in August is not unusual — and some of the smaller coastal towns have almost no rideshare presence at all.
Taxi service exists at PWM as well, with cabs stationed outside the terminal. For a trip to downtown Portland or the Old Port neighborhood, a taxi is a fine option and there’s usually one available without much of a wait.
Getting to Bar Harbor Specifically
Bar Harbor sits on Mount Desert Island, which is technically an island — but you cross onto it via a causeway, so no ferry is required for cars. The town is walkable once you’re there, and during the summer season the Island Explorer bus system runs free shuttles around the island and throughout Acadia National Park. That makes it possible to park the car and explore the park without driving everywhere once you arrive. But getting there from PWM still requires either a rental car, a private shuttle, or coordination ahead of time.
There are private shuttle services that run between Portland and Bar Harbor, though schedules are usually limited and advance booking is required. These work fine if the itinerary is fixed. For anyone wanting flexibility to stop along the coast, pull over for lobster rolls, or change plans mid-trip, renting a car is the far better option.
Kennebunkport, Camden, and Other Stops
Maine’s coast rewards people who are willing to linger a bit. Kennebunkport is only about 30 miles south of PWM — easy to hit either arriving or departing. Camden is roughly 85 miles northeast of Portland and well worth the detour. The harbor there is one of the most photographed spots in New England, and the windjammer fleet that sails out of Camden in summer is legitimately impressive.
None of these places are accessible by any reasonable public option from the airport. A car is what makes the whole thing work.
A Few Practical Notes
Gas prices in rural Maine can be higher than what you see closer to Portland. Fill up before leaving the city if heading into more remote areas.
Cell coverage in parts of coastal and inland Maine is inconsistent, particularly the further north and east you go. Downloading offline maps before leaving the Portland area is a smart move, not an overly cautious one.
Maine’s Route 1 through midcoast moves slowly in summer. It is a two-lane road through small towns with traffic lights, pedestrians, and the occasional lobster shack with a line of twenty people. Build that time in when planning the drive. The slower pace is part of what makes the trip worth doing.
PWM makes for a genuinely easy airport experience. Getting out of it and into the parts of Maine most people actually want to see just takes a bit of planning on the front end.