It is possible to visit New England without an automobile. Doing so requires the visitor to study schedules very carefully, purchase tickets in advance when possible, limit visits to one or two destinations, and keep in mind that local public transportation operates infrequently, if at all, at night, on weekends, and during the middle of the day. The visitor may also sign up for a group tour by bus or cruise ship. Bus tours and cruise ships visit all the major tourist destinations, if only to drive by with expert commentary by tour guides. Group tours do have the advantage of eliminating all worries about destinations, lodging, and meals, although they have inflexible schedules, offer virtually no opportunity to meet local people, and perhaps too much acquaintance with one's fellow passengers.
By train
Amtrak covers urban New England pretty extensively with the Northeast Corridor Boston-Rhode Island-Connecticut, the Vermonter Connecticut to Vermont, and the Downeaster Boston to Portland. The Acela Express is a high-speed train that follows roughly the same route as the Northeast Corridor. Note that Boston has two train major stations, South Station and North Station. Trains from South Station serve areas to the south and west of the city, and North Station trains serve areas north of the city. All Amtrak trains to and from Boston, except the train to Portland are available at South Station, but not North Station. The train to Portland is available only at North Station. There is no direct connection between the two stations. Those wishing to connect between the two stations must either take a taxi, or take two subway lines, or walk about 2 km/ 1.2 miles through busy city streets. Information and train schedules are available from Amtrak's (http://www.amtrak.com/) web site.
Commuter rail and bus lines radiate out from New York City and Boston for a distance of about 50 km/30 miles. The MBTA (http://mbta.com/) covers the greater Boston area with its commuter rail network, including Providence, Lowell, and Worcester. The MTA Metro North (http://mta.info/) provides very frequent and affordable service between New York City and New Haven; at New Haven there are numerous connections to points north and east. Remember, though, that commuter service is infrequent outside of weekday morning and evening rush hours.
By ship
New England has many offshore islands that are attractive destinations reachable only by ferry. Typically, these islands are compact enough that the visitor does not require a car to visit them. Relatively flat coastal terrain and light traffic makes it easy to get around them by walking or bicycling. Taking a car on the ferry is expensive and usually requires reservations long in advance. In any case, many ferries are for passengers and bicycles only.
By car
Much of rural New England is under-served by bus/train, and driving is required to visit much of Vermont, New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, and Maine.
By bus
Greyhound (http://greyhound.com/) has several routes in New England. New Hampshire and Maine are served by Concord Coach Lines (http://concordtrailways.com/). The primary intercity bus service in southern New England is Peter Pan Bus (http://peterpanbus.com/). Their web site allows the user to determine the schedule of all buses serving two destinations in southern New England.