Salem Hammond Castle Day Trip: Boston Witch Trials Cliffs
Stand where the witch trials happened, then tour a castle built by an eccentric inventor on the ocean
A guided day trip from Boston to Salem and Hammond Castle covers two centuries of New England history in one outing. After a 60-minute drive north to Gloucester, you tour Hammond Castle with a guide, learning its story as an eccentric millionaire's oceanside mansion, then explore the grounds and gardens. The afternoon moves to Salem, where you have an hour for lunch, followed by a guided walk through the town's witch trial sites (the memorial, the oldest cemetery, the Witch House), and past the mansions built on maritime wealth.
Step-by-step itinerary
Visit Hammond Castle and Salem
- Pickup from your door in Boston
- Drive to Hammond Castle (~60 min)
- Guided tour of Hammond Castle (~75 min)
- Explore castle grounds and take photos
- Drive to Salem (~30 min)
- Lunch in Salem (1 hour free time)
- Learn about Salem's maritime past
- Explore historical Salem and Puritan settlement
- Visit Witch Trials Memorial
- See Old Burying Point cemetery
- Learn about Harry Houdini's jail escape
- Discover Bewitched show's impact on Salem
- Visit Witch House building
- Visit Hocus Pocus mansion
- Stroll along beautiful mansion-lined street
- Visit Salem's prominent dance hall
- See site where witches were hanged
- Return to Boston and drop off at your door
- Hammond Castle Museum Entry included 2h 15m
- Salem 1h 30m
- Salem Common 20m
- Salem Witch Trials Memorial 25m
- Old Burying Point 15m
- Bewitched Statue 10m
- The Witch House at Salem 20m
- Ropes Mansion and Garden 15m
- Hamilton Hall 5m
- Proctor's Ledge Memorial 15m
- Boston 30m
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Boston.
- air-conditioned vehicle.
- guide.
- Hammond Castle admission.
- bottled water.
- parking fees and fuel surcharge.
Next departure: 4 Apr 2027
Information
Day trip from Boston to Salem and Hammond Castle with guide, castle admission and hotel pickup. Walk the sites of the 1692 witch trials.
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The experience
The day starts with a pickup at your Boston hotel and a drive up the North Shore to Hammond Castle in Gloucester. The guided tour runs about 75 minutes and covers the castle's origins and the history of the inventor who built it on the ocean cliffs. After the tour ends, you have free time to walk the grounds and gardens and take photos. The drive to Salem takes roughly 30 minutes, leaving you an hour to choose lunch from the restaurants in the historic downtown.
The Salem portion is led by your guide and covers the real places tied to the 1692 witch trials: the memorial, Old Burying Point cemetery with graves from that era, and the Witch House, the only building directly connected to the hysteria. You'll learn what actually happened during the trials, see where the victims were hanged, and hear the story of the "Corwin Curse." The tour also takes in the Bewitched statue (the show that put Salem on the tourism map), the mansion featured in Hocus Pocus, and a drive down one of North America's most beautiful streets, lined with the multi-million-dollar homes built during Salem's gilded age.
The group stays small, and the pace mixes guided stops with moments to stand and absorb: the cemetery, the memorial, the streets themselves. You return to your Boston hotel by late afternoon or early evening, dropped at your door.
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (under 13).
What exactly happened during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692?
The trials were a period of mass hysteria in which 20 people were executed and many others imprisoned on accusations of witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials Memorial honors the victims, and Old Burying Point cemetery holds graves from that time. Your guide walks you through the real history and the places where the trials unfolded, separating fact from the folklore that has grown around Salem since.
Is Hammond Castle actually a castle, or is it something else?
Hammond Castle is a mansion built in the 1920s by an eccentric millionaire inventor on the ocean cliffs of Gloucester. It was designed to look like a European castle and sits on the water with grounds and gardens. The guided tour explains the castle's history and the man who built it, and you have time afterward to explore the rest of the property and take photos.
How much time do I have for lunch in Salem?
You have an hour for lunch in Salem's historic downtown, where there are many restaurants to choose from. Lunch is not included in the tour price, so you pay for your meal separately.
Will I see the Hocus Pocus mansion?
Yes. The tour includes a visit to the famous mansion featured in the film Hocus Pocus, and your guide shares the story of the two ghosts said to reside there.
How steep are the stairs at Hammond Castle?
Hammond Castle has many steep, narrow stairs throughout the building. The tour is not recommended for travelers with mobility problems or difficulty climbing stairs.
Operated by Boston Hidden Gems. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 5 days ago
Salem Hammond Castle Day Trip: Boston Witch Trials Cliffs
7h–9h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 225 per person
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.