Origin
Norfolk, MA
Late night in Norfolk on Friday
Local time
4:12 AM
EDT
Current temp
40°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Norfolk, MA to Cambridge, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
52m
Distance
28.1 mi
45 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 56m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 50m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Norfolk, MA
Renata Meneses
Cambridge, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Norfolk, MA to Cambridge, MA covers 28.1 miles and takes about 52m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on High Street, Yankee Division Highway, Main Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 4.2 miles on High Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.50 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 52m. Total distance: 28.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
52m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 52m drive with frequent turns across 28.1 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 35 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
High Street is the longest continuous segment at about 4.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 9 miles in near MA 109 / High Street.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 19 decision points packed into just 28.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 9 miles (MA 109 / High Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 17.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 19 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
9 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
MA 109 / High Street
At end of road, turn right onto MA 109 / High Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
17.6 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands, Needham
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 35B-C
Toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands, Needh...
9
18 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 35B
Toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands
8
25.5 mi into trip
|
~43m in
Take the exit toward Allston-Brighton, Cambridge, Fenway Park
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left lane.
Exit 131
Toward Allston-Brighton, Cambridge, Fenway Park
8
26 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Cambridge, Somerville, Fenway Park
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Cambridge, Somerville, Fenway Park
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Norfolk, MA and Cambridge, MA, road signs point toward Portsmouth New Hampshire, Newton Highlands, Needham, Allston-Brighton, Fenway Park and Somerville.
Portsmouth New Hampshire
13.2 mi in
|
~22m
Newton Highlands
17.6 mi in
|
~28m
Needham
17.6 mi in
|
~28m
Allston-Brighton
25.5 mi in
|
~43m
Fenway Park
25.5 mi in
|
~43m
Somerville
26 mi in
|
~44m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| High Street | 4.2 mi | 6m |
| Yankee Division Highway | 4 mi | 5m |
| Main Street | 3.8 mi | 6m |
| Centre Street | 3 mi | 6m |
| Massachusetts Turnpike | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| West Street | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Fisher Street | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| North Street | 1.3 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
High Street
— 4.2 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Norfolk, MA and Cambridge, MA.
1
Start on MA 115
25 ft
·
0 sec
·
Union Street
2
Enter roundabout onto Main Street
11 ft
·
0 sec
·
Main Street
3
Continue on Main Street
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
4
Continue on Main Street
0.4 mi
·
37 sec
·
Main Street
5
Continue on West Street
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
West Street
6
Continue on Norfolk Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Norfolk Street
7
At end of road, turn left onto MA 1A
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Main Street
8
Turn left onto Fisher Street
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Fisher Street
9
Continue on North Street
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
North Street
10
At end of road, turn right onto MA 109
4.2 mi
·
6 min
·
High Street
Use the right lane.
11
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 95 North: Peabody, Portsmouth New Hampshire
Use the right lane.
12
Merge onto I 95; MA 128
4.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Yankee Division Highway
13
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
Exit 35B-C
Toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands, Needham
Use the slight right lane.
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
53 sec
Exit 35B
Toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands
Use the slight right lane.
15
Turn slight right onto Highland Avenue
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
Highland Avenue
Use the straight lane.
16
Continue on Needham Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Needham Street
17
Turn left onto Winchester Street
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Winchester Street
Use the left lane.
18
Continue on Centre Street
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Centre Street
19
Continue on Centre Street
62 ft
·
3 sec
·
Centre Street
20
Continue on Centre Street
2.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Centre Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
21
Continue on Washington Street
286 ft
·
6 sec
·
Washington Street
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
22
Keep slight left at fork onto Washington Street
302 ft
·
6 sec
·
Washington Street
23
Continue on Saint James Street
181 ft
·
3 sec
·
Saint James Street
24
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward I 90 East: Boston
25
Merge onto I 90
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Massachusetts Turnpike
26
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 131
Toward Allston-Brighton, Cambridge, Fenway Park
Use the slight left lane.
27
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Toward Cambridge, Somerville, Fenway Park
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
28
Turn slight right onto Cambridge Street
180 ft
·
6 sec
·
Cambridge Street
29
Continue on River Street
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
River Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
30
Continue on Prospect Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Prospect Street
31
Turn left onto Hampshire Street
0.1 mi
·
33 sec
·
Hampshire Street
Use the left lane.
32
Continue on Cambridge Street
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
Cambridge Street
Use the straight lane.
33
Turn right onto Line Street
0.2 mi
·
51 sec
·
Line Street
34
Turn left onto Leonard Avenue
460 ft
·
19 sec
·
Leonard Avenue
35
Arrive at destination
Leonard Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.50 one way
$8.99 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $4.90 | $9.81 |
| premium | $4.82 | $5.34 | $10.67 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.20 | $12.41 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.15
Massachusetts Turnpike
(2.5 mi)
$0.15
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$0
Total
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.4 | 0 | $2.95 | $1.35 |
| Efficient EV | 7 | 0 | $2.46 | $1.12 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.2 | 0 | $3.93 | $1.80 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Cambridge, MA
Late night in Cambridge on Friday
Local time
4:12 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
22 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
52m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Norfolk, MA to Cambridge, MA covers 28.1 miles and takes about 52m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are High Street, Yankee Division Highway, Main Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14 miles from Norfolk, MA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.50 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a short but busy drive. With 19 decision points packed into just 28.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.
The main spots that need attention: at 9 miles (MA 109 / High Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 17.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Norfolk, MA and Cambridge, MA, road signs point toward Portsmouth New Hampshire, Newton Highlands, Needham, Allston-Brighton, Fenway Park and Somerville.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Boston National Historical Park, Adams National Historical Park and Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. There are 6 parks within detour distance of this route.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. National park proximity is from the NPS API. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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