A Weekend in Vermont: The 48-Hour Itinerary

Overview

A Vermont weekend getaway works best when you resist the urge to drive the whole state. Burlington to Manchester is two and a half hours on two-lane roads, and trying to cover the Northeast Kingdom, the ski towns, and the Upper Valley in 48 hours means spending more time on I-89 than anywhere interesting. This itinerary stays on one axis: Burlington and Lake Champlain on Saturday, then north on I-89 to Waterbury and Route 100 up through the mountains to Stowe on Sunday. That covers some of Vermont's strongest draws in a loop you can run comfortably without rushing.

Most visitors flying in land at Burlington International (BTV), which sits about three miles from downtown. Drivers from Boston average 3.5 hours via I-93 to I-89; from New York City, count on 4.5 to 5 hours via I-87 or I-91 north. The Vermont Travel Guide covers all arrival and logistics options if you are still deciding how to get here. If you have three days instead of two, the 3 Days in Vermont itinerary extends this route south into the Upper Valley and Woodstock.

Day 1: Burlington and the Lake Champlain Shore

Start Saturday morning in Burlington. The walkable stretch runs from the Church Street Marketplace pedestrian mall down College Street to the Lake Champlain waterfront, and you can cover both in a morning on foot. Church Street draws a mix of local shops, coffee roasters, and independent restaurants, and the Saturday farmers market at City Hall Park runs from May through October with raw-milk cheese, maple products, and baked goods from surrounding farms. From the bottom of College Street, the Burlington Bike Path follows the lake shore north for about eight miles, flat and paved. Bike rentals are available near the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain for roughly $30 to $40 for a couple of hours.

After lunch, drive south on Route 7 about 15 to 20 minutes to Shelburne. Shelburne Farms, a 1,400-acre working farm on a Gilded Age estate, sits directly on the Lake Champlain bluff with long views across to the Adirondacks in New York. Grounds access runs around $12 to $18 per adult, and the farm store sells raw-milk cheddar aged on site. If you prefer folk art and Americana over working farms, the Shelburne Museum is directly on Route 7 with 39 exhibit buildings including a beached paddlewheel steamboat, the Ticonderoga; adult admission runs roughly $25 to $28 for the 2025 season.

Plan dinner back in Burlington. American Flatbread on St. Paul Street makes wood-fired pizzas with Vermont flour and local toppings in a communal space attached to the Mothership Brewery. It is the kind of place that fills up fast on Saturday nights. Arriving by 6 p.m. or sitting at the bar gives you the best shot at a seat without a long wait; figure $18 to $28 per person for pizza and a pint.

Day 2: Waterbury and the Green Mountains

Sunday morning, take I-89 south about 35 minutes to Exit 10 at Waterbury. The Ben and Jerry's Factory sits on Route 2 just north of the exit and runs guided 30-minute tours through the production floor most days of the year, ending at the scoop shop. Tickets run around $4 to $6 per adult. The tours fill on summer and fall weekends; book online the night before or arrive before 10 a.m. to get ahead of the first wave. While you are in Waterbury, the Cabot Cheese Annex Store sits two miles south on Route 2, and Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a mile north on Route 100 toward Stowe, both free to enter and worth a quick stop for Vermont provisions before heading to the mountains.

Five minutes from Exit 10, the Alchemist Cannery on Exchange Street in Waterbury rounds out the Waterbury food corridor stop. The Alchemist brews Heady Topper and Focal Banger, two IPAs that put Vermont craft beer on the national map. The retail shop sells cans to go; there is no tasting room and no samples on site. A four-pack typically runs $15 to $20. Hours run Tuesday through Saturday and vary by season, so check the website before you plan around it. Specific varieties sell out on high-traffic weekends, particularly in October. If you skip Waterbury and head straight to Stowe, the Alchemist has a second retail location on Cottage Club Road in Stowe that tends to stock more inventory during foliage and ski seasons. For a broader look at where to drink across the region, the Vermont breweries and cideries guide covers tap rooms along the Route 100 corridor and beyond.

From Waterbury, Route 100 north climbs about 12 miles into Stowe in around 20 minutes, threading along the Waterbury River with the Green Mountain ridgeline rising ahead. Stowe Mountain Resort anchors the town's winter economy with 116 trails across two peaks. If skiing and snowboarding is the reason you came, the resort opens around Thanksgiving and runs through April, with the most reliable conditions in January and February; adult lift tickets purchased online in advance for the 2025-26 season run roughly $130 to $165 per day. Outside ski season, the 5.3-mile paved Stowe Recreation Path runs from the village center along Mountain Road and is flat enough for all fitness levels. The Mount Mansfield Auto Toll Road off Route 108 charges around $30 to $35 per car and climbs to 3,849 feet, from which a one-hour round-trip walk on the ridgeline reaches the summit at 4,395 feet.

In fall, if your weekend falls between mid-September and mid-October, add the drive north on Route 108 through Smugglers Notch before heading home. The road squeezes between 1,000-foot cliffs with house-sized boulders on the forest floor and a canopy that goes gold and red by early October. The notch road is open to cars from around Memorial Day through mid-October and closes to vehicles in winter; RVs and buses are prohibited year-round because of tight clearances. For a late lunch before the drive back, Idletyme on Mountain Road in Stowe serves burgers, house-brewed beer, and a patio with fire pits that stay comfortable well into autumn. Plan on $15 to $22 per person. If this trip leaves you wanting a longer loop, the 5 Days in Vermont itinerary builds south from Stowe into the Upper Valley and central Vermont with two additional overnight stops.

Where to Stay

Burlington and Stowe each work as a base, and the choice mostly comes down to whether you want city access on night one or mountain proximity for the whole trip. If you stay both nights in Burlington, the Sunday drive to Waterbury and Stowe and back adds about 90 minutes of total driving. If you move to Stowe after day one, you wake up at the mountains on day two and cut the return trip to a straight shot south on I-89.

In Stowe, The Lodge at Spruce Peak on Mountain Road is a ski-in/ski-out Hyatt property at Stowe Mountain Resort with multiple on-site restaurants and a spa; peak-season rates run roughly $350 to $700 per night depending on the dates and room type. For a lower-cost option, family-run inns and guesthouses in Waterbury and Morrisville, both 15 to 20 minutes from the Stowe slopes, start around $120 to $200 per night outside foliage and ski holiday windows. Book Stowe-area lodging at least six weeks ahead for late September and October foliage weekends, and even earlier for Presidents Day.

In Burlington, the Hotel Vermont on Main Street is the most locally rooted option downtown, with a bar program built around Vermont spirits and local beer; rates typically run $250 to $450 per night. The Courtyard Burlington Harbor on Battery Street sits closer to the waterfront and starts around $180 to $280 per night depending on the month. The Courtyard includes free parking, which is worth factoring in on a Saturday evening when street spots fill up around the Church Street area.

Book These Ahead

Vermont inns and smaller hotels fill fastest during foliage season (late September through mid-October) and ski holiday weekends like Presidents Day in February and April school break. Lock in lodging as early as you can for those windows. The Ben and Jerry's Factory tour backs up significantly on October and summer weekends; reserving a time slot online the night before is faster than waiting in the morning queue. Stowe Mountain Resort lift tickets cost less when purchased in advance on the resort website compared to buying at the ticket window, sometimes by $20 to $30 per day. If you plan to drive Route 108 through Smugglers Notch in the shoulder season, check the Vermont Agency of Transportation site for road status before leaving Stowe, since the notch can close early after late-season storms.