The Upper Cape was the first part of the peninsula to attract tourists in any numbers - and it shows. To see the various communities of the south coast as "pretty little villages" - the image they hope to project - you'd have to be wearing exceptionally rose-tinted spectacles, or blinders. Each is arranged around a prim central green; but you have to fight your way through thickets of malls, motels and fast-food joints to reach their artificial hearts.

It only makes sense to stay in one of these places if you're catching a ferry to the islands. Thus one obvious base is FALMOUTH , where central motels include the comfortable Shoreway Acres Inn , 59 Shore St (tel 508/540-3000 or 1-800/352-7100, ; $100-130), with indoor and outdoor pools, and the harborfront Best Western Marina Tradewinds on Robbins Road (tel 508/548-4300 or 1-800/341-5700, ; $100-130). The luxurious clapboard Village Green Inn , 40 W Main St (tel 508/548-5621 or 1-800/237-1119, ; $75-160), is a bargain in Cape terms; the oceanfront Grafton Inn , 261 Grand Ave (tel 508/540-8688 or 1-800/642-4069, ; $130-160), in the Falmouth Heights district, is also good. The Sippewissett Campground & Cabins , a couple of miles out at 836 Palmer Ave (tel 508/548-2542, ; up to $35), offers a free shuttle service to the ferries and beaches. Restaurants abound, though with the possible exception of Betsy's Diner , 457 Main St (tel 508/540-0060), built in the Fifties and serving no-nonsense food from that era, the best food is to be found in the assorted moderately priced seafood places along the waterfront at WOODS HOLE , four miles southwest; the Fishmonger's Café at 56 Water St (tel 508/548-9148) is a natural foods restaurant with seafood specials at lunch and dinner; eggs, granola and the like at breakfast. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's exhibition center at 15 School St, near Little Harbor (May-Oct Tues-Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun noon-4.30pm; Nov, Dec, March & April Fri & Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun noon-4.30; free), focuses on the Institution's sensational discovery of the Titanic in 1986. Ocean Quest, a private nonprofit, runs ninety- minute research-based ocean cruises in summer (reservations recommended; $20; tel 1-800/37-OCEAN).

The largest port on the Cape, and its main commercial hub, HYANNIS clings a little desperately to the glamour it earned when the Kennedy compound at Hyannisport placed it at the center of world affairs. Hence the existence of the John F. Kennedy Museum , 397 Main St (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; $2), which shows photographs, newsclippings and film footage of the days JFK spent on the Cape. The Kennedys are still here, though their property can only be glimpsed, at a considerable distance, from the sea - Hy-Line Cruises, Ocean Street Dock ($10; tel 508/778-2600, ), runs one-hour harbor cruises that peek in at the compound.

Sightseeing trips on the Cape Cod Central Railroad (May-Oct Tues-Sun; $13; tel 508/771-3800 or 1-888/797-7245, ) run from the corner of Main and Center streets in Hyannis along a meandering route west through cranberry bogs to Sandwich and to Buzzards Bay, and along the Cape Cod Canal.

There are many hotels in Hyannis, but you would have to find a pretty compelling reason to stay in one. A good B&B in Hyannis Port - and the only one - is the Simmons Homestead Inn , 288 Scudder Ave (tel 508/778-4999 or 1-800/637-1649, ; $130-160). The Egg & I , 521 Main St (tel 508/771-1596), does a decent breakfast, while Alberto's at no. 360 (tel 508/778-1770) offers good but pricey Italian meals. Perry's , 546 Main St (tel 508/775-9711), is a great deli with three-decker clubs and other "stacked" sandwiches, and also serves breakfast.

Upper Cape

• Upper Cape

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