If you’re planning a trip to Cape Cod this summer, take your time getting there.

A typical route will have you rushing out of Boston and bypassing the South Shore. Bad move.

The Washington Post calls the area “Classic New England,” and suggests five towns -- Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Marshfield, Duxbury –- to explore.

You’ll find colonial homes, B&Bs, lobster shacks, lighthouses, rocky shores, and what has been called the “Prettiest Main Street in America."  Who needs Hyannis when you’ve got all that?

Photo: Shoothead via Flickr