Attraction
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston's encyclopaedic art museum on Huntington Avenue in the Fenway, with collections ranging from ancient Nubia and Japan to American art and late evening opening on…
There are plenty of things to do in Boston, one of the oldest cities in the United States and a compact place that is easy to explore on foot. Its story runs from the colonial era and the American Revolution, traced along the Freedom Trail, to renowned universities across the river in Cambridge, major art museums and a famous baseball park. Most visitors base themselves downtown, in Back Bay or on Beacon Hill, and spend time in the North End, the waterfront and the Fenway.
The food scene is strongest on seafood, from oyster bars and lobster rolls to historic chowder houses, and the North End adds Italian restaurants, cafés and pastry shops. The South End and the Seaport bring newer restaurants and bars. Three to four days is enough to walk the Freedom Trail, visit two or three museums, take a harbour or river cruise and see a game or tour at Fenway Park, with an extra day for Cambridge or a day trip along the coast.
Attraction
Boston's encyclopaedic art museum on Huntington Avenue in the Fenway, with collections ranging from ancient Nubia and Japan to American art and late evening opening on…
Attraction
A collector's house museum built to evoke a Venetian palace, with a glass-roofed garden courtyard, paintings by Titian, Rembrandt and Sargent, and the empty frames left…
Attraction
Boston's central public park, established in 1634, with the Frog Pond, Civil War memorials, an old burying ground and the visitor centre where the Freedom Trail…
Attraction
A formal garden established in 1837 beside Boston Common, with a lagoon crossed by a small bridge, Swan Boats and the Make Way for Ducklings statues.
Attraction
A non-profit museum in the Charlestown Navy Yard telling the story of USS Constitution, the US Navy's oldest commissioned warship, which is moored alongside and free…
Attraction
Boston's oldest surviving church building, begun in 1723, where two lanterns were hung in the steeple on 18 April 1775 to signal the movement of British…
Café
A North End pastry shop on Hanover Street, founded in 1946, best known for its many varieties of cannoli as well as cookies, cakes and Italian…
Café
A small, traditional Italian pastry shop on Hanover Street in the North End, known for freshly filled cannoli, torrone and sfogliatella.
Café
A historic Italian café on Hanover Street, opened in 1929 and described as Boston's first Italian café, with vintage espresso machines on display and a cigar…
Café
George Howell Coffee's flagship café on the ground floor of The Godfrey Hotel in Downtown Crossing, serving espresso, single-cup pour-overs and coffee flights every day.
Café
A Charles Street comfort food institution in Beacon Hill, cafeteria-style for breakfast and lunch and full-service at dinner, popular for eggs, burgers and brunch.
Café
A family-founded North End bakery on Salem Street that is open 24 hours a day, selling Italian bread, cannoli, cookies, calzones, rice balls and Sicilian-style pizza.
Hotel
A luxury hotel on Rowes Wharf, described as the city's only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond waterfront hotel, with harbour-view rooms and an indoor pool.
Hotel
A restored landmark hotel at the corner of Newbury and Arlington Streets, overlooking the Public Garden, with fireplace suites and the Contessa rooftop restaurant.
Hotel
A 1912 landmark hotel on St. James Avenue in Back Bay, with the OAK Long Bar + Kitchen, a resident canine ambassador and a dog-friendly approach.
Hotel
A Luxury Collection hotel in the former Charles Street Jail, with 298 rooms and suites and several restaurants and bars, including CLINK. and Scampo.
Hotel
A downtown Boston hotel on School Street, a local institution since 1855, whose Parker's Restaurant created Boston cream pie and Parker House rolls.
Hotel
A long-established Back Bay hotel at the corner of Boylston and Exeter Streets, with 215 rooms and suites and The Irving bar and restaurant.
Bar
A family-run jazz club on Massachusetts Avenue, opened in 1947, with early-evening jam sessions where Berklee students play alongside veterans and live sets every night.
Bar
A Union Street tavern near Faneuil Hall that traces its history to 1795 and to a Boston town crier, and is believed to be one of…
Bar
The Beacon Street pub, opened in 1969 as the Bull & Finch, whose exterior appeared in the opening sequence of the TV comedy Cheers.
Bar
A sports bar beneath the centre-field bleachers at Fenway Park, where a garage door opens directly onto the ballpark's outfield.
Bar
Harpoon's Boston brewery and beer hall on Northern Avenue in the Seaport, with guided tastings and tours, house beers and its well-known spent grain pretzels.
Bar
A rooftop bar seven levels above the harbour at The Envoy hotel, with skyline and water views, cocktails and fire pits for the colder months.
Restaurant
A small, walk-in-only oyster bar on Salem Street in the North End, known for its raw bar and a Maine lobster roll served hot with butter…
Restaurant
A seafood restaurant serving oysters since 1826 in a Georgian building near Faneuil Hall, with its original semicircular oyster bar still in place.
Restaurant
The original North End branch of Boston's long-running pizzeria, opened in 1926 and serving thin-crust, brick-oven pizza on Thacher Street.
Restaurant
Tim and Nancy Cushman's omakase restaurant on East Street, serving a creative sequence of sushi and small dishes with a sake list overseen by an advanced…
Restaurant
Joanne Chang's lively South End restaurant serving pan-Asian dishes such as pork and chive dumplings, wild boar dan dan noodles and miso black cod.
Restaurant
A Fort Point oyster bar and seafood restaurant on Congress Street, pairing a broad raw bar and fish from the Boston Fish Pier with a carefully…
Thing to do
A 2.5-mile marked walking route linking 16 official historic sites, from Boston Common through downtown and the North End to Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.
Thing to do
A historic marketplace of four buildings around Faneuil Hall, centred on Quincy Market's food hall, with more than 80 businesses and daily street performers.
Thing to do
Guided tours of Fenway Park, Major League Baseball's oldest active ballpark, opened in 1912 and home of the Boston Red Sox and the Green Monster wall.
Thing to do
The observation deck on the top three floors of the Prudential Tower, with indoor and outdoor viewing areas, interactive exhibits and the Stratus rooftop bar.
Thing to do
An indoor, year-round market on Hanover Street where more than 30 New England farmers, artisans and food producers sell groceries, prepared food and drinks.
Tour operator
Amphibious sightseeing tours that cover central Boston by road before splashing into the Charles River, departing from the Prudential Center, Museum of Science and Aquarium.
Tour operator
A non-profit educational organisation offering guided walking tours of Boston's neighbourhoods, history and architecture, mainly from April to November.
Tour operator
A bike tour and rental company on Atlantic Avenue offering guided rides around Boston and Cambridge, family tours and a wide range of rental bikes.
Tour operator
A family-owned cruise company founded in 1990, offering narrated sightseeing, architecture and sunset cruises on the Charles River from the CambridgeSide dock.
Tour operator
Seasonal harbour sails on classic wooden schooners from Fan Pier Marina, including day, sunset and pastries-and-prosecco sailings; the fleet returns in May 2027.
Three to four days is enough for the Freedom Trail, a couple of museums, the North End and a harbour or river trip, with a fifth day for Cambridge or a day trip.
Back Bay and Beacon Hill suit first-time visitors who want to walk everywhere, downtown and the waterfront are close to the Freedom Trail, and the Seaport is good for newer hotels and restaurants.
Logan Airport is close to downtown; the free Silver Line bus links the terminals with South Station, airport shuttles connect to the Blue Line, and taxis and ride shares are also available.
Hotels are among the pricier in the country, especially in autumn and during big events, but many sights such as the Freedom Trail, Boston Common and the Public Garden are free.
Central Boston is generally considered safe for visitors; take the usual city precautions with valuables, especially on public transport and late at night.