The best of Boston
Hi, I’m Ash, an English girl who loves to travel. My ultimate life goal is to watch the sunset in every country in the world!
ORGANISED ACTIVITIES
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Unlike any museum I have ever been to. If you are a fan of plants and architecture, this HAS to be on your list! This is a large building (very old by American standards!) which centres around a gorgeous garden with huge palm trees and colourful flowers everywhere. Inside the building, there is a large collection of beautiful paintings and decor. The museum (house) actually has a really interesting history so this is worth a visit if you have time!
Famous Red Sox game
If you’re into sports (or if it’s a sunny day and you just want a bit of entertainment) then try and catch a Red Sox (that’s the Boston baseball team) game at the famous old Fenway Stadium! Baseball isn’t really my thing but I embraced American culture and got myself a beer and a hot dog and sat in the sunshine! Tickets for the Red Sox game we attended in 2022 were about £55 each.
Prudential Center Tower
This is a 360 degree observation deck offering the BEST views of the city from 50 floors up!
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
This is a FLOATING museum with live reenactments! Even if you don’t want to pay to go onboard, you can see people ‘throwing’ boxes of tea over the side of the ship into the river below!
DAY TRIPS
Boat trip to Salem, MA
This is a one hour boat ride from Boston Wharf to Salem (which is just north of the city). The ferry ticket for a return ride was about £60 in total for one person. This is one of the BEST day trips you can take from Boston. I absolutely loved Salem. It is the weirdest, and most interesting town I have ever visited! I actually went in October, which was probably one of the best times to go as it was leading up to Halloween. Salem put extra effort in in September/October but they are spooky all year round so no worries if you’re not going in Autumn, you will still be able to experience Salem magic! However, I have heard that Sept/Oct weekends are insanely busy. I went during the week and it was perfectly fine. Highlights from Salem include seeing the famous Bewitched statue, The Jonathan Corwin House (known locally as The Witch House), and exploring the little shops lining every street selling the strangest things!
Boston Harbour Islands Ferry Tour (only available in the Summer months)
There are a few different options to visit the islands just off the coast of Boston city, including Georges Island or Spectacle Island. There are actually over 34 different islands and peninsulas, with lots of options for hiking or spending the day on the beach!
Whale watching tour
The whale watching season in Boston is from May to October, as this is when the whales move to the warmer North Atlantic for the summer. Most whale watching tours tend to go to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary which is one of the largest feeding grounds for the whales. Sometimes you can also see whales in March, April and November too. Be warned, the sea can get pretty choppy so maybe think twice if you get seasick… but don’t worry, if you’re lucky, you might even be able to spot a whale from the shore!
FREE ACTIVITIES
Boston Harbour
The Boston Seaport District is probably my favourite area in the entire city, and it’s just across from Downtown so it’s easy to walk between the two parts. There is a huge 60-foot archway that welcomes people into the Seaport District! There is a lovely walk along the seafront and tonnes of different restaurants to visit. There is also the New England Aquarium which is particularly good if you are visiting with children!
Harvard University
An absolute must-visit as a first time tourist. You don’t need to spend too much time here but it’s great to see this world-renowned university in person!
Newbury Street
This famous street has the best selection of shops I have ever seen! Plus, the entire road actually used to be UNDERWATER?!
Brattle Bookshop
Found in Downtown Crossings area, this famous little bookshop is definitely worth a visit for any bookworms out there. It has three floors of used books, and the top floor has lots of rare collectibles!
Beacon Hill Books & Cafe
Another bookstore, this one is a lot newer than Brattle Bookshop. With a beautiful selection of books, this place is known for it’s welcoming and homey touches. They even offer afternoon tea!
Boston Public Gardens
This is a BEAUTIFUL green park, right in the city centre. You can ride the cute Swan boats in the spring (but be warned, the park is not as pretty when all the water has evaporated… so judge carefully depending on the time of year you are visiting)!
The Freedom Trail
This is a 2.5 mile trail which connects 16 historical sites throughout the city. It takes roughly 1.5 hours to walk, but it can be a half day or whole day if you wanted to stop and explore each site! It’s free to walk the trail but can cost money to explore some of the places along the way.
Purely because you get free chocolate samples, and it is some of the BEST chocolate ever to be made (crazy expensive to buy though). This chocolate factory in SF is also the oldest, continuously-operating chocolate producer in the USA!
FOOD
The Barking Crab
This place is incredible! However, I walked past it one day on a public holiday and the queue was soooooo long - I would definitely recommend booking ahead if you want to visit during a weekend/bank holiday!
Panera Bread
One of my favourite American lunch restaurants, with the best chicken salad bowls ever! Perfect for summer lunch. They also do AMAZING freshly baked cookies!
Quinsy Market
Boston is famous for it’s fresh lobster rolls and Quincy Market is the best place to get them! Although this was ridiculously expensive (£25 per roll!), the experience of going to the market was excellent and the lobster was by far the BEST lobster I have ever eaten (and you did get a LOT of lobster to be fair)!
Modern Pastry
Located in North End (Little Italy) and Medford, this is one of the best Italian bakeries in Boston! This place lets you design your own cannoli and makes them fresh for you to eat! Be warned though, this place is crazy busy! I would recommend getting there as early as possible so you don’t have to queue outside.
Lookout Rooftop Bar
North End Boston, with views across the beautiful Harbour!
Sportello (Italian)
A couple of us went for dinner and drinks at Sportello one evening, and the food was INCREDIBLE. We shared antipasti dish ($55), which was an amazing selection of meats and cheeses and freshly baked bread. Highly recommend!
ACCOMMODATION
My friend and I stayed at this ADORABLE airbnb, which was about 30 mins drive from the city (it is a lot cheaper to stay outside of the city and drive in). The airbnb was one double room with a private bathroom in this lovely couples’ house. They actually had a mini farm in their garden including the cutest minature goats I have ever seen! One night stay in 2022 for two of us was £79 (so about £40 each). Parking in Boston for the day in 2022 was around £25.
During a different visit to Boston I stayed in Aloft Boston Seaport District hotel. This hotel had a great atmosphere with beautiful rooms and large (extremely comfortable) beds.
The location was great, I could walk to the waterfront in about 8 minutes. However, because the location was great, the cost was pretty extreme (as with many hotels in Boston city). It was about £160 a night for one room. This hotel was directly opposite ‘The Lawn on the D’ which is an awesome outdoor venue that host many different activities and events throughout Spring, Summer and Autumn! It’s worth checking ahead of time to see if there is anything you want to attend. For example, one Saturday I woke up to look out my hotel room window and see this massive lawn absolutely covered in pumpkins! They were hosting a kid-friendly, all welcome, free pumpkin carving day to celebrate Halloween week!
INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS
Acorn Street
If you like photography, you HAVE to visit Acorn Street! This is one of the MOST photographed streets in the ENTIRE world! It’s a beautiful cobbled street found in Beacon Hill area.
Boston Public Library
The architecture is STUNNING. This library was originally built in 1848 and its definitely worth a visit!
Fan Pier
This walkway overlooks the gorgeous Boston harbour and offers a peaceful escape from the bustling streets of the inner city. There is a really incredible skyline with many of the tall city skyscrapers that is mirrored in the sea below.
TRAVEL
Ubers are AMAZING in Boston, they are everywhere and they are super cheap and so easy to use. Driving in the city can be difficult, but it is do-able! Just be prepared for traffic, and slightly crazy parking fees. Also, something that I didn’t love, a lot of hotels don’t offer free parking so make sure you do your research before going as car parks / valet parking can cost $60+ a day.
WEATHER (Celcius)
High / Low Month High / Low / Month
3° / -5° January 28° / 19° July
4° / -4° February 27° / 18° August
8° / -1° March 23° / 14° September
14° / 5° April 17° / 8° October
19° / 10° May 11° / 3° November
25° / 15° June 6° / -2° December
PRICES
To be honest, Boston is pretty pricey… but what city isnt?! You can do it on a bit of a budget, if you stay out of the city centre and buy your own food from a supermarket like Target you should be able to save quite a bit.
PERSONAL FAVOURITES
Boston is such a beautiful place. I absolutely loved walking along the seafront, and Boston Public Gardens in springtime will always be one of my favourite spots!
