Top Things To Do in Boston
Twenty things that make Boston Boston — from the Freedom Trail to the Duck Tour, each with a local’s guide to doing it right. Eleven of the twenty are completely free. Check them off as you go.
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Where the country got started
Boston’s founding-era blocks are the densest stretch of American history anywhere — and almost all of it is walkable, and most of it free.
Walk the Freedom Trail
Sixteen sites, one red brick line, two and a half miles of the American origin story.
Explore Faneuil Hall
The 1742 “Cradle of Liberty” and its market halls — street performers included.
See the Founding-Era Sites
The Old State House, the Granary graves, and the Tea Party ships — history beyond the trail highlights.
Tour the Massachusetts State House
Bulfinch’s golden dome, the Sacred Cod, and free tours at the top of Beacon Hill.
Wander Beacon Hill & Acorn Street
Gas lamps, brick sidewalks, and the most photographed little street in America.
Climb the Bunker Hill Monument
294 steps up the granite obelisk, harbor views at the top. Free, and a workout.
The scenes on the postcards
The images everyone knows — and how to do each one properly, from swan-shaped pedal boats to the city’s grandest reading room.
Ride the Swan Boats
Pedal-powered since 1877, and still the gentlest fifteen minutes in Boston.
Stroll Newbury Street & Back Bay
Eight brownstone blocks from the Public Garden to Mass Ave — plus Copley Square.
Tour the Boston Public Library
Bates Hall’s green lamps, an Italianate courtyard, Sargent murals — a free palace for the people.
Eat Your Way Through the North End
Espresso counters, feast weekends, and the great cannoli question, in the city’s oldest neighborhood.
Skate on Frog Pond
Winter laps in America’s oldest public park — rentals on site, holiday lights all around.
Boston is a harbor city
Get on the water, along it, or into it — the river and the harbor are half the point of this town.
Spend Time Along the Charles
The Esplanade, the Hatch Shell, sailboats on the basin, and sunset over the skyline.
Ferry to the Harbor Islands
A ferry ride to a Civil War fort, drumlin beaches, and the best look back at the skyline.
Walk the Seaport
The Harborwalk, the ICA hanging over the water, and Boston’s newest blocks.
Take a Boston Duck Tour
Landmarks by land, then a splashdown into the Charles. Unabashedly touristy — and genuinely great.
Food, fandom, art, and green space
The everyday classics — the things Bostonians actually keep doing long after the trail is walked.
Taste Boston’s Seafood
Chowder, the lobster-roll question, raw bars, and America’s oldest restaurant.
Catch a Game at Fenway Park
The 1912 park, the Green Monster, and a scoreboard still run by hand. Book ahead.
Explore Boston’s Museums
The MFA, the Gardner’s empty frames, penguins, and a museum cantilevered over the harbor.
Walk the Emerald Necklace
Olmsted’s 1,100-acre chain of green, from the Common to Franklin Park. All of it free.
Settle Into an Irish Pub
Session music and well-poured pints in America’s most Irish city.
Turn the list into a trip
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