The map

Explore Boston’s Neighborhoods

Boston’s 23 official neighborhoods and 27 districts. Cambridge, across the Charles River, has its own chapter.

The map, decoded

Neighborhoods at a Glance

Allston304Live music, cheap and varied food, late nights, and a look at student Boston.Back Bay226First-time visitors, architecture walks, shopping and a central, well-connected base.Bay Village239A quiet walk before or after a show, and anyone who likes old houses.Beacon Hill218Architecture walks, Black history, the State House, and a slow afternoon on Charles Street.Boston Harbor Islands356A half day or full day outdoors: a Civil War fort, island trails and a beach, the skyline from the water, and camping.Brighton310A slow neighborhood day: reservoir walk, steam engines, a college art museum, dinner in a village square.Charlestown273Revolutionary and naval history, the end of the Freedom Trail, harbor views from the Navy Yard piers.Chinatown250Dim sum, bakeries, a cheap and good meal before a show, and anyone curious about Boston’s immigrant history.Dorchester329The JFK Library and the Harborwalk, Vietnamese food in Fields Corner, beaches on Dorchester Bay, and some of Boston’s oldest colonial sites.Downtown186Revolutionary history, first-day orientation, and a base for everything else.East Boston280Skyline views from the harbor side, Central and South American and old-school Italian food, a neighborhood base next to the airport.Fenway–Kenmore287A Red Sox game or ballpark tour, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Gardner, a walk in the Back Bay Fens.Hyde Park350Woodland walks at Stony Brook, a round on a Donald Ross golf course, a riverside bike ride, candlepin bowling and a Trinidadian lunch.Jamaica Plain315Park walks, a slow afternoon on Centre Street, a brewery tour, and seeing how Bostonians actually live.Leather District256Architecture walks, a good dinner before a train, and a quiet base next to South Station.Longwood295Medical-history buffs, a museum day near the Gardner, and anyone with an appointment and an hour to spare.Mattapan336A ride on the Mattapan trolley, trail walks and birding at the Boston Nature Center, the Neponset River Greenway, and Haitian and Caribbean food.Mission Hill300Walkers who like a climb and a view, church architecture, and a casual pint near the hospitals.North End204First visits, Freedom Trail history, and an Italian dinner followed by pastry.Roslindale341An unhurried half day: coffee in the square, a climb up Peters Hill, dinner on the way home.Roxbury322Black history and culture, colonial-era houses and hilltop views, Franklin Park and its zoo, and Dominican and Caribbean cooking.Seaport District260Harbor walks, contemporary art, family museums, seafood, and drinks with a view.South Boston268Waterfront walks, city beaches, a Revolutionary War site with harbor views, and pubs.South End243Dinner and brunch, Victorian architecture, galleries and the Sunday market at SoWa.West End211Bruins and Celtics games, the Museum of Science, and a sharp lesson in city planning.West Roxbury345A park day by the Charles or in the Stony Brook woods, a pub lunch on Centre Street, and the site of the Brook Farm experiment.Wharf District198First-time visitors, families, harbor views, and anyone catching a boat.Cambridge361University museums and campuses, Revolutionary history, bookshops, films and live music, and walks along the Charles.