Explore Boston · Plan Your Trip
Sights at a Glance: Hours and Prices
The must-see sights, then every other sight that charges admission, with the hours and prices checked at press time (October 2026). Hours change with the seasons and holidays, and prices rise; confirm on the sight’s website, given in its entry, before you go. Book ahead marks the sights whose entries advise buying tickets in advance.
Must-see sights
| Sight | Hours | Admission | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn Street | Exterior only (private homes) | — | › |
| Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University | Grounds sunrise–sunset; visitor center daily 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Free | › |
| Boston Common | 6:30 a.m.–11 p.m. | Free | › |
| Boston Public Garden | 6:30 a.m.–11 p.m. | Free | › |
| Boston Public Library (Central Library, Copley) | Mon–Thu 9 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri–Sat 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Free | › |
| Bunker Hill Monument | Wed–Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (1–4 p.m. Oct 13–May 28) | Free | › |
| Castle Island & Fort Independence | Sunrise to sunset; fort tours Memorial Day weekend to Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend: noon–3 p.m. weekends in summer, Sundays after Labor Day | Free, including fort tours | › |
| Faneuil Hall | Great Hall Wed–Sun 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; closed for city events | Free | › |
| Fenway Park | Tours daily on the hour, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Nov–Mar; 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Apr–Oct (on game days the last tour leaves 3 hours before game time) | Ballpark tours $30 adults, $21 ages 3–12 | › |
| Harvard Yard | Visitor center (Smith Campus Center) Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Free; student-led historical tours free (register ahead) | › |
| Institute of Contemporary Art (The ICA) | Tue–Wed & Sat–Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thu–Fri 10 a.m.–9 p.m. (to 5 p.m. on the first Friday of the month) | $20 adults; 18 and under free; free Thu 5–9 p.m. | › |
| Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Mon, Wed–Fri 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (Thu to 9 p.m.); Sat–Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | $25 adults; 17 and under free Book ahead | › |
| John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum | Daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | $24 adults; $12 seniors 62+; 17 and under free | › |
| Massachusetts State House | Mon–Fri 8:45 a.m.–5 p.m.; free tours 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. | Free | › |
| Museum of Fine Arts, Boston | Wed–Mon 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (Thu–Fri to 10 p.m.); closed Tue | $30 adults; $14 ages 7–17; 6 and under free | › |
| Museum of Science | Exhibit halls daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Planetarium and Omni shows to 10 p.m. Fri–Sat; closes 2 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving and on Dec 24; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day | $33 adults, $29 seniors (60+), $28 children 3–11, under 3 free; Planetarium, Omni or 4-D show $6 extra ($10 for a show alone) | › |
| New England Aquarium | Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sat–Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m. (fall) | $39.95 adults; $30.95 ages 3–11; 2 and under free Book ahead | › |
| Old North Church | Tue–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 12:30–5 p.m.; Monday hours vary by season | $10 adults (Discovery Pass) | › |
| Old State House | Daily from 10 a.m., closing at 5 or 6 p.m. by season (6 p.m. in Oct, 5 p.m. Nov–Dec); closed Thanksgiving, Dec 24–25, Jan 1 and Jan 5–6, 2027 | $18 adults; $16 seniors 65+; $10 ages 6–17; 5 and under free; one ticket also covers Old South Meeting House | › |
| Paul Revere House | Apr 15–Oct 31 daily 10 a.m.–5:15 p.m.; Nov 1–Apr 14 10 a.m.–4:15 p.m., closed Mon in Jan–Mar; closed Thanksgiving, Dec 24–25 and Jan 1 | $6 adults | › |
| Trinity Church | Tue–Sat 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Wed–Sat Jan–Mar); tours pause Tue 12–12:45 p.m. | $10 adults; $8 seniors, students and Massachusetts residents; under 14 free | › |
| USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) | Wed–Sun 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Free; photo ID required 18+ | › |
Also worth the ticket
| Sight | Hours | Admission | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington Street Church | Tiffany tours Jun–Oct, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun service 11 a.m. | Tours $5; under 12 free with a paying adult | › |
| Boston Athenaeum | Mon–Thu 9 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri–Sat 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | First floor $11; ages 13 and under $5 Book ahead | › |
| Boston Children’s Museum | Wed–Mon 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; closed Tue | $24 ages 1 and up; under 1 free | › |
| Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum | Daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (tours); closed Thanksgiving, Christmas | From $36 adults | › |
| Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts and the Harvard Film Archive | Galleries Tue–Sun noon–5 p.m.; Harvard Film Archive screenings Fri–Mon, most at 7 p.m. | Galleries free; films $10, $8 students and seniors | › |
| Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate | Tue–Sun 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (last entry 4 p.m.) | $20 adults, $10 seniors 63+ and ages 6–18, 5 and under free | › |
| Franklin Park Zoo | Daily 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (Apr–Sept to 5; Apr–Jul weekends to 6) | Priced by date and time: online in late October 2026, $20–$22 adults and $16–$18 ages 2–12, plus a $1.50 fee a ticket; highest at the gate; under 2 free | › |
| Georges Island and Fort Warren | Ferries from Boston Thursday–Sunday from mid-May, then daily mid-June to Labor Day (no fall service; 2027 dates are posted in spring). In summer the park’s ferries also run from Hingham Shipyard | Island free. Round-trip ferry $24.95 adults; $22.95 seniors 65+, students and military; $17.95 ages 3–11; under 3 free | › |
| Gibson House | Guided tours Fri–Sun 1, 2 & 3 p.m.; Thursday times vary | $15 adults, $5 ages 6–12 | › |
| Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Glass Flowers | Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Adults $20; seniors $18; non-Harvard students and ages 3–18 $15; under 3 free; includes the Peabody Museum. Massachusetts residents free Sun 9 a.m.–noon and Wed 3–5 p.m. | › |
| King’s Chapel and King’s Chapel Burying Ground | Chapel Mon–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m. in Oct, reduced hours in winter; Sun Morning Prayer 11 a.m.; burying ground daily about 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Chapel $5; guided tours $10–$15 adults (entry included); burying ground free | › |
| Loring-Greenough House | House tours Sun 1, 2 & 3 p.m., spring to the weekend before Thanksgiving; grounds dawn to dusk | $5 suggested donation | › |
| Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity | Mon–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Mapparium $6 adults, under 18 free Book ahead | › |
| MIT Museum | Daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.) | Adults $20; seniors $15; college students and ages 6–18 $10; 5 and under free; Cambridge residents free with the museum’s free resident membership (proof of address) | › |
| Museum of African American History | Thu–Sun 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | $15 adults (incl. Meeting House talk) | › |
| New England Historic Genealogical Society | Tue–Sat 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | Library by donation; Family Heritage Experience $10 | › |
| Nichols House | Tue–Sun, guided tours from 10 a.m. (Sun from 11 a.m.) | $16 adults; free 12 and under | › |
| Old South Meeting House | Daily from 10 a.m., closing at 5 or 6 p.m. by season (6 p.m. in Oct, 5 p.m. Nov–Dec); closed Thanksgiving, Dec 24–25 and Jan 1; occasional event closures | $18 adults; $16 seniors 65+; $10 ages 6–17; 5 and under free; one ticket also covers the Old State House and includes the Ruckus! show | › |
| Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology | Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | One ticket covers both museums: adults $20; seniors $18; non-Harvard students and ages 3–18 $15; under 3 free. Massachusetts residents free Sun 9 a.m.–noon and Wed 3–5 p.m. | › |
| Peddocks Island | Ferries daily except Tuesday from mid-June to Labor Day, then Thursday–Sunday to mid-October (2027 dates are posted in spring); about 35 minutes each way | Island free. Round-trip ferry at the park’s published fares ($24.95 adults, $17.95 ages 3–11) | › |
| Samuel Adams Boston Brewery | Daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m. (kitchen Mon–Fri 1–8 p.m., Sat–Sun noon–8 p.m.) | Tours from $15 (45 minutes, some walk-in space); Beyond the Brewhouse $30, 21+; book at samueladams.com Book ahead | › |
| Shirley-Eustis House | Guided tours Tue–Fri at noon and 2 p.m., no reservation needed (canceled above 90°F or below 32°F); orchard and grounds daily dawn–dusk | $10 adults; $5 seniors 65+ and students; free for active-duty military families and EBT, WIC and ConnectorCare cardholders | › |
| Spectacle Island | Ferries from mid-May: daily in summer, then Thursday–Sunday in September and Friday–Sunday to mid-October (2027 dates are posted in spring) | Island free. Round-trip ferry $24.95 adults; $22.95 seniors 65+, students and military; $17.95 ages 3–11; under 3 free | › |
| Sports Museum of New England (The Sports Museum) | Daily 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m.; guided tours only | $30 adults Book ahead | › |
| Swan Boats (Boston Public Garden) | Mid-Apr–early Sept daily 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (to 5 p.m. summer) | $4.75 adults | › |
| View Boston | Daily 10 a.m.–10 p.m., last entry 9 p.m.; closes early some evenings for private events | From $32 plus a $3 booking fee a ticket; Sips & Sights (one drink) $48; 20 percent off for four or more | › |
| Vilna Shul | No drop-in visits; Boston By Foot walks (about 2 hours) on set dates April–August; private group tours by arrangement | Public walk $30 (Boston By Foot); private tours from $15 a person, $225 minimum | › |
| West End Museum | Wed–Thu 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Fri–Sat 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 1:30–5 p.m.; closed Mon–Tue | $12; seniors, students and veterans $8; under 10 and displaced West Enders free | › |
| William Hickling Prescott House | Tours on scheduled dates only | $12 adults; 12 and under free | › |