Print
Email
Bookmark & shareHitting the Beantown Boulevards
If you've only got a few days to spend in Boston, the best way to see the town is to simply pound the pavement. If you have four days to spare, spend your first day walking the Freedom Trail. Stop for lunch at the bustling Faneuil Hall Marketplace then resume your historic tour. Wrap up with dinner in the North End, Boston's 'Little Italy'. Start day two at one of the city's stellar museums - the Museum of Fine Art, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or the Museum of Science. Then head to Cambridge and rub shoulders with the intelligentsia as you tour Harvard University or hang out in Harvard Square. For dinner you could either stay in Cambridge or try one of the many fashionable South End bistros. On day three, take a day trip north to explore Salem and Gloucester (pack a picnic for the beach), or travel back to the Revolutionary era in Lexington and Concord. Head back into Boston for dinner, this time exploring the dishes in Chinatown. Set aside day four for a sun-up to sun-down culture-vulture session. Start by fortifying yourself with cappuccino and then settle in for some good, solid people-watching on Newbury St before moseying on to the Prudential skywalk for a bird's eye view of the city, or scoping out its artistic future at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Stay in the Back Bay for lunch, then browse the Newbury St galleries for the afternoon. In the evening, check out some decent theatre or hit the clubs on Lansdowne St.
A Top Day in Boston
Lace up the walking shoes; any good day in Boston begins and/or ends with walking around her intimate neighbourhoods. Head to an outdoor cafe on Newbury Street, where a stiff espresso will jolt you into checking out Boston's most fashionable offerings. There's plenty of eye candy decorating the shop windows and walking the streets. Stroll through the Public Garden and Boston Common on your way to meandering around Brahmin Beacon Hill, which is thick with cobblestone streets and gas lanterns. Find the alleyway where slaves used to seek haven from slavecatchers. Have lunch on Charles Street before following the red brick path known as the Freedom Trail. It may sound corny and touristy, but hey, you're in Boston. The seeds of American's revolution were sown here. Pop into a few sites that pique your interest like Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church. And most definitely, pop into the tiny mom-and-pop specialty food shops that have been here for decades. Fortify yourself with another espresso (and a ricotta cannoli) on Hanover Street and chill out by watching sail boats from the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. Is it time for a drink yet? Faneuil Hall Marketplace has more than a few bars from which to choose. If you're lucky enough to get Red Sox tickets, take the T over to the famed Fenway Park and root, root, root for the home team. A hot dog should hit the spot for sustenance, as will the dance clubs on Lansdowne Street afterwards.
Author: Kim Grant
Advertisement
Book Your Trip
Hotels & Hostels
Booking hotels is simple with Lonely Planet. See our reviewed and recommended hotels in one place and book online. Browse hotels ›
Lonely Planet Newsletters
Updates, offers and inspiration - straight to your inbox.
Subscribe now ›
Disclaimer: We've tried to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety, customs and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel.
