Guided Tours and Attractions in Boston and its Surroundings
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
General
Boston, the largest city in New England, is one of the most beautiful and impressive cities in the Eastern US. Boston has a charming combination of old and new, thanks to the city's glorious history on one hand and the multitude of prestigious universities on the other, which attract many students and young people to the city.
Boston is an interesting city full of historical buildings, museums, and cultural structures.
Boston has a large port where cruise ships also arrive.
Book recommended private tours in Boston suitable for cruise ship passengers:
With port pickup:
♥ Recommended Accommodations in Boston
Hotel Commonwealth - A 4-star hotel with 150 rooms. The hotel has a fitness center and a restaurant. It is located near Boston University, Fenway Park, and the river.
Residence Inn Boston Back Bay/Fenway - A high-quality suite hotel near Fenway Park and the Red Sox stadium. Each suite has a fully equipped kitchen. Free internet and free breakfast.
The hotel has 175 suites and offers its guests a free fitness center, indoor pool, and jacuzzi.
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Boston - Cambridge
A 3-star hotel with 308 spacious rooms and suites. Located in Cambridge near the river. Free internet.
Booking guided tours in Boston from GetYourGuide.com:
Recommended tours and excursions in Boston from Viator:
Discount card for attractions in Boston:
Amphibious Bus Tour (River and Land)
An interesting and amusing tour of about 80 minutes, in an amphibious bus called: "Boston Duck Tour" Boston Duck Tours which travels both on land and in the river. The tour passes along the city's main sites. During the tour, you will also receive a humorous overview of the city's history and the sites you pass.
Another company offering amphibious tours of an hour and a half is Super Duck Tours.
The "Prudential" building is the second tallest building in the city. On a clear day, it is worth doing an observation of the view from the 52nd floor of the building.
Segway Tour
Another recommended way to tour the city and see its best in a short time in an amusing and attractive way is a two-hour Segway tour. The company "Boston by Segway" has recommended guided tours departing from Boston's vibrant Italian district, the North End, and including a ride on the promenade along the sea near impressive bridges and a dam with a view of Boston's famous stadium TD Garden up to the Charlestown district where the warship U.S.S. Constitution is located. From there, continue riding along bridges, squares, and gardens for a short tour in Cambridge and a break to stretch your legs at Cambridge's second-largest shopping center, the "CambridgeSide Galleria."
From there, continue to central Boston for a trip to "Beacon Hill" and from there to Boston's city park, the "Boston Common." Pass near famous buildings like the New State House and City Hall and continue along the harbor, near the historical ship "Boston Tea Party Ship," the Children's Museum, the Aquarium, and back to the Italian district.
Along the way, you will receive amusing and fascinating explanations about the city and its attractions from the company's cool guides.
Bicycle Tour
A guided bicycle tour is a recommended option for stretching your legs while touring the city with guidance and explanations about the destinations along the way. To book a 2.5-hour bicycle tour from Viator:
Boston City View Bicycle Tour: History and Landmarks
Food Tours
North End Market Food Tour:
A recommended (and also tasty) two-hour tour departing from the Italian district is a food tasting tour in the North End called:
Boston's North End Small Group Food Tour. The tour duration is about three hours and during it you will forget you are in an American city and think you have arrived in Italy of the past.
You will tour between bakeries, grocery stores, delis, pizzerias, handmade pasta and cheese shops, a charmingly designed wine shop, and even a vegetable shop. In all of them, you will hear fascinating explanations about the food and culture and of course enjoy a wealth of diverse tastings. Gastronomy enthusiasts will enjoy every moment. At the end of the trip, you will also receive a selection of recipes for some of the delicacies you sampled during the tour as well as recommendations for quality restaurants in the district.
A Trip Along the Freedom Trail – The Red Brick Path
After the guided tours, it is also worth walking in the city center. It is recommended to walk the "Freedom Trail," also called the "Red Brick Path," whose starting point is in the city's central park: Boston Common, where the city's main visitor center is also located.
The route (marked throughout with a prominent red color) passes between the city's famous and historical sites: the impressive State House with its gold dome, Park Street Church, the Granary Burying Ground where the first patriots who began the struggle for independence are buried, School Street, where the first public school in the US was located, the Old City Hall, the Old State House, and Faneuil Hall which is an ancient municipal market, and Quincy Market which is packed with fast food restaurants, kiosks, and souvenir shops.
The route ends at Boston Harbor where it is recommended to visit the historical ship that became the museum U.S.S. Constitution.
Visit to the Boston Tea Party Ships
It is also recommended to visit the "Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum." This is an exact replica of the historical British ship from which, on the night of December 16, 1773, people opposing what they called "British tyranny" threw the entire cargo of tea that was in its hold. This event is considered the event that led to the American War of Independence and later to the Declaration of Independence of the United States. In the ship and the adjacent museum, a fascinating interactive guided tour is held, where each participant becomes one of the people who took an active part in throwing the tea (each receives a sheet with an explanation of who they were and what their role and action was).
Booking from Viator: Guided tour of the Tea Party ship and museum visit - Admission to Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
Aquarium
Animal lovers should visit Boston's impressive aquarium, called the New England Aquarium, which despite its relatively modest size is considered one of the most recommended aquariums in the US.
Whale Watching
From the aquarium, you can also go on a whale watching trip. During the cruise, which lasts about 3 hours, you can see whales in season (from April to October, with the peak in the summer months) performing flips, jumping, spraying water jets, and marvel at the dimensions of this wonderful creature.
Boston City Map
Trip to the Nearby City of Cambridge
It is recommended to take a day trip to the nearby city of Cambridge, famous mainly for two of the best universities in the world located there: Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Guided Tours of the Universities and the City
It is highly recommended to take a guided tour of Harvard University, whose massive campus abounds with impressive historical buildings. The university was established in 1636 as a men's-only university, and during the fascinating tour, you will hear a wealth of facts and anecdotal stories about the university, its founder, life and studies there, its famous students, and more. Two companies lead one-hour guided tours at Harvard.
Harvard University Campus Guided Walking Tour- The uniqueness of this company is that all its guides are Harvard students, and another unique feature is that during the entire tour they walk backwards while facing the group of travelers. The company's tours are dynamic and amusing.
Cambridge Historical Tours - the uniqueness of this company is that its guides are dressed in clothes typical of the period of the founding of the city and university from the 17th and 18th centuries, with puffy dresses for women and suits with top hats for men.
The guide plays the role of a character from the city's past and during the tour integrates a wealth of information about Cambridge and of course about Harvard. The company also has other tours in Cambridge, such as a historical tour of Cambridge and a night tour following the ghosts of Cambridge.
The tours of both companies depart from the Cambridge Visitor Center located in Harvard Square.
Museums
Harvard has several impressive museums. The most recommended of all is the Harvard Museum of Natural History, which has impressive collections of minerals, taxidermy, and dinosaur bones and a host of other animals, but it is particularly famous for its unique glass flowers collection.
Trip to the Witch City "Salem"
From Boston, it is worth driving along the coast about an hour north for a half-day or full-day visit to the witch city "Salem."
