Boston, MA Travel Guide

I have been living in Boston for 11 years now. Boston was the first US city I visited and it holds a very special place in my heart. I worked, studied, and lived in Boston and I know this city very well enough to tell you all that you need to know before your trip :)

I love when my friends visit and I take them around my beautiful city. This article will not cover the history of Boston but will cover some of the questions I was asked by the city visitors before or during their visit and decided to share them here

Is Boston Worth Visting?

The short answer is Yes, of course.

Boston is the Massachusetts state capital and one of the oldest cities in America. It is perfectly located in the North East of the United States along the Atlantic Ocean. It is charming all year round and has a unique historic style.

The history of the city is rich with major historical events such as the Boston massacre “No taxation without presentation”, the famous  Boston Tea Party event, and the birthplace of the American Revolution. Even if you are not into history, you will enjoy a trip to the city

When to Visit?

Boston is charming all year around. Boston has four seasons, cold snowy winter, beautiful spring, nice hot summer, and picturesque Fall (Autumn)

If you don’t like cold weather, I recommend avoiding winter especially (Jan, Feb, and Mar). The perfect time to visit is between (End of May – October)

Tip: Always bring a light jacket with you and a rain jacket as the weather in Boston can’t be predictable.

Where to Stay

Budget: For budget accommodations, you may need to be outside of the city with access to public transit. My favorite will be East Boston, South Boston, and Revere

• East Boston

• South Boston

• Chelsea

• Malden

• Revere

Perfect Location (Might be a bit expensive): Any neighborhood in the city of Boston. My favorites are:

• Seaport

• Backbay

• Newbury Street

• Charlestown

• Downtown/ Faneuil Hall

Getting Around Boston and Transportation

Boston has a good transportation system (MBTA). There are five metro lines (Green, Orange, Red, Silver, and Blue) that serve the city and surrounding suburbs as well as a train line (purple line) that goes to other Massachusetts cities, to Gillette Stadium, and to Providence RI. There is also Ferry that serves during the Summer season going to the Cape.

Buses and ferries are also part of the transportation in Boston.

I would recommend not renting a car as it will not be needed during your trip and parking is expensive in the city.

If you need a car for any reason, you can rent a Flex car or Zip car; or use the ride-share services (Lyft and Uber)

Parking

For any reason, if you decided to rent a car, use Spot Hero App to find deals on parking as it can get expensive.

Parking on Sundays is free in the city of Boston, Cambridge, and its surroundings. Also, After 7 PM in some neighborhoods in the city. Also, some garages have deals after 3 PM or 5 PM

My go-to garages in Boston are:

• Boston Common garage which is located under the Boston Common -Downtown.

• Government Cente Plaza Garage - Government Center, near downtown

My Got parking garages in Cambridge/ Harvard Sq:

• 1350 Massachusetts Ave- Holyoke Center Garage- Harvard Square

How to Get to Boston

Boston has an international airport “Boston Logan International Airport”. Non-stop international flights can be found between Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

Also, the Amtrack train or Buses are another option to get to Boston from NYC, or DC.

Tip: From the airport, you can either Uber/Lyft to the city or take transportation (SL1 to South Station or Blue Line to Downtown)

How Many Days do I need to spend in Boston?

I recommend spending at least 3 days visiting the main Boston and Cambridge landmarks. You might need more time if you decide to visit other cities or the Cape.

What to do in Boston (and Cambridge)?

• Boston Common and public garden

  • Visit the Embrace and have a picnic in Boston public garden.

  • Swan boat (seasonal) in Boston Public Garden pond

• Newbury Street - Named in 2022 as one of the coolest streets on the plants

  • Shopping, walking, and dining

• Beacon Hill

  • Visit Acorn Street- the most photographed  street in Boston

• Copley Square

  • Trinity Church

  • Khalil Gibran Plaque

  • Boston Public Library (Copley)

  • Prudential Center and Copley Place

    • shopping and dining center

• Freedom trail - the walking trail includes the following tourist attractions.

  • Boston Common

  • Massachusttes state house

  • Park Street Church

  • Granary Burying Ground

  • Old State House

  • Boston Massacre site

  • Faneuil Hall

  • Paul Revere House

  • Old North Church

  • USS Constitution

  • Bunker Hill Monument

• North End (little Itay)

• Harvard University and Harvard Square (Cambridge side)

• Charles River

  • Walk in Charles River Esplanade

  • Would recommend doing a cruise on the river

• Christopher Columbus park

  • Boston Harbor Cruise and whale watching

• Museums

  • New England Aquarium

  • USS Constitution museum

  • Museum of Fin Art

    • (Free or discounted entry first weekend of the month with a BOA card)

  • Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

    • (Free first Thursday night “tickets required in advanced for the free Thursday”

  • Boston Tea Party ship and Museum

• Seaport Area

• Historic Fenway park

  • If you are a baseball fan, you may be able to watch the red sox game

 Coffee Shops

This is my favorite part- coffee :) Who doesn’t like to sip a delicious coffee in a cute coffee shop? Boston has many coffee shops. Here are some of my favorites

• *Tatte Bakery: Coffee, Dessert, pastries, all-day brunch. Very nice ambient

• *Caffe Vittoria: Boston Landmark, opens until 12 AM.

  • This place is cash only

• *Cocorico: Coffee and pastry

• *Tradesman Coffee Shop and Loung: Coffee and stuffed croissants. Nice Vibe

• **Gracenote Coffee Shop

• **Render Coffee

• *Thinking Cup - Opens late during the weekend

• **Ogawa Coffee

• *George Howell Coffee: Delicious coffee and nice ambient

• *Jaho Coffee Roaster and Wine Bar: Nice vibe, unique coffee mixes, open late

• *Greystone Cafe, Bakery, and Provisions: Coffee and breakfast pastries

• *Flour Bakery + Cafe

• **1369 Coffee House

• **Barismo

• **Broadsheet Coffee Roasters

• **Faro Cafe

• *3 Little Figs: Delicious coffee and brunch.

  • Limited seating

• *Diesel Cafe: Nice Ambinet

• **Cicada: New Coffee Shop, nice ambient

• * Bluestone Lane: Coffee shop, brunch, and lunch

• **Lakon Paris Patisserie: Unique delicious Croissant “haven’t tried it yet”

  • Two locations n Brookline and Newton

Restaurants and Food Places

• *Barcelona Wine Bar - Tapas

• **Contessa- beautiful restaurant

• **Krasi- Make sure to reserve months in advanced

• **Oleana - Mediterranean

• *Moona- Mediterranean Tapas

• * Istanbul’lu- Turksih

  • limited seating

  • also offers Turkish breakfast

• * Committee: Delicious food and nice ambient

• *Cafe Bonjour - Brunch

• *Cafe Landwer - Coffee shop, brunch, and lunch

• **Cafe Sauvage - French

• *Cafe Luna - Brunch

• ** Juliet

• *Ciao Pizza and Pasta

  • Best pizza!

• * Quattro - Italian

• ** Caremelina - Italian

• * Pinocchio’’s Pizza and Sub - Italian sub, quick and perfect for takeout

• * Sweetgreen: Salad and Bowls, healthy and delicious

• * Live Alive Organic Cafe: Healthy, vegetarian options

Halal Eating

If you follow a Halal diet, you may wonder if Boston has Hala restaurants, the answer is yes, Boston does :) here is what I recommend

• *The Helmand - Afghan

• **Dolma Mediterranean Cusion

• *The Maharaja - Indian

  • Confirm with the restaurant as not everything is halal

• **Baraka Cusine

• *Istanbul’lu - Turkish

• *Cafe Bonjour

• * Ali Baba Reasturnat Boston - Turkish

• *Boston Doner - Turkish

• *Nusr- Et Boston - Burger and Steak house

• * Sufra Mediterranean Food - Shawarma

• * Al Wadi - Lebenase

• **Ariana Restaurant - Afghan

• * Lavash Bar and Grill - Turkish

• * Hafez House of Kebab

 ** Haven’t Tried

*Tried and Loved