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Welcome, it’s great to have you here looking for Boston travel tips. Let me share with you how to get the best out of this beautiful city.
Mark Ford
Boston is one of the oldest cities in America and has been the backdrop for several defining moments in America’s history. From the establishment of the earliest colony’s to the first presidency’s and the birth of these United States. Boston has witnessed it all.
Boston is a city with many sides. And it is most definitely a sports town, where the city lives and dies by the Red Sox and Patriots showed in every bar. It’s also home to incredible Revolutionary War history. Boston is an intellectual city, it’s the home to universities like Harvard and MIT, and enough libraries and museums to keep its citizens stimulated. But you are probably here for a vacation, so let’s dig right into it!
Of course before you book your tickets you want to get some Boston travel tips and get some insights into how to get from the airport and how to get around town. Let’s start with the airport.
Boston is served by Boston Logan International Airport, located just 3 miles from downtown. And makes it a very convenient airport to get from. Once you’ve landed and collected your bags, what’s the best way to get into town? Let’s find out.
Airplane in Boston
The subway’s blue line runs from the airport right into town where you can connect to all the other lines in the city. The tickets are $2.50 and you can purchase them from the machines at the station. To get to the blue line station you need to take a free shuttle from the airport.
Alternatively you can use the Silverline bus airport service. From the airport the Silverline travels along the south Boston waterfront and ends up at South station, where you can connect to a variety of other services for the low cost of $1.60.
Taxis in Boston are pretty expensive, but since the airport is located so close to the city it’s going to cost around $25 + tolls and it only takes 15 minutes if the traffic runs smoothly.
When looking for Boston travel tips around the public transport, the city has a fantastic public transport service that will get you pretty much anywhere you need to go in this great city. The T is Boston’s subway service and it’s also the oldest subway service in America, but it still works brilliantly.
Boston Subway
There are 4 lines: red, orange, blue and green that will get you pretty much anywhere in the city. One thing to notice is that the direction of the trains are referred to as Inbound for trains moving into the city and Outbound as for trains leaving the city. It might sound obvious, but it can take a couple of goes to figure it out. Google Maps is a great way to figure out how to get from point A to point B.
If you plan to use Boston’s public transport services often it’s worth getting a Charlie Card. To get the card you need to go to a customer service booth in a station to get the plastic version, otherwise you’ll just get a paper ticket. It’s worth getting the plastic version because the paper version does have a tendency to disintegrate. Plus the plastic version will get you discounts to the T and buses. 7-day passes costs only $12.50 which is really cheap and will be paid off in just a couple of trips.
Since I mentioned earlier, taxis in Boston are very expensive. There’s all kinds of toll fees and tips that get added on your journey and that adds up pretty quickly to become an expensive ride. Uber on the other hand is active in the city and it’s cheaper and more convenient too, so it’s an option if you want to explore the city by taxi.
Lots of people need Boston travel tips before visiting the city. Some come on business trips and leave thinking that the city is nothing but gray skyscrapers. Maybe it’s because they just stay in downtown Boston. Now, you could be staying in a neighborhood with Victorian homes, stately brownstones, or red brick buildings with fire escapes beautifully
Buldings in Boston
running up and down them.
Best Overall: Back Bay
Back Bay is located in the center of Boston, it’s close to almost everything. Back Bay is home to some of the priciest, and most beautiful real estate in town, as well as some of the best shopping. You’re steps from Boston’s top sights like the Boston Public Library and the Public Garden. As well as the Boston Marathon finish line at Copley Square. Newbury Street is home to luxury shops and indie boutiques as well as plenty of sidewalk cafes and restaurants.
Recommended Hotel: Boston Park Plaza
Park in Boston
History: The North End
Boston is filled with history. The Freedom Trail is one of America’s best historic trails, taking you from Boston Common to the Charlestown Navy Yard, hitting dozens of places of historical importance along the way, like the Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, and Paul Revere’s house. The North End is great because it’s one of the oldest and prettiest residential neighborhoods in Boston. It is also Boston’s traditionally Italian neighborhood. You’ll find plenty of Italian shops and restaurants, plus longtime residents who speak primarily Italian.
Recommended Hotel: The Boxer Boston
Food culture: The South End
Located just south of Back Bay, The South end is one of Boston’s best residential neighborhoods with beautiful brownstones, boutique hotels, quirky shops you won’t find anywhere else, and the best restaurants in the city. One of the pleasures of staying in the South End is feeling like a local. There aren’t many obvious tourist destinations here, so most tourists will actually keep away from this area. If you’re a food lover, be sure to visit one of Ken Oringer’s restaurants.
Recommended Hotel: Encore Bed and Breakfast
Because of Boston’s rich maritime history, sea food is plentiful here. And it’s almost always really good. The fishing and shipping industry also means that Boston has a culturally diverse population that stretches back from generations. And when they arrived on the Boston shores they brought with them their food culture, which have since been adapted and integrated into local New England cuisine with mouthwatering results.
Fish and Chips in Boston
Clam chowder (or “chowdah”), the thick soup has been around for centuries and came into New England in the early 18th century. Although there are a couple of different styles, Boston has become a haven for the New England variety – a white chowder crafted out of clams, onions, milk or cream, potatoes and thickened with oyster crackers.
Lobster rolls. Boston has certainly become a destination for this summertime meal. The sandwich – often served on a griddled, buttered roll – arrives flush with pink lobster meat and showered with warm melted butter or mayo.
Cannoli is hollow pastry tubes piped with sweet ricotta cheese and peppered with chocolate, nuts or fruit – is a favourite among Bostonians. Head to the North End to Mike’s Pastry to check it out.
Cannoli
Fish and chips. The first fish and chips shop was opened in the mid-19th century in London, yet Boston has welcomed the British favorite as one of its own. White fish – usually cod, pollock or haddock – battered in flour and deep-fried until golden and crackly, and paired with a platter of oil-slicked fries and mayo.
Fenway Frank Hot Dog. These hotdogs have been a mainstay at Fenway park since it opened over a hundred years ago. They are both boiled and grilled, slipped into a split-top bun and crowned with a mountain of relish or a squeeze of mustard.
Fenway Park
New England Aquarium
Boston Museum
Accreditation: Yellow Productions
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Mark Ford – Founder of Plus1Travel.com – For More Travel Tips > Go Here