All our things-to-do guides, plus the 20 Boston essentials with addresses and T stops. Only have a day? Do the first five in order.
The short answer
The 10 best things to do in Boston
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Start here: things to do in Boston by situation
The nine most-read guides.
Free
Free museum nights, parks, walks, views and neighborhoods.
At night
Rooftop bars, late museums, comedy, music and food after 11pm.
This weekend
Markets, games, shows and the standing recommendations.
Date ideas
Swan Boats to oyster bars, cheap to splurge, with a backup plan.
Rainy day
Museums, the library, covered walkways and long lunches.
Solo
Bar seats, walks, museums and classes that are better alone.
On a budget
A full weekend priced out, with cheap eats and a $22.50 T pass.
Freedom Trail
Every stop in order, what to go inside, what to skip.
Best views
Observation decks, bridges, parks across the water and rooftop bars.
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20 essential things to do in Boston
The first ten are walkable from each other. The second ten need the T or a ferry.
Walk the Freedom Trail
A red brick line through 16 historic sites, Common to USS Constitution. Go early and use our stop-by-stop guide.
Eat your way through the North End
Close to 100 Italian restaurants in half a square mile. Dinner, then a cannoli from Mike's or Modern. Shortlist in the North End guide.
The Public Garden, Boston Common and Beacon Hill
The country's oldest public park, Swan Boats in season and the Ducklings statues. Cross Beacon Street for gas lamps and Acorn Street.
Fenway Park, for a game or a tour
The oldest ballpark in the majors, opened 1912. Bleacher seats are the cheap way in; the tour includes the Green Monster.
Museum of Fine Arts
One of the largest art museums in the country. Pick one wing: Art of the Americas, Japanese or Egyptian.
Sunset on the Charles River Esplanade
Three miles of riverside park facing west, so it gets every sunset. The dock by the Hatch Shell is the spot.
Harvard Square and Harvard Yard
Walk the Yard, then the free Harvard Art Museums and the bookstores. Where to eat is in the Harvard Square guide.
The ICA and the Seaport Harborwalk
Contemporary art in a glass box over the harbor. Come Thursday night, then walk the Harborwalk for the best close-up skyline view.
Get on the harbor
A harbor cruise, the seasonal ferry to the harbor islands, or the MBTA ferry to Charlestown for the price of a subway ride.
Boston Public Library and Copley Square
Bates Hall, the 1895 reading room with green lamps, is open to anyone. The courtyard is the quietest spot in Back Bay.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
A Venetian-style palazzo around a flowering courtyard, empty frames from the 1990 heist included. Many locals prefer it to the MFA.
Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market
A meeting hall since 1742, a food hall since 1826. The Great Hall upstairs is free. Haymarket's produce stalls run Friday and Saturday.
Museum of Science
Built on a dam across the Charles, with a planetarium, IMAX dome and live lightning show. The best rainy-day option with kids.
New England Aquarium and the Harborwalk
A four-story ocean tank, penguins downstairs, and harbor seals outside you can watch for free. Walk the Harborwalk north to the North End.
Bunker Hill Monument and the USS Constitution
The end of the Freedom Trail. Climb 294 steps for the harbor view, then board the oldest commissioned warship still afloat.
Skywalk or a rooftop bar for the view from above
View Boston is the observation deck atop the Prudential. Cheaper: a sunset drink at a rooftop bar. Both in best views of Boston.
Arnold Arboretum
281 acres of Harvard-run botanical collection, free every day, with a skyline view from Peters Hill and lilacs in May.
Castle Island
A granite fort, a beach, a two-mile loop around Pleasure Bay, and Sullivan's for hot dogs since 1951. The most local afternoon on this list.
MIT and Kendall Square
Walk the Infinite Corridor and find the Great Dome, then cross the Longfellow Bridge back at dusk for the best free skyline walk.
Somerville and Cambridge after dark
Where the city goes out: live music, dive bars, trivia, breweries, late-night food. See Boston at night.
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Boston activities by mood, budget and company
- Money: free things to do, cheap things to do, Boston on a budget, free museum days.
- Company: alone, with friends, on a date, couples, families, students, in your 20s.
- Character: unique things to do, hidden gems, outdoor, rainy day, at night.
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Things to do in Boston by season
| Season | The essentials | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Foliage on the Esplanade, Head of the Charles, apple picking, first cold-weather dinners in the North End | Fall in Boston |
| Winter | Frog Pond skating, museums, Bruins and Celtics, tree lightings, First Night | Winter in Boston · Christmas |
| Spring | Marathon Monday, Swan Boats, Lilac Sunday, Red Sox opening day, cherry blossoms | Spring in Boston |
| Summer | Harbor islands, Hatch Shell concerts, Fourth of July, North End feasts, beaches, rooftop bars | Summer in Boston |
Weekly, not seasonal: things to do in Boston this weekend, refreshed every Thursday.
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Best-of lists
- Best views of Boston
- Best photo spots in Boston
- Best sunset spots in Boston
- Best parks in Boston
- Best museums in Boston
- Best walks in Boston
- Best beaches near Boston
- Free museum days in Boston
- Freedom Trail guide
Prefer a structured route? The self-guided routes hub has a Freedom Trail route and a whole-city game. Hungry? The food and drink hub is next door.
FAQ
Things to do in Boston: common questions
What is the number one thing to do in Boston?
Walk the Freedom Trail. It is free, 2.5 miles, passes 16 historic sites, and ends near the North End for dinner.
What can you do in Boston in one day?
Beacon Hill, the Freedom Trail to the North End, lunch on Hanover Street, the Harborwalk to the ICA, then sunset on the Esplanade. See the one-day itinerary.
What are the best things to do in Boston for free?
The Freedom Trail, Public Garden, library, Esplanade, Harborwalk, Harvard Yard, ICA Thursday nights and MFA Wednesday evenings. All 27 in free things to do.
What is there to do in Boston when it rains?
The MFA, the Gardner, the ICA and the Museum of Science. The library and the Prudential walkways are free and dry. See rainy day Boston.
Is Boston a good city for a weekend trip?
Yes. Two days covers the Freedom Trail, North End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay and a museum, no car needed. Use the weekend itinerary.