speckles

I'll be in Boston in August for 2.7 days (flight to DC departs at 6.50pm). In Boston I would like to see the Public Gardens, the Freedom Trail and in particular the USS Constitution.

I've decided I want to visit Provincetown, which will take one full day. I could also go to Faneuil Market Place when the ferry returns at 5.30pm, if I still have some energy.

This leaves me with 1.6 days to see Boston. If I leave my plans at that then I think I have enough time to see the things I want.

However, I've been reading up on the Peabody-Essex Museum and it gets rave reviews, so now I'm considering adding it, although I may be overplanning if I do this. If any one has been, can you advise how long you spent at the Museum and whether that included seeing the Yin Yu Tang house and any of the other historic buildings.

My hotel is on Cambridge St in Beacon Hill. I would catch the train from North Station. If I spent 3-4 hours max at the Peabody I could then also visit the USS Constitution on returning to Boston. This would leave me with the 0.7 day (6.50pm flight) to see the Public Gardens and the Freedom Trail.

Day 1
- Provincetown by ferry
- Faneuil Hall Marketplace (ferry returns to Long Wharf at 5.30pm)

Day 2
- Salem by train to see Peabody Essex Museum (3-4 hours, return to Boston at 1.50pm or 2.50pm)
- USS Constitution
- if time allows:
- walk over to North End to start Freedom Trail;
- alternatively take water taxi to Long Wharf and visit Faneuil Hall Marketplace if didn't go the evening before;

Day 3
- Public Gardens
- Freedom Trail (excluding Charlestown sites)
- flight to DC departs 6.50pm

Any comments or advice on this itinerary and the Peabody-Essex Museum? If I don't go to Salem I can use the extra time to see a bit of the Back Bay area and potentially the Gardener Museum.

janie

If you like historic houses I think the Peabody Essex Museum is great!
When I went the first time Yin Yu Tang was newly installed, and we got right in,. Now you need timed tickets, as you do for tours of the historic houses. There are a limited number of each, and unless you can get those in advance with a good schedule, I would allow at least 5 hours for everything . You can take a lunch break and walk around the nearby areas. The permanent exhibits are just OK, IMO, but if they are of greater interest to you, or there's a good temporary exhibit on, you'll be happy with the extra time

china_cat

the first time I went to PEM, I believe we arrived around 10AM, we bought tickets for both the historic house tour, and Yin Yu Tang. We were able to do the house tour at 11 and it took slightly over and hour. We went out in Salem for lunch, came back and did the Chinese house which took another hour or so. After that we spent some time in the permanent exhibits and left at probably 3:30-4. s we spent about 6 hours, but probably could have spent less and might have been able to get the 2 tours closer together if we'd planned in advance.

Personally, I think Yin Yu Tang is fascinating, and worth the trip all by itself. You do have a timed ticket, which includes the audio tour, and I believe a timed exit, so you can't stay that long. And if you try to listen to all of each audio entry, you won't get through the whole house.

I had to go back a second time. I suspect that's deliberate on their part!

hlsam

You can also visit the North End and Quincy Market in one afternoon / evening. It's a nice walk between the two if you stick along the waterfront.

yk

We went to PEM on a Friday in November. We were able to get tix to Yin Yu Tang upon arrival and only 4 people on our tour.

We only spent 2.5 hours at PEM, including a quick lunch at the cafe; but that's because we weren't that interested in Maritime history, which is a huge chunk of the museum's permanent exhibit.

elsiemoo

The Yin Yu Tang is fascinating, worth a visit to PEM. Have you thought of riding the ferry Boston to Salem rather than the train? I love doing that.

speckles

Thanks for the replies. Before posting this message I had spent some time on the PEM website. I didn't see any mention of timed tickets for the YYC or historic houses, so it looks like it could take longer than expected and I would have to make a definite decision so i could get tickets. That makes it a bit of a hassle.

...

I've just re-read the Hours & Information section on the website. It does say to visit the admissions desk to reserve a tour for the historic houses. I assume one can't pre-book this then. The YYC House mentions an additional cost of $4, which I had seen, but doesn't talk about timed tickets on the information page.

I'm glad you informed me of this as I would have been annoyed if I had decided to go and got there to be told tickets are timed and may not fit my plans.

speckles

Sorry, that should be "YYT House". I was thinking "Chang", not "Tang".

yk

From PEM website:

Admission to Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House
$4 (plus museum admission)
Salem residents, museum members, and youth 16 and under FREE
Prepare for your visit & Purchase Tickets

Same-day timed tickets to Yin Yu Tang may be purchased at the admissions desk. Advanced tickets may be purchased, with a surcharge, by ordering online or by calling 877-PEM-TIXX (877-736-8499). Advance ticket purchase is encouraged as tickets frequently sell out. Please arrive early in the day for best selection of times. East India Marine Associates wishing to reserve tickets, please email us for assistance.

If you have purchased tickets online for Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House, Ticket holders should arrive at the museum at least 30 minutes prior to their timed visit.

To best prepare for your Yin Yu Tang experience, please read Know Before You Go

From 10 am to 11:15 am daily and 2:15 to 3:15 Monday through Friday, Yin Yu Tang is unavailable to our general audience due to scheduled school group and adult group visits. All times are subject to change without notice. Certain Restriction may apply.

speckles

Thanks yk. I did see that the second time around. I didn't click on "purchase tickets" the first time as there was no prior indication of needing to purchase in advance.

Sorry, I'm just venting. I think the timed ticket thing should be a bit more obvious, not tucked away like it is. It's 2.30am and I really should be in bed. My trip is getting close now (7 weeks) and while I've done a lot of research, I still haven't finalised my itineraries yet. Too many things to choose from and not enough time to see it all...

Ackislander

Some thoughts.

I don't think you can do everything you want in the time you have.

Weather, traffic, long lines for lunch somewhere can all make havoc of your schedule, and to make two all day expeditions in a 2.7 day trip is asking for frustration.

I would bag either Provincetown (my choice to skip) or Salem (I recommend it highly). If it is hot, you can take a ferry to Salem to cool off and for the water experience.

The Constitution is the beginning (or end) of the Freedom Trail, so if you do the whole thing, you will come to it naturally. You will also pass through the both the North End and Faneuil Hall, and you can decide where you want to eat -- either a quick meal or a long one. Both are a quick walk from your hotel.

You will need to be at the airport an hour before your flight. You will need to allow another hour to collect your bags from the hotel and get to the airport. On a business day, you are likely to get there faster by subway than by taxi. So time continues to push you.

bachslunch

I don't see why this itinerary can't be comfortably done. Commuter rail is ordinarily reliable on the line you'll be using, and Boston is compact and walkable.

Seeing Salem and Old Ironsides in the same day makes sense, as the last tour of Old Ironsides starts at 4:30 PM and it's not an unreasonable walk from North Station, maybe half an hour or so. And Faneuil Hall is not far from the Aquarium area of the waterfront, where the P-town ferry gets in.

Traffic shouldn't be a factor here as you're either walking or using commuter rail, and lunch can be easily grabbed on the go. Weather can happen to anyone, but you can't plan that.

china_cat

so the thing with the historic houses is you have to go on a guided tour to see them. However, I don't think you'll have any trouble getting on the tour once you are there, at least we didn't. they probably ran more or less hourly.

speckles

Thanks for all the advice. I'll give it some more consideration.