Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - 4 Days in Boston

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4 Days in Boston - what to do

We are visiting Boston between 7-11 October as part of our RTW trip. We will be coming in from New York and after that will be going onto Montreal I think. Could anyone give me a suggested itinerary of what to do during those 4 days in order to see as much as Boston as possible, also, do you think its possible to go to Cape Cod while we are there? We are from London, England so if you think that we could do this part of our trip in a better way then please let me know. Thanks

As a start, try typing "Boston itinerary" in the search box. This should bring up my thread for my stay in Boston (also from London) in January (post last edited 26 Dec 2002). There are plenty of things mentioned here to start you off with ideas. I am happy to give you details of our specific day-to-day itinerary if you wish but without knowing your interests this may be of limited help. Please let me know if you want more info.

Thanks for this Dave. I have taken a look and it looks good. What did you end up doing in the end?

If you are driving, stop for a night on Cape Cod on your way up from New York. If not driving, I might skip Cape Cod since transportation to/from would, in my opinion, take up too much of your time. Then, with 3 days in Boston you might (as a real brief overview) spend a day walking the Freedom Trail, a day seeing a couple of museums, and the final day on specific interests you might have. (such as take a Duck tour, shop, take a day trip out of Boston itself) Those of us who live in the area would be happy to give you more specific advice on how to spend your time if you can give us some more hints about your interests. Boston in October is usually beautiful.

A brief summary (hotel was Sheraton in Back Bay, adjacent to Pru Center): Day 1 - Freedom Trail (parts 1-12) incl lunch at Quincey Market, ice skating on Frog Pond, Cheers bar, shopping at Pru Center. Day 2 - remainder of Freedom Trail incl river boat from USS Constitution to Aquarium, Sam Adams brewery tour, Black Rose pub, ice hockey match at Fleet Center. Day 3 - Pru Center skywalk, shopping at Downtown Crossing, walk over Longfellow Bridge, T to Harvard for walk round and a meal. Evenings were generally spent in Back Bay or Kenmore Sq as there were plenty of bars etc in those places. Things I wish I'd had time to do: Isabella Gardner museum, Aquarium, JFK Library. You'll have better weather in October hopefully so may be able to get around to see more. If you want any extra info please shout.

Thanks for this info!

Dave, when you did the Freedom trail, did you do it with an arranged group or on your own?

I am not Dave, but the Freedom Trail is easily done by self without tour. There are buildings/sites (such as burial ground) along way and easy guide books available to give you info about each. In addition, Park Rangers are available at several places to answer questions, give more info. All is well marked (complete with different color bricks to mark the pathway along the street) and lots of historical markings, plaques to describe significance of each place. Since you are actually walking through streets of Boston it also gives you a nice flavor of the area and real people who live here. Gardner Museum is very nice. Aquarium is OK - but not one of the best in the country, so depending on your interest in fish, go or pass it up. We had recent guests from England who most wanted to see JFK Library/Museum. Easy to get to on MBTA (train) and they proclaimed it one of best things of visit.

We were in Boston the summer of 2001. The Freedom Trail is a great way to see alot of the sites and get a feel of the city as other posters have said. I don't know how it is now, but when we visted the Freedom Trail between Quincy Mkt and Paul Revere's House was a mess b/c of the Big DIG.....The Big Dig also has tours I think...I would have liked to have done that but, we didn't have time We day-triped to three places... 1) Lexington/Concord - An absolute must especially if you're either a history or literature buff. I liked Concord better than Lenxington b/c it wasn't so developed. 2) Salem - Even though you think it's just the witch stuff...it's more. The witch stuff will take you about a half day if you're just taking a look at everything....The interesting (and forgotten) part of Salem is the Seaport. Go down by the water and there's lots to see and do including the House of Seven Gables. 3) Plymouth - Yep...there's the rock...after that little 30 second must do...Try the Plimouth Plantation (yes, that's spelled correctly)...If you're from England, it might be very interesting to you...the entire villiage functions as though it were 1620. Plymouth was a neat little town, too

The town is Plymouth, the plantation is Plimoth. Dave's itinerary looks good to me, with the Gardner and JFK Library if there's time.

I agree with the above replies. You can just pick up some info on the Freedom Trail at a visitor center, which should be good enough as a guide. Also, if it has been reopened, I would recommend the Boston Tea Party Museum as well.

I thought this link might be of interest to those traveling to Boston. It lists reader’s choices and editors picks of the 10 best of everything you can imagine (attractions, day trips, food, hotel, free attractions, golf course, etc.) I don't agree with all the choices but for the most part they are pretty good. http://boston.citysearch.com/best/categories/2002?cslink=cs_news_generic_3_5 Not all great in the winter, but my favs: - Take a stroll along the Charles River (great views, people watching and sailboats) - Walk down Charles Street (quaint shops) and Newbury Street (pricey shops) - Walk through the Boston common (see the frog pond) and public garden and take a ride on the Swan Boats (get there early in the morning so you don't have to wait in line) During your walk through the public gardens (Charles Street entrance), don’t forget to stop by the “duckling” monument put up to honor the classic story of a family of Mallard ducks in downtown Boston from the book “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey, Viking, 1941, A Caldecott Medal winner. A copy of the book makes a great gift for kids. It can be found at most Boston gift shops. I give it to all new mothers as part of the shower or christening gift. - Spend an afternoon in Harvard Square (lots of shops, really great people watching and lots of history) - Take a Duck Boat Tour. This is the best way to ride by all the sights. It is a land and water tour which you can catch at the Prudential (reserve ahead). Not only do you get to see the harbor but you get to ride in it (all kids on board get a chance to drive the boat for a minute or two). The guys who ride are really animated, in costumes and tell obscure historical stories (like the great Boston molasses flood). - Eat dinner in the North End (Italian section) and then have desserts at Mike's Pastry (or look for a quaint coffee shop) - Depending on what you like, stop by Charleston to see the Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument and then stop by the Warren Tavern for lunch or dinner (small, quaint and great food - gets a little too crowded for me on Wednesday nights) - See a Red Sox Game and get a tour of Fenway Park - Head up to Gloucester, Newburyport, Portsmouth NH, Salem, Rockport or down to Cape Cod for a day to see the ocean or check out some of the witch museums (Salem) - Boston has a lot of great parks. My favorite is the Back Bay Fens. Local residents who don't have a yard take a spot and turn it into their own garden. There is literally hundreds of these, all beautiful (near Kenmore Square). This site lists many of the parks: http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/tourtheparks.htm - You may also want to consider a day at the Science Museum. If you don't want to take the entire day you can get tickets to their Omni theater which is quite good (a few hours for a show). - I'd skip Fanuel Hall and the Cheers Bar and stay away from all the dives on Route 1 and Revere Beach. - You didn't ask about food, but try http://www.phantomgourmet.com/frame.as Billy Costa DJ at WXKS 108 FM a popular radio station also has a cable TV show called Phantom Gourmet. He is brutally honest about food quality, service and ambiance. He has never steered us wrong!!! There is also a section where locals & visitors can comment on their dining experience.

Sorry about this Fodor, but Lonely PLanet do an excellent guide book with great walks of Beacon hill, the Freedom Trail, Downtown and the Waterfront and the Newbury Street area. It's weel worth getting

I agree with adnil especially about eating dinner in the North End and having coffee and pastry at Mikes. It's a must in order to get the "feel" for one of Boston's oldest neighborhoods. Your timing is perfect...the weather is great during the beginning of October so you can stroll along Hanover Street, exploring all the side streets as you make your way to the Old North Church. Seeing and touring Fenway Park would not be difficult since it's right in the middle of the city. Most visitors get really excited about taking that tour. And, sad to say, there's a pretty good chance that the Red Sox won't be in post-season play at that time. The Freedom Trail is the best way to see all the historic sights but don't miss the opportunity to walk through the Public Gardens and down fasionable Newbury Street. There won't be any outdoor activities on the Esplanade at that time, but a stroll along the Charles, crossing over any of the bridges to Memorial Drive into Cambridge would be well worth your while. If it's a very clear night, the view from the Bay Tower Room at 60 State Street is lovely. Dinner there is expensive, but you could have an after dinner drink and a dance there. Nice ambiance. You really could spend all three days in the city, between the Freedom Trail, Duck Tour, museums, shopping, colleges and universities. A side trip to Cape Cod for just a few hours wouldn't give you much of a feel for all that the Cape can offer. Perhaps a trip to the Rockport/Essex/Cape Ann area would be easier and the scenery more picturesque for a short day visit. Don't bother with Revere Beach. You'll need very specific information on Salem before making a short visit. Boston is great. You'll really enjoy your trip. Have fun.

~ Boston in October �. GREAT time to visit �. and if the winters weren�t so cold, maybe I�d still be there. As it�s been over 20 years since I resided in MA, I�ll leave the particulars up to others. Mark�s query posted several months ago has good info, �Boston itinerary� > > > to review this thread cited by another poster, click on: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=1&tid=34387537