Hello,
We are first time travelers to Boston; trying to figure out hotels. Would like to stay in an area that is walking distance to one or two of the things I most want to visit (Boston Public Library, Isabel Gardner Museum, Freedom Trail, Boston Art Museum, Boston Public Garden) and has convenient access to subway/bus for those things that are not. (And the walking means 20-30 minutes walking.) Art, history and libraries are our interests.

Just a basic room needed, no suite or kitchen required, no car to park. . Would like to stay under $250 per night. Planning to stay 4-5 nights. Will be arriving late, probably by taxi but shuttle or very easy subway access would be a plus. Thanks for any suggestions; I'm rather overwhelmed at the moment!

I haven't been to Boston since pre-pandemic so hopefully others will have suggestions for you. But having read some recent posts about Boston I think hotel rates in decent areas are pretty high -- like 'Manhattan-high'. Maybe instead of walking distance to some central sites, maybe stay near Logan and use transit into the center?? I think there are some moderately priced hotels near the airport - Staybridge Suites and the like.

I think your budget is a bit low for that area of Boston for mid-September but you can certainly do some checking to see what might be available and come back with specifics. Do you belong to any hotel honors programs? Even if not enough points for a free night, you get a member discount on rates. Same with AAA membership.

My 2015 Boston stay covered your Library and Art interests but the price is probably higher than you want. Here's my trip report:

​Boston--Another Art Mission

Scroll down to post 23 for actual TR! Others can help with more. It's a great city!​​​​​

Try the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, or the Courtyard by Marriott Copley. I Stayed at the Downtown in December for about your budget rate. Both are near the Public Gardens, the Freedom Trail, the Library and the "T" which will take you out to the museums. Hope their rates are as reasonable in September as they were near Christmas!

You are right . . . Now that I am looking at the prices for actual dates for the downtown hotels (not the "starting at" rate), I see that I will need to raise that amount if I want to stay downtown. I have AARP membership, maybe that's worth some discount. One hotel advertised 20% off in you booked directly with them for more than 3 nights. So many of the reviews seem to complain about the small rooms and noise level but that's probably just to be expected. So I will keep looking, thank you!

Thanks for the link to your travel report. Looking forward to all the art!

You will definitely have to pay more than originally planned if you want to stay in downtown Boston. September prices are higher than at other times of year.
This recent thread might help you find some other alternatives
Boston Stay Outside City to Save Money

As an update to that thread: I thought that the 1868 hotel in Porter Square Cambridge (where we stayed 2 weeks ago) was a good choice. The small queen rooms are quite small but everything is well appointed. There is a T stop (red line) right opposite the hotel so it is easy to get to downtown Boston.