My friends and I would like to arrange a long weekend in Boston in September. We would like to stay in the Back Bay Area. Can you recommend reasonable, but quality hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and activities. A walking itinerary would serve us best, so a convenient hotel location is preferable.

How many people?

When?

I strongly recommend -- strongly -- learning to use Priceline to bid on hotels in Boston. If you stick to **** hotels in the Back Bay, you will not go wrong and can save a good deal of money -- at least half of walk up rate. The Sheraton, the Hilton, the Marriott and the Park Plaza almost always have rooms because they are very large hotels, and each is conveniently located for shopping, dining, and transportation to various historical sites.

The third weekend is parents' weekend at many of the area universities, so it is worth checking the schedules at BU, Harvard, and MIT on the web. You will also find fewer vacancies if the Red Sox are playing, especially the Yankees.

Otherwise, I think this is the best area of town for people who want to do a variety of things.

GoodLuckGirl wrote: "Can you recommend reasonable, but quality hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and activities."

What I can recommend for you regarding the last three of these is that you do a board search. Boston is extensively well covered on this board, and a look through a good travel book on the city will also be useful.

For a walking itinerary, consider seeing what is suggested at Frommer's site for this city. And of course the Freedom Trail is the ultimate "must" walking tour in Boston.

Would definitely recommend that you re-post with a tentative itinerary and some restaurants you want advice about after doing some more research. We can offer good fine-tuning suggestions from there.

Definitely agree about Priceline. My husband and I have taken a few weekend trips to Boston with great Priceline deals. Granted, those were in winter, but it's still worth a try!

The first day take the Old town trolley.You can get on/off all day,the guides are great and there's a harbor cruise included.The other days you can visit the things you want to explore in depth.Paul

There are SEVERAL DOZENS of hotesl in the Back Bay area. From the generic business hotesl (Marriott, Hilton, Westin, Sheraton) to smaller boutique ones (Lenox, Copley Sq Hotel, Colonnade); as well as Fairmont Copley, Back Bay Hotel, The Taj etc.

None of them are as convenient to the Freedom trail as the hotels closer to Boston Common and/or Faneuil Hall. Back bay area is convenient to shopping and restaurants, as well as the museums. But to walk and see the historic core, you'd be better off staying at the hotels near the Common or Faneuil Hall.

Unlike Manhattan, Boston is a great bet using Priceline 4* Backbay if you're looking for a bargain. I don't think any of the properties are closets and if you call the front desk immediately and put in a 2 bed request, they will likely do their best to accomadate.

A great big "thank you" to all of you for your input. I will check out Priceline.
An even bigger "thank you" to Ackislander for the tip regarding Parents' Weekend or a Red Sox game.
I will do further research regarding my itinerary, and I will definitely consult with all of you in reference to restaurants.

GoodLuckGirl

Well, in Back Bay you're definitely close to the best shopping! The hotels which always top any Boston hotel list in Back Bay are Hotel Commonwealth and the Back Bay Hotel. The Radisson is also very nice. For walking tours the Freedom Trail is obviously the most popular, however, the historic neighborhood tours (Beacon Hill, Back Bay, North End) give a more rich experience. Boston by Foot is the best guided tour company or if you're in the "do it yourself" mindset you can find some downloadable audio tours at companies like IWalked Audio Tours. Happy travels!

Just got back from Boston and got a great price at the Copley Square Marriot using Priceline. Almost 1/2 price from the other travel discount sites. I think it's easy to get around in Boston, so Back Bay/Copley Square would easily accommodate your needs. Have fun! Do the Duck Tour!!