ALEJANDRO ECHAGÜE

I'm planning a 5-day trip to Boston in April this year, and I'd like to know how you people would spread your time in order to see the best of Boston.
I'll be driving from NYC, and, although a sound advice seems to be "don't drive in Boston", I could use my car to get to some spots on the outskirts of Boston. I'd want to know what places I shouldn't miss. Than you.

Lincoln

Hi,
Boston is a great city to visit and a lot of places to go. Five days should be enough.
1) Walk along the "Freedom Trail". It should take you to all the historical sights. Stop by Northend for nice food.
2) Harvard Square. Get to see the great university and all the shops around the area.
3) Newberry Street...great shopping and the most European street in America. Tried to sit on a side walk cafe.
4) Go up to Prudential Building to see the entire view of the city
5) Haymarket and Fanuil Hall on Sunday if possible
For outside of Boston
1) Drive to Newport Beach between Rhode Island and Mass. if you know 18th century architecture. It's about an hour and half drive from Boston.
2) Cape Cod. I didn't like it very much, but it's one of the places you should go.

Good luck,

Lincoln

Beth

A few more ideas to add...

Visit the Museum of Fine Arts.
Go to the New England Aquarium, its one of the best.
Don't skip the tour of the USS Constitution which is the last sight on the Freedom trail, its a pretty interesting tour.
DO skip driving to Cape Cod. Its a long way to go. I don't know if they run in April, but if you can (and the weather is good) take a cruise from Boston harbor to Provincetown on Cape Cod. Its a much more pleasant way to get there. But it may be too cold and wet to do this in April.

You could drive up to Rockport, to the North. Its a pretty harbor town, with shops and galleries.

Newport, RI to see the mansions is a nice daytrip.

cheryl

You don't say what your interests are, but if you like art museums I strongly recommend the Museum of Fine Arts (In April the Mary Cassatt exhibit will still be going on) and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (the mansion it's housed in is as much a work of art as the paintings and sculpture).

An interesting long walk is to start at the bottom of Newbury Street and stroll up to the Public Gardens. Then from there explore the antique shops of Charles Street. Go through the Common and over to Chinatown for lunch. Then you can walk to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (you will often find street performers there). From there take the pedestrian footway (near the farmer's market) to the North End and explore the italian shops. Finish with any one of the wonderful italian restaurants for dinner. Instead of dessert at the restaurant, try one of the many cafes in the area. This will take a whole day, but you see so much of the city. We do it once in a while, and we live here! This route will also cover most of the sites on the Freedom trail, except Bunker Hill and the Constitution.

Harvard Square is ok. Maybe because I live here I don't find it very interesting. The Charles Hotel in the square has a very good but somewhat expensive jazz club called the Regattabar. The shows are always great.

I'd be glad to answer any other questions.

Anne

If you're taking kids -- or you're a science buff -- go to the Museum of Science and the Imax theater.

ALEJANDRO

Thank you very much for the tips. You've been very kind.

Cira

All these tips are superb! I drove last Sept. from NYC to Boston and I LOVED the trip...I got off on one of the exits and saw some of Connecticut too andit's gorgeous. Had a FANTASTIC time in my fave city (Boston) and I'm going back this Oct..regardless of the "big dig."LOL have fun!
Everyone here was absolutely marvelous and their h ints and tips made my trip much more comfortable and fun!

Kent S. Rose

One last suggestion: If you have any historical interests, I would suggests visiting two or three of the historical inns around the square in Lexington, including one that Paul Revere stopped at. They are REMARKABLY well maintained, and have tours by costumed docents explaining the times and way of life and events then. I also love the North Bridge in Concord, and the Battle Road Museum maintained by the NPS between the two towns. Thoreau's parents home in Concord is now the Concord Inn, and is fun to eat dinner in. Lots of authors' houses and graves in the area too. I think the area is really worth a day or two.

Paul Rabe

Some other suggestions: Computer Museum (ever seen an Apple I? they have one there!); Copley Square; Christian Science Mother Church; Mapparium; Legal Sea Food; MIT Museum; Filenes Bargain Basement; Kennedy Museum. Other day trips could include Plymouth, Salem, Lowell, Gloucester, etc, etc, etc.

If you're now thinking "Wow -- is five days in Boston going to be enough?", you're beginning to understand why I've enjoyed all six of my visits there.

Beth

I just thought of two more of my favorite Boston institutions. If you can, get tickets to see the Red Sox play in Fenway park. Or, if baseball is not your speed, try to get tickets to see the Boston Symphony in Symphony hall. Symphony Hall is one if the finest performance centers in the world, acoustically, and its a treat to see the BSO. Both the Symphony and the Red Sox have web sites where you can order tickets I think its the obvious: www.redsox.com, and www.bso.org. Or go to www.boston.com where you can get to links and info for a lot of Boston's local attractions (as well as to the Boston Globe for reviews and local calendars).

cheryl

Not many people seem to know this, but the BSO has rush tickets for their tuesday and thursday concerts. They don't always have concerts those nights, but when they do, you can buy rush tickets at Symphony Hall starting at about 5:00 for about $8 (one per person). If you get your tickets then, you have time for dinner in the area before the concert at 8:00. I recommend the "Bangkok" right down the street on Mass. Ave. Great Thai food.

Robin

Alejandro:

Everyone's posted great suggestions on what to do & see. I just wanted to address the driving in Boston issue.
First, since you're coming from New York City, then you won't be intimidated by the driving style of Boston's residents. Actually what makes driving in Boston a daunting prospect is that there are sections (the majority of the city) that are not laid out in a tidy grid pattern and also, many one way streets which can be frustrating if that's not specified on your map. Since Boston was built in the horse & buggy days, it has a bit of a hodge podge layout and not alot of easy available parking. Yes, they do have parking garages, but are rather pricey - for your "in city" days, do consider using the "T" (MBTA). In fact there's a website "Subway Navigator" that has the subway layouts for many cities around the world, http://www.ratp.fr/Transpor.eng/transpor.eng.htm

Brian Kilgore

Dependng on what traffic is like back home, Boston is not a bad city inwhich to drive. If you are from NYC, Boston's an easy city to drive in. Consider Glouster and Cape Ann, north of the city, for one day of you trip.
BAK

Brian Kilgore

Dependng on what traffic is like back home, Boston is not a bad city inwhich to drive. If you are from NYC, Boston's an easy city to drive in. Consider Gloucester and Cape Ann, north of the city, for one day of you trip.
BAK

Gee

My hubby/I went Boston april 98 for our 2nd yr anniversary, had a great time. One fun place to go is the computer musuem. You can learn the history of puters, attend a workshop and more. I spent 3 hours there. We also went on a tour of the city. It was called the duck tour. It's a boat that goes on land/water. Fun. Also, we rented a car and drove to Portsmouth, NH. Lots of quaint shops and pretty park. The beach in York, ME is nice too. Have fun!