Skip to content
MASA
Venetian palace with an empty frame, Boston
north america

BostonTravel Guide

United States6 stories

America's revolutionary-era city of brick lanes and university greens — compact, walkable, and layered with history far beyond the Freedom Trail.

Is Boston right for you?

When to come

Spring and fall

Around 28°C by day in July, 3°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

It depends where you stand. There is a cheap version and an expensive one — the guides below say which is which.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

When to go
January: around 3 degrees by day, -5 at night, 86 millimetres of rain, wet.
February: around 4 degrees by day, -4 at night, 82 millimetres of rain, wet.
March: around 8 degrees by day, 0 at night, 106 millimetres of rain, wet.
April: around 14 degrees by day, 5 at night, 92 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
May: around 19 degrees by day, 10 at night, 83 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
June: around 25 degrees by day, 15 at night, 99 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
July: around 28 degrees by day, 19 at night, 83 millimetres of rain, wet.
August: around 27 degrees by day, 18 at night, 82 millimetres of rain, wet.
September: around 23 degrees by day, 15 at night, 90 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
October: around 17 degrees by day, 9 at night, 102 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
November: around 11 degrees by day, 3 at night, 93 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
December: around 6 degrees by day, -2 at night, 109 millimetres of rain, wet.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Spring and fall

Average daily highs, recorded at Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport).

Where this comes from

Wikipedia 'Boston' weather box (Template:Boston, MA weatherbox), 1991-2020 normals (NOAA) — Template stores Fahrenheit and inches; converted here to C and mm (F->C = (F-32)*5/9; in->mm = x25.4).

Budget level

Mixed

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Bostonad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Boston

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Boston

Courtyard of the Boston Public Library, Boston
01
Itineraries

Three Days in Boston, Walked from the Oldest Ground to the Newest

Boston was built outward from a small peninsula, and the quickest way to understand it is to walk it in the order it was made: colonial core, filled land, then across the Charles.

United States · 11 min
Aerial view of downtown Boston at dusk, with the harbor and wharf piers in the foreground and the lit towers of the financial district beyond
02
Hidden Gems

Boston Beyond the Freedom Trail: The Quieter Side

Skip the reenactors for a morning. Boston's best moments hide in courtyard gardens, gaslit lanes at dawn, a Venetian palace of art, and an arboretum the crowds never reach.

United States · 3 min
The lagoon in Boston Public Garden on a clear summer day, ringed by weeping willows, with the mirrored glass tower of Back Bay rising behind the treeline.
03
Destinations

Boston for First-Timers: Is It Worth the Trip?

Boston is the rare American city built for walking, but it is expensive, sharply seasonal and smaller than its reputation — here is how to spend three days on it well.

United States · 13 min
A lobster roll piled with dressed lobster meat in a toasted buttered bun, served on a metal tray
04
Food

Big Flavor, Small Bill: Boston's Essential Cheap Eats

Boston will sell you a lobster dinner north of about $60, but the eating that stays with you happens at counters where almost nothing crosses about $20 — a dish-led tour of the cheap end of the menu.

United States · 11 min
A narrow brick backstreet on Beacon Hill in Boston, empty in soft light, with a thirteen-star colonial flag and an iron gas lantern hanging out over the pavement.
05
Hidden Gems

The Boston Neighborhoods Most Visitors Skip — and Shouldn't

Ride the T a few stops past the Freedom Trail and Boston opens into neighbourhoods with better views, cheaper meals and a far more honest picture of who actually lives here.

United States · 10 min
White sailboats scattered across the Charles River basin on a clear summer day, with the Back Bay skyline of Boston behind the treeline and a blue sky streaked with high cirrus above.
06
Itineraries

Three Days Will Do for Boston. The Fourth Buys You Cambridge.

A loop-by-loop route through a city small enough to walk, with the museum closures, ferry seasons and fare maths that decide how the days fall.

United States · 11 min
Our picks

What we'd do in Boston

See and do

Before you go

Practical essentials for United States

Money

United States dollar (USD)

Language

English, designated the official federal language by executive order in 2025; Spanish is widely spoken in Miami, Los Angeles and the Southwest.

Power

Type A/B, 120V 60Hz

Getting around

New York runs entirely on OMNY, which takes a tapped contactless bank card or phone now that the MetroCard was withdrawn at the end of 2025; other cities have their own cards (Chicago's Ventra, Boston's CharlieCard, Washington's SmarTrip, San Francisco's Clipper), while Los Angeles and Las Vegas effectively require a car or ride-hailing.

Tipping

Tipping is expected rather than optional: 18-20% in restaurants, and bartenders, taxi drivers and hotel staff are tipped too.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink.

Driving

Right-hand side; there is no federal International Driving Permit requirement and many visitors drive on their home licence, but rules vary by state and rental firms may ask for an IDP, which must be obtained before you travel.

Emergency

911

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Keep exploring

More of North America

Aerial view of the Midtown Manhattan skyline at sunset, with the Empire State Building rising at the centre
New York City
United States
The Washington Monument rising above pink cherry blossoms in full bloom along the Tidal Basin in spring
Washington, D.C.
United States
Cloud Gate, the mirrored bean-shaped sculpture in Millennium Park, reflecting Chicago's skyscrapers with visitors gathered beneath it
Chicago
United States
Aerial view of Miami's Brickell waterfront, with high-rise towers lining Biscayne Bay and a palm-fringed shoreline drive curving below
Miami
United States
A sunlit French Quarter street in New Orleans with colorful Creole buildings, iron-lace balconies hung with plants, street musicians, and bicycles on the sidewalk
New Orleans
United States
A steak-frites plate on a dark wooden table — sliced grilled steak beside a pile of herb-tossed french fries with a knife resting across the plate
Las Vegas
United States
Griffith Observatory and its copper domes seen from above at golden hour, the lawns and paths of Griffith Park below and the Downtown Los Angeles skyline rising out of the haze on the horizon.
Los Angeles
United States
The Golden Gate Bridge at dusk under a teal sky, viewed from a bluff above the strait
San Francisco
United States
A cobbled street in Old Montreal lined with stone buildings, café terraces, potted plants and a row of national flags, with a dome visible at the end of the street
Montreal
Canada
Aerial view of the Chateau Frontenac and the Dufferin Terrace above the St. Lawrence in Quebec City at sunrise
Quebec City
Canada
Leslieville and Riverside, Toronto
Toronto
Canada
Street performers on stilts in bright costumes drawing a crowd on a narrow street in Old Havana
Havana
Cuba