Boston, the walking city from the “thin” red line

Boston is one of the cities to put at the top of your list for a trip to the United States of America. The city has over six hundred thousand inhabitants but the metropolitan area, called Greater Boston, hosts about four and a half million people. The American city is located at the confluence of the Charles and Mystic rivers which flow into the Atlantic Ocean where the Port of Boston is located.

What to see in Boston: 12 places of interest and spots to visit

Boston presents itself with a harmonious blend of old and modern architecture. Founded by the Puritans in 1630, it is one of the oldest cities in the States. The capital of Massachusetts was an English colony until the mid-18th century and the Victorian architecture of Beacon Hill leaves no doubt about its origins. The importance Boston held during the American War of Independence is evident from the austerity and dignified air the city displays at first glance. However, there are more informal neighborhoods like South End, dotted with pubs, bistros, and trendy spots.

What to see in Boston. Boston is undoubtedly one of the most European cities in the United States, a characteristic that it certainly shares with San Francisco and is defined as the city of culture and freedom due to the numerous colleges and universities in its territory. Among these is the prestigious Harvard, founded by the Pilgrim Fathers just sixteen years after the city’s birth.

What to see in Boston in a day and what to do

Boston is a city that is hard to visit in just one day. However, if your time is truly limited, even if you plan to visit Boston with children, we recommend following the “Freedom Trail” itinerary along which the major points of interest of the Massachusetts capital are located.

Boston Guide

1 Freedom Trail Boston: the path of freedom

Boston is called “the walking city” because it is a city entirely visitable on foot along the Freedom Trail (The Path of Freedom), about six kilometers long, which borders the city’s most important sites connected to the core of the American Revolution. Red bricks and tiles draw the red line found along the trail connecting sixteen important monuments in Boston. It starts from Boston Common (the oldest park in the United States, 1634), passes by the State House and Faneuil Hall, then continues to the Bunker Hill Monument touching, among others, the Boston Massacre Site, Granary Burial Ground, Paul Revere’s House.

Freedom Trail Boston

See: 30 Museums in Boston Not to Be Missed

2 Visit Boston: Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) of Boston is one of the oldest and most important art museums in the United States. Known for its collections of American and European art (Renaissance, Baroque, and Impressionism), the museum is admired each year by about a million visitors who can enjoy a collection of more than 450,000 artworks. Among the most prized pieces are Donatello’s Madonna of Humility (1430), Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897) by Gauguin, Van Gogh’s Postman Joseph Roulin (1888), and Rembrandt’s The Painter in His Studio (1629). The Museum of Fine Arts Boston holds the most complete collection of ancient Nubian art outside Khartoum. The museum is open from Saturday to Tuesday (10:00 AM–5:00 PM) and from Wednesday to Friday (10:00 AM–10:00 PM). From April to October, the Japanese garden is open. Entrance fee applies.

3 Places of interest in Boston: Isabella Stewart-Gardner Museum

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum houses about 2,500 artworks including Death and Assumption of the Virgin (1434) by Beato Angelico, Pietà for Vittoria Colonna (1545) by Michelangelo, Madonna of the Eucharist (1470) and Stories of Lucretia (1498) by Botticelli, the Pietà and the Portrait of Fedra Inghirami by Raphael. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was established at the end of the 19th century by the will of Isabella Stewart Gardner and is arranged around a Venetian Renaissance-style courtyard. Some important works were stolen in 1990 and have not yet been recovered despite a multi-million euro reward. Visiting hours are from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed on Tuesdays. Entrance fee applies.

4 Boston from above: skywalk

One of the best ways to get an overview of the American city is to go up to the top floor of one of the skyscrapers. Among these, the Prudential Center stands out, offering a skywalk on the fiftieth floor with breathtaking views.

5 The libraries of Boston

The Boston Public Library (1848) is the oldest public library in the United States as well as the largest with nearly 9 million books including one million and seven hundred rare books. The John F. Kennedy Library is the presidential library dedicated to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. The library contains Kennedy’s presidential documents along with personal effects belonging to the President. The Boston Athenæum is an independent library and one of the oldest in the States. Lastly, the Massachusetts Archives, also known as the State Archive of Massachusetts, safeguards documents related to American Independence. If you wonder: what to do in Boston when it rains? The libraries of Boston are the perfect answer.