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 4 and a half million. The American city is located at the confluence of the Charles and Mystic rivers which flow into the Atlantic Ocean there, where the port of Boston is located.

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

Boston presents itself with a harmonious blend of ancient and modern architecture. Built 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 that Boston played during the American War of Independence can be seen in the austerity and dignified air that the city offers at first glance. However, there are also more informal neighborhoods such as South End dotted with pubs, bistros, and trendy venues.

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

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

Boston is a city that is difficult to visit in one day. However, if your time is really limited, even if you intend to visit Boston with children, we recommend following the “Freedom Trail” itinerary along which the major points of interest of the capital of Massachusetts unfold.

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 runs along the major places of interest of the city that embrace the nerve centers of the American Revolution. Red bricks and tiles draw the red line that runs along the path and connects as many as sixteen important monuments of Boston. It starts from Boston Common (the oldest park in the United States, 1634) to pass by the State House and Faneuil Hall, then continuing to Bunker Hill Monument touching, among others, Boston Massacre Sight, Granary Burial Ground, Paul Revere’s House.

Freedom Trail Boston

See: 30 Museums in Boston Not to Miss

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 every year by about one million visitors who can rely on a collection of over 450 thousand works of art. Among the most valuable works stands out the Madonna of Humility by Donatello (1430), Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897) by Gauguin, Postman Joseph Roulin by Van Gogh (1888) and the painter in the studio by Rembrandt (1629). The Museum of Fine Arts Boston has the most complete collection of art of ancient Nubia 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). The Japanese garden is open from April to October. Entrance fee required.

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

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum preserves about 2500 works of art including Death and Assumption of the Virgin (1434) by Beato Angelico, the Pietà for Vittoria Colonna (1545) by Michelangelo, Madonna of the Eucharist (1470) and Stories of Lucrezia (1498) by Botticelli, the Pietà and the Portrait of Fedra Inghirami by Raphael. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was built at the end of the 19th century at the behest of Isabella Stewart Gardner and revolves around a Renaissance Venetian-style courtyard. Some important works of the museum were stolen in 1990 and still have not been recovered despite a reward of millions of euros. Visiting hours are from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed on Tuesday. Entrance fee required.

4 Boston from above: skywalk

One of the best ways to get an overview of the American city is to go to the top floor of one of the skyscrapers. Among these, without a doubt, stands out the Prudential Center which, on the fiftieth floor, features a skywalk 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 seven hundred rare books. The John Kennedy Library is the presidential library dedicated to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. The library contains documents from the Kennedy presidency, as well as personal effects belonging to the President. Boston Athenæum, on the other hand, is one of the oldest independent libraries in the States. Finally, the Massachusetts Archives, or the Massachusetts State Archive, which houses documents related to American Independence. If you ask: what to do in Boston if it rains? The libraries of Boston are the right answer.