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 4.5 million. The American city is located at the confluence of the Charles and Mystic rivers, which flow into the Atlantic Ocean there, where the Boston harbor 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 held during the American War of Independence is evident from the austerity and dignified air that the city offers at first glance. However, there are also more informal neighborhoods like 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 characteristic it certainly shares with San Francisco, and it is described 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 birth.

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” along which the main points of interest of the capital of Massachusetts are lined up.

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, that borders the most important places in the city embracing the key points of the American revolution. Red bricks and tiles draw the red line along the trail that connects as many as sixteen important monuments in Boston. It starts from the Boston Common (the oldest park in the United States, 1634) to pass next to the State House and Faneuil Hall, and then continue to the Bunker Hill Monument touching, among others, Boston Massacre Site, 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) in Boston is one of the oldest and most important art museums in the United States. Known for the collections of American and European art (Renaissance, Baroque, and Impressionism) the museum is admired every year by about one million visitors who can count 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, The Postman Joseph Roulin by Van Gogh (1888) and the Painter in his Studio by Rembrandt (1629). The Museum of Fine Arts of Boston has the most complete collection of art from 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). From April to October the Japanese garden is open. Entrance fee applies.

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

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum houses 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 Lucretia (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 by order of Isabella Stewart Gardner and unfolds around a courtyard in Venetian Renaissance style. Some important works of the museum were stolen in 1990 and have not yet been found despite a reward of millions of euros. Visiting hours are from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed 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, without a doubt, stands the Prudential Center which, on the fiftieth floor, has 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, 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 an independent library among the oldest in the States. Finally, the Massachusetts Archives or the State Archives of Massachusetts preserves documents related to American Independence. If you are wondering: what to do in Boston if it rains? The libraries of Boston are the right answer.