Boston

Best things to do in Boston

1. 

   1

   1. USS Constitution

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Rainy day

   A three-masted wooden frigate of the US Navy, launched in 1797 and built in Boston's North End. She is the second oldest naval vessel still in commission and the oldest still afloat.

   Check visiting hours and entry rules before you go.

   37,694 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, USS Constitution

2. 

   2

   2. Fenway Park tour

   • About 1 hour
   • Tickets needed
   • Families
   • Adults

   The home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox since 1912, the oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball, with quirks such as the Green Monster in left field. The public tour is a 60-minute guided walk through the ballpark's history.

   Buy tour tickets online, up to 180 days ahead. Tour times change on game days. Bags must be single-compartment and no larger than 12 by 12 by 6 inches.

   25,274 readers a month

   Sources

   • Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park tours
   • Wikipedia, Fenway Park

3. 

   3

   3. Cape Cod (day trip)

   • A full day or longer
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Busiest in summer
   • Families
   • Couples

   A peninsula extending into the Atlantic from southeastern Massachusetts, with a historic, maritime character and ample beaches that draw heavy tourism in summer.

   Check road and ferry options for your dates.

   25,135 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Cape Cod

4. 

   4

   4. Salem (day trip)

   • Half a day to a full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples

   A historic coastal city on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Europeans began settling it in 1626, and it was one of the most significant seaports in early American history.

   Check opening times for individual museums and sites before you go.

   25,000 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Salem, Massachusetts

5. 

   5

   5. Plymouth (day trip)

   • Half a day to a full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples

   A town in Greater Boston known as America's Hometown. It was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the Mayflower Pilgrims, and is the oldest municipality in New England.

   Check opening times for individual sites before you go.

   10,266 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Plymouth, Massachusetts

6. 

   6

   6. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Rainy day

   An art museum in Boston with European, Asian and American art, including paintings, sculpture, tapestries and decorative arts. Its founder's will asked for the collection to be exhibited permanently for public enjoyment.

   Check opening times and ticketing on the museum's site.

   9,259 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

7. 

   7

   7. Faneuil Hall

   • 1 hour
   • No booking needed
   • Families
   • Rainy day
   • No car needed

   A market and meeting hall opened in 1742, nicknamed the Cradle of Liberty for the speeches and debates held there. It is part of Boston National Historical Park and a National Historic Landmark.

   5,959 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Faneuil Hall

8. 

   8

   8. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

   • 2 to 4 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Families
   • Rainy day

   One of the largest art museums in the world, with over 500,000 works of art in an encyclopedic collection. It had 1.05 million visitors in 2025.

   Check opening times and ticketing on the museum's site.

   5,472 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

9. 

   9

   9. The Freedom Trail

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Families
   • Active
   • No car needed

   A 2.5-mile (4 km) path through Boston passing 16 sites important to US history, from Boston Common to the Old North Church and Bunker Hill Monument. Most sites are free or ask for donations; a few charge admission.

   Old South Meeting House, the Old State House and the Paul Revere House charge admission.

   5,075 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Freedom Trail

10. 

    10

    10. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

    • 2 to 3 hours
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Rainy day
    • Couples

    The presidential library and museum of John F. Kennedy, on Columbia Point in Dorchester, designed by I. M. Pei. It holds the official papers of the Kennedy administration and about 400,000 photographs.

    Check opening times and ticketing on the library's site.

    5,044 readers a month

    Sources

    • Wikipedia, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Just missed the list: Beacon Hill (11th by readers; a historic Boston neighbourhood); Old North Church (12th by readers; a Freedom Trail church in the North End)