Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is a wonderful, “small big” city - Despite being a big American city it is all human scale. The central part of this historic city is surrounded by water with Charlestown a short distance across the Charles River to the north and the Atlantic just beyond the harbour to the east.

With a city so steeped in the War of Independence there is a lot to see as well as many small, local restaurants serving up some great seafood. It is a city can you can easily walk around the center of the city.

If you are looking for guided tours you will find Boston Duck Tours probably operates the largest number of tours in the city with their boat-combination-bus vehicles throughout the city. They leave from the Aquarium area at the harbour where you can also catch boat tours of the harbour.

Located in Charlestown, the Boston Shipyard is famous for being the home of “Old Ironsides”, “USS Constitution”, a wooden naval tall-ship used in the War of Independence. There is an entrance fee to visit the ship.

A small New England town found in the middle of Boston complete with clapboard and brick houses with black iron railings. There are a number of small local eateries in this quiet section of central Boston.

There are plenty of historic places to visit such as the 1780 Warren Tavern where George Washington once visited and Paul Revere considered his favourite.

The Bunker Hill monument is on the top of the hill at the end of Monument Avenue. You can climb the 294 steps to the top of the monument for views of the city though note that only 20 people are allowed in the monument at one time so you may need to wait quite a while to climb.

The exterior of the bar featured in television series “Cheers” is on Beacon Street to the north of the Boston Common Gardens. You can visit the bar but be aware the interior is not what was seen in the series.

Not only does the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail offer a tour of the historic sites of the city, it is also a great way to see much of the central area of the city. The walking trail starts in Boston Common, winding east through the Downtown district, then the North End and finishing at Bunker Hill in Charlestown.

The Boston Common Visitor Center in Boston Common offers excellent advice on how to walk to the trail and also sells easy-to-follow trail maps.

Qunicy Market consists of three large covered halls of restaurants and shops on the harbour.

Other than Quincy Market (see above) there is also Hanover Street which is home to a number of famous “pastry shops” which feature really only one pastry, the cannoli, but there are also a number of delis serving up classic American sandwiches including the tiny, but worth seeking out, Bricco Salumeria (11 Board Alley, behind 241 Hanover Street, Boston, MA 02113).

The chain Legal Sea Foods (various locations) is well known in the area for serving up one of the best crabcakes.

For lobster rolls, try Row 34 (various locations) which is consistently voted as one of the best in town (though they have pretty good oysters as well).

As might be expected, there is an extensive bus and local train system though you may find it easier to get around using Uber. Walking is generally the best way to get around the center of the city.

For further information, please see:

• Lonely Planet - Boston
• Meet Boston - Tourist information
• Wikipedia - Boston
• Visit Boston