Boston Travel Guide & Neighborhood Attractions - 2

Boston’s Neighborhoods

Beacon Hill

With its old-world Brahmin feel and cobblestone streets, Beacon Hill is quintessential Boston and where many tourists start their Boston vacations. The gold-domed Massachusetts State House presides over the neighborhood, which is adjacent to the Boston Common, the country’s oldest public park.

Gorgeous 19th century homes and tiny winding streets beckon explorers and photographers. Charles Street is a haven of trendy boutiques and small bistros. If you are planning on following the Freedom Trail, 16 historical sites linked by a red painted or bricked line that runs 2.5 miles through the city, visit the Freedom Trail Foundation office on Boston Common to get a map. [Read tips for Following Boston’s Freedom Trail.]

Downtown Crossing

On the other side of Boston Common, you’ll find Downtown Crossing, where the hub of the MBTA sits (Park Street) with lots of big box shopping, plus the Old City Hall, Old South Meeting House, the Old State House and the Boston Massacre Site. Government Center is just up Tremont Street and home to the tourist hotbed Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (also known as Faneuil Hall Marketplace). In the other direction, the Theater District is home to Boston’s large live arts scene. [Read about Boston’s Best New, Renovated Hotels.]

 

• Old meets new in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, home to Trinity Church and Hancock Tower.

Courtesy of the Greater Boston CVB

Back Bay

Graceful brownstones on wide boulevards, the tranquil Public Garden and bustling Copley Square frame this vibrant neighborhood, which ranges from residential to commercial in a matter of blocks. Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library bookend Copley Square, a half-acre park, while the towering John Hancock Building (Boston’s tallest skyscraper) sits on one side. High-end shops and expensive restaurants draw in the fashionable and well-heeled to Newbury Street. [Read our Best Boston Restaurants article.]

South End

The South End is packed with popular restaurants and funky shops, and is famous for the largest neighborhood of Victorian homes in the country. It’s had its ups and downs: Once a 19th century hotbed of the very wealthy who built beautiful brownstones, it fell out of favor and into disrepair. Gentrified in recent years, it’s now the center of Boston’s gay and lesbian community.

 

• The Red Sox have been playing at Fenway Park since it opened in 1912.

Courtesy of the Greater Boston CVB

Seaport District

The waterfront area is exploding with growth and new development. Don’t miss visiting the stunning Institute of Contemporary Art, the remodeled Children’s Museum, and the emerging Harborwalk, which follows the harbor. [Read more about Best Boston Museums and Institutions.]

Fenway/Kenmore Square

Any Boston trip would be remiss without a visit to the Fenway area, of course, home to famous Fenway Park and the Boston Red Sox. A fun mix of bars and restaurants cater to fans. Around the corner, Kenmore Square is seeing a lot of development and some upscale establishments are springing up. Many of Boston’s finest cultural institutions line the nearby “Avenue of the Arts,” Huntington Avenue. The Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are sure to attract your interest.

North End

This is Boston’s oldest neighborhood and home to innumerable Italian restaurants, shops and bakeries. Once an enclave of Italian immigrants in the 19th century, many third and fourth generations now claim the North End as home, though it’s a lot more diverse than in years past. Boston’s Chinatown is in this neighborhood too (and is where you get the cheap Chinatown buses to and from New York). The Paul Revere House, the Old North Church and the Copp’s Hill Burial Ground (on the Freedom Trail) also are found here.

Charlestown

Charlestown is actually older than Boston by one year. A group of 10 puritan families settled Charlestown in 1629 and it remained its own community until 1874, when it was annexed to Boston. The Battle of Bunker Hill occurred here in 1775, which you can learn about at the Bunker Hill Monument. The town was pretty much destroyed then and rebuilt after the American Revolution. The Charlestown Navy Yard, no longer in operation, is a national historic monument and home to the USS Constitution. Tours of the ship and the nearby museum offer a fascinating look into its past.

Next: Nearby Cambridge and Harvard