Neighborhood Guide: Boston

Few cities can hold a Yankee candle to Boston when it comes to history, public art and higher education. Whether you’re visiting for a day or a week; winter, summer, spring or fall, there are always plenty of things to do. Boston’s neighborhoods are compact and easy to navigate on foot, and many important colonial- and Revolutionary War-era sites are connected by the city’s famous Freedom Trail.

Check out this colorful Boston Neighborhood Guide to ensure you hit the highlights. Then, if time allows, head out on an incredible New England road trip from here.

Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill rises majestically from the center of the city. Crowning the top is the Massachusetts State House, in all its gold-domed glory. Tour inside for free and view impressive murals and statues illustrating Boston’s past and present.

Just as it was centuries ago, Beacon Hill is still a genteel neighborhood crowded with large Federalist- and Greek Revival-style homes along tree-lined streets and anchored by Louisburg Square. Stop by the Nichols House Museum to learn how wealthy Bostonians once lived, then stroll the Boston Common, the oldest city park in the country. You could spend the better park of a day here just checking out all the historical markers—but don’t miss the simple pleasures, like a skate around the Frog Pond in winter or a cruise on a Swan Boat.

The north side of Beacon Hill is equally historic—just much more modest. Here, immigrants and many of Boston’s first free African American citizens made their homes. Follow the Black Heritage Trail, where highlights include the Museum of African American History, the African Meeting House and the Abiel Smith School.

Back Bay

Boston’s Back Bay was, as the name suggests, a bay—until a massive landfill effort in the late 1880s created an upscale neighborhood much like Beacon Hill. Beautifully preserved Victorian brownstones, cafes and boutiques neatly line the street here, and are reflected in the sheer glass wall of 200 Clarendon, formerly known as the John Hancock Building.

History isn’t as old here, but there are still many top Boston attractions you shouldn’t miss. One of the more modern oddities is the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library. This three-story-tall stained-glass globe illustrates the countries of the world as they appeared in 1935. Today, a high-tech light show illustrates how much the world has changed. After that educational experience, you might feel like checking out renowned Harvard University. It’s just across the Charles River in Cambridge. Or, you can stay on the Boston side and simply enjoy the views and green space of the Charles River Esplanade.

Copely Square sits at the center of Back Bay, where you’ll find Trinity Church—an architectural and artistic wonder. Just across the grassy lawn is another architectural masterpiece, the Boston Public Library. But if it’s graphic novels you prefer, head straight to Newbury Comics on Newbury Street and enjoy contemporary retail therapy.

Quincy Market

On the waterfront, in the heart of what’s been one of the busiest Boston neighborhoods since the 17th century, Quincy Market features numerous historic buildings and sites. It’s also a popular tourist destination for shopping, dining and people watching.

Visit Faneuil Hall, the city’s first public meetinghouse, where agitated revolutionaries planned the Boston Tea Party and American Revolution. Sample local flavors at Quincy Market Hall’s restaurants and food stalls. Then, tour the New England Holocaust Memorial, and make sure to be outside at dusk when the six glass towers are illuminated.

In the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, grab the kids—and adults—for a ride on the Greenway Carousel. Epitomizing Bostonian inclusiveness, the carousel features animals inspired by schoolchildren’s drawings and the attraction was designed to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Piers, waterfront parks, superior seafood restaurants and many more historic sites are just across the street, along famous Boston Harbor.

Fenway/Kenmore

In addition to its prominence in American history, Boston’s arts and sports keep this city in the news today. Head to the Fenway/Kenmore neighborhood and you’ll soon understand why. At its center is Fenway Park, one of the oldest and most fabled baseball parks in the country. Even if you’re not a sports fan, you’ve probably heard of the Green Monster—the 37-foot-high green wall in left field. Take in a game, or take the hour-long tour when the team’s not in town.

One of the leading art museums in the country is here, too. Just across Back Bay Fens Park is the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. If your time’s limited, check out the “12 Highlights Tour,” for the best of the 450,000 items housed here. Then, walk over to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to view masterpieces and rare manuscripts from the formerly private collection of its eccentric namesake. The building itself is a stunner: It was designed to emulate a 15th century Venetian palace. Just a few blocks north you’ll find Boston Symphony Hall, an acoustic marvel and home to both the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

North End

The oldest of all Boston neighborhoods, the North End has been continuously inhabited since the early 1600s. Originally settled by Puritans, it later became a favorite first home for Italian immigrants. Today, bakeries, restaurants and markets make the North End’s “Little Italy”—and Hanover Street—a delicious destination, and a great spot for numerous festivals and feasts.

Important revolutionary history happened here, too, and a large part of the Freedom Trails winds through the streets of this one-square-mile waterfront community. Old North Church is the oldest surviving church in Boston and features that famous steeple from which warning lanterns flashed signals to patriots across the river during the American Revolution. This is, actually, the second “Old North Church.” The first one, built as a Congregationalist meetinghouse, became Paul Revere’s Home. After touring these sites and seeing how Boston’s colonists once lived, you can also visit their final resting place at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground. Stroll among the headstones and marvel at the centuries-old inscriptions. But do remember to look up—the views are spectacular.

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