Built on almost 400 years of history, Boston’s character is as layered and distinct as a Kennedy accent. The city has reinvented itself countless times over, serving at different times and to different communities as the birthplace of the American Revolution, as an international academic capital, and as a biotech hub. Boston’s wharves whisper of tea parties, its libraries of literary greats, and its ballpark of curses broken. Each year, its famed universities keep this old city young with an ebb and flow of some 150,000 students from around the world—and these smarties keep the city lively round the clock.
All that, plus some of the finest food and drink make Boston one of America’s greatest and most enduring cities. Across its patchwork of squares, corners, and crossings, here are the best things to do in Boston—including the occasional jaunt across the Charles River to neighboring Cambridge—whether you’re in town for Marathon Monday (better known as Patriot’s Day around here), making a summer stop on your way to the Cape and islands, or on a fall foliage journey.
Read our complete Boston travel guide here, which includes:
How we choose the best things to do in Boston
Every review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that activity. When choosing things to do, our editors consider landmarks and experiences that offer an insider’s view of a destination, keeping authenticity, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.
