Boston is the largest city in the New England region in the northeastern United States and the cradle of American history. The lively metropolis combines the past and the modern and presents itself with a rich art and cultural landscape, great sights and an impressive gastronomic scene.
Boston is known not only as the cradle of the United States, but also as a walking city . The city with its European flair can be wonderfully explored on foot and discover great museums, culinary highlights and important historical milestones on the Freedom Trail. Boston has a total population of 589,141.
The Skywalk Observatory in the Prudential Center provides a bird’s eye view and for a short, entertaining break, visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace . Restaurants, shops and street performers await here.
Art lovers will also find something in Boston. The historic, but at the same time trendy metropolis is one of the oldest, wealthiest and most culturally attractive cities in the USA. Boston has many museums, such as the John F. Kennedy Museum, the Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum, and the Old State House. The Museum of Fine Arts Boston exhibits impressive art from around the world and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum features masterpieces by Titian, Rembrandt, Veronese and John Singer Sargent. All about one of the most famous presidents of the United States can be learned at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
The city has a lot to offer for those interested in history. On the Freedom Trail you can immerse yourself in the exciting past of Boston and the USA and on the other side of the Charles River, Cambridge is the oldest university in the USA.
Sports enthusiasts should n’t miss a game of the Red Sox or the Patriots at Fenway Park Stadium .
In addition, the city is an excellent starting point for a tour through the diverse region of the New England states. From here you can explore the wild and romantic Atlantic coast with its harbor towns and white sandy beaches or enjoy the nature in the interior, which impresses with its wooded mountain ranges, lakes and rivers.
Freedom Trail
Fans of American history who want to learn more about the Revolutionary War can hike the Freedom Trail in Boston . The approximately 4 km long path through the city center of the metropolis leads along 16 historically significant places and arenas of the independence struggle with Great Britain.
The path is marked with a red line on the sidewalk and leads past historic churches, old tombs, unique museums with special collections and the warship USS Constitution. A guided tour with a tour guide dressed appropriately for the 18th century is particularly impressive. The first part of the trail takes history buffs through downtown and Old Boston with the Old State House and Faneuil Hall. The second section winds through the streets of the North End over the Charles River to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.
South end
Massachusetts was the first US state to make marriage possible for same-sex couples. In the heart of the metropolis of Boston is the gay and lesbian South End district with elegant Victorian brick houses, boutiques, bars, cafes and excellent restaurants along Tremont Street.
The Calderwood Pavilion and Boston Center for the Arts also make the neighborhood a hotspot for culture vultures, and great shopping is just a short walk away on Newbury Street.
Boston Light: The Footsteps of the Drowned
Boston Light on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor is the first and oldest lighthouse in the USA and was looked after by a US Coast Guard guard until 1998. The adventure begins with a guided boat tour where visitors learn about the maritime history of the Boston Harbor Islands. On the way to the Boston Light you pass two more historic lighthouses. In Little Brewster Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area , you climb the 76 steps and two ladders of the Boston Light, and the spook begins: America’s first lighthouse keeper, George Worthylake, drowned with his wife and daughter in 1718 when their canoe was right there capsized off the coast – if you are very quiet, you can still hear her footsteps in the old walls.
Brewery tour in Boston
Boston is world famous for seafood. And a freshly tapped beer goes well with these culinary delicacies from the depths of the ocean. One of the most famous brewery products is the Harpoon , whose brewery organizes regular factory tours.
Oldest university in the USA and modern technology center in Cambridge
On the other side of the Charles River are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the elite Harvard University , two giants from science and research that guests can visit on guided tours.
Harvard University
Many model students dream of studying at the elite Harvard University in Cambridge all their lives and are deeply impressed when they first step on campus. Harvard University was founded by religious colonialists in 1636 as a training center for clergy.
Guided tour of the campus
Today visitors can take part in free tours of the impressive campus. The entertaining ” Hahvahd Tours ” are particularly recommended , during which students not only tell funny anecdotes and life on campus, but also tell about the history of the elite university and prominent alumni such as Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg.
Highlights of the tour of America’s oldest university include a visit to the historic Harvard Yard, the John Harvard Statue, the famous University Library and Memorial Hall.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founded in 1861, also offers free student-led tours.
Adams National Historical Park in Quincy
Adams National Historical Park is located in Quincy, about 10 miles south of downtown Boston . In addition to the birthplaces of John Adams, second President of the United States and his son John Quincy Adams, sixth US President, the spacious area also houses the White House for the summer months, a library, a coach house and The Old House at Peacefield , in which four generations of the Adams family lived between 1788 and 1927. Visiting the buildings is only possible with a guided tour from April to November. The well-kept park, on the other hand, is open to visitors all year round.
A journey through time with John F. Kennedy
In Brookline, five miles west of downtown Boston, arguably the most famous US president was born on May 29, 1917. Today, the colonial house where the 35th President of the United States spent the first three years of his life is part of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site and is open to the public. National Park Service rangers lead interested visitors through the neighborhood and the house, which houses 172 original Kennedys’ pieces.
Kennedy and his entire family regularly spent the summer months in Hyannis, Cape Cod . The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum documents his stays between 1934 and 1963 in a multimedia exhibition.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston is also dedicated to the life and presidency of JFK. This is where, among other things, the original documents and correspondence of the Kennedy government are kept.
But not only in Massachusetts you can walk in the footsteps of the Kennedys. In Newport, Rhode Island, the future president married Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee Bouvier in 1953 at St. Mary’s Church.
Toilets, bathtubs and pipes as far as the eye can see
The exhibit at The Plumbing Museum in Watertown, Massachusetts is not only curious, but also educational. Many pieces date from the 18th century and tell the history and development of plumbing in the United States. The museum is a tribute to plumbers, engineers and inventors, whose work and creativity have contributed significantly to the development of society – American culture with a difference. In addition to all kinds of plumbing tools and accessories, there are antique toilet chairs, bathtubs with claw feet, ornate washbasins and a replica of Marcel Duchamp’s work of art “Fountain”, a urinal that has been converted into a fountain.
Boston Duck Tours
If you want to get to know the city on an unconventional tour, you should take a tour with Boston Duck Tours . The provider’s amphibious vehicles move on land and water and transport the participants to the most unusual places in the city.