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Boston Common

Boston Common: Our most recommended tours and activities

Boston: Hop-on Hop-off Old Town Trolley Tour

1. Boston: Hop-on Hop-off Old Town Trolley Tour

Enjoy a hop-on hop-off tour aboard Boston’s charming orange and green Old Town Trolley and visit more than 100 points of interest in the city at your own pace. Enjoy the freedom to hop on or off all day and discover sights like the Boston State House, Liberty Wharf, and the Charlestown Navy Yard. Take in double-decker height views while protected from the elements. The comfortable enclosed trolleys allow you to experience elevated viewing come rain, snow, or shine. Choose between 1-day and 2-day ticket options with free unlimited re-boarding. The Boston Trolley tour covers all the major areas including downtown, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the theater district, and the waterfront. Conductors narrate the tour, offering a fun mix of trivia and humorous stories. There are 14 stops conveniently located close to over 100 points of interest in Boston, these are: • Stop 1: New England Aquarium/Faneuil Hall Marketplace • Stop 2: Historic North End • Stop 3: USS Constitution/Charlestown Navy Yard • Stop 4: North Station/TD Bank Garden • Stop 5: Old State House * Stop 6: Beacon Hill/Antique Row • Stop 7: Cheers Bar "The Original" • Stop 8: Prudential Center/Skywalk Observatory (Currently closed due to construction) • Stop 9: Christian Science Plaza/Symphony Hall • Stop 10: Copley Place Shopping Galleries • Stop 11: Copley Square/Trinity Church • Stop 12: Old Town Trolley Welcome Center • Stop 13: Boston State House/ Boston Common/Beacon Hill • Stop 14: Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum (discounted admission included)

Boston: Guided Walking Tour of the Freedom Trail

2. Boston: Guided Walking Tour of the Freedom Trail

See all 16 of Boston's Iconic Freedom Trail sites in a single tour with an experienced guide. Learn about icons like Paul Revere and John Hancock, along with lesser-known stories of women, African Americans, and immigrant patriots and pioneers. Start your tour opposite the Massachusetts Statehouse, at the base of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Boston Common, and finish in the North End with the best view of the Charlestown Freedom Trail sites. Discover tales of rebels, gangs, and Midnight Riders, with a few cheap dad jokes for good measure. Gain an understanding of Boston's role in the American Revolution and how the city became a pioneer in the fields of abolition, American education, and immigration. Along the way, experience the explosive events of the American Revolution like the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre in the places they happened. See Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King's Chapel, the Benjamin Franklin Statue, the Old Corner Bookstore, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, the Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, the Old North Church, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, the USS Constitution, and Bunker Hill Monument.

Boston: 1.5-Hour Ghosts and Gravestones Tour

3. Boston: 1.5-Hour Ghosts and Gravestones Tour

Explore Boston’s sordid past on this “frightseeing” ghost tour of Boston. Prepare yourself for an evening of fun, scares, and ghost stories guided by a 17th-century gravedigger. Your tour guide is dying to tell you tales of Boston’s dead in their own unusual way. On this tour visit the streets where the Boston Strangler once prowled and hear local tales of murder and mayhem, ghosts and ghouls. At Copp’s Hill Burying Ground and Granary Burying Ground, depart from the trolley and explore Boston’s two oldest burying grounds on foot. Be warned, you never know what kind of ghoulish creatures you may encounter as you explore the gravesites of John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and others. Travel back in time and learn about the spirits of notorious characters who lived and died in Boston.

Boston: Hop-On, Hop-Off Trolley Ticket

4. Boston: Hop-On, Hop-Off Trolley Ticket

Discover Boston onboard an enchanting hop-on and hop-off trolley to see all the historic sights at your own pace. Choose from a 1-day or 2-day hop-on hop-off open-air trolley ticket, providing access to 9 stops, all conveniently located close to the city’s premier attractions. Friendly tour guides are on board, ready to narrate your tour, and you can join and end the tour at any of the stops along the route. Jump off in neighborhoods such as North End and Beacon Hill to explore further. Take the full 1-hour circuit non-stop to get a great orientation of downtown Boston or explore in your own time. Hop-on and hop-off trolley stops: • New England Aquarium - Shuttle and Ferry - Quincy Market – Faneuil Hall • Paul Revere House - Little Italy • North End - Old North Church • USS Constitution - Old Ironsides • North Station - TD Bank Garden Sports Museum • Old State House - Faneuil Hall – Boston Massacre - Government Center • Boston Common - Public Garden • State House - Beacon Hill • South Station - Convention Center - Children’s Museum

Boston's Official Freedom Trail Walk Into History® Tour

5. Boston's Official Freedom Trail Walk Into History® Tour

Walk in the footsteps of the patriots Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Crispus Atticus, and John Quincy Adams as you explore Boston’s iconic Freedom Trail. Hear tales of the brave Bostonians and the small band of patriots who dared to challenge the strongest power of the 18th century. Listen carefully in the precincts of Faneuil Hall and hear the echoes of patriotic orators like Samuel Adams and James Otis advocating independence and revolution in the name of liberty. Remember the blood in the snow outside the Old State House on the night of the Boston Massacre, and enjoy the green serenity of Boston Common, America's oldest public park. Hear tales of the bravery, tenacity, and human frailty of the men and women whose outrage planted the seeds of representative government in the fertile soil of a new land as your knowledgeable, period-costumed guide navigates your party through a veritable living museum of American history. Eleven of the sixteen official Freedom Trail historic sites are featured during the 90-minute tour (approximately 1 mile) along the unique, red-lined, urban walking trail with plenty of time for questions and photographs. To experience a different spin on this iconic tour, try the Reverse Walk Into History option.

Boston: Ghost Tour

6. Boston: Ghost Tour

Embark on a unique after-dark tour and explore downtown Boston’s most haunted hotspots. Discover both the paranormal and historical worlds of each carefully selected tour site and listen to researched, authentic, and up-to-date accounts that ensure you have the best, most chilling experience possible. Highlights of the tour include: Omni Parker House Haunted by its first owner and other notable ghostly guests, the Omni Parker House is considered Boston’s most haunted location. One room, in particular, has caused so much trouble, terror, and grief that the hotel was eventually forced to convert it into a storage room, lest they risk another guest suffering from a grisly night’s stay in the cursed room. What could possibly drive a hotel to permanently retire an otherwise perfectly good guest room? Discover the details on our tour. Boston Common This seemingly placid area is the country’s oldest park. For a century of its long history, Boston Common was the site of hundreds of hangings. Not all of the victims of these executions managed to escape the park, even after death. The grim ghosts of the hanging victims are the least of your paranormal concerns in the Common. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you whenever you’re at this park… or else. Old South Meeting House Witness the birthplace of the Boston Tea Party protest and the very American Revolution itself at the Old South Meeting House. This building is of crucially historic importance, but that’s not the only legacy the meeting house is known for. It is a specter that sometimes appears and always acts as a harbinger of impending death. Or perhaps it’s no messenger of death at all, but instead directly responsible for the string of deaths that have befallen the unlucky ones who’ve encountered it. Old City Hall This former hub of Boston’s local government has since become a bustling mixed-use commercial and office property. Because of its historical significance being covered up with the new polish of redevelopment, at least one ghost exacts its revenge for this perceived disrespect for history on visitors. The Old City Hall may be magnificent looking, but watch where you look inside…

Boston: Freedom Trail Tour

7. Boston: Freedom Trail Tour

Start the tour from the official Visitor's Center on America's first public park, The Boston Common. Meet your colonial-costumed historical interpreter and guide before embarking on a journey through Boston's colonial history. Spot lots of incredible historical sites along this short 1.2-mile stretch between The Boston Common and Faneuil Hall. Pass by the Granary Burial ground where American Fore Fathers are buried, and the site of the world-famous Boston Massacre. Also discover the Park Street Church, America's first public school, the site of The Boston Tea Party, the Old State House, and the Old South Meeting House. Finally contemplate Boston's most visited attraction, Faneuil Hall.

From New York City: Boston and the Freedom Trail Day Trip

8. From New York City: Boston and the Freedom Trail Day Trip

Depart New York along the Eastern Coast through Connecticut to Massachusetts and to its capital, Boston. Your first stop is the city of Cambridge where will find one of the most famous and most prestigious universities in the world: Harvard. The tour starts with a walk in Harvard Yard; the oldest academic ground in America. See Widener library, then rub the shoe of John Harvard for good luck. Continue to a panoramic tour passing by City Hall, MIT and Cambridge College. Then cross the Charles River and arrive in the center of the intellectual capital of the country. Visit Copley Square, home to beautiful Trinity church. Next up is a walk along the Freedom Trail through Boston Common Park. Break for lunch at Quincy Market, and try the world famous Clam Chowder or a lobster roll. After lunch, visit the site of the famous Tea Party and the navy ship Constitution. In the late afternoon, depart southwest for an evening arrival in New York.

Boston: 2.5-Hour City View Bike Tour

9. Boston: 2.5-Hour City View Bike Tour

The Urban AdvenTours Boston City View Bicycle Tour offers a classic ride for those looking to get a great overall introduction to the city. During the 2.5-hour tour you’ll get to know the city and find neighborhoods that you can explore in greater depth later. Discover the unique character and charm of each area you visit up close, in person, and only possible by bicycle. This comprehensive tour covers all of Boston’s best sites, including: • Historic Fenway Park • The Christian Science Center • Boston Common • The beautiful brownstones in Back Bay and the South End • The Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston’s newest public park • The Charles River Esplanade • The North End, Boston’s oldest residential, Italian neighborhood • Copley Square, where you’ll see the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church, and the John Hancock building Take advantage of a tour that includes an individually-fitted bike, helmet, water, and a friendly and knowledgeable guide who will lead you on your travels. The tour covers 10-12 miles, from the bustling streets of downtown to the serene bike paths along the Charles River.

Boston: Ghosts, Boos, and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl

10. Boston: Ghosts, Boos, and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl

Enjoy an evening pub crawl of haunted bars across Boston, and pass by spirited locations in the city on a guided haunted tour. Hang out with John F. Kennedy in the back corner of the 21st Amendment. Teleport to Ireland with a pint of Guinness at Emmet’s Pub. Visit the Omni Parker House Hotel, where a sinister liquor salesman haunts Room 303. Finally, head to the Beantown Pub to hear about the life and death of Sam Adams from your guide. Finish the tour at the 17th-century Granary Burying Ground cemetery.

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What people are saying about Boston Common

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

based on 2,784 reviews

A great way to see the sights! The drivers are very knowledgeable and bring the history to life. Our guide, Beannie, was so much fun. Her enthusiasm and energy draws you in and she got everyone involved in some way! She was an absolute joy to be with!! Any questions were answered kindly and fully. The stops are set out to see the most sights in the city and surrounding areas in an easy walk and the maps help you navigate the places you want to go. Overall a great way to see the city and not have to worry about traffic and parking.

Absolutely brilliant, educational yet spooky! We were engaged with the environment for the entirety of the tour, and our guide Zed was exceptional as a character actor, immersing us in the atmosphere. Walking the streets as we learned og their dark history was quite the experience. We'll be recommending to friends!

Crafty is an amazing guide and excellent conductor. We learned so much about history and the most peculiar places. Crafty thanks for making the tour such a memorable day for me and my daughter!

Great way to get around the city and the tour guide where funny fun and informative

Our guide was so incredibly knowledgeable, and so helpful with future planning.