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Boston hotels

What's On?                     Overview                     Prepare                     Highlights 

New hotels in Boston are being constructed at a rapid rate, but room rates nevertheless also go up just as fast.  Boston is not an inexpensive place to stay, but the best chance of cheap hotels in Boston lies in using our price comparison facility to research and compare prices, before booking well in advance to secure your hotel rooms at the best price.

 Hotels in the Back Bay or Downtown areas are close to popular attractions....

Whilst both luxury hotels and more basic facilities are represented here, the cheaper Boston hotels are always quickly booked up.  Hotels in the Back Bay or Downtown areas are close to popular attractions and a hotel in Cambridge is almost as convenient.

When booking hotels in Boston, it is wise to pay attention to the events calendar - hotels are especially tricky to find on Patriot's Day (also the time of the Boston Marathon) and during the period of college graduations at the end of May.  In fact, accommodation availability is linked closely to the academic calendar, making September and May tricky times overall.  July 4th, mid October, and New Year's Eve are similarly busy periods for Boston hotels and it bears repeating that you should book in advance.

 

Overview

Overview

Colourful and kitsch, only in Boston will you find redbrick townhouses, verdant public gardens and historic landmarks wedged between Italian groceries, obsessed sports fans, some of the country's finest universities and the tastiest white clam chowder.

See

Get ready to walk the walk. Learn about the American Revolution on the Freedom Trail; celebrate the achievement of 19th-century African Americans on the Black Heritage Trail; and tread the path of intellectual giants on the Literary Trail of New England.
Spend

Join the well-heeled at designer stores on Newbury Street or at Barney's of New York in Copley Place. Students and locals go to Cambridge's Porter Square for something more colourful from shops like Nomad, with its one-of-a-kind merchandise. Find souvenirs, chain stores and tourists at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
Get Out

Check out the Swan Boats at the odd-shaped pond in The Boston Public Garden. Cruise across Charles Street to where cows once grazed at The Boston Common, the country's oldest park. Too crowded? Escape to the Emerald Necklace, the six parks that circle Fenway, Jamaica Way and Riverway.
Culture

In a city with so many top-notch universities, culture is a given. Harvard University alone has six museums. The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) has objet d'arts dating from 6000BC. Bostonians will tell you that their theatre, opera and symphony are first class, and the Boston Pops outdoor 4th of July concert is a patriotic event.
Eat & Drink

Bostonians cling to their codfish, chowders, cream pies and ethnic foods. Pasta dominates the Italian North End. Gussy up (dress up) with Bostonians to dine on innovative cuisine at the trendier Back Bay and Beacon Hill spots. Sun or snow, there is always ice cream.
New Perspective

Inside the world of the Mapparium, a whisper becomes a shout. The nine-metre stained glass globe at the Mary Baker Eddy Library treats visitors to exceptional acoustics and an atlas with 1935 borders.

Prepare

Prepare

Fickle weather means be prepared. Pack layers, a comfortable pair of shoes for walking and lots of courage if you intend to drive.
Boston Year

Marvel at the runners during April's Boston Marathon. In June, eat ice cream at City Hall Plaza's Scooper Bowl. Don't miss the Boston Pops' 1812 Overture every 4 July at Hatch Memorial Hall. Watch the rowers at the Head of the Charles Regatta in mid-October. Follow the pageantry of the Boston Tea Party Re-enactment in mid-December.
Public Holidays

New Year's Day (1 Jan), Martin Luther King Day (Jan), President's Day (Feb), Evacuation Day (17 Mar), Patriots Day (Apr), Memorial Day (May), Bunker Hill Day (17 Jun), Independence Day (4 Jul), Susan B Anthony Day (26 Aug), Labor Day (Sep), Columbus Day (Oct), Veterans Day (Nov), Thanksgiving (Nov), Christmas Day (25 Dec).
Weather

Boston is best enjoyed at its most temperate times – late spring, September and October – when hotel rooms are at a premium. Winters can get downright unpleasant with lots of snow, ice and cold (average 2ºC). Humid summer days average 23ºC, but can be much hotter.
Electricity

110 volts AC, 50Hz; two-pin plugs are standard.
Dialling Code

+1 (national), 617 + 7-figure number (Boston).
Money

US dollar ($) is the currency.
GMT

GMT -5 (-4 during daylight saving).
Boston Tourist Info

Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau website

Fit In

Bring business attire if you're mixing in the banking and legal world. Don casual togs for everything else, except dinner in the Back Bay or Beacon Hill. For a Boston Red Sox game, wear red, team logo garb and exhibit disdain for the New York Yankees.

Get Around

Get Around

Bordered by the harbour and the Charles River, Boston has been an attractive destination since the first settlers set foot on it in 1630.

Walking Boston or taking the 'T' (trains, trolleys and subways) is easy, but the old streets lose their charm when you try driving around them.

The financial district and historic sites are downtown. Go west for 19th-century Beacon Hill, grassy Boston Common and city square, Government Center. A little south-west is wealthy Back Bay. Find Little Italy in The North End, naturally on the north side. See the 200-year-old warship USS Constitution in Charlestown's Navy Yard across the river and academic Cambridge just to the west.
Foot

Grab a map and start walking. It's the easiest way to get around the populated areas. Stroll the redbrick sidewalks of Beacon Hill or follow the historic trails. Amble around the Public Garden and the Boston Common. Catch the breezes off the Charles River on the Esplanade.
T

The 'T' – the subway, trolleys and trains of the Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority (MBTA) – operates four lines (blue, green, red, orange). It's the most efficient form of transportation, unless you get caught on the Green Line on the day of a Red Sox game.
Bus

MBTA runs 170 bus routes. They are not the speediest, especially when traffic is snarled, but they are cheaper, can handle people with disabilities and get to more of the city's nooks and crannies than the subway.
Taxi

Taxis are plentiful and can be hailed on the street or reserved by telephone. If this is your chosen mode of transportation and you like to chat with the drivers, be aware that talk is not cheap. There is an additional tariff when coming from the airport.
Boat

If you are staying in a hotel around Boston Harbor, beat the airport traffic by taking a boat from Logan Airport. In the summer months, spend the better part of the day exploring the historic Harbor Islands or party anytime of the year aboard an Odyssey Cruise.
Transport Tips

The Boston Visitor's Pass for unlimited use of MBTA services are available in one, three or seven-day increments and can be purchased online, by mail or at the stations. Tokens for travel are also obtainable at station booths. To keep your sanity, do not drive – Boston is difficult to navigate and parking is expensive.
Time Travel

Visit the Boston Common and Harvard, both established in the mid-17th century. Fast forward 140 years to the American Revolution and walk the Freedom Trail. Ride the T, America's first subway (est. 1897).

Boston Transport Link

Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority (MBTA) website

Highlights

Highlights

Boston certainly makes a spectacle of itself when seen from Spectacle Island. You'll be anxious for a closer look.

First-time visitor? Follow the Freedom Trail. The four-kilometre redbrick line commemorating the American Revolution wanders from the Boston Common to Beacon Hill, the North End and the Bunker Hill Monument across the river. The eclectic Museum of Fine Arts has so much to offer it's impossible to see it all in one day.

Explore the intellectual enclave of Harvard University & Harvard Square in Cambridge. Take the red line T to JFK/Umass station to learn about the life of the USA's 35th president at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. Outside is a panoramic view of the harbour. Travel downtown to see underwater creatures make a splash at the New England Aquarium.
Sightseeing Tips

Purchase a CityPass to get discounted admissions for five museums and attractions. The GoBoston Card offers one to multi-day free admissions plus shopping, restaurant and lodging discounts.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.