The 10 best things to do in Boston
This list covers ten things to do inside the city limits of Boston, from Jamaica Plain to South Boston: two parks, a harbor fort, a ballpark tour, a walking trail, a concert hall, a library, an aquarium and two art museums. The list is written for visitors planning a first trip and for residents with a free afternoon.
The picks favor places that are open year-round and reachable on the MBTA. Four of the ten charge nothing to enter. Among the rest, published adult prices in November 2026 run from $25 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to $39.95 at the New England Aquarium, and a one-hour public tour of Fenway Park is $30.
How we chose
The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each place had to be inside the City of Boston, open to the public as of November 2026, and backed by details published by the operator or by a city or state agency. Long-running institutions and free public spaces were favored over short-term attractions, and museums were capped at three so that tours, parks and venues had room.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Arnold Arboretum
Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum covers 281 acres of Jamaica Plain and has been collecting trees and shrubs since 1872. The grounds hold more than 15,000 accessioned plants, by the arboretum’s own count, and admission is always free. Staff-designed routes range from a 40-minute introductory walk of half a mile to a two-hour, 2.5-mile director’s tour, and a mobile app called Expeditions works as a self-guided option. The Arborway Gate is about a 12-minute walk along the Arborway sidewalk from Forest Hills, the southern end of the Orange Line. Stop at the visitor center first for a map.
Hours: Grounds open daily, sunrise to sunset. Visitor center open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Address: 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130
Why they made the list
- Entry to the grounds costs nothing on any day of the year.
- The arboretum dates to 1872, according to Harvard.
- Four published walking routes run from a quarter mile to 2.5 miles.
Boston Public Library, Central Library
Copley Square’s Central Library is two connected buildings: the McKim building, designed by Charles Follen McKim and opened in 1895, and the Boylston Street building, which opened in 1972 and has since been renovated. Both are free to walk into. Library staff lead one-hour public tours of the art and architecture every week; registration is required and opens up to a month ahead. Recent tour times have included weekday mornings at 10 a.m. and a Monday evening slot at 5:30 p.m. Visitors who skip the tour can use the 30-minute audio guide in the Bloomberg Connects app.
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Address: 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Why they made the list
- The library is free and open to the public seven days a week.
- Guided tours run weekly and last one hour.
- The McKim building has stood on Copley Square since 1895.
See the full directory listing
Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall opened on October 15, 1900, with a gala concert, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra has played there since. McKim, Mead & White of New York designed the building, and Harvard physicist Wallace Clement Sabine consulted on the acoustics, according to the orchestra’s history. The hall also hosts outside presenters: the late-November 2026 calendar lists a Boston Philharmonic Orchestra program on November 22 and Handel’s Messiah on November 27, 28 and 29. Tickets are sold online and by phone at 617-266-1200. Behind-the-scenes tours of the hall exist, but the schedule was not posted when this list was compiled.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Why they made the list
- The hall has been in use for concerts since October 1900.
- An Aeolian-Skinner organ designed by G. Donald Harrison was installed in 1949.
- Phone ticketing is staffed Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
See the full directory listing
Castle Island and Fort Independence
At the eastern tip of South Boston, Castle Island is a 22-acre state park joined to the mainland by roads and walkways. Fort Independence, a five-sided granite fort built between 1834 and 1851, takes up most of the island; the state says forts have stood on the site since 1623. A waterfront path runs from the island toward the Kennedy Library and ties into the Boston Harborwalk. The park is open in every season, but the fort interior is seasonal: the Castle Island Association gives free tours on summer and early fall weekends, ending Columbus Day weekend. Parking in the lot beside the fort is free.
Hours: Park open daily, sunrise to sunset. Fort Independence is open Memorial Day to Columbus Day, with varying hours.
Address: 2010 William J. Day Boulevard, Boston, MA 02127
Why they made the list
- The fort and the island are on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
- Picnic areas with grilling, a playground and restrooms are on site.
- Volunteer-led fort tours are free in season, weather permitting.
Charles River Esplanade
The Esplanade is a three-mile state park on the Boston bank of the Charles River, running from the Museum of Science to the BU Bridge. More than five miles of paved paths carry walkers, runners and cyclists past the Hatch Memorial Shell, playgrounds and ball fields. Storrow Drive cuts the park off from Back Bay and Beacon Hill, so most people enter by footbridge; the Frances Appleton Pedestrian Bridge at Charles Circle, beside the Charles/MGH station, is the most accessible. There is no public parking. Restrooms and water fountains are typically open mid-April to mid-October only, so plan around that in cold months.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: Along Storrow Drive between the Museum of Science and the BU Bridge, Boston; the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge is at David G. Mugar Way and Beacon Street
Why they made the list
- The park is free and stretches about three miles one way.
- Parts of the park date to the 1890s through the 1930s, according to the Esplanade Association.
- Ten MBTA stations are near the park, the association says.
Fenway Park
With the Red Sox season over, the way into Fenway Park in winter is a guided tour. Public tours last 60 minutes, leave at the top of each hour, and cost $30 for adults and $21 for children ages 3 to 12 and for military. From November 1 through March 31 tours run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the schedule widens to 9 a.m. in April. Game-day options return in spring, including a $55 pregame tour with warning-track access and time in the Green Monster seats. Lansdowne Station on the Worcester commuter rail line is close by. Call 617-226-6660 to confirm tours on holidays and event days.
Hours: Tours daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., November 1 through March 31; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 1 through October 31, with earlier last tours on game days.
Address: 4 Jersey Street, Boston, MA 02215
Why they made the list
- Tours run year-round, including the baseball offseason.
- Groups of 12 or more can book at the same $30 adult rate.
- A 15-minute tour for $20 is sold on game days and weekends from May through September.
See the full directory listing
The Freedom Trail
Sixteen official historic sites sit along the Freedom Trail, a walking route of about 2.5 miles through downtown and beyond. Walking the trail alone is free and can be done at any hour. The Freedom Trail Foundation sells 90-minute Walk Into History tours that leave daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, and a second daily departure leaves Faneuil Hall Marketplace at 10:30 a.m. For the holidays, a 60-minute Historic Holiday Stroll runs Fridays and Saturdays from November 20 through December 26, 2026, except Christmas Day. Tour prices are posted on the foundation’s ticket page.
Hours: The trail is an outdoor public route. Walk Into History tours leave daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Address: Tours start at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, 139 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111
Why they made the list
- The route links 16 official historic sites in about 2.5 miles.
- Guided tours leave five times a day in the current schedule.
- A North End tour focused on Paul Revere departs Faneuil Hall Marketplace daily at 2:30 p.m.
- The foundation’s tour app covers the route in about 120 minutes at any time of day.
See the full directory listing
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Gardner is an art museum in the Fenway built around a flowering courtyard, where plantings change with the season. The museum is also known for a crime: thieves entered in the early hours of March 18, 1990, and the theft has a section of its own on the museum’s website. Adult admission is $25, seniors pay $22, students $15, and visitors 17 and under are free. Thursday nights from 5 to 9 p.m. are free, by the museum’s account, and anyone named Isabella gets in free for life with a reservation by phone. Buy tickets ahead; time slots sell out.
Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Tuesday.
Address: 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115
Why they made the list
- Children and teens through age 17 are admitted free.
- Thursday hours run late, until 9 p.m.
- Free admission is also listed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
See the full directory listing
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
On Huntington Avenue, the Museum of Fine Arts has a Green Line stop named after it on the E branch; the main entrance faces Huntington Avenue and has ramps on both sides of the stairs. Adult admission is $30, youths 7 to 17 pay $14, and children 6 and under are free, though every visitor needs a ticket. The cheapest way in is $5 Third Thursdays: pay-what-you-wish entry with a $5 minimum after 5 p.m., sold in person only, with the next dates on November 19 and December 17, 2026. Thursday and Friday hours run until 10 p.m. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
Hours: Saturday through Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Tuesday. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Address: 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Why they made the list
- Massachusetts residents get in free on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 18, 2027.
- The Orange Line and commuter rail stop at Ruggles, the museum’s other listed station.
- EBT and ConnectorCare cardholders from Massachusetts can buy up to four adult tickets at $3 each.
See the full directory listing
New England Aquarium
Central Wharf’s aquarium is organized around the Giant Ocean Tank, a four-story Caribbean reef exhibit that holds 200,000 gallons of saltwater and measures 40 feet across. Myrtle, a green sea turtle, has lived at the aquarium since June 1970 and shares the tank with rays, eels, barracuda and reef fish. African and southern rockhopper penguins have a colony of their own. Admission is $39.95 for adults, $37.95 for seniors 60 and up and $30.95 for children 3 to 11; residents of the six New England states get $5 off outside blackout dates. Buy ahead, since few tickets are sold on site and weekends often sell out.
Hours: Fall hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Address: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
Why they made the list
- The reef inside the main tank is built from more than 3,000 handmade coral elements.
- Children 2 and under are admitted free.
- Combination tickets add a Simons Theatre film or a whale watch cruise.
See the full directory listing
See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.
Run a place readers should know about?
Get listed in the directory.