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Getting around

Boston's transport consists of the country's oldest subway system, buses, trolley buses, ferries around the harbour and the commuter rail. For getting around the Boston-Cambridge area the subway, or the 'T' as it is known, is the best as it is easy to use, cheap, fast and safe. It serves most of the city and on the whole visitors will have little use for the bus network, which is cheaper but more confusing for newcomers. Both operate from about 5am to 12.30am, but a 'Night Owl' bus service has been introduced to provide transport along main bus routes and parallel to subway lines on Friday and Saturday nights until 2.30am. Different types of transport require different tokens, but various passes are available for unlimited travel on buses and the 'T'. Taxis are plentiful but expensive, although water taxis are a novel way to explore the city. Licensed cabs are best found at cabstands usually near hotels or can be reserved by phone; they are metered and provide receipts. Boston is a motorist's nightmare and there is no need to rent a car while in the city, unless planning excursions. Rental agencies require drivers to be 21 years old with additional surcharges for under-25s.

Travel Info

Airports

Logan International Airport

Location: The airport is situated four miles (6km) northeast of Boston.

Transfer Terminals: A free shuttle bus services the five terminals.

City Transfer: The Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority provide regular bus and underground services to the city centre. Taxis are available outside all terminals; the trip to downtown Boston takes between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on traffic, and costs $15 to $20. Some companies offer shared vans that provide door-to-door services. Massport's free water transportation bus directly connects all airport terminals to the Logan dock.

Facilities: Facilities for the disabled are excellent. There are ATMs in all terminals, a bank in Terminal D and bureaux de change in Terminals B, C and D. Internet is available in Terminal C. Other facilities include restaurants and bars, shops, duty-free, business facilities, children's entertainment, tourist information and hotel reservations. There are Internet facilities in all terminals. The nearby hotels offer their swimming pools and gym facilities to passengers for a daily rate.

Parking: Long and short-term parking is available and is connected to all terminals. A long-term Economy parking area is connected to the terminals by a free shuttle bus service every 20 minutes.

Activities

Freedom Trail

The 2.5-mile (4km) Freedom Trail follows a line of red bricks or a painted red line on the pavement linking 16 historic sights associated with the early struggle for freedom from British control and the events leading up to the revolution. Markers identify the stops and provide information from downtown to the North End to Charlestown and Bunker Hill Monument. Sights along the way include the Paul Revere House, Boston's oldest surviving house that was home to the famous revolutionary, and the nearby Old North Church where two lanterns were hung in the belfry to warn the revolutionaries of the British movements while Revere went on his famous horse ride to warn of imminent British attack. The elegant Old State House was the seat of British colonial government and where the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776. There is a museum of Boston history inside. At the Old South Meeting House Samuel Adams addressed the revolutionaries in the significant meeting prior to the Boston Tea Party and a circle of cobblestones marks the site of the Boston Massacre. In Charlestown the USS Constitution, known as 'Old Ironsides' is the oldest warship still afloat and was named after the sinking of the British frigate, HMS Guerriere during the war of 1812. Bunker Hill Monument is the site of the first formal battle of the America Revolution that was fought in 1775. Also along the trail is the beautiful white steeple of Park Street Church, the site of several important anti-slavery speeches, the Old Granary Burying Ground where a number of revolutionaries are buried, and the Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall that once was the meeting place for revolutionaries as well as a bustling marketplace. Although a complete self-guided trail, the National Park Service also conducts free tours with guides in historic costumes that cover some of the trail's highlights.

Opening: Most sites along the trail are open daily from 9am to 5pm (10am to 4pm in winter)

Admission: Most sites are free except for the Old South Meeting House, Old State House and Paul Revere House that charge a $3 or $5 entrance fee

Transport: Park Street subway station

Black Heritage Trail

Today Beacon Hill brings to mind images of affluence and luxurious living, yet until the end of the 19th century it contained a community of free blacks and escaped slaves from the southern states who owned businesses, built houses and schools, and worshipped together in the churches. Although the black community has since shifted to other parts of Boston, the Black Heritage Trail covers 14 sites that are part of the local black history. Massachusetts was the first state to abolish slavery in 1783 due in part to the black participation in the Revolution. Beginning at the Boston Common there is a memorial to slave abolitionist Robert Shaw who led the first black regiment recruited during the Civil War. Various sites on Beacon Hill include homes of famous citizens, the city's first racially integrated public school with exhibits portraying the struggle for equal school rights, and a house that was part of the famous 'Underground Railroad', sheltering runaway slaves from their pursuers. The African Meeting House, part of the Museum of Afro-American History, is one of the most interesting sights and was the first black church in the United States, known as 'Black Faneuil Hall' during the anti-slavery campaign. It was here that famous abolitionist speeches were made and black people were called to take up arms in the Civil War. There is an informative audiovisual presentation in the gallery. Although this is a complete self-guided trail with brochures and maps provided by the Museum of Afro-American History, park rangers also give free daily two-hour tours, which start at the National Park Service Visitor Center.

Opening: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; guided tours by appointment year round and 10am, 12pm, and 2pm (July and August)

Transport: Park Street subway station

Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum

Moored to the bridge is the Beaver II, known as the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, and one of the three ships stormed by patriots in 1773 as an act of rebellion against British rule and in particular against the new tax laws imposed on tea. A group of revolutionaries disguised as Mohawk Indians burst from the South Meeting House and boarded the ships that were loaded with tea. They emptied the crate contents into the harbour, an event that became known as the Boston Tea Party. The Beaver II is an exact replica of the original Beaver I and visitors can learn about the event on board the ship. *Note: The Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum is currently closed for renovations and plans to open again in mid-2007.*

Transport: South Station subway

Cambridge

Just across the Charles River from Boston, Cambridge is actually a city in its own right although the two cities are so closely associated that many people believe them to be one and the same. Cambridge is home to two of the most prestigious centres for education in the country, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has a young and vibrant atmosphere due to the 30,000 university students from around the world that reside and study here. The city is centred on Harvard Square and is a gathering spot that reflects the international culture of its learning community as well as the influence of its students, residents and business owners. Surrounding the square and lining the streets that spread out from Harvard Square are dozens of bookstores and music shops, cafes and coffee houses and restaurants. Harvard Square is a lively mixture of students and professors, buskers, the homeless, evangelists and political campaigners, and is a great place to have a cup of coffee, watch the activity and soak up the atmosphere. Harvard University occupies one side of the square.

Transport: The subway Red Line to Harvard Square from Boston Common's Park Street Station

Harvard University

Established in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest in the country and one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the USA. It is famous for its brilliant faculties that have produced economists, biologists, prize-winning poets, and famous graduates like former president JF Kennedy. It is also as well known for its famous dropouts such as actor Matt Damon who left in second year to write the Oscar-winning film 'Good Will Hunting', and businessman Bill Gates who left to start up a small software business, also dropping out in his second year. The focal point of the university is Harvard Yard, a courtyard surrounded by ivy-covered colonial buildings from the 18th century until the present that was named for John Harvard, a graduate of Cambridge University in Britain, who died leaving the college half his estate and his entire library. The shoe of his statue is rubbed for good luck. Harvard also has four outstanding museums that include the Harvard Art Museums and the Museum of Natural History. The Fogg Art Museum is the most famous art museum with a huge collection covering works from the European Renaissance period to the modern day, including works by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh and Klee. The Bush-Reisinger and Arthur Sackler Museums are included in the same ticket. The Natural History Museum is renowned for its display of hand-blown glass flowers.

Opening: The Information Center is open from Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm. Art museums: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 1pm to 5pm. Museum of Natural History: daily 9am to 5pm

Admission: There are free student-led campus tours available. Combined art museums ticket $7.50; free on Saturdays 10am to 12pm. Museum of Natural History $7.50; free on Sundays 9am to 12pm and Wednesdays 3pm to 5pm (September to May)

Transport: The subway Red Line to Harvard Square from Boston Common's Park Street Station

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