Freedom Trail

For those of you who will be visiting Boston on a cruise next year and enjoy walking I would recommend walking Freedom Trail.

We had a taxi take us from the pier over to the area where Freedom Trail begins. The cost was around $20.00 for the taxi.

We then walked the trail. This is the second time we've done that. First time was on an organized tour but it is so easy to walk it on your own and by doing so you can stop wherever you want.

Lots of history.

Keith

For those of you who will be visiting Boston on a cruise next year and enjoy walking I would recommend walking Freedom Trail.

 

We had a taxi take us from the pier over to the area where Freedom Trail begins. The cost was around $20.00 for the taxi.

 

We then walked the trail. This is the second time we've done that. First time was on an organized tour but it is so easy to walk it on your own and by doing so you can stop wherever you want.

 

Lots of history.

 

Keith

Thank you for posting about the Freedom Trail, Keith. It's a great idea for people looking for other options while in port, especially if they love walking and history which Boston/New England has in abundance. How long did you spend walking and what were some highlights/favorite things you saw on the trail?

I'm including a link to the trail website for folks who might be interested in learning more about it and see if it might be something they'd like to do on their next port call.

https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

Thanks again :)

Host Bonjour,

We walked the trail for almost four hours but that included several stops.

For us highlights included:

Paul Revere's Home

The Cemeteries.

Old North Church

Old State House

Faneuil Hall

We also enjoyed many of the other sites.

Keith

Thank you for posting about the Freedom Trail, Keith. It's a great idea for people looking for other options while in port, especially if they love walking and history which Boston/New England has in abundance. How long did you spend walking and what were some highlights/favorite things you saw on the trail?

 

I'm including a link to the trail website for folks who might be interested in learning more about it and see if it might be something they'd like to do on their next port call.

https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

 

Thanks again :)

Hi HB

While staying in Boston a few years ago I walked the full FT and made these. which show each of the 16 sites in the order that they would normally be walked. Most can quickly be seen by just walking past them but a few are worthy of a proper look.

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Keith has mentioned the most interesting sites, to which I would add Boston Common, the (free) tour of the USS Constitution (take photo ID) and the Bunker Hill monument. Those last 2 are a mile or so from the others, so take the subway up there if you are constrained by time.

And last year I went back to Boston and made these. The links for all these can be found from the Atlantic Canada & New England link below. All the best, Tony

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Check to see if the Constitution will be out of dry dock (for repairs) while you are in Boston.

There is also a hop on/off trolley, with a stop near the cruise port, that gets you around town to any of the sights.

Check to see if the Constitution will be out of dry dock (for repairs) while you are in Boston.

 

There is also a hop on/off trolley, with a stop near the cruise port, that gets you around town to any of the sights.

We actually did this on a previous cruise. The lines were so long to get on the hop on hop off trolley at some of the stops, we often had to wait for another trolley or two more trolleys. I started to worry about getting back to the ship on time. We did enjoy the Constitution but I wouldn't do this again for a cruise day.

I think because it was a cruise day, the trolley probably had higher attendance and longer lines.

The Freedom Trail is a suggested walking route through old Boston that provides an organized way to see the historical sites that are located amidst the more modern buildings and could easily be missed. IMO there's nothing sacred about walking every inch of the trail.

My suggestion is to take a cab first to the Constitution and do the Charleston area. The museum opens at 9 am and the ship (in dry dock until fall of 2017) opens at 10 am. This is a popular site and should be done first.

Then take the MBTA water taxi from the Constitution to Long Wharf. http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/boats/lines/?route=F4. This costs $3.50/pp and gives you a quick harbor cruise in the upper harbor. From Long Wharf walk along the waterfront through Christopher Columbus Park to find the Old North Church/Copps Burying ground in the North End to pick up the Freedom Trail again. https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/pdfs/NPS%20BOST%20Map%20Jan%202013.pdf

Walk the trail backwards to Faneuil Hall and continue to Boston Common. From the Common you can take a cab back to Black Falcon Terminal or you can take the MBTA Red Line at Park St (Any train direction Braintree or Ashmont) two stops to South Station where you transfer to the Silver Line SL2 bus to Black Falcon (Dry Dock Ave) - $2.75/pp. http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/