Hilton Hotel and car rental in Boston

We are cruising out of Boston on 9/21 and need a room for one night on 9/20. We have Hilton points we want to use, so any Hilton affiliated hotel would be great. Do you suggest staying at a hotel at the airport or something downtown?

Are there any car rental companies that will shuttle you to the pier? Do you suggest just using the public transportation to see the town a little before the cruise? We have free car rental days so driving around some is our preference but didn't know of any car rental companies that would shuttle you to the pier or were close enough to walk.

Thanks for your help.

We are cruising out of Boston on 9/21 and need a room for one night on 9/20. We have Hilton points we want to use, so any Hilton affiliated hotel would be great. Do you suggest staying at a hotel at the airport or something downtown?

 

Are there any car rental companies that will shuttle you to the pier? Do you suggest just using the public transportation to see the town a little before the cruise? We have free car rental days so driving around some is our preference but didn't know of any car rental companies that would shuttle you to the pier or were close enough to walk.

 

Thanks for your help.

I'd look at the Hilton Back Bay for one night. If you want to be near Faneuil Hall, then the financial district Hilton is a good choice. What date are you doing this? Are you flying to Boston or are you driving a rental car to Boston?

It's nice that you have free rental car days, but IMO any car is an expensive liability in Boston. Parking is super expensive. Downtown Boston is a maze of one way streets that can easily become gridlocked during rush hour. Public transit is the way to go.

Give us more details and we can help you plan your time. The good news is that downtown Boston is relatively small and the port is close, so cabs are under $20.

You can save money by riding the free Silver Line from the airport to South Station and grabbing a cab to your hotel from there. This can cut the cost of getting from the airport to your hotel at least in half by eliminating mileage, tunnel tolls, and airport cab surcharges.

We are flying in on Saturday 9/20 (either at noon or 10 PM, depending on our schedules) and the cruise leaves Sunday, sailing at 4:00. We plan to venture into downtown on Saturday if we fly in early and definitely spend as much time there on Sunday as possible. We have no problem being the last one to board to ship, as we sail all of the time and have 2 sea days to relax, but certainly don't want to miss the boat.

I was thinking of the Hilton or Embassy Suites at the airport, as the public transportation and car rental pick-up is right there. How about the Double Tree at Cambridge? That seems to be another possible choice.

If we stayed at the airport, I was thinking of picking up a car early Sunday morning (won't have parking fees for Saturday night), to primarily drop our luggage at the ship and maybe run around town a little, then drop it off at a National location downtown or back at the airport if that is closer and easier.

Then we'd enjoy Boston until we needed to head to the ship, but would be luggage free!

Make sense?

I wouldn't mind taking some ferry rides to be on the water. Any suggestions? Not really into all of the historical stuff. Enjoy milling around the waterfront, markets, etc.

You should book the financial district Hilton. You can walk to the National Car rental at 270 Atlantic Ave which opens at 8 am. This location has good access to the waterfront and Quincy Market, which doesn't open until 11 am Sunday morning. You want someplace that is easy to return the car and catch a cab to the pier. The airport is not really as convenient as downtown.

I'll second 138East. Unless you have a reason to leave the city you do not need a car. Boston is walkable or you can take the T (subway/bus system). Look at http://www.mtba.com.

I live in the western 'burbs and rarely drive in the city. Parking is difficult and expensive. Schools will be in session by Sept 20th. You can take the red line to Cambridge (a very pretty ride over the Charles) and take the Red to Silver Line to the port.

Hilton Financial is near the harbor, Hilton Back Bay is near Fenway Park and the Charles River. Either location is good.

I just don't see a car being any kind of asset in downtown Boston, even on a Sunday morning. You can easily drop $20 for 2 hours parking around Faneuil Hall. You say you want to ride ferries, I would suggest taking the MBTA water taxi over to Charlestown to see the Constitution. Walk from Faneuil Hall up to the Boston Common to see what's going on. You can't appreciate the Common in a car. Take the Red Line to Harvard Square and back. This trip'is faster by subway than driving and it's equally as expensive to park a car in Cambridge.

Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate your ideas! I just booked the cruise and airfare today, so I'm scrambling to do all of the research quickly.