Making the most of the time in Boston

[misty57]

We will be arriving in Boston early afternoon ( October) the day before our cruise. We will be staying at Seaport Boston Hotel that night. I wanted to do the HOHO trolley tour as we did one in Key West and it was really nice. The difference is, in Boston I know there will be stops that I will want to 'hop off' to see. The trolley only runs until about 5 pm. My question is, should we even bother with this tour? Is there a stop close enough to our hotel? I don't really want to be stranded on the other side of town when they stop running. We probably will not have time after our cruise to see anything unless we change our flight times. What would you who are familiar with Boston and the hotel area suggest?

[1025cruise]

What time are you arriving?

 

If you aren't going to have that much time, I would check in at the Seaport, then walk across the street to the T station, take the Silver Line to South Station, take the Red Line one stop to Park Street, then the Green Line to Government Center. That puts you across the street from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. That's a good place to get dinner and wander around. Then do the reverse to get back.

 

When in October are you coming in? If you are hitting the weekend of Head of the Charles, you may just want to stay at the hotel.

[138east]

Yes - they are there the Head of the Charles weekend.

 

I'd plan on taking the T and walking. Pull up and MBTA map and a Freedom Trail map. I would send you a slightly different route. Take the Silver Line from the T station that is next to the Seaport. At South Station follow the signs to direction Alewife and take the Red Line one stop to Downtown Crossing getting on the front of the train. Transfer to the Orange Line direction Oak Grove and go two stops to Haymarket. If you're interested in the North End, follow the Freedom Trail into the North End. Loop back along the waterfront to the Aquarium/Long Wharf area and come into the Quincy Market area from the east. Do whatever in the market and then follow the Freedom trail backwards to the Boston Common where you can pick up the Red Line at Park St. Take any train in the Braintree/Ashmont direction two stops to South Station and transfer to any Silver Line bus back to World Trade.

 

This is just a suggested route that will hit the highlights of downtown historic Boston. To save time you can take a cab directly to the North End and work your way back to Boston Common. If you do some research and find something you especially want to see (perhaps the Constitution), post back and we can give you other suggestions. Everyone has different interests - some folks want to shop all day in Quincy Market while others want to see every detail along the Freedom Trail.

[Got2Cruise]

You might want to consider the Duck Tour. You won't be able to get off, but it is a fun overall tour of Boston. You can order the tickets online before you get there.

[misty57]

Thanks! Sounds kind of complicated but at least we will be able to see a few things. We will be arriving around noon on 10/20.

[aurelius180]

Thanks! Sounds kind of complicated but at least we will be able to see a few things. We will be arriving around noon on 10/20.

 

 

If the Faneuil Hall area is where you want to see I would just grab a cab from the hotel. It's a pretty short ride over (5-10 minutes depending on traffic) and far less complicated than trying to catch the T. From there you can also walk to the North End or over to Downtown Crossing.