If you haven’t visited this Northeastern gem of a city, please add it to your bucket list now! It’s one of my favorite cities to visit. I realized this city is truly the Charleston of the North. Or Charleston is the Boston of the South. However you want to look at it, the city is charming, walkable, full of great food, sights to see and more. Plus, it’s right on the water which is always a personal favorite when a city is near water.
Things To Do In Boston
Boston Travel Tips
Visit In The Summer
Visiting a bustling city in the summer is typically a better option for a few reasons. Prices tend to be lower and the city is a bit quieter. Many residents head out for vacations making the city less congested. The only downfall is it can be a bit hot! If you go in early summer and late spring, you’ll get some really beautiful weather.
Take The T
Besides walking, bikes and Uber, you can also take the T to get around Boston. It’s their subway system and is easy to navigate.
Take In The History
Boston is packed with history and it would be a shame to visit and not take a tour or visit a historic spot. It’s always so impressive to hear about what happened in this city!
Where to Stay In Boston
I’ve been to Boston a few times now and have always stayed in the Copley Square area. It’s super convenient to a lot of the things you’d want to see in the city. In addition to that, it’s super walkable and full of great restaurants too.
The Colonnade Hotel
We were welcomed at The Colonnade Hotel with open arms and one spacious room! The hotel was great and located near a lot of the touristy things we wanted to do. This made it super easy to walk to everything which was one of my favorite things about Boston. There’s a cute little French bistro at the lobby of the hotel and although we didn’t get to eat there, our welcome spread of goodies was from there and it was delicious.
This hotel is also home to the only rooftop pool in Boston. We headed up there on our last day when the sun came out to have breakfast and it was amazing. Great views and great food.
The Westin Copley Place Hotel
I stayed at The Westin Copley Place hotel that was just across from Copley Square and Boston Public Library. The hotel was beautiful. The Imperial Suite was stunning with grand views of the water and the red brick filled city.
Best Boston Restaurants
Dig Inn – An adorable quick healthy spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This place came recommended by a follower on Twitter and I profusely thanked her for it with like 20 tweets. It was so good we went back the next day for breakfast.
Top Of The Hub – Our first night we headed to Top Of The Hub located right across from our hotel. It’s situated on the 52nd floor which made for incredible views paired with even better food. We ordered the lobster summer salad which was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten and also shared a full lobster. Life is good y’all.
Tatte Bakery
Pronounced like latte, I’ve been stalking Tatte Bakery on Instagram for at least 2 years now. I couldn’t wait to visit and see the adorable cafe in person. We ordered two bowl/salad situations to share and finished it off with a fancy dessert. There are several locations around the city and highly recommend finding one to hang out at. We took refuge from the rain for a few hours and couldn’t have been happier.
Avery Bar
Located in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton, this very Mad Men inspired bar served amazing cocktails and even better honey mustard pretzels as a nice upgrade to bar peanuts. The decor was absolutely beautiful and decided if I ever need to decorate a man cave, this is what it would look like.
Cambridge Lobby Bar
The newly opened brandy bar in the lobby of Kimpton Marlowe Hotel serves up amazing drinks. Ask for Dennis, he was awesome and taught us so much about this liquor. He whipped up some delicious and refreshing cocktails before we headed to dinner at Bambara.
Bambara
At the Kimpton Marlowe Hotel, this was one of the most delicious meals. We did a big tasting to try a bunch of the items on the menu. We loved the salmon and beef tartare as well as all the homemade pastas.
Giacamos
Located in The North End (man, was I given a ton of crap for calling it Little Italy). This place is tiny, doesn’t take reservations, and doesn’t even take NAMES. So you have to literally wait in line to eat here. There will 100% be a wait, but I promise, it’s worth it. We waited for about an hour. They turn tables quick though so don’t be discouraged. Part of your party can also head to Mike’s Pastry to pick up dessert for a post pasta treat. Or Modern Bakery, the lines at both were epic and clearly there’s a rival happening.
Eataly
Located in the Prudential Center which is walking distance from The Westin Copley Place, this restaurant, wine bar, and specialty grocery is a personal favorite. There are a few across the country, and they’re all a bit different. We had our final meal here of cacio e pepe!
Earls
Also located in the Prudential Center, this was a happening rooftop and restaurant. The food was good, the music was bumping and there was a great crowd. This was perfect for the beautiful weather we were having.
Luke’s Lobster Bar
A trip to Boston isn’t complete without a lobster roll. Luke’s Lobster Bar did not disappoint! Grab a lobster roll and slaw and enjoy this classic sandwich. Our Freedom Trail Tour finished about 2 blocks from one of their locations making it a great reason to eat!
Cafeteria
For brunch, we hit up Cafeteria on Newburry Street. Nothing super special, but good classic brunch fare with outdoor seating. Their breakfast potatoes were TO die for. Make a reservation on the weekend and definitely sit outside.
Lolitas
Recommended by so many people, Lolitas was a Mexican food dream. Some of the best guacamole I’ve ever had. The cocktails were also delicious. This had a great bar scene as well and would be an ideal place to grab drinks, dinner or both.
Saltie Girl
A really delicious seafood restaurant right off of Newbury Street. We loved everything here from the tuna carpaccio, the tinned fish (yes try this!), and of course a lobster roll. Great for lunch, drinks or dinner, you can’t go wrong.
Things To Do In Boston
There’s tons of history in Boston so spending time doing a few tours is crucial to get the full Boston experience.
Duck Tour
This was my first ever Duck Tour and I loved it! We learned so much driving through the city and then hopped onto the river to learn even more. I really had no idea how much history was in Boston. It’s really easy to forget everything you learned in the 3rd grade. Our tour guide was super informative and made for a fun afternoon.
Freedom Trail
A self-guided tour (or you can have a guide if you like) that takes you through the city and show you all the historic sites. Do as much or as little as you like.
SkyWalk
Before dinner at Top Of The Hub, we headed to SkyWalk which is right below the restaurant on the 50th floor with 360 views. We were so lucky that we did this the first night when it was crystal clear out. We walked around SkyWalk to take in the views and also learn a ton of history about what we were looking at.
Harvard Tour
So it’s really officially called the Hahvahd Tour, which is too perfect. We headed over the bridge to Cambridge to do the tour and we had a cute little Harvard grab show us around her campus (she literally graduated 24 hours prior). It was one of my favorite things we did actually. The campus is adorable, full of even more history than one can imagine and also home to some good restaurants. We headed into a fun college bar for classic college staples like nachos and beer. Delicious!
Boston Public Library
We walked past this on our way to Dig Inn on our first day and knew we had to walk in. The gothic architecture on the outside was stunning but once you walked inside, we were blown away.
When narrowing down what to do in Boston, I recommend a good mix of history and great food. It’s so easy to do which is great. The city is a great walking city and there’s great food around every corner. Here are the 5 things you have to do while in Boston.
Acorn Street
The iconic Acorn Street. A steep cobblestone street lined with beautiful brick homes. Definitely snap a photo here! This is right in the Beacon Hill neighborhood which is a favorite for browsing cute shops.
Sunset Cruise At Long Wharf
Another great activity is the sunset cruise through the harbor. A fun way to take in the views. This is a bit of a nicer experience than the Duck Tour.
Seaport
Seaport is a newer neighborhood that is right on the water. Lots of higher end shopping, restaurants and water views. There are also some pop-up shops that are there that change out every 6 months or so.
Newbury Street
If you want to do some shopping, check out Newbury Street. There’s tons of great shopping like Reformation and Allbirds, and lots of restaurants. We dined at Cafeteria for brunch before doing a little shopping around the neighborhood.
Copley Square Farmers Market
This farmers market was steps away from our hotel. Literal steps. We were so lucky to stumble onto this as it’s only open on Tuesdays and Fridays during the summer months. I picked up what might have been the best brownie I’ve ever eaten at Yummy Mummy. It was a chocolate-covered espresso bean brownie. It’s on my “to recreate” list! There were tons of fresh fruits, veggies and flowers. But also several tents that had prepared food so you could totally do lunch here.
Boston Common & Gardens
Just a couple of blocks from Westin Copley Square, this park is beautiful and tranquil. Pack a picnic, or just take a stroll through it to take it all in. Boston Commons is the oldest park in the US, pretty impressive right? Across from the park is also the iconic Cheers entrance!
Cheers Bar
A must visit if you’re a Cheers fan. Check out the entrance for a throwback to this classic sit-com. I did not go inside, but if you’re really a hardcore fan, that could be a fun activity to do!
Beacon Hill Books & Cafe
Located in Beacon Hill, this charming book store is full of books for kids to adults, and even beautiful coffee table books. But the best part is the cafe they have downstairs.
Visit The North End
This is the Italian neighborhood in Boston that is packed with Italian restaurants and bakeries. Giacamo’s is a personal favorite, and you have to of course try a cannoli at Mike’s and Modern Bakery. I prefer Modern bakery since they have the minis. Mike’s cannolis are MASSIVE and I just found them to be a bit much. But flavorwise, both are fantastic.
The 5 Things You Have To Do In Boston
1. Something Historical
A history tour of some sort is a must. We loved the Duck Boat Tour, but you can also do the Freedom Trail tour to get a dose of history too. Either one is great and I think it definitely depends on how much walking you want to do. Also make sure to visit the Boston Public Library. It’s such a beautiful building.
2. Visit Harvard
I really didn’t think much when the Harvard tour was on our itinerary. It’s just a school, right? Wrong. It was super neat to learn about the history of the school and see it through the eyes of a student as well. The campus is beautiful and there are so many fun stories behind this famous school.
3. Eat Seafood
A no-brainer, right? There are incredible restaurants on every corner in this city but seafood is a must to have. We had amazing lobster and crab soups that helped to warm us up.
4. Explore Beacon Hill
One of my favorite neighborhoods in Boston is Beacon Hill. Stroll through the historic streets and stop into shops and grab lunch or a dessert at a local restaurant. If you visit Boston, I think this is one neighborhood not to miss.
5. Walk The City And Take It In
The cobblestone streets of this city are so charming. I instantly fell in love with it. You can literally just walk around this city and take it all in because it’s so stunning. You’ll stumble onto great little coffee shops like Tatte Bakery, a personal favorite. Be sure to take a walk to Acorn Street as it’s a super Instagrammable moment and one stunning view!
I hope you get an opportunity to visit this incredible city. I just adore it and love getting any opportunity to go back to visit. It’s easy to get around, full of great food and most importantly, really fascinating history.
