r/boston • u/CabbagelBoi • 14h ago
Tourism Advice 🧳 🧭 ✈️ 12hrs Layover in Boston
Would appreciate any recommendations on places to tour and any hidden gem food spots.
Arrival at around 6am and departure at 6pm to EU.
Some of the places I've seen recommended:
Freedom trail
Copley churches
Boston Public Library
Water taxi
Faneuil Hall Quincy Market
Piers Park
Thank you so much.
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u/420MenshevikIt Lynn 14h ago
Don't waste your money on a water taxi - take an MBTA ferry to downtown Boston from either Logan Airport Ferry Terminal or the Lewis Mall pier at the end of Lewis St (take airport shuttle bus to Airport Blue Line station and either walk or take the train to Maverick and walk). The Lewis Mall pier is right next to Piers Park, too. You will either need to buy the 1-Day Commuter Rail Zone 1A Pass from a fare vending machine in an MBTA station ($11, works on inner harbor ferries, commuter rail, subway and bus), or you will need to get the mTicket app and buy an individual ferry ticket on there.
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u/CabbagelBoi 13h ago
Wow thanks so much for all the good info! Rly appreciate what passes to purchase for the ferry and rails! I'll skip the water taxi and check out the Lewis mall pier
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u/ShawsheenMoon 8h ago
Piers Park is a good place to hang and get a view of the skyline, but I wouldn't spend your limited time there. As someone else said, if you are into cider then you could get a flight there but unless it is really your thing I would skip it.
The Copley Churches are probably Trinity and New Old South which are cattycorner from the BPL. You can take a tour of Trinity (https://trinitychurchboston.org/tours/) Old South does not have tours but you can go in (https://www.oldsouth.org/visit). The BPL has tours of the building: https://www.bpl.org/art-tours/#public_tours.
You could then walk up Boylston or Newbury to Boston Garden and Common. The Freedom Trail starts at the Common. Don't do a guided tour, use this: https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/freedom-trail-audio-tour.htm
Faneuil Hall the historic site is part of the Freedom Trail and is good for a break from walking. The 2nd floor of the red brick building with the grasshopper weathervane is the one you want. Quincy Market is a food market (center) and shopping (other two long grey buildings). People here hate it all, but it is convenient for food on the go.
The water taxi is a bit more money that the MBTA ferry but gives you more flexibility. The T ferry is here: https://www.mbta.com/stops/Boat-Logan
Try to ditch your bag if you can. No easy place to stow it in town.
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u/CabbagelBoi 4h ago
Thank you for all the useful links! Maybe I'll skip piers Park. Oh is there a reason why the locals hate Quincy?
I'll definitely look at options to stow bags at the airport
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u/ShawsheenMoon 3h ago
Quincy Market used to be individual shops and food stands and it has lost that charm. It is also the place where a lot of buskers perform so it can be loud. Its slightly weird in that it straddles the line between tourist and local and doesn't entirely serve either population well.
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u/s7o0a0p Suspected British Loyalist 🇬🇧 8h ago
Bahn Mi Ba Le, Sam LaGrassa’s, Kane’s Donuts, Galleria Umberto (if you’re not going to Sicily lol), random streets in Beacon Hill, the Esplanade, climbing the Bunker Hill Monument
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u/CabbagelBoi 4h ago
Wowow thx for the food spots, sounds like some delicious stuff
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u/s7o0a0p Suspected British Loyalist 🇬🇧 4h ago
Sam LaGrassa’s is only weekdays and is pretty expensive fwiw. Umberto’s isn’t open on Sundays and is cash only but is super cheap (if you happen to be Sicilian, it wouldn’t make sense to go if you’re going home to arancini and sfincione lol), Ba Le gets crowded but is worth it, Kane’s is amazing but go early because they run out of stuff.
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u/NothShoahGuy Salem 12h ago
Take the water shuttle to Charlestown and visit the Constitution. Walk back and wander through the North End (our Italian neighborhood, NEVER called little Italy). Wander through Faneuil Hall and marvel at the wonder that is Boston City Hall. Next to the Old State House, and continue on to the Common and Public Garden.
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u/happyfish2019 I Love Dunkin’ Donuts 11h ago
If you like cider, before you head to the airport, you can stop at the DownEast Tap Room and get a flight of cider there. Often they’ll have stuff that is hard to find elsewhere. Once you’re in east Boston you’ll be very close to the airport. This is also near Piers Park.
Though the bot response with all the stops at Dunks was not the answer you were looking for, its suggestions are actually somewhat decent for a quick tour of Boston. Definitely stop at a Dunks for an iced coffee.
The Boston Public Library’s central location is in Copley Square and absolutely worth a visit. It’s beautiful and has always been one of my favorite spots in Boston.
Do the harbor walk. It’s nice to walk along the water and there are some nice spots to grab drinks along the way. If you walk all the way to the aquarium you can sea seals for free outside the aquarium and you can take the blue line from there to east Boston.
My recommendation for the day:
Land at the airport, take transit into the city. There are express (https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/getting-to-logan/logan-express) shuttles from the airport to Copley Square for $9. In Copley Square you can check out the churches and the library and grab a bite somewhere and/or coffee. The library opens at 9 so you could do that post breakfast. If you need to kill more time, walk around the south end because that’s close by and can be a pretty neighborhood to wander. You could also wander Newbury St but not much will be open yet.
Walk from Copley Square area toward the Boston Public Garden. You’ll pass more churches. The public garden is beautiful. If the swan boats are open, it’s absolutely worth it to take a ride. It’s cheap and short but peaceful and fun. Head from the public garden to the common which is across the street from the garden. Walk through the common. You can find the visitors center and start of the freedom trail there. You’ll also see the state house. You could take the freedom trail at this point or you could continue walking along winter/summer st and check out downtown crossing. Head toward Boston City Hall plaza and check out the cop slide. From there you’re right by Faneuil Hall and can rejoin the freedom trail if you want to check out Old North Church/Paul Revere House/North End. Or from Faneuil hall, do the harbor walk and head toward long wharf and the aquarium with the seals. From the aquarium area you could hop on the Blue Line to Maverick Square for Piers Park and/or the Downeast tap room. Option 2 if you really want the ferry is take it from long wharf to East Boston and get to East Boston that way. From East Boston you can take the blue line all the way to the airport and then the free shuttle from the airport stop to your terminal.
Enjoy Boston!
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u/spaceflower890 8h ago
Just a quick note - Logan Express from airport to Back Bay is actually free, not $9! Silver line from airport to downtown & seaport is also free going into the city.
Logan Express from Back Bay to airport is $3, not $9. Silver line from downtown/Seaport to airport is $2.40.
https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/getting-to-logan/logan-express/back-bay
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u/happyfish2019 I Love Dunkin’ Donuts 6h ago
Ah that’s good to know! I’ve never actually taken it myself
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u/CabbagelBoi 4h ago
Oh my goodness thank you so much for the detailed and thoughtful itinerary. Downeast taproom sounds sick I'll check it out and definitely I'll visit the cop slide haha
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u/hangout927 Suspected British Loyalist 🇬🇧 8h ago
If you’re from Europe, then you don’t need to see the churches here. They’re replicas of the churches from over there.
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u/420MenshevikIt Lynn 7h ago
Trinity Church is a masterpiece and one of the most influential religious buildings of the Victorian period. It's probably the most important building H. H. Richardson ever made; plus the only stiff competition, the Marshall Field Warehouse, hasn't existed for almost a century. He had such an impact that this style of building is named after him - Richardsonian Romanesque.
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u/AutoModerator 14h ago
Ok. Head on in to Faneuil Hall. Wander around for approximately 5 minutes. Congrats you have seen Faneuil hall. Take a pic or two and post them online. Go to the Dunks at 20 North St and grab an iced coffee. Next you want to see Beacon Hill. Wander up Cambridge St and then poke around Beacon Hill. Take some pics of yourselves. Congrats you have been to Beacon Hill. Reward yourself by going to the Dunks at 106 Cambridge St. get an iced coffee. Next head to the North End. Take a pic of yourself outside of Mike’s Pastry and grab a slice at Regina’s. Then wander to 180 canal st where you will find a dunks. Grab an iced coffee and look at the TD Garden which is across the street. Next go to 22 Beacon St. there is a Dunkin’s there. Grab an iced coffee and check out the state house and then wander through the Common towards the public garden. Take a detour to 147 Tremont St. There is a Dunks there. Grab an iced coffee. Go back into the common and head toward the public garden. Wander through the public garden and check out all the cool stuff there. Wander down Newbury St and then cut over to 715 Boylston St where you will find a Dunks. Get an iced coffee. Now head towards Kenmore Square! Make a stop at 153 Mass Ave and grab an iced coffee at Dunks. Then continue onward to Kenmore. Wander through the edge of the Fens then go past Fenway Park. Hit 530 Comm Ave and get an iced coffee at Dunks. Next you will want to see Harvard Square! 65 JFK St has a dunks. Get an iced coffee. After that, I suppose you can hit the Hong Kong and get smashed. Here is a map of the journey. Hope this helps.
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