Guided Tours of Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Skyline

Boston is the home of the Red Sox and Fenway Park, Harvard University, the Freedom Trail, and numerous museums and historic attractions. Guided tours help visitors learn about the city's history and its places of interest, and different tour operators have trips that cater to different activity levels and interests.

Boston Duck Tours--Quack through the Streets and the River

Quack amphibians vehicle image by Heng kong Chen from Fotolia.com

By land and sea Boston can be toured in a WWII-style amphibious landing vehicle. The Duck boats take visitors around the main sites of the city on solid ground before splashing down into the Charles River for the water portion of the trip, for a total of approximately 80 minutes. Hours vary by season with no tours in January and February and limited hours the rest of the winter, so check the website and make reservations in advance since the tours are very popular, especially in summer.

Boston Duck Tours
3 Copley Place, Suite 310
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 267-DUCK (3825)
www.bostonducktours.com/

UrbanAdventours--See Boston by Bike

Bicycles bicycle image by Vitezslav Halamka from Fotolia.com

Join an eco-friendly bicycle tour and see a side of Boston normally only seen by the locals. UrbanAdventours' motto is "burn carbs, not carbon!" The company provides bike rentals year round, but the guided tours do not run in winter. It provides the bike, helmet, and water and offers a number of innovative tours, including a "Funway to Fenway" tour to Red Sox land, a fall foliage tour, and a night tour along the waterfront. Riders at all skill levels are welcomed.

Urban Adventours
103 Atlantic Ave.
Boston, MA 02110
[phone]
www.urbanadventours.com/

Boston by Foot--Walking Tours of the City

Trinity Church, Copley Square church in boston image by Galina Barskaya from Fotolia.com

Boston's small size makes it an ideal walking city. From May to October Boston by Foot has daily historic tours taking in the Freedom Trail and other famous landmarks. All the tour guides undergo a rigorous training program, and they are fountains of knowledge about the city's long history and architecture. Most tours run about 90 minutes and are moderately priced.

Boston by Foot
77 North Washington St.
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
[phone]
www.bostonbyfoot.org/

Harvard University--Visit the Ivy League

Harvard University harvard university image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com

Harvard students offer free walking tours of the legendary campus throughout the year. Learn about the college, its long history, famous alumni, and its world-renowned faculty.

Harvard University Events & Information Center
Holyoke Center Arcade (Harvard Square)
1350 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
www.harvard.edu/visitors/

Old Town Trolley--History and Chocolate

Chocolate Fountain strawberries and chocolate image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com

The Old Town Trolley tours give visitors a chance to hop on and off of the trolleys all day, and tours include free admission to the Old State House Museum, a guidebook, and discount coupons. The trolleys make 17 stops and show visitors more than 100 points of interest. The city tour operates all year, and it offers a special spooky "Ghosts and Gravestones" from April to October. One winter favorite is Boston's Original Chocolate Tour, in operation on Saturdays from January to April. Board the trolley for a three-hour tour and make sweet stops along the way to places like the Omni Parker House Hotel, where Boston Cream Pie made its debut. The highlight of the tour is the final stop at the Langham Hotel for its calorie-laden chocolate buffet.

Old Town Trolley
c/o Historic Tours of America, Inc.
201 Front St., Suite 208
Key West, FL 33040
[phone]
www.trolleytours.com/boston/

Adult Education Programs--Specialty Tour Offerings

Boston Center for Adult Education and its local counterparts regularly give specialty tours and programs, usually focused on specific neighborhoods, ethnic neighborhoods, a particular historical era, food, or a type of art or architecture, mostly in the city of Boston itself but sometimes in adjacent suburbs. Program offerings continuously change, and all the programs welcome visitors from other cities and countries. There are programs for adults only and also for families.

Boston Center for Adult Education
122 Arlington St.
Boston, MA 02116
[phone]
www.bcae.org

Brookline Center for Adult and Community Education
Room 100, Brookline High School
115 Greenough St.
Brookline, MA 02446
[phone]
www.brooklineadulted.org

Cambridge Center for Adult Education
42 Brattle St.
Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA
[phone]
www.ccae.org

Newton Community Education
140 Brandeis Rd.
Newton Center, MA 02459
www.newtoncommunityed.org

References

• Trolley Tours
• Harvard University
• BCAE

Resources

• Boston Duck Tours
• Urban Adventures Tours
• Boston by Foot