Boston travel blog — The fullest Boston city guide for a trip to Boston on a budget for the first-timers

The Institute of Contemporary Art

Contemporary art lovers must have a trip to The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), located on the river banks in Boston. ICA is undoubtedly one of the gems along Harborwalk – an attractive public walkway around Boston Harbor. The Institute of Contemporary Art has exhibited many highly creative works of art. This destination own many unique architectural works with the aim of introducing visitors to Boston art lovers. This is the place where you should visit in the beautiful city of Boston.

ICA is organized in sections – a revolving exhibition, and a permanent collection. Each exhibition is often themed around an artist’s work or a specific topic. A beautiful modern building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro Architects, it offers great views of Boston’s harbor and skyline.

Address: 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA 02210, USA
Phone: +1-617-478-3100 (main)
Hours: 10AM – 9PM. Closed: Mondays / First Friday of every month 10AM – 5PM
Tickets: $10–15
Url: https://www.icaboston.org/

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Faneuil Hall marketplace dating back to 1742, is a market located in the center of the city with more than 100 specialty shops and dishes, fashion shops of local people.

Address: 4 S Market St, Boston, MA 02109, USA
Hours: 10AM–9PM
Phone: +1 617-523-1300
Url: https://faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

Harpoon Brewery

Read more: Boston itinerary 4 days — How to spend 4 days in Boston & what to do in Boston for 4 days for first-timers?

This brewery is a popular destination for beer lovers and wants to find unique flavors, discover special recipes to make craft beer. Beer is produced in Boston with traditional European methods, Harpoon’s reputation is becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States.

Address: 306 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210 (Waterfront, South Boston)
Phone: (617) 456-2322
Hours: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Url: https://www.harpoonbrewery.com

Skywalk Observatory

The Skywalk Observatory, located on the 50th floor of Prudential Tower, is known as one of Boston’s most amazing elevated observation points, where visitors can see the surrounding areas, panoramic view of the city. At this famous tower you can enjoy unique lunches at the restaurant on the 52nd floor and immerse yourself in the romantic jazz space.

Address: 800 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199, USA
Phone: +1 617-859-0648
Hours: 10AM–10PM
Url: http://skywalkboston.com/

Charles River

Walking along the banks of the Charles River will give visitors a sense of connection with nature and immerse themselves in exciting exercise sessions by the river. Especially in the summer, there are many activities here, including free music performances.

Copley Square

Visit Copley Square you will have the opportunity to explore the most beautiful buildings of the city of Boston. Surrounding the square are architectural treasures like the art-education academy, some of which have a life span of more than a century, on the sides of the road are rows of trees, next to the fountain becomes a destination extremely ideal for relaxing on sunny days.

Beacon Hill

An early neighborhood in the history of Boston’s development, it is famous for its narrow streets and red-tiled pavements (most photographed is Acorn Street).

Castle Island

The castle island is located south of Boston and is considered an attractive destination for millions of visitors every year. When you come here, you can immerse yourself in nature with beautiful beach entertainment activities, have the opportunity to learn the history of the island.

Boston Common

The first public park in America. Coming to the public park, visitors will enjoy musical performances and freely playing. It is also an ideal location for those who like to explore Boston’s revolutionary landscape. But before you set foot on this road, don’t forget to give yourself some time to explore this 20-hectare public park. In the summer, visitors can cool off next to the elegant Brewer fountain or visit Frog Pond in winter to experience the enchanting state rink.

Address: 139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Phone: +1 617-635-4505
Hours: Open 24 hours

New England Aquarium

The New England Aquarium is home to many exhibits of marine life, from jellyfish, penguins, to funny seals. To experience this aquarium you can walk around the spiral walkway around the tanks, to get a close-up view of sharks, barracuda, sea turtles .. Also, don’t forget to visit the cinema. IMAX movies to discover films about aquatic themes.

Address: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110, USA
Hours: 9AM–5PM
Url: https://www.neaq.org/

Museum of Fine Arts

This museum is worth to visit because this is a place to display a series of famous paintings in the world. In addition, the museum is free to open after 4 pm on Wednesdays or free tickets if that day is your birthday.

Address: 465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 10AM–10PM / Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday: 10AM–5PM
Url: https://www.mfa.org/

Other attractions in central Boston

• Copley Square, Trinity Church, Boston Public Library area (inside the library is very beautiful), Newbury St (shopping and dining street)
• Quincy market: Must visit in Boston
• Some great museums like Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, ..

Featured attractions in the vicinity of Boston

Fenway Park

Fenway Park is also known as the oldest baseball stadium in the United States. It is also the home of the Boston Red Sox team since it was opened in 1912. Although many managers once wanted to build a new park in this city, but when you have a chance to see the beauty of Fenway, surely it will be difficult to replace it by a new building.

Address: 4 Yawkey Way, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Capacity: 37.731
Opened: April 20, 1912

Harvard and MIT University

Founded in 1936 and is one of the most famous, oldest private universities in the United States. This is also the first educational department in the Americas, the school is renowned for its faculties in law, commerce and medicine.

This school is located right on the edge of Boston city, has a campus of 154 hectares, this is the ideal place to learn and explore the architecture, museums and shops here. Especially, explore this school and do not miss the opportunity to visit the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology or Harvard Natural History Museum.

Address: Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Phone: +1 617-495-1000
Url: https://www.harvard.edu/

Besides Harvard, MIT is also a worth visit place, among the top 10 universities in the world.

Other attraction in neighborhood cities of Boston

• Charles River Esplanade, a panoramic view of Cambridge and especially watching cherry blossoms bloom in the spring.
• Harvard Museum of Natural History, MIT museum, ..

Boston tourist guide: What and where to eat in Boston?

What to eat?

To make your trip more complete, enjoy the cuisine in Boston as one of the indispensable things. Boston owns a diverse cuisine developed from many large cuisine cultures in the world. Therefore, any visitor, wherever he comes from, can easily find his favorite dishes.

Clam Chowder

This fragrant aroma soup is sold everywhere with an attractive thickness, made of a mixture of mussels, potatoes, bacon, ice cream and spices. There are many places for you to enjoy this dish, but to enjoy it properly you can visit at Atlantic Fish Co (Address: 761 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116, USA / Hours: 11:30AM–11PM / Phone: +1 617-267-4000), where chefs use all the fresh ingredients to make this impressive dish brand.

In Boston’s culinary discovery list, don’t miss the clam Chowder – one of the most attractive dishes here. To properly enjoy this porridge, people often combine with a crispy toast.

Grilled pork ribs

Grilled pork ribs are an indispensable dish in the outdoor parties in Boston with an attractive, fresh, berry red tomato sauce spread over the fragrant grilled ribs. Each piece of soft meat, bold flavor with each layer of sauce gradually dissolves in the mouth, enough to conquer any of the most fastidious diners.

Hamburger

You can easily buy a Hamburger at fast food shops in Boston. Hamburger is essentially a baguette sandwiched with mince beef, green vegetables, and tomatoes, served with cheese or chips. Local people often choose Hamburger to make their meals because they are very convenient and fast.

Where to eat?

America is a multiracial, multicultural country, so you will easily find the cuisine of most countries in the world. But Chinatown is always the first choice of tours when visiting here. Located in the heart of Boston, a 5-minute walk from South Station, Chinatown has a lot of restaurants, cafes, bakeries or milk tea shops … at quite affordable prices.

• Dimsum: Hei La Moon Restaurant (Address: 88 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111, USA / Hours: 8:30AM–11PM, daily / Phone: +1 617-338-8813) has very good Dimsum.
• Hotpot: Le’t visit Shabu Zen (Address: 16 Tyler Street, Boston, MA 02111 / Hours: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm), or Hot Pot Buffet (Address: 70 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111, USA / Hours: 11AM–2AM / Phone: +1 617-338-0808).
• Hong Kong Eatery (Address: 79 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02111, USA / Hours: 9AM–10:30PM / Phone: +1 617-423-0838) is famous for dishes such as roasted duck, roast pork …

If you’re a big fan of seafood, you can’t miss the Boston Seaport area. There are many seafood restaurants in the Seaport District area but the restaurant prices here are quite expensive. Here are some options to consider.

• Ideal Seafood, Legal Test Kitchen, Row 34, Yankee Lobster Fish Market.
• Seafood restaurant with beautiful view: Legal Harborside, The Barking Crab.

Brighton / Allston area is home to many famous Korean and Japanese restaurants:

• Bonchon Chicken.
• Gyu Kaku – Japanese BBQ
• Hokkaido Santouka Ramen, Totto Ramen.
• Kaju Tofu House, Myung Dong, Korean Garden.
• 89*C Crepe & Ice cream, Hi B3ar Ice Cream Roll.

In addition, the Faneuil Hall Marketplace in downtown Boston is also quite suitable for those who want to enjoy Western cuisine. This is a pedestrian street area so there are not only restaurants but also shopping stores. In the summer, there are many outdoor performances like circus, dancing, singing. Christmas season, this place is decorated with many beautiful lights, accompanied by a big pine tree with lights and music.

Hopefully with the information we provide, you will choose the best time to visit Boston, and easily find places to play and enjoy during your stay in the beautiful city.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Boston you can refer to

• Wrentham Village Premium Outlets Bus from Boston
• Historic Day Tour to Cambridge, Lexington, Concord, and Boston
• Christmas Tour in Newport from Boston
• Boston Day Tour
• Boston One Day Bus Tour from New York
• Boston Hop On Hop Off Trolley Tour
• Go Boston Card – All Inclusive Pass
• Boston Duck Tours
• Boston Harbor Historic Sightseeing Cruise
• Boston Whale Watching Cruise
• Cambridge, Lexington & Concord Half Day Tour from Boston
• Newport Day Tour from Boston
• Cape Cod Day Tour from Boston

Are you looking for more top things to do in Boston: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Boston itinerary 4 days — How to spend 4 days in Boston & what to do in Boston for 4 days for first-timers?