11 Essential Tips for Visiting Boston: Our Experience

Is one of the United States cities that we know best because we have visited it several times, and that is why we wanted to publish this article to share all the information you need to know to travel to boston.

The luck of having a friend residing in the city means that every time we visit, we learn new things about what to see in boston which otherwise would be impossible to know.

And in this case it is not about recommending the monuments and places to visit, but to give you advice on various aspects that you should keep in mind when traveling to Boston.

Tips for traveling and visiting Boston for tourism

Below you will find the answers to the various questions you may ask yourself regarding the airport, how to get around Boston by transportation, the insurance you should carry, what to eat or the tours and excursions you can sign up for.

What visa is needed to travel to the United States?

Depending on your nationality, you have some legal conditions or others to travel to boston.

From Spain and other European countries you do not need a visa, but it is necessary to fill out the so-called ESTA form, which is what gives you access to the country.

It is usually valid for 2 years, after which, if you return to the United States, you must complete it again.

To do this, they will ask you for information about your trip, such as where you are going to stay or if you are going to visit someone, requiring the information of the person in whose house you are going to stay.

How to get from the airport to downtown Boston

If you arrive in the city by plane, you will have to take transportation to take you to the center, since the airport is located on a small peninsula in front of the city.

There are many and varied options to choose from depending on your final destination and how you prefer to go.

El boston airport It is very close to the city center Dotown, the port and the financial district, but to get to these places you have to cross or go around the sea.

How to take the Metro from the airport to downtown Boston

Go metro It is one of the fastest and most economical solutions, because in less than 15 minutes you cross the sea below until you reach the station. Frontwater, Along the financial district, from now on where you can move around the rest of the city.

To catch the subway at the airport you have to get on a free bus that runs through the various terminals and drops you off at the station; There you buy the ticket that takes you to the center of Boston, which costs $2,75.

How to go by Boat-Taxi from the airport to downtown Boston

If it is not cold, the option of taxi boat in Boston We think it's the most fun, because it has a lot of charm.

You take the same route as in metro, but in a small boat on the sea from where you have a spectacular panoramic view of the skyline de la ciudad.

The price of the boat-taxi ticket is 12 dollars.

How to take a bus from the airport to downtown Boston

As in all cities, the bus is the cheapest option since it only costs $1,75 and leaves you at the South Station, from where you can reach any point in the city.

Transfers from the airport to downtown Boston

These two options are the ones that take you directly from the airport to the point you want, so the price is variable.

But to give you an idea, take a taxi from the airport to financial district It costs you about 20 dollars; Yes, remember that you have to leave a tip.

The most convenient option is undoubtedly the private transfer from the airport which will take you between 20 and 45 minutes; here you can book private transfer.

A clarification for those who use applications like Uber: In the United States they work great, but each city has its own rules and in Boston, trips from the airport are not covered.

Buy insurance to travel to Boston

For travel to United States you should take out travel insurance.

As you can see, I do not “advise” you to hire it, it is simply mandatory, unless you want to run the risk of having a serious problem if something happens to you.

We have the case of a friend who suffered a very serious heart attack in the United States, and if it were not because he had insurance that covered him for 100.000 dollars, he would have returned to Spain alive (because they take care of you), but financially ruined.

The bill (which they give you when you leave the hospital) was for $60.000 in ambulance, hospitalization and basic treatment expenses, since he was only in the hospital for three days.

So remember, it's “MANDATORY” to travel with insurance.

There are several companies that offer travel insurance, and we We travel with IATI insurance, of whose price you have a 5% discount if you hire it through our website.

Tours and excursions in Boston

If you want to visit the city at your leisure, we have written this article that proposes the 30 best places to see on your visit to Boston

But if you are like us, when we arrive in a city we like sign up for a guided tour To discover curiosities and have a first approximation to it, this excursion will surely be interesting for you.

El Boston Tour in Spanish It consists of a three-hour tour with a guide in spanish during which you will visit the most important areas of the city, starting with the financial district, specifically in the famous Quincy Market.

You visit some of the most interesting points of the city following a large part of the sections of the Freedom Trail until you reach Back Bay, which is the area with the most beautiful houses, in addition to visiting the area of Cambridge and its universities.

The truth is that if you are not going to be in Boston, it is a great tour to see almost all the points of interest.

Another option is to sign up to get a general idea of ​​the city, and then decide which areas you want to spend more time on in later days.

What to eat in Boston

There are many options for eat in boston, but like all cities, there is always some typical dish that you should not stop trying.

Being next to the sea on the shores of very cold waters, the specialty is seafood such as Lobster roll, which is a lobster wrapped in a bun, or the Clam chowder, a clam and broth chowder usually served on a loaf of bread.

But as a good cosmopolitan American city, you can also find a huge variety of dishes, such as chicken wings with different sauces, grilled ribs, burgers, pizzas in the purest Italian or cool style Asian food.

How to get around Boston on public transportation

The best way to visit Boston it is walking; In fact, it is a famous city for how easy it is to get to know it this way, but there are times when you need to use the public transport.

The easiest thing is to use the metro to move around the different areas of the city.

How does the Metro work in Boston?

to move on public transportation around boston you have to know what there is three main stationss from which you can get around, since they have connections with the rest of the city.

South Station It is the large station where most buses arrive from other cities, as is the case if you make a Tour to Boston from New York or you arrive from Niagara Falls.

The station Back Bay, which is located in the historic area of ​​the city, and North Station They close the triangle of the three important seasons.

The latter is located at the entrance to the TD Garden, the aforementioned pavilion in which the Boston Celtics next to the city's north bridge.

El price of a single metro ticket is $2,75, although there are special prices if you get the Charlie Card.

With it, the single ticket costs you 2,25 dollars and there are special prices for 1 day, 2 days, weekly, and monthly.

If you want, you can get the Charlie Card in the ticket machines of almost all the metro stations in the city.

There is always a person from the metro staff to help, in addition to the machine having the option to change the language to Spanish.

Thus, the price of the weekly pass is $24.

How to Ride the Train in Boston

If you are staying on the outskirts of the city and are going to travel by train, you have to know that it is very easy to move around in it.

To buy the ticket you can do it on the train itselfWhen you enter and sit down, the conductor passes by and you can pay him in hand, although you cannot do it with a card.

You also have the option to do it with a mobile application; is called mTicket (a symbol in purple with a big T).

You enter the origin station, the final station and insert the credit card.

You buy the ticket and activate it just before getting on the train, and then once inside, you will have to show it to the conductor.

Very important, if you do not have Internet on the street and alone zones wifi, you will have to activate the application and make payment in advance; has a 1 hour validity to enter the train from the moment you activate it.

We activated it before leaving where we were staying to the train and it was solved.

The train schedules You can also find them in the application.

Best time to travel to Boston for tourism

Looking ahead to your trip, you should know that Boston It has extreme temperatures in winter, dropping temperatures to even -20 degrees when the big snowfalls come.

On the contrary, in summer the temperature is hot with quite a bit of humidity.

The best things to see and visit around Boston

If you are going to spend a few days in Boston, you may want to visit some of the surrounding towns such as Salem, which is known for the witch burning, for its mansions, or for the great landscapes of Marblehead.

There is another very interesting excursion which is to go visit the incredible mansions of the great fortunes of the United States in the town of Newport in Rhode Island.

I hope to do these excursions on our next trip to Boston.

Tips for renting a car in Boston

If instead of signing up for an organized excursion like the ones we have indicated before, you prefer to do a route by car on your own, in this article you have some tips for renting a car in the United States.

Where to Find Wifi in Boston

You can find Wireless in any bar or restaurant in the city.

The truth is that the issue of Wireless It is one of the points in which Boston stands out, because not only is it that you can use it anywhere in the city, but it is also high speed and without special procedures to give you the password.

All establishments usually have Wireless open for customers, so powerful that you can make phone calls through Internet without any connection failure problem.