Freedom Trail

[belle22]

We are walking the Freedom Trail ourselves. We plan on going inside Paul Revere's house. I know it is 2 1/2 miles for the entire Trail. Looking for an estimate time it will take to do the Trail?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We are walking the Freedom Trail ourselves. We plan on going inside Paul Revere's house. I know it is 2 1/2 miles for the entire Trail. Looking for an estimate time it will take to do the Trail?

How long do you think it will take you to walk a mile with stops? It takes about 20 minutes to slowly walk a mile, so you do the math

 

[pigletto]

I don't know really. There are quite a few points of interest. We did the tour from the Commons and then did Paul Revere's house on our own in an afternoon. It was probably 3-4 hours? We stopped for lunch in that time too. It was well worth it. It was the best historical tour we've ever taken and my sister who was with me has been an 1812 historical site tour guide for 8 years,with a Masters in History and Classics. So I was with a pretty picky person as far as these things go and she loved it

 

[LovesTimone]

We were there a year or so ago. Wow, its really hard to follow the trail, lots of walking, back tracking, up and down hills. Be aware the street and side walks are not in good repair, cobble stones and such Wear, really good shoes for safety reason. At times you will be right next to the traffic, and also there are homes with basement apts, and no railing or warning just stairs going down one of the guys on our trip fell down about 8 steps, he was trying to get a picture and down he went. The line you are suppose to follow will stop for no reason and it might pick up across the street or down the block. Check to see if there is a cost with the stops you might want to see.

The Kennedy Library was the highlight of our trip, well worth the cost, and the university is so beautiful. Check out the North End for Food, great little places to duct into and grab some wonderful really food and wine, and Mike's Bakery is another stop.

 

[LiamandMaeve]

We are walking the Freedom Trail ourselves. We plan on going inside Paul Revere's house. I know it is 2 1/2 miles for the entire Trail. Looking for an estimate time it will take to do the Trail?

It depends on how much you want to see at the stops. I know some places charge a fee to go in for a little tour and have a look around. One of the churches we walked in, took a look around, and left in a matter of minutes while we spent a ton of time at the burial ground looking for famous Patriots (it's also good for a spot of shade!). So, it really can depend on what you are interested in and how crowded the various stops are and the crowdedness of the city in general. Paul Revere's house can become a little backed up and take more time.

Have fun!

 

[Pooh2]

I agree with the comfy shoes and throw some rain ponchos in your bag too!

 

[KBoopaloo]

Lots of folks do just the Boston side of the trail and don't bother going over the bridge to Charlestown and the Navy Yard where the USS Constitution is, however if you have the time, it is worth going the whole way.

I always tell people planning on doing the whole trail including Charlestown to plan on using their whole day. Keep in mind that the Trail is not a loop so when you get to the end, you have to turn around and go back. If you just do the Boston side, you could probably see almost everything in 3 to 5 hours depending on your walking pace.

There is a ticket (Freedom Trail Ticket) that gets you into 3 sites on the Trail (including Paul Revere's House) for $13 for adults and $2 for kids. It saves you $5 over paying individually at each site.

The Park Service recently opened a new visitor center on the ground level of Faneuil Hall and they offer free walking tours from there with a Park Ranger several times a day as well. The tours don't go inside the sites but do give you a lot of good history. (Sorry for the wordy answer, I actually work at a Freedom Trail site. )

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I agree if you're including Charlestown (and I would) I'd plan on all day. The USS Constitution (free) and the Constitution museum (donation) are both very good.
Paul Revere's house isn't all that exciting. I guess if nothing else, it is small and you can say you did it. It's worth going into Old North Church to hear "the real story". That is a donation there too.
We've done programs at both OLd State House and Old South Meeting House. I think those are only done with groups though? (I"ve gone a couple times with the schools.)
As said, the trail is not a loop. If you start in the North End, you can take the T (subway) back from Boston Common where it ends. T does not go into Charlestown though. That's about a 10 minute walk back to North Station