Has anyone vacationed in Boston?

[gracie1]

I currently have a 4 night vacation planned in Salem and am planning a day in Salem, a day in Boston and then a day of just sightseeing around. Is Boston a great place to visit??
I am torn because I have been thinking of cancelling that vacation and taking a cruise to Bermuda (will cost the same amount basically). But not sure if I am making the right decision!!!

Any input or advice would be great!

 

[KLSinATL]

I love Boston - there are lots of things to do and see there! It is a wonderful walking city with a rich history and lots good restaurants. I think it really depends on what kind of vacation you want to have. If you are a go, go, go kind of person for vacation, the Boston trip would be great. If you want to relax, a cruise is probably the way to go.

You also didn't mention time of year. Boston is really cold and windy in the winter and hot in the summer, so you may want to take that into consideration.

 

[amylynne01]

I live about an hour from Boston, and I think it's a great city to visit! You could easily spend more than a day in Boston itself. There is the Freedom Trail to check out the historical sites in the city. There is Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market with some great shopping. The Boston Public Garden has the swan boats. I've always wanted to take the Duck Tours but haven't yet. The New England Aquarium is a few blocks from Quincy Market. If you're into sports, you could catch a Red Sox game.

What about driving up to southern Maine and spending time at the beaches there? There are tons within 60-90 minutes. There is also outlet shopping in Kittery, Maine.

 

[RachaelA]

I went to college in Boston. Its such an amazing city. Lots to see and do. I'm a big history buff so I loved being able to take advantage of all the historical sites.

The Freedom Trail is a great walking historical tour through Boston.

A lot of people love the Duck Tours.

Go shopping on Newbury Street (lots of cute little stores). The Downtown Crossing area has a lot of bigger stores (H&M, DSW, etc).

The Aquarium is really fun as well. Its really nice.

 

[gracie1]

it is for October. I am torn both ways!!! lol. Thanks for the input!!

 

[gracie1]

Thanks everyone!! We are staying in Salem and I plan on using the train to go into boston. Where does it take you? I was hoping that it took you directly to Faneuil Hall (sorry if I mispelled that!)
I plan on driving to Salem, parking and using the train to go into Boston.

 

[cinmouse]

October can be a great time, but it can also be rainy and cold.
Salem will be busy with all the Halloween stuff in full force in October...it will be too cold to go to the beach's in Maine, but you could take a ride to see the fall leaves...Boston always has a ton to see & do, as others have pointed out...it is historical and has great resturants and shopping..it is an easy walking city, so bring good sneakers/shoes. For info on the train, go to mbta.com the commuter rail will bring you to North Station and you can walk to Faniel Hall from there in about 5 minutes.

 

[swilshire]

I've worked several weeks in Boston through the years and took the family once there for vacation. There's so much to do and see that I never get tired of it.

Sheila

 

[amylynne01]

October can be a great time, but it can also be rainy and cold.
Salem will be busy with all the Halloween stuff in full force in October...it will be too cold to go to the beach's in Maine, but you could take a ride to see the fall leaves...Boston always has a ton to see & do, as others have pointed out...it is historical and has great resturants and shopping..it is an easy walking city, so bring good sneakers/shoes. For info on the train, go to mbta.com the commuter rail will bring you to North Station and you can walk to Faniel Hall from there in about 5 minutes.

Yeah, definitely too cold for the beaches. I agree that it is a great walking city, and the subway is really easy to use. Leaf peeping will be great at that time!

 

[MinnieForMe]

Boston is a great city as far as cities go. It's relatively clean and safe with lots of history. You could definitely plan 3-4 days of sightseeing if you take your time. However, I would never pick it over Bermuda. I guess it depends on what you want to do!

What exactly do you have planned in Salem? Again, not someplace I'd look at for a vacation destination.

 

[beccab]

I live 11 miles outside of Boston and I work in Salem. I am very familiar with both Boston and Salem. There is tons to do in this area. As others have mentioned, Boston is a great walking city. I also like Salem very much. Outside of work, I spend a lot of time in Salem. If you've seen Boston and Salem then you want to take a ride to another area, there are so many places you can drive to. Go North to Rockport and Gloucester or go to Portsmouth, NH ( a small New England city) and continue on to Kittery up to Ogunquit and Then Kennebunkport. Even if it isn't swimming weather, these places are wonderful to visit (a personal favorite is Ogunquit). Whatever you decide, hope you have a good time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, first I want to commend you. Faneuil is difficult - but you nailed it! !

The train (commuter rail) from downtown Salem will take you to North Station. This is, as cinmouse indicates, easily walking distance to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market. Not far from that is Downtown Crossing, mentioned above - and on your way, you'll encounter the red bricks or red painted bricks of the Freedom Trail, if you want to explore some or all of that.

Salem is a tourist city (as well as a regular working city), especially in October , so you won't have a problem filling up a day. There will be Haunted Happenings events, and there's the Witch Museum, the House of Seven Gables (yes, like in the book ), the Witch Theater... if you get hungry, there's a Ben & Jerry's ...

 

[gracie1]

Thank you all so much for your help! I believe that we have decided to put Boston on hold and go to Bermuda. I really didn't want to drive 9 hours, and I think we will probably do Boston next year and fly there.

One last question (maybe!!) How far is logan airport from downtown? I was thinking of flying in and then just staying in Boston maybe for a weekend. I definately want to be around faneuil hall, but don't want to have to rent a car either.

 

[rebeccalb10]

It's not a long trip from the airport.. you can take a short bus ride to the train into downtown, some hotels offer shuttles, or you could take a cab.

 

[RachaelA]

Its not that long of a T ride from the airport to downtown Boston. I've never had a car in the city when I lived there. Make sure to priceline a hotel in the area if you want to be downtown since they get pricey.

 

[gracie1]

Thank you all so much for your help!!! I think that is what I will do next year, fly to Boston and stay downtown so that I don't have to use a car!
Thanks again everyone!!

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

We were in Boston a couple of weekends ago, and the public transportation is great. Our flight landed around 4PM and we were checked into the Parker House Omni by 430PM. Just 3 stops on the T and we were there.

We're trying to plan another trip later this year, maybe late September or early October.

 

[Kate and Pete]

I do as much traveling as I possibly can - and Boston is BY FAR my favorite city in the world. (I'll be in Saigon this summer, so we'll see how it fares after that - I'm guessing it'll STILL be my favorite!) I live about 5 hours north in Bar Harbor, and try to get to Boston as much as I can.

There is SOOOOO much to see and do there - don't cancel for a trip to Bermuda! Have a blast in a wonderful city with a ton of history!

 

[DeniseinNS]

I LOVE Boston!!! We like The Boston Commons, the Swan Boats, and loved the Boston Children's Museum.

 

[soonerfan2008]

Boston is one of my very favorite cities in the world. Truly amazing--beautiful sights, friendly people, interesting culture, etc. And clean--so very clean!

I'd suggest staying somewhere in downtown. You can take the T from the airport into the city, and you can get a great deal on hotel using sites like betterbidding and priceline.