Boston Transportation
Boston Logan Airport tower and terminals; credit BOS Airport
Airport
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is one of America’s busiest airports. It features many daily domestic, Canadian, European and Caribbean flights. BOS also has the distinction of shortest direct flights from any Hub Airport in America to Europe.
Upgraded many times, BOS Airport has all the passenger amenities you would expect from a top-tier Hub Airport combined with many options to reach downtown Boston:
Rapid Transit to Downtown: MBTA Blue Line Metro Rail travels from BOS Airport to State Street and Government Center in downtown Boston.
BOS Ferry to Downtown: You can also take the ferry from BOS Airport to the Downtown Rowes Wharf, which is a viable option to reach waterfront hotels. To reach the ferry, first, visit the nearest information desk in a BOS terminal.
Taxis & Uber: From the lower level roadway of BOS airport to the closest points downtown. Look closely at the signage. If having difficulty, as a badged airport staff person. Around town, taxis are usually abundant, but large conventions often draw many of them away from downtown to Prudential Center, Copley Square, and the main convention center near South Boston.
Car Rentals: The car rental center is located on BOS premises for walkable access to/from airport terminals.
Train Station
Boston South Station hosts Amtrak, Commute Rail and Metro Rail trains; credit Tony Hisgett/Wiki Commons
South Station multimodal transportation center teems with Amtrak trains, commuter rail, heavy rail, Greyhound, Peter Pan buses, regular buses, and a major taxi depot. South Station is a people-place for historic architecture, cafes, shops, and art exhibits. A. Phillip Randolph, who strengthened the railroad labor union for Black workers, has a monument in the station.
Boston South Station hosts three Amtrak routes in the Northeast Corridor and Boston North Station hosts an additional Amtrak route between Boston and Brunswick, Maine:
Acela: DC-Baltimore-Philadelphia-Newark-NYC-Stamford-New Haven-Providence-Boston
Northeast Regional: DC-Baltimore-Wilmington-Philadelphia-Newark-NYC-Stamford-New Haven-Providence-Boston
Lakeshore Limited: Boston-Springfield-Rochester-Buffalo-Cleveland-Toledo-Chicago
Downeaster: Boston-Woburn-Haverhill-Exeter-Durham-Dover-Saco-Portland-Freeport-Brunswick
As a long-distance train, Amtrak Lakeshore Limited runs only one daily roundtrip between Boston South Station and Chicago. As a regional train, Amtrak Downeaster runs 5 daily roundtrips between Boston North Station and Brunswick.
Popular Amtrak Acela and Amtrak Northeast Regional trains run in the Northeast Corridor between Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and Washington DC every 20-30 minutes. Recently introduced Next-gen Acela trains feature comfortable seating with at least 39 inches of legroom, outlets for your laptop, complimentary WiFi, and extra storage space for luggage. Modest infrastructure upgrades in the 457-mile Northeast Corridor permit Next-gen Acela to reach 160 mph over 60 miles, more frequent train service and 3 more cabins of seating per train.
Northeast Regional Business Class also features more legroom. Both trains feature extra Amtrak Guest Rewards Points, refundable tickets for those last-minute changes, reserved seating, and a complimentary beverage. Budget-minded travelers can purchase Amtrak Saver Fares and save money when they book seats 21 days or more in advance. Each quarter, Amtrak service in the Northeast Corridor is setting new ridership records above pre-pandemic levels.
Over 2027-35, more bridge, tunnel, track, electrical & signaling upgrades will increase half of Northeast Corridor mileage to 140-160 mph speeds for even higher train frequency, and substantially better schedule reliability.
Tours
Black Heritage Trail
Self-guided walking tour of African American historic sites in Beacon Hill. Sites include Underground Railroad stations, former schools and homes, 54th Regiment Memorial, African Meeting House; brochures available at African National Historic Site.
ADDRESS: 46 Joy Street, Boston, MA
PHONE: 617-742-5415
Boston Siteseeing Tour Trolley; (c) Soul Of America
Cambridge African American Heritage Trail
Self-guided walking tour of American historic sites; sites include the former home of W.E.B. Du Bois, the former home of the nation’s first African American novelist, William Wells Brown, and the former home of Maria Baldwin.
PHONE: 617-441-2884
Freedom Trail
A 3-mile walking trail through Boston that connects 16 historical sites linked to the American Revolution; informative and engaging costumed characters travel the Trail during the summer; Tours: June 29-September 1; Saturdays and Sundays 11am & 1pm; Tours last 90-minutes and begin at the Boston Common Visitor Center.
FEES: Separate fees for Adults and Children
ADDRESS: 3 School Street, Boston, MA
PHONE: 617-227-8800
Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail
Only an hour north of Boston in New Hampshire, Portsmouth has a lovely historic district located on New Hampshire’s 27 miles of seacoast; the Black Heritage Trail provides a brochure outlining a self-guided walking tour of 24 marked sites, interpreting 350 years of Black history in New Hampshire and a comprehensive resource book.
WEBSITE: http://www.friendsofthepearl.org
Rapid Transit
MBTA Blue Line at the BOS Airport Station; credit Derek Yu
Unless you have a business budget for high parking fees and traffic congestion-patience, avoid driving and parking in downtown Boston. Along with taxi and Uber options, consider MBTA Metro Rail, Commuter Rail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Ferry service. They compliment this pedestrian-friendly city and the ferry rides are scenic during clear days. All four modes of transit are managed by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) serving 78 cities in the region. That simplifies ticket purchase and transfers.
MBTA Metro Rail, Commuter Rail BRT, & Ferry Map
The nation’s oldest and 4th busiest Metro Heavy Rail (subway & elevated) and Metro Light Rail system is known locally as the “T.” Its first subway tunnel designed for streetcars opened in 1897. Due to its old age, several downtown Boston stations that are NOT air-conditioned, nor wheelchair accessible. Those stations can be hot during the summer. Familiarize yourself with four T lines that intersect downtown. The good news is many stations are near 90% of common tourist sites.
The Green Line is a hybrid Light Rail-Streetcar Line that splits into four (B, C, D, E) branches southwest bound after the Copley Square station, so pay close attention to the destination name on its streetcar before boarding:
Blue Line: Airport, Aquarium, State Street, Government Center
Orange Line: North Station, Haymarket, State Street, Downtown Crossing, Chinatown, South Station, Massachusetts Ave, Roxbury Crossing
Red Line: JFK/Univ. of Massachusetts, South Station, Downtown Crossing, Park Street, Kendall/MIT, Harvard
Green Line: Science Park, North Station, Haymarket, Government Center, Park Street, Boylston, Arlington, Copley, Prudential, Symphony, Northeastern U., Museum OR Hynes Convention Center, Kenmore, Boston U, Boston College
Back Bay Station and North Station are intermodal Amtrak Regional, commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, taxi and Uber stations to locals. One Amtrak and four daily commuter rail lines extend from those stations deep into Boston suburbs:
• Framingham/Worcester Line
• Needham Line
• Franklin Line
• Providence/Stoughton Line
Cruiseport
Cruise Lines
Running April-November, the cruise season boasts numerous vessel calls, sailing north along the New England and Canadian coastline, south to Bermuda, or across the Atlantic to Europe. These major cruise lines depart from Cruiseport Boston, which is only 10 minutes from the airport:
– Holland America
– NCL
– Princess
– Royal Caribbean International
– Celebrity
– Cunard
Cruiseport Boston
ADDRESS: One Black Falcon Avenue
PHONE: 617-330-1500
Moonlight Cruises
A great after-dinner treat! Marvel at the sunset to nightlife transition of Boston’s skyline from the harbor; theme-oriented Replica Steamships provide historic tours of Boston Harbor, every 60 minute-on-the-hour tours, 90-minute Sunset Cruises, and 90-minute Moonlight Cruises; Live entertainment cruises.
DAYS & HOURS: most cruises start at 8 pm from late May-early October
ADDRESS: Boston Steamship Company at 60 Rowes Wharf, Boston, MA
PHONE: 617-542-8000
Spirit of Boston Cruises
Abundant seafood and dancing bring you a lively cruise experience of Boston Harbor. Lobster lunch & dinner cruises May-Oct; holiday cruises, Nov-Jan; special rates Jan-April. Air-conditioned and holds up to 600 passengers; 6 hours of complimentary parking at the Seaport Hotel parking garage.
ADDRESS: World Trade Center, 164 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA
PHONE: 800-8-SPIRIT
Boston Harbor Cruises
Whale watching cruises, Harbor Islands ferry, or harbor sightseeing tours from Boston; whale watch is Boston’s only 3-hour trip; ride a high-speed catamaran or Sunset Cruise; cruises run May-October.
ADDRESS: One Long Wharf, Boston, MA
PHONE: 617-227-4321
Freeways
Boston Freeways feature the green-covered Central Artery and the Ted Williams Tunnel to BOS Airport. After the controversial Big Dig completed in the not too distant past, it became possible to leave BOS Airport via I-90 Highway, bypass traffic congestion in the narrow Sumner Tunnel, and quickly go to Copley Square and points west of downtown Boston.
The iconic Zakim Bridge over the Charles River speeds you to points north of Boston.