What is the Boston self-guided walking tour?
The Boston self-guided walking tour is an audio walk you take on your own with the World City Trail app, which leads you from stop to stop and narrates what happened at each one. Plan on about 2 hours in total; the 2.1 km between the 10 stops take around 29 minutes on foot. The whole route keeps to the old colonial centre, so the walking is short and the stories are many.
In the Public Garden the narration explains why swan boats have crossed the pond since 1877, and at Park Street Church you hear how the hymn America was first sung there in 1831. Among the slate headstones of the Granary Burying Ground lie Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. At the Old State House the story turns to the reading of the Declaration of Independence from its balcony in 1776, and a ring of cobblestones nearby recalls the five colonists killed in the Boston Massacre. On City Hall Plaza, eleven granite bases around Bill Russell's statue stand for his eleven NBA championships.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 29 min · 2.1 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From stop to stop
Stories, legends, facts
Every stop has its own narrated chapter: the history, the local legends and a few surprising facts, with the full text on screen for anyone who prefers reading.
Google Maps in your pocket
The route is 2.1 km long, about 29 minutes of actual walking, and Google Maps shows the direction each time you move on.
No timetable
There is no meeting point and no group waiting. Step into a café or a museum, then return to the route later or the following day.
Recommendations nearby
The app suggests places to eat and local shops close to the stops, and it lets you pick another starting point or rearrange the stops.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who gets most from this walk
First-time visitors
Within a few hours you know where the main sights of Boston are and what each one stands for.
Independent travellers
No group to keep up with and no guide to wait for: stay longer where you are curious and move on where you are not.
Tight schedules
Around 2 hours is enough for the centre, which leaves the rest of the day for other plans.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
Garden to harbour
10 stops · about 29 min walking · start: Public Garden · finish: Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park
You set off in the Public Garden, opened in 1837, and cross Boston Common to Park Street Church on its edge. The Granary Burying Ground is right next door, followed by the Benjamin Franklin statue at the old Boston Latin School site and the Old State House, with the Boston Massacre site marked in the street outside. City Hall Plaza and the Bill Russell statue lead on to Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and the walk ends at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park by the harbour. A different first stop can be set in the app, and none of the stops charges admission.
Open the route map ↗
1Public GardenStart
The Boston Public Garden, opened in 1837, is considered the first public botanical garden in America. Swan boats have glided across its pond since 1877, and at its centre stands the equestrian statue of George Washington by Thomas Ball.
2Boston Common
Boston Common, first laid out in 1634, is the oldest public park in the United States. Cows once grazed here, and the site served for militia training and public executions before it became parkland.
3Park Street Church
Park Street Church was completed in 1810, and its steeple rises above the Common. In 1831 the hymn America, also called My Country, 'Tis of Thee, was first sung here at a children's celebration.
4Granary Burying Ground
The Granary Burying Ground was established in 1660 and is the resting place of patriots including Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Its weathered slate headstones carry skulls and inscriptions from the colonial era.
5Benjamin Franklin Statue
Boston Latin School, founded in 1635, is one of the oldest public schools in the United States. A bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin, a work by Richard Saltonstall Greenough and unveiled in 1856, recalls the former pupil, who attended the school for only a short time.
6Old State House
The Old State House, built in 1713, is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. From its balcony the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to the citizens in 1776.
7Boston Massacre Site
A ring of cobblestones in the street marks the Boston Massacre site, where British soldiers fired into a crowd on 5 March 1770 and killed five colonists. The event became a rallying point for the American Revolution.
8Bill Russell Statue on City Hall Plaza
This statue of Celtics centre Bill Russell, the work of Ann Hirsch, was unveiled on City Hall Plaza on 1 November 2013. Eleven green granite bases surround it, one for each of his eleven NBA championships, and each carries a keyword and a quotation.
9Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Faneuil Hall was built in 1742 as a market and meeting hall and hosted many speeches of the revolutionary era. Beside it, Quincy Market from 1826 was restored in the 1970s as a marketplace of shops and food stalls.
10Christopher Columbus Waterfront ParkFinish
Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park was designed in 1974 by Sasaki, Dawson and DeMay on filled land between Commercial Wharf and Long Wharf. A shade structure of laminated timber is draped in wisteria, and the Rose Kennedy Garden is one of its central features.
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Anonymous (verified owner) –
Very nice and informative