Boston is an expensive destination for travelers—just looking at the hotel rates can bust your budget.
But there are some noteworthy attractions that don’t cost a thing, and many of them show off the features visitors come to Boston to experience in the first place: Revolutionary history, classic New England vibes, renowned university campuses, people saying “clam chowdah.”
Sprinkle some of these fun and rewarding free things to do in your Boston itinerary and maybe you’ll have more space in your budget for pricier stuff like bleacher seats at Fenway Park or a lobster roll that costs about what you paid for your first car.
The Public Garden and Boston Common
Boston’s prettiest spot, the Public Garden is free to enter for a scenic amble along the willow-lined lagoon, among carefully cultivated flowers, across a picture-perfect footbridge, and to public artwork such as the bronze mallard family inspired by Robert McCloskey’s classic Make Way for Ducklings picture book, which is set here. (You will have to pay a small fee to ride the iconic Swan Boats on the lagoon.)
The older, adjoining Boson Common is less manicured but has its draws, including The Embrace monument honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King (who met in Boston, by the way). Show up in late July or early August, and you can catch a free Shakespeare on the Common performance.
And while we’re on the subject of free summertime performances, the Charles River Esplanade along the nearby riverfront is where the Boston Pops plays a free concert at the Hatch Shell amphitheater every July 4 to accompany a spectacular fireworks display.
Freedom Trail and Black Heritage Trail
Stretching for 2.5 miles from Boston Common to the Charlestown neighborhood, the Freedom Trail connects 16 historic sites that had something to do with Boston’s pivotal role in the American Revolution. You can simply follow the red-brick path embedded in city sidewalks (sometimes it’s just a painted red line) or grab a free map at the Boston Common Visitor Center (139 Tremont St.).
Some stops along the way charge admission for entrance, but cemeteries where Patriots are buried, monuments recognizing events such as the Boston Massacre, and striking views of Federalist architecture are all gratis.
The Black Heritage Trail picks up the story in the 19th century, when members of the city’s African American community were leaders in the Abolitionist Movement and participated in the Underground Railroad. The Museum of African American History (46 Joy St.) has free maps of the 14 sites on that self-guided tour.
Atmospheric strolls
For a less structured stroll, take a wander through a picturesque neighborhood such as cobblestoned Beacon Hill to happen upon Instagram-famous Acorn Street and genteel squares bordered by multimillion-dollar row houses. In the fall, elaborate Halloween decorations suggest these are the types of homes where trick-or-treaters get full candy bars and maybe a gold bar or two as well.
In the Back Bay, stately Commonwealth Avenue (Comm. Ave. for short) unfurls in grand fashion from the Public Garden to Massachusetts Avenue (Mass. Ave. for short). Flanked by brownstones, a wide, grassy, tree-lined pedestrian path takes you past statues of Alexander Hamilton, pioneering poet Phillis Wheatley, and Piper, a past resident’s beloved dog.
The Italian-inflected North End is best-known for its restaurants, shops, and dueling cannoli bakeries—none of which are free. But the neighborhood’s main street, Hanover, has an invigorating ambience even if you’re not buying anything.
And the North End is the location of one of Boston’s most famous tableaus: a statue of Paul Revere on horseback, with the steeple of the Old North Church (of one-if-by-land, two-if-by-sea fame) in the background.
Boston Public Library
The main branch of the Boston Public Library (700 Boylston St.) in Copley Square is a stunner, especially if you enter via Dartmouth St. Climb the central staircase past a pair of marble lions (don’t forget to rub a tail for good luck) and you’ll eventually reach a set of religion-themed murals painted by John Singer Sargent, who usually stuck to portraits of socialites.
Elsewhere, there’s a peaceful inner courtyard that looks like a Renaissance cloister (complete with fountain) and, near the more modern Boylston St. entrance, a bright red phone booth where you can spill your guts to the Boston Globe’s Love Letters advice column.
USS Constitution
The three-masted frigate nicknamed “Old Ironsides”—because during the War of 1812 cannonballs bounced off the oak hull as if it were made of metal—is now stationed at the Charlestown Navy Yard. Still an active-duty posting, the ship can be boarded by members of the public for free during guided tours. They’re led by U.S. Navy sailors wearing vintage uniforms.
Bunker Hill Monument
From the Charlestown Navy Yard, winding streets lead to this 221-foot-tall granite obelisk planted in the center of a grassy square. The monument commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill near the start of the Revolutionary War—a fight the British won while suffering severe casualties that removed any doubts about whether the colonists were kidding around.
Entering the monument’s adjoining lodge and climbing the 294 steps to the top of the obelisk for a look through some tiny windows requires no admission charge. Given the strenuous ascent, you might feel somebody should pay you for taking it on.
Atlantic harbor seals at the New England Aquarium
Getting a look at the sea turtles, penguins, and colorful fish inside the New England Aquarium (1 Central Wharf) along the harborfront will set you back $40 per adult and $31 per kid (though admission is free for toddlers 2 and younger).
There is, however, one exhibit you can view without entering the facility. On the front plaza, to the left of the aquarium’s doors, simply walk up to the window to see two families of Atlantic harbor seals swimming, cavorting, and napping in their 42,000-gallon tank.
Arnold Arboretum
South of downtown, Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood is a free-to-visit, 281-acre “museum of trees” that’s open year-round and therefore a showcase for four seasons’ worth of dazzling plant-based displays. Naturally, autumn colors make this the best leaf-peeping within Boston city limits. Spring blooms and even winter’s starkness are also likely to bring some much-needed serenity to your hectic travels.
Download the arboretum’s free Expeditions mobile app for self-guided tours and insights. Whatever you do, don’t miss the bonsai collection.
Harvard University, Cambridge
Just across the Charles River from Boston, the city of Cambridge is home base for Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From Harvard Square, you can embark on a free, student-led tour of the oldest college in the country that walks you through the two handsome quads known as Harvard Yard (go ahead and get that line about parking a car out of your system now).
You’ll see the famous wrought-iron gates, red-brick dorms, chapels, and the impressive front steps of Widener Library.
Afterward, stop by the Harvard Art Museums (32 Quincy St.), where no admission fee is charged to see a wide-ranging collection encompassing more than 200,000 works, from Chinese jade dragons to a characteristically intense self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh.
Now there’s a guy who knew what it was like to be short on funds.
