Cheap flights to Boston

Quick summary

Identity

America's oldest big city, and one of its smallest-feeling

Founded in 1630 by English Puritans, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, and it carries that age visibly: narrow colonial-era streets, brick rowhouses, a downtown you can walk end to end in under an hour. Roughly 675,000 people live within the city limits, with close to 4.9 million across the wider metro area, yet Boston reads far smaller than its population suggests, with a strong university identity (more than sixty colleges and universities in the metro area) and the feel of a human-scale small capital.

Where the American Revolution actually started

Boston is where tension boiled over: the Boston Massacre in 1770, the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and the Siege of Boston in 1775-76 all played out on streets that are still walkable today. That history is inseparable from the city's identity now, and it is why so many first-time visitors build their trip around a single walk.

Boston and German-speaking Europe

The city has long drawn scholars and students from Europe. The Harvard Art Museums include the Busch-Reisinger Museum, devoted to the art of German-speaking central and northern Europe.

Why track Boston with SniperAir

You don't need to compare prices every day

Boston's airport

An airport about 5 km from downtown, across the harbor

Distances and times are indicative, cross-checked on Wikivoyage (EN, FR); they vary with traffic. Fares are not quoted because they change.

Getting around

The "T" subway, buses, ferries and walking

Central Boston is compact and largely walkable; it is closer to a European city than to a gridded American one, with narrow, winding streets, so a map helps.

The "T" and trains

The MBTA network includes the subway (Red, Orange and Blue lines), the Green Line trolley, the bus-based Silver Line and commuter rail. A reloadable CharlieCard or a paper CharlieTicket covers trips; check the official site for accepted payment methods, as they change. Commuter trains use separate tickets.

Ferries, bikes and cars

Ferries leave from Long Wharf for several coastal destinations, some only in season. Driving downtown is not recommended: narrow streets, heavy traffic, scarce and expensive parking. Taxis and ride-hailing are easy to find.

Not to be missed

The Freedom Trail, 4 km of red brick through the Revolution

A red line, sometimes painted, sometimes laid in brick, connects sixteen Revolutionary-era sites over about 4 km (2.5 miles), from the Old State House, where the Boston Massacre took place just outside its doors, to Old North Church, where lanterns signaled Paul Revere's midnight ride. Along the way you pass Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House and the Granary Burying Ground, resting place of several Founding Fathers, before the trail crosses into Charlestown to finish at the Bunker Hill Monument or the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the world. It's free to walk at your own pace; allow two to three hours for the whole route on foot, not counting museum visits along the way.

To discover

Beacon Hill, Boston Common and Faneuil Hall

Beacon Hill

The neighborhood on every Boston postcard: cobblestone lanes, gas lamps, brick Federal-style rowhouses climbing the slope above Boston Common. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was also a center of the abolitionist movement: the African Meeting House on Joy Street, now home to the Museum of African American History, hosted speeches and organizing against slavery.

Boston Common

Laid out in 1634, it is the oldest public park in the United States, at the foot of Beacon Hill, with wide lawns and the Back Bay skyline in the distance.

Faneuil Hall

Built in 1742, it long served as a gathering place where Bostonians debated the questions that would lead to the Revolution. Today it holds a lively covered market, surrounded by pedestrian streets.

To discover

The North End and Fenway Park

Boston's oldest residential neighborhood, the North End has been the heart of the city's Italian-American community for more than a century: narrow streets lined with family-run bakeries, cafes and trattorias. West of downtown, Fenway Park has hosted the Red Sox since 1912, making it the oldest ballpark still in use in Major League Baseball; even outside game days, a stadium tour gets you up close to the Green Monster, the roughly 11-meter (37-foot) left-field wall that has become one of the most recognizable features in American sports.

Excursion

Harvard and MIT, across the Charles River

Cross the Charles River and you're in Cambridge, a few subway stops from downtown and home to two of the most prestigious universities on Earth. Harvard, founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher education in the country; its historic Harvard Yard, anchored by the statue of John Harvard, is open to walk through freely. Nearby, MIT completes this university hub and runs its own museum. Between the two campuses, bookshops, cafes and student-run restaurants are worth a half-day on their own.

Museums

Fine art, history and university collections

Museum of Fine Arts

The MFA holds one of the largest art collections in the country, spanning ancient Egyptian artifacts to contemporary works.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Opened in 1903 inside a building modeled on a 15th-century Venetian palace, it keeps its collection exactly as its founder arranged it, including the empty frames left on the walls since the 1990 theft, whose works have never been recovered.

Other museums

In Cambridge, the Harvard Art Museums and the MIT Museum; in Beacon Hill, the Museum of African American History; on the waterfront, the Institute of Contemporary Art. Check opening hours, closing days and any booking requirement; we do not quote fares, which change.

Food

Clam chowder, lobster rolls and a genuine New England table

Clam chowder

This creamy soup built on clams, potatoes and often salt pork is the dish most associated with Boston; every restaurant has its own recipe, from waterfront institutions to small counters.

The lobster roll

Lobster meat packed into a toasted split-top bun, best enjoyed outside with a view of the harbor, for example along the Harborwalk, or near Harvard Square.

The Italian North End

Bakeries, pastry shops and family trattorias: the place for a sweet stop or a pasta dinner.

Budget and entry

An expensive city, among the costliest on the East Coast

Price level

Boston has a reputation as an expensive city, and accommodation is the biggest item; quoted room rates do not always include taxes. The compact center lets you walk a lot and limit transport costs. We give no figures, because prices vary with the season, events and exchange rate; in general, January to March is the cheapest period.

Flights

The long-haul flight remains the most variable cost. SniperAir tracks prices to BOS and compares them with the route's history.

Entry and precautions

The United States generally requires an electronic authorization (ESTA) or a visa depending on nationality: check the official US government websites well before departure. Also consult your home country's official travel advice. As in any big city, usual common sense is enough, especially at night. Tipping is customary in restaurants and for many services because service is generally not included in the bill, and taxes are added to displayed prices.

By length of stay

What to do in Boston depending on how long you stay

When to go

When to visit Boston?

Boston has a humid continental climate, typical of the northeast coast. The most recommended periods for a first visit run from May to June and from September to October.

You might also like

Similar destinations

United States

New York

Explore

United States

Chicago

Explore

United States

Washington

Explore

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about flights to Boston