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| Home > City Guide - Boston - Tours of the City | ||
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Tours of the City Walking Tours The main walking tours are obviously the Freedom Trail and the Black Heritage Trail. However, Boston By Foot (tel: (617) 367 2345; website: www.bostonbyfoot.com) run regular tours of the city, through May to October. Their offerings include ‘The Heart of the Freedom Trail’, ‘Victorian Back Bay’, ‘The South End’ and ‘Beacon Hill’ – all cost US$9 and last 90 minutes – except for ‘Boston Underground’, which explores subterranean Boston (from the first subway to the current ‘Big Dig’), which costs US$10. They also run ‘Boston By Little Feet’, which is a special hour-long version of the Freedom Trail aimed at 6-12 year olds (cost: US$6). The Literary Trail of Greater Boston (tel: (617) 350 0358, website: www.lit-trail.org) organise walking tours that leave from the hotel, Omni Parker House, 60 School Street, and take in homes, meeting places and districts popular with the 19th-century literary circle. These cost US$30 guided or US$19 self-guided. Another angle on Boston is offered by Ben Franklin’s Boston (tel: (781) 648 0628; website: www.iiboston.org/historical_walks.htm; cost: US$39), following Franklin through his Colonial parts of the city. Boston Walks (tel: (617) 489 5020; website: http://bostonwalks.tripod.com) specialises in ethnic tours, which includes Jewish, Irish and Italian Boston. These can be guided, walking or bicycling tours, or even self-guided with a book. Trolley Bus Tours The oldest and most popular trolley bus tour is the two-hour Beantown Trolley (tel: (617) 236 2148 or (800) 343 1328; website: www.beantowntrolley.com; cost: US$16). Old Town Trolley Tours (tel: (617) 269 7050; website: www.trolleytours.com; cost: US$25) operates two-hour general city tours, as well as ‘subject’ tours, such as Discover Cambridge and JFK’s Boston. Other options include: Cityview Luxury Trolley Tours (tel: (617) 363 0181; website: www.cityviewtrolley.com; cost: US$22), and Discover Boston Multilingual Trolley Tours (tel: (617) 742 1440; website: www.discoverbostontours.com). Boat Tours Boston By Boat (tel: (617) 422 0392) runs the hourly boat shuttles up the river between Museum Wharf and North End. Massachusetts Bay Lines (tel: (617) 542 8000; website: www.massbaylines.com) runs a replica paddle-steamer, the Harbor Belle, with narrated trips in the harbour. The Charles Riverboat Company (tel: (617) 621 3001; website: www.charlesriverboat.com) operates narrated cruises on the river and the harbour. Lunchtime and dinner cruises with cabaret-style entertainment, are provided by Spirit of Boston (tel: (617) 748 1499; website: www.spiritcruises.com). A similar experience on yachts is offered by Odyssey (tel: (617) 654 9700; website: www.odesseycruises.com). Boston Harbor Cruises (tel: (617) 227 4320; website: www.bayharborcruises.com) operate cruises to the offshore Harbor Islands – the Inner Harbor Cruise and the Outer Harbor Cruise. The season for whale-watching is April-October and trips are offered by the New England Aquarium (tel: (617) 973 5200 or 5277, recorded information; website: www.neaq.org; cost: US$31); Beantown Whale Watch (tel: (617) 542 8000; website: www.beantownwhalewatch.com; cost: US$29) and the AC Cruise Line Company (tel: (617) 261 6633; website: www.accruiseline.com; cost: US$25). Other Tours One of the most unusual transport tours is run by Boston Duck Tours (tel: (617) 723 3825; website: www.bostonducktours.com; cost: US$23). Tours are in refurbished WWII amphibious vehicles – called ‘ducks’ – which cruise the land and the Charles River. Tours depart every 30 minutes from the Prudential Center, 101 Huntington Avenue. |
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