Art, science, history and the sea
Boston packs world-class museums into a small, walkable city. In a single day you can stand in front of a Rembrandt, watch indoor lightning, walk around a three-story tank of sea turtles and sharks, and still make it to the North End for dinner.
Here are the museums and attractions we send our own friends and family to, starting with the easiest way to save on the big ones.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
Our top money-saver
If you plan to see a few of Boston's big attractions, Boston CityPASS® is the easiest way to save. You pick any 4 of these 7, buy once, and use your tickets over 9 days:
$84 adults (12+) · $72 kids (3 to 11)vs. up to $152.95 and $122.30 buying the same tickets separately
Prices and savings from CityPASS as of October 2026; check their site for current prices. Tickets are good for 9 days starting with your first visit, and you have a year from purchase to start.
Reserve times for the aquarium and the harbor cruise as soon as you buy.
Central Wharf, on the waterfront
The heart of the aquarium is the Giant Ocean Tank, a huge round reef tank you circle on a spiral ramp, coming face to face with sea turtles, sharks and schools of tropical fish. Penguins splash around the base, and there is a touch tank where kids can reach in.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
Science Park, on the Charles River
Hands-on exhibits on everything from dinosaurs to space, plus the Theater of Electricity, where a giant generator throws real indoor lightning. It straddles the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, an easy walk from the North End.
Photo: Daderot, Public domain
Huntington Avenue, near Fenway
One of the great art museums in the country, with Egyptian mummies, Impressionist masterpieces, a superb American wing and Paul Revere's own silver Sons of Liberty Bowl. Plan at least half a day.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
Harvard, Cambridge
Famous for the Glass Flowers, thousands of astonishingly real plant models made entirely of glass, plus dinosaur fossils, gemstones and towering skeletons. Your ticket also gets you into the Peabody Museum next door, so you can see both in one visit.
Photo: Bostonian13, CC BY-SA 3.0
Franklin Park, Dorchester
Gorillas, lions, giraffes and a butterfly garden in Boston's biggest park, about 20 minutes from downtown. CityPASS covers daytime general admission.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
Top of the Prudential Center, Back Bay
The observation deck at the top of the Prudential Center has 360-degree views over the Back Bay, Fenway Park, the Charles River and the harbor. Go near sunset for the best light.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
Long Wharf, on the waterfront
A narrated sightseeing cruise around Boston Harbor, with the skyline, the Harbor Islands and USS Constitution along the way. Book your sailing time ahead.
Photo: Chris Wood, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Fenway, a short walk from the MFA
A Venetian-style palace built around a flower-filled courtyard, packed with the art Isabella Stewart Gardner collected and arranged herself. Empty frames still hang where 13 works were stolen in 1990, the biggest unsolved art theft in history.
Fun fact: anyone named Isabella gets in free. Admission is also free every Thursday night from 5 to 9 pm (reserve ahead).
Photo: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Seaport, on the waterfront
Boston's home for contemporary art, in a glass building that cantilevers out over the harbor. Even if modern art is not your thing, the harbor views from inside are worth the trip.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fort Point Channel
Costumed colonists bring December 16, 1773 back to life on replica ships, and you get to throw the tea overboard yourself. One of the most fun history stops in the city, especially with kids.
Photo: Tim Pierce, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fort Point Channel, look for the giant milk bottle
Three floors of climbing, building and splashing for young kids, right on the water. You can't miss it: a 40-foot Hood milk bottle stands out front.
Photo: openroads.com, CC BY 2.0
Charlestown Navy Yard
Right next to Old Ironsides, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. Touring the ship itself is free; the museum next door is pay what you wish, with hands-on exhibits about life at sea in 1812.
Photo: Fletcher6, CC BY-SA 3.0
Columbia Point, Dorchester
The I. M. Pei building on the harbor tells the story of JFK's life and presidency, from the 1960 campaign to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Allow a couple of hours.
Photo: Sintakso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Beacon Hill
Centered on the African Meeting House, built in 1806 and the oldest Black church building still standing in America, where abolitionists including Frederick Douglass spoke. It anchors the Black Heritage Trail on Beacon Hill.
Photo: Phileven, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mary Baker Eddy Library, Back Bay
A three-story stained-glass globe you walk through on a glass bridge, showing the world as it was mapped in 1935. Whisper at one end and you can hear it clearly at the other. Small, quirky and unforgettable.
Photo: Christian Science Publishing Society, Public domain
