Boston · Month comparison

October vs July

October ranks #1 overall vs July at #7. Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

October foliage on Boston Public Garden

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

  • ↑Foliage on Comm Ave, Public Garden and the Common at world-class peak
  • ↑Salem (30 min north) Haunted Happenings runs all month
July 4 fireworks over the Charles River Boston

July

#7 of 12 months

Strong option

July 4th at the Esplanade — Boston Pops, fireworks over the Charles, full patriotic Americana.

  • ↑Boston Pops July 4 Fireworks Spectacular — Esplanade, 500,000 attendees
  • ↑Tall Ships visit Boston Harbor on July 4
FactorOctoberJuly
Weather score
10
8
Value score
4
2
Crowd score
4
2
Events score
10
10
Atmosphere
10
10
Avg high temp17°C28°C
Monthly rain110mm90mm
Daily sunshine7hrs11hrs

October trade-offs

  • ↓Salem and foliage day-tripper traffic clogs every northbound road
  • ↓Hotel rates spike for Head of the Charles weekend
  • ↓110mm rain — wettest autumn month

July trade-offs

  • ↓Hotel rates peak — Back Bay from $400, Seaport $450+
  • ↓28°C plus humidity feels like 33-35°C; the T can be brutal
  • ↓July 4 closures of Storrow Drive and downtown bridges
See all 12 months for Boston →October in detail →July in detail →
Scores compare months within Boston. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →