Boston
Back Bay & Newbury Street
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Brownstone grid — Newbury Street shopping, Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Marathon finish line.
The 19th-century Back Bay reclamation — a perfectly gridded brownstone neighbourhood (rare for Boston) with Commonwealth Avenue's magnolias as its spine, Newbury Street (8 blocks of shopping and brunch) two streets north, and the Boston Public Library and Copley Square in the middle. Marathon finish line is on Boylston Street at Copley. Best for first-timers who want shopping, dining and easy walking on flat ground.
Scores
Walkability
Transit
Price
Local feel
Nightlife
Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑Newbury Street — 8 blocks of brownstone shops, cafés and restaurants
- ↑Boston Public Library Bates Hall — one of America's most beautiful reading rooms
- ↑Marathon Mon (Apr) — finish line right outside the hotels
What you sacrifice
- ↓Hotel rates among the highest in the city
- ↓Newbury Street weekends packed; restaurant waits 60 min
Best for
Avoid if
Other Boston neighbourhoods
Freedom Trail core — gas-lit cobbled lanes, State House gold dome, Faneuil Hall and the Common all walkable.
Across the Charles — Harvard Yard, MIT, the country's densest concentration of bookshops and brain.
Boston's restaurant scene HQ — Victorian brownstones, LGBTQ+ heart, SoWa Open Market on Sundays.
Know where to stay — now find when to go.
Best time to visit Boston →