Public Garden, Boston Common and the Emerald Necklace

Two parks, one green edge of Back Bay

The Boston Public Garden and Boston Common sit side by side at the eastern edge of Back Bay, separated only by Charles Street. Together they form the largest stretch of open green space in downtown Boston, and both are free to walk through, any day, at any hour the gates are open. If you are staying in Back Bay or near downtown, you can reach either park on foot, no car and no ride on the T required.

The two parks are often talked about as one, but they are legally and historically distinct. Boston Common came first, in 1634, and is generally cited as the oldest public park in the United States. The Public Garden was laid out later, in the 19th century, as a formal botanical garden next door. Knowing which is which helps when someone tells you to meet “at the park” — ask if they mean the Common or the Garden, because they are two different plots of land.

Boston Common: the country’s oldest public park

Boston Common covers the ground bounded roughly by Beacon Street, Park Street, Tremont Street and Charles Street, just north of the Public Garden. It has been public land since 1634, which is the reason it is routinely described as the oldest public park in the country. Over the centuries it has served as common grazing land, a militia training ground, and a public gathering space; today it is lawns, mature trees, the Frog Pond (a wading pool in summer and a skating rink in winter), and a network of paved paths that locals use for commuting on foot as much as visitors use them for sightseeing.

There is no entrance fee and no gate that closes the Common off entirely — it is a working piece of the city, cut through by paths that connect Beacon Hill to the northwest, the Theater District to the southeast, and the Public Garden to the west. The Freedom Trail’s red line begins here, at the corner nearest the State House, which makes the Common the natural starting point if you are combining a park walk with a first stretch of the Freedom Trail.

The Public Garden: flower beds, a lagoon, and the Swan Boats

Cross Charles Street from the Common and you are in the Public Garden, a smaller and more formal space of curated flower beds, mature trees, statuary (including the well-known bronze ducklings near the Beacon Street entrance and an equestrian statue of George Washington at the Arlington Street gate), and a lagoon crossed by a small suspension bridge.

The lagoon is where the Swan Boats operate — pedal-powered boats shaped like swans, each one carrying a small group of passengers on a slow circuit of the water while an operator pedals from the rear seat. They have run in the Public Garden since the 19th century and are one of the more photographed sights in the park. They are run by a private concessionaire, not the city, and they open on a seasonal schedule that generally covers mid-spring through early fall, though the exact opening and closing dates shift from year to year with weather and maintenance. Do not plan a trip around a specific Swan Boats date without checking the operator’s current schedule first; a park this photogenic in guidebooks does not guarantee the boats are running the week you land.

Walking the Public Garden’s paths costs nothing. The Swan Boats are the one paid activity inside the park, at a modest per-ride ticket price, sold on-site when the boats are operating.

Frederick Law Olmsted and the Emerald Necklace

The Public Garden and Boston Common sit at one end of what is commonly called the Emerald Necklace — a chain of connected parks and parkways designed in the 19th century by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York’s Central Park. Olmsted’s plan linked a series of Boston parks with landscaped waterways and parkways, extending from the Common and Public Garden out through the Back Bay Fens (near Fenway) and further into Boston’s park system.

The exact modern route of the Emerald Necklace, and which sections are easiest to walk end to end, is worth checking against a current city park map rather than assuming from an old guidebook — some segments have changed with road construction and park renovation over the decades. What holds up as a simple, useful fact for a visitor: the Public Garden and Boston Common are the historic starting point of that chain, and walking between them gives you a taste of Olmsted’s design even if you never see the rest of the Necklace.

Getting there without a car

If you are staying in Back Bay or downtown, both parks are within easy walking distance — this is one of the few sights in Boston where driving in and searching for parking makes less sense than simply walking over. If you are coming from further out:

From	How	Approximate time
Back Bay (Copley area)	Walk east on Boylston or Newbury	10–15 minutes
Downtown Crossing	Walk west on Boylston or Tremont	10 minutes
Beacon Hill	Walk south across the Common	10 minutes
Cambridge (Harvard Square)	Red Line to Park Street, then walk	20–25 minutes total

The Green Line’s Arlington stop sits at the western edge of the Public Garden; Park Street, served by the Green and Red lines, sits at the eastern edge of the Common. Either stop puts you at a park entrance within a minute or two of walking.

What it actually costs

Walking through the Public Garden and Boston Common is free, every day, with no ticket, no timed entry and no gate. The only cost inside either park is a Swan Boats ride, and only when they are operating. Everything else — the flower beds, the statues, the Frog Pond in warmer months, the benches, the paths — is open to anyone at no charge, which makes this pairing one of the better entries on a free things to do list for Boston, and a useful stop if you are trying to keep a day in the city on a budget.

When to go

Spring brings the tulip beds into bloom in the Public Garden, usually peaking in late April into May, and is generally when the Swan Boats season opens. Summer is the busiest stretch, with the Frog Pond on the Common running as a shallow wading area and the parks at their greenest, but also their most crowded with both visitors and locals. Fall brings foliage color to the mature trees in both parks, generally peaking in October, a quieter alternative to summer crowds. Winter closes the Swan Boats and turns the Frog Pond into an outdoor skating rink; the parks themselves stay open and are walkable, just cold, with bare trees and shorter days.

Early morning is the best time of day if you want the paths to yourself before tour groups and lunchtime foot traffic from nearby offices arrive.

Combining the parks with what’s nearby

The Public Garden and Boston Common sit at a genuine crossroads of central Boston. To the west, Back Bay’s brownstone streets start a block or two away — worth a longer look on a Back Bay walking tour. To the north, Beacon Hill’s brick sidewalks and gas lamps climb the hill behind the State House — covered in the Beacon Hill neighborhood guide. And the Freedom Trail’s red line starts right at the Common, so this pairing is a natural first or last stop on a self-guided or guided Freedom Trail walk.

If you want a broader first-timer’s frame for how this fits into a Boston visit, the two-day highlights itinerary and the general walking tour guide both route through this pair of parks, and a budget-focused guide treats them as one of the easiest ways to fill a free afternoon in the city.

Seeing the Emerald Necklace from the water — and from above

The Public Garden’s lagoon is small and reserved for the Swan Boats, not for independent paddling. If the idea of being on the water in Boston appeals to you, the real option is the Charles River itself, a short trip away by T or car — see the Charles River kayaking guide for what paddling on the river looks like and where to rent a boat. Several rental operators put visitors on the water along the Charles corridor west of the city, including canoe and pedal boat rentals in Newton, on the Charles River and pedal boat rentals in the same stretch of river, both a reasonable side trip if you want more time on the water than a Swan Boats loop offers. If you’re already headed that direction, a guided walking tour of the MIT campus sits along the same river corridor in Cambridge.

For a wider view of the parks themselves, rather than a view from inside them, the observation deck covered in the View Boston skywalk guide looks out over the city from the Prudential Tower in Back Bay, and on a clear day the green rectangle of the Common and Public Garden is easy to pick out against the surrounding streets — a useful way to understand how the Emerald Necklace’s starting point sits inside the city grid before or after you have walked through it at ground level.

Practical notes before you go

• Both parks are outdoor, open-air spaces with no fixed opening or closing gate at most entrances, though some sections may close overnight; there is no admission booth to plan around.
• The Swan Boats are the one thing here worth checking in advance — their season and exact hours change year to year, so confirm with the operator rather than assuming they’ll be running.
• Restrooms are limited inside both parks; nearby hotels and cafés in Back Bay and downtown are the more reliable option.
• Benches and open lawn make both parks a reasonable spot for a packed lunch between other stops on a downtown day.
• Pets on leash are generally permitted on the paths in both parks, though rules can change seasonally — signage at the entrances has the current word.

FAQ: visiting the Public Garden and Boston Common

Is the Boston Public Garden free to enter?

Yes. There is no admission fee for the Public Garden or for Boston Common next door. Both are public parks open every day, year-round, with no ticket or gate.

What are the Swan Boats and are they open today?

The Swan Boats are pedal-powered boats shaped like swans that carry passengers around the Public Garden lagoon. They run on a seasonal schedule, generally from mid-spring to early fall, and the exact opening and closing dates change with the weather each year. Check the operator’s site before you go.

Is Boston Common the same place as the Public Garden?

No. They are two adjacent but separate parks divided by Charles Street. Boston Common, laid out in 1634, is the older of the two and is generally described as the oldest public park in the United States. The Public Garden, added next to it in the 19th century, is the formal garden with flower beds and the lagoon.

What is the Emerald Necklace?

The Emerald Necklace is the informal name for a chain of connected parks and parkways in Boston designed in the 19th century by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The Public Garden and Boston Common sit at one end of that chain, though the exact route linking the parks is best checked with a current park map rather than assumed.

Do I need a car or the T to reach the Public Garden?

No. If you are already staying downtown or in Back Bay, the Public Garden and Boston Common are walkable. Several T stops (Arlington on the Green Line, Park Street on the Red and Green lines) sit right at the edges of the two parks if you are coming from farther away.

How long does it take to see the Public Garden and Boston Common?

Walking through both parks at an easy pace takes 45 minutes to an hour. Add another 15 to 20 minutes if you stop for a Swan Boats ride when they are running.

Where do the Public Garden and the Freedom Trail connect?

The Freedom Trail’s red line begins at Boston Common, immediately next to the Public Garden, so most visitors combine the two on foot before continuing north toward downtown and the North End.