Things to do in Boston

5-mile (4 km) Freedom Trail, which links 16 sites from Boston Common to Charlestown. The MBTA subway, known locally as the T, runs four colour-coded lines (Red, Green, Orange, Blue) plus Commuter Rail and buses, paid for with a CharlieCard.

Logan International Airport sits close to downtown, reached by the free Silver Line bus to South Station or a shuttle to Blue Line's Airport station. Expect hot, humid summers, cold winters with snow from December to March, and a fall foliage season in late September and October.

Cambridge, home to Harvard and MIT, is a separate city just across the Charles River, one T ride away.