Day Tour in Boston

[katzoe]

In September we will have a day to fill in between disembarking from our cruise ship and taking a late afternoon flight to Chicago. We will need a car and driver & we will have 5 pieces of luggage. My husband & I have visited Boston previously so we don't need to do the city sights. We would be delighted to receive suggestions/recommendations?

 

Many thanks

Lorraine

[1025cruise]

Boston isn't really a grab a car and tour city. What time are you getting in from the cruise and what time is your flight out? You may not have as much time as you think.

[138east]

This could work for you. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1899002

 

You could enjoy the Harborwalk and the Greenway. Have a nice lunch in the North End. Perhaps these are things you didn't get to do before.

[katzoe]

1025cruise the ship arrives at 8.00am and our flight departs Boston at 5.25pm.

138east thanks for the link. I will check it out.

We will have our luggage with us which restricts our activities. I have found a website for Private Boston Tours which may be the answer.

[1025cruise]

OK.

Just keep in mind that if the ship arrives at 8:00am, you might not be off until 9:30 or 10:00. With a 5:25 flight, you need to be at the airport at 3:30.

[138east]

1025cruise the ship arrives at 8.00am and our flight departs Boston at 5.25pm.

138east thanks for the link. I will check it out.

We will have our luggage with us which restricts our activities. I have found a website for Private Boston Tours which may be the answer.

 

If you read the link, you can ditch your luggage for free at the Rowes Wharf Water taxi if you take the water taxi across the harbor to the airport. You do have to be able to roll your stuff to get on a free shuttle bus that will drop you at your terminal.

[katzoe]

Thanks once again 1025cruise 138east for your help & advice.

The water taxi sounds like a good deal if you are not overloaded with luggage.

It looks like we only need to fill in 3 -4 hours. Perhaps we will settle with transfer/tour.

[VidaNaPraia]

My husband & I have visited Boston previously so we don't need to do the city sights.

 

It looks like we only need to fill in 3 -4 hours. Perhaps we will settle with transfer/tour.

 

So what would you hope to do in 3-4 hours, even with a car and driver, if you state you have already seen the city sights?

You can't really go outside the city because of rush hour traffic that starts early enough to possibly impede your 3:30 return to the airport.

[katzoe]

I don't know what we can do in 3-5 hours VidaNaPraia. IF I knew the answer to that I would not be asking for help. Should we visit Harvard &/or Cambridge, Art Galleries or Museums? If people wished to visit my home town of Melbourne and on a previous visit had covered the sight and attractions of the city, I would recommend the Australian section of the National Gallery, Museum, Wineries of the Yarra Valley region, Mornington Peninsula coastal drive and Healesville Sanctuary with all our wonderful native animals.

All of these could be visited in a 3-5 hours.

[VidaNaPraia]

I guess my question more specifically is what you envision doing in Boston proper with a car and driver and your luggage in the trunk that would be a reasonable use of a car and driver within the city. You haven't really responded to the suggestion to store the luggage at either the water taxi or the space at South Station. Since you state you have already seen the city sights, what you now suggest (museums, etc) would involve driving a mile or so and having the car and driver wait outside somewhere (since parking is likely impossible) while you look inside, a very expensive way to store luggage IMO. Perhaps this expense is not of any concern to you and your carbon footprint even less so, but those are thing I do think about when traveling.

 

In that case, if it is museums you are thinking about, I would suggest the Gardner, a very unique place built by a very interesting woman, with a lovely interior garden. There is a pleasant cafe in the new wing where you could have lunch.

http://www.gardnermuseum.org/

The Museum of Fine Arts, just across the grass of the Fenway from it, is known for its Japanese collection, its Egyptian items, and the Impressionists it holds, among other exhibits. (Both are also accessible by Green line trolley from downtown.) There are several restaurant options inside.

 

If you wanted an outdoor activity within the city, you could visit the Arboretum to stroll and have a picnic (Purchase food in the nearby Jamaica Plain neighborhood's main shopping street, with many interesting restaurants and some good shops.), and the car/driver might have an easy parking space at the park to wait outside in the meanwhile.

http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/

 

Of course, Harvard Square is another possibility, if you want to look at shops and have a walk through the Yard. (accessible by Red line T subway from South Station) During the day, the street artists/musicians are not ususally about, however. The glass flowers at the Harvard Musuem of Natural History might interest you. Most of the Harvard art museums are closed during a construction project.

http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/on_exhibit/the_glass_flowers.html

 

Most of the places/activities I can think of slightly outside the city are related to U.S. history, which might not be of interest to someone from Oz, and any would potentially involve confronting rush hour traffic getting back to the airport. I assume Melbourne does not have such a problem.

[katzoe]

Thank you VidaNaPraia for all of your advice and excellent suggestions for places to visit.

I will certainly take it all onboard.

[CaribbeanBound]

We've spent a week in Boston the past 4 years in a row.

 

Agree, you do not want a car here. It's a really fun city. Easy to walk or take the T (subway) all over town. I'd start with a trolley tour to get a good historical overview and take it from there.

 

Here is our really detailed page of ideas on what to do in Boston: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/boston.html

[katzoe]

Thanks CarribbeanBound your detailed account of your week in Boston is most informative.

 

We have booked a tour with a car against all your advice. I am afraid that it seemed the only sensible thing for us to do with all our luggage. We fly to London this Monday for the start of our 5 week trip.

[srpilo]

Thanks CarribbeanBound your detailed account of your week in Boston is most informative.

 

We have booked a tour with a car against all your advice. I am afraid that it seemed the only sensible thing for us to do with all our luggage. We fly to London this Monday for the start of our 5 week trip.

 

Sounds like a solid workable plan

 

 

Hope you guys have a great trip... Enjoy !!

Srpilo

[katzoe]

Thanks for your good wishes srpilo.

It should be a wonderful trip. It will be our first visit to Iceland and Chicago. We have been wanting to visit both places for a very long time.

Tomorrow we will take the cats to their holiday camp, followed by the dogs then we can get down the luggage & pack. Fortunately we have an evening flight so we have plenty of time to get everything done.