Thinking of a different winter break, why not try Boston, Massachusetts?

Ian Le-Fevre on 04 June 2021
In February we took a 7-night break to Boston Massachusetts, having visited a few US cities this was next on the list and it didn’t disappoint.

We took the train to Kings Cross and then the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Terminal 5 - this was much cheaper than Heathrow Express at only 30p each, each way, for around an hour’s journey with no changes!

Our flights were with British Airways direct from Terminal 5 and took only 7hrs 25mins to get to Boston. On arrival we jumped in a cab for a 15-minute journey to our home for the next 7 nights, the Boston Park Plaza.

The hotel has an art deco feel and has recently been tastefully renovated, at the centre is a fabulous lobby bar and restaurant which proved to be a hive of activity throughout our trip. Our room was very compact so a call to reception and a small charge gave us an upgrade to a much larger room, well worth it for our 7-night stay. The hotel is centrally located just off Boston Common meaning we could do most of our exploring on foot.

We purchased a 3-day Boston Go-City card ($119 each) which gave us discounted entry to various attractions around the city and beyond and even though we were off-season for some attractions, it still represented a superb saving.

Using our Boston Go-City card we enjoyed a guided Freedom Trail walking tour which I would recommend early in the trip to get your bearings in the city and see places you may want to visit later. We visited Paul Reveres House, the Aquarium – I loved the stingrays, penguins and the turtles! At the Skywalk Observatory we saw spectacular views of the city skyline - top tip, call ahead to see if it is open, we didn’t and there was a private function, so we went back the next day. I’m not really a beer drinker but the Samuel Adams Brewery tour is educational and fun and having tasted their different beers I may now be converted! We also saw an evening performance of the Blue Man Group which was just fantastically bonkers – all this was included in the $119 card!

Our other sightseeing saw us watching the squirrels and walking across Boston Common in the snow, visiting Long Wharf, doing some shopping at the Prudential Centre, and having lunch at Cheers bar – it had to be done!

We found Boston to be a compact city and easy to navigate on foot, buses are frequent and cheap, and the underground called ‘T’, old but generally clean and on time.

You can catch a ferry from Long Wharf to Cape Cod between May and September or hire a car for a couple of days and drive around the Cape with an overnight in Provincetown.

There are lots of place to eat out for all budgets and tastes, being a coastal city seafood is dominant on the menu and steaks are divine. There are US restaurant chains like Cheesecake Factory as well as independents, we found a fabulous Mexican street food restaurant called Chilacates in Jamaica Plains district which was cheap as chips and then went to the ice cream parlour over the road – heaven! Food and drink costs are similar to UK city prices, remember the food portions are huge!

My favourite parts of this trip were 1) The Freedom Trail guided walking tour and understanding the British impact on the city 2) Navigating the city on foot, seeing the sights and architecture 3) Walking across Boston Common in the fresh snow (it was -12 and with the wind chill -22, so layers were needed, and my running tights were essential under my jeans!)

We loved Boston so much we have already booked to go back in September!