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Walking Tours

Our Walking Tours

a tour group walking in boston

Boston By Foot tours offer opportunities for visitors and locals to explore Boston’s cityscape and discover its history with a passionate and knowledgeable guide. Core tours are offered on a daily and weekly basis during the April-November tour season, while others are offered monthly or quarterly. All tours are available upon request as a private tour at any time.

View tours by frequency, topic or by schedule by accessing our calendar. Each tour page contains detailed information about each of our offerings. We look forward to sharing our love of Boston with you!

Daily & Weekly

Paul Revere's house in Boston's North End

The North End: Boston's Immigration Gateway

Explore Boston’s oldest neighborhood and discover the charm of this unique, compact city space

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance0.88 mile
potential uneven surfaces and moderate inclines
Explore Boston’s oldest neighborhood, the North End, with our knowledgeable guide. Discover the charm of this unique, compact city space that has been home to immigrants for 400 years. Learn what brought waves of people from Ireland, Eastern Europe, and Italy to the North End; the difficulties they faced when they arrived; and how they made a difference in their new home! This tour begins at the waterfront and weaves through Boston’s famous ‘crooked and narrow’ streets. It will end in the heart of the North End, the perfect spot to enjoy an Italian treat after the tour! 2023 Member Add-Ons: Register for the tour on select dates using your membership code for a free tour Add-On option available to members - Sat May 13 add on a guided visit to the Holocaust Memorial after find out more

Monthly & Quarterly

Front of the Boston Art Museum

Art, Architecture and Gardens

Take note of significant buildings, gardens and pieces of artwork as you stroll the Back Bay Fens.

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.5 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Stroll along the southern Fens, a section of the Emerald Necklace designed by landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted as you learn about the history, stories, and impact that the gardens, architecturally significant buildings and artwork had on society. Understand how 19th-century Boston philanthropists designed and funded institutions to create a city of culture and learning through the arts, sciences and education for residents and immigrants. Look at how they also supported medical and dental services for those in need. Uncover how the tradition continues and the Back Bay Fens represent all of this and more today. find out more
victorian buildings in boston's back bay

Back Bay’s Victorian Architecture

Delight in the elegant homes and architectural marvels of Victorian Back Bay

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance0.65 mile
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
On this guided tour, explore how Boston’s back bay was filled in to become one of the United States’ richest collections of art and architecture. The treasures of this Back Bay tour include Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, Old South Church and grand Back Bay townhouses. Walk back in time to uncover splendid examples of Victorian architecture. find out more
view of beacon hill from the charles river

Beacon Hill From Both Sides

Learn the history of both the North and South Slopes and why they became such separate neighborhoods.

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.5 miles
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
From the beginning, the presence of the North and South Slopes of Beacon Hill have each had an important effect on the history and development of the other. We will explore the many different people who lived here and contributed to the story of Beacon Hill, including the Native Massachusett people, Boston’s African American community, Gay and Lesbian community, and 19th century immigrant populations. We will see some of Boston’s handsomest nineteenth century houses, and hear about the fascinating lives of the people who lived in them. find out more
Map of old Shawmut Peninsula overlayed on Modern Boston

Before Boston: Shawmut Peninsula through 1630

tour duration90 minutes
potential uneven surfaces and moderate inclines
Explore 12,000 years of human activity on Shawmut Peninsula, the lands we now call Boston. Follow in the footsteps of the Native people who first walked here. Learn how they hunted and fished, and worked with clay and textiles. Uncover geological features and archaeological sites on this guided walk on and around Boston Common. Hear the stories of how the Massachusett first encountered strange people from afar, European explorers and settlers, who would then claim this land for their own. find out more
Painting of Benjamin Franklin

Ben Franklin: Son of Boston

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.1 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Celebrate the life of Benjamin Franklin on this guided walk along his homes and haunts in Colonial Boston. Born in Boston, he came of age in Philadelphia, and was the darling of Paris. His legacy is without measure. He was one of America's leading scientists, inventors, diplomats, humorists, and statesmen. Uncover stories of Benjamin Franklin’s many inventions, his civic and educational impact, and his roles in the founding of the United States. find out more
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, Josephine St. Pierre Rupin, Martin Robinson Delaney, William Cooper Neil, Frederick Douglas

Black Voices: 19th-Century Black Writers on Beacon Hill

Literary Series

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance0.79 mile
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
Truth, passion, bravery and hope. Discover stories of Boston’s Black writers who were laser-focused on the great topic of the era - slavery. Learn about the mark Black thinkers and writers made on literary and political history: David Walker and his sentinel work, Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World; novelist, playwright and editor Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins; Dorothy West and her biting satire on racial tensions, and many others. Walk Beacon Hill as you explore where they worked, raised their families, fought injustice, and wrote. 2023 Member Add-Ons: Register for the tour on select dates using your membership code for a free tour Add-On option available to members - Sat June 10 add on a guided visit to the Embrace Sculpture at Boston Common after the tour - Sat Sept 9 add on a guided visit find out more
Winslow Homer illustration of abolitionist riots in boston

Boisterous Bostonians: Riots & Protests

Bostonians Fight for Change Series

tour duration90 minutes
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
This tour returns to the lineup after a brief absence, timely topics of activism and civil unrest. Experience a most riotous tour through four centuries of protests, social violence and at times downright bad behavior. Known for the protests of the Stamp Act and Boston Tea Party, rebellions and uprisings have taken place throughout Boston's history. This tour examines many of the lesser known riots and street violence often fueled by the powerless who sought a voice over social, political, religious, and economic oppression. Take to the streets of Boston for a tour through anger, fear, rebellion, violence, and bad behavior! find out more
Burned buildings and homes in boston after the great fire

Boston Reborn: After the Great Fire of 1872

Urban Development Series

tour duration90 minutes
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Join us on a 90-minute walking tour exploring the city's rebirth after the Great Fire of 1872. Follow the route of the progression of the Great Fire, a disaster in Boston's commercial district that proved more costly than the legendary Chicago Fire the year before. Hear how the city's architectural design contributed to the spread and speed of the devastating conflagration, and learn how these fires reformed our fire prevention policies in America. find out more
Gilded Age photo

Boston's Gilded Age

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.1 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
During the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century, Boston's Back Bay was alive with social clubs and thriving cultural institutions. On this tour we will explore the favorite haunts of Boston's upper-class, often known as "Boston Brahmins." Though "Brahmins" had a reputation for being exclusive and elitist, many of these men and women were active in making our city—and the whole nation—a better place to live. They fought to abolish slavery and to recognize women’s rights, and they built libraries, colleges, museums and orchestras. Though this elite generation of wealthy activists was often philanthropic, on this tour we’ll also discuss their limitations and shortcomings. find out more
victorian women in affectionate pose.

Boston’s LGBTQ Past

Bostonians Fight for Change Series

tour duration90 minutes
potential uneven surfaces and moderate inclines
Travel in the footsteps of Boston’s 19th and 20th century gay and lesbian friends. Explore Thoreau’s walks along the Common; Charlotte Cushman’s cross-dressing roles; World War II bars and baths; and the AIDS memorial quilt project. Learn about Boston’s flourishing gay and lesbian culture on this guided walking tour. This tour is presented in partnership with The History Project , a nonprofit organization that documents, preserves and shares New England's LGBTQ history. find out more
re-enactors of British loyalists in boston

Boston’s Loyalists

Hear the stories of Bostonians who remained loyal to the British crown.

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.5 miles
potential uneven surfaces and moderate inclines
“History is written by the victors” is an oft-quoted aphorism. Our Boston’s Loyalists tour tells the story of Boston’s role in the lead-up to the American War of Independence from the perspective of those who remained loyal to the British crown. This unique tour will visit historic Boston landmarks like the Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, Old South Meeting House and Marshall Street. Our guides will introduce you to Boston’s Loyalists, some whom are familiar, others lesser known. These include artist John Singleton Copley, Governor Thomas Hutchinson, the enterprising Elizabeth Murray, and the sharp-witted Rev. Dr. Mather Byles. Perfect for those who want a deep-dive into Boston’s colonial history from a perspective apart from the typical Revolutionary War walking tour, Boston’s Loyalists will show you the Old Town from another point of view. find out more
Bullfinch Triangle

Bulfinch Triangle

Find out how this former industrial district has been given a new life.

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.5 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
In the last decade, the Bulfinch Triangle has been transformed from a hub of transportation and entertainment to a neighborhood with a growing number of residents and a place on Boston’s skyline. While our walk includes the historic landscape of the Mill Pond and the early 19th century street plan, we'll focus on the cycles of use since then. We will walk across the Triangle, exploring the area's industrial architecture and the transit elements that have shaped it. You'll see how the area continues to change today and how adaptive reuse is giving this former industrial district new life. find out more

Commonwealth Ave.

Urban Development Series

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.5 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Take a walk through the heart of Victorian Boston on this tour of Commonwealth Avenue! Boston's grand boulevard, Commonwealth Avenue, provides an enduringly popular stroll. The tour parallels the 19 th century filling and development of the Back Bay from its origin at Arlington Street down the seven blocks along the tree-lined, grassy Mall. See how careful effort over 150 years has preserved the "grandness" of the Avenue. find out more
Maverick Square Mural in East Boston

East Boston: Maverick Square and Beyond

Neighborhood Series

tour duration90 minutes
Discover East Boston’s rich history and dynamic present by exploring the neighborhood of Maverick Square, East Boston’s oldest commercial center. Trace its roots back to Noddle’s Island and learn how the East Boston Company created a planned community that became today’s vibrant and diverse East Boston. This tour will examine the built environment, from the 1833 street grid laid to the new waterfront developments, to get a sense of the people and forces that have shaped East Boston. And discuss the crucial role of the waterfront, from its famed shipbuilding industry and extensive port facilities, to its contribution to East Boston’s proud immigrant heritage. Encounter the many forms of transportation that have shaped the development of East Boston, from the ferries that first brought people to the island, to the 20th century subway and vehicular tunnels, as we make our way to the marvelous Bremen Street Park across from find out more
boats docked under the bridge to fort point Boston

Fort Point Channel

Urban Development Series

tour duration90 minutes
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Explore the engineered world of Fort Point Channel. On this tour of discovery, you will experience the history and engineering marvels of this industrial waterway that has become the centerpiece of this neighborhood's revival. Learn how the Channel came to be through the activities of the Boston Wharf Company, South Station development, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, and recent activation efforts. Explore the workings of its three remaining historic bridges, plus the memories of the Mt. Washington, the rolling bridges at South Station, and the ambitious cofferdam. Uncover why Fort Point Channel was the most difficult undertaking of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, the I-90 extension, and the great changes the Channel has experienced since. Prepare to walk from one end of the Channel to the other and see this area like you have never seen it before! find out more
view from Pickney Street Boston

The Hub of Literary America

Literary Series

tour duration90 minutes
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
Journey to Victorian Boston and see where writers and poets including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau gathered to share new ideas and influence society! Learn how local publishers lured Charles Dickens and other famous writers to Boston. Discover why Edgar Allan Poe rejected Boston as his home. On this fascinating guided tour, walk in the footsteps of literary greats as you stop outside the Old Corner Bookstore, Louisa May Alcott’s home, the famous Athenaeum private library, and more. 2023 Member Add-Ons: Register for the tour on select dates using your membership code for a free tour Add-On option available to members - Sat May 20 add on a guided visit to the Edgar Allan Poe Sculpture after the tour - Sat Sept 30 add on a guided visit to the find out more
Star of David stained glass in Circular Window

Jewish Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill Social History Series

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance0.75 mile
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
Journey to Beacon Hill’s North Slope at the turn of the 20th century. Explore the lives of its Jewish residents during a period of cultural and architectural change. Uncover how Boston’s Jewish immigrants created an active community that blended customs from Eastern Europe and changes to the new world around them. Discover sites where Boston’s Jewish West End residents worked, lived and worshiped, including the sites of three synagogues within a few blocks of each other. NEW! Special Two-Hour Jewish History Tour - Jewish Beacon Hill & The Vilna Shul Join us on any of the following Sundays in 2023 for a unique two-hour Jewish History program that includes both Boston By Foot's guided Jewish Beacon Hill tour and a guided tour of The Vilna Shul: June find out more
Women's suffrage poster 1915

Road to the Vote: Boston Suffragists

Bostonians Fight for Change Series

tour duration90 minutes
potential uneven surfaces and moderate inclines
The Road to the Vote for national woman suffrage was a long and arduous one. Along the way, countless suffragists, in Boston, and across the nation, organized, wrote, fundraised, marched, picketed, boycotted, and went on hunger strikes to call attention to their cause. Generations of women fought in the struggle, all the while hoping to open minds and move hearts. By the early 20th century women in Boston were being arrested and jailed for their convictions. It was 72 years from Seneca Falls to the time when American women voted in municipal, state and federal elections exercising the right provided to them in the 19th amendment. This tour celebrates the centennial of the ratification of that amendment and highlights the places, people and protests that helped win the vote for women. This tour was developed by the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail , a group find out more
Rowe's Wharf architectural rendering 1984

Rowes Wharf: Sensationally Good City Making

Urban Development Series

tour duration60 minutes
tour distance0.25 mile
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
When the modern Rowes Wharf was conceived in 1982, it was a design competition with a bold vision of a new Boston. Learn why this building was such a breakthrough, and how it remains at the center of 21st-century Boston. Our hour-long, accessible, quarter-mile tour will lead you through memories of colonial wharves and elevated trolleys, schooners and steamships, and into the transformed city. Presented in partnership with the Boston Harbor Hotel find out more
Old clock in South Boston

South Boston’s Broadway

Neighborhood Series

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance0.99 mile
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Walk along South Boston’s main Broadway on this guided tour, exploring how the neighborhood has played a major part in Boston’s history. View many beautiful buildings and their architectural styles as we walk. See the oldest street clock in Boston at the former site of Blinstrub’s Village, and learn how the occupation of Dorchester Heights led to the evacuation of the British troops from Boston during the American Revolution. Visit the former sites of manufacturing companies that once dotted the neighborhood and played a key role in Boston’s economy. Learn how South Boston’s churches were built as places of worship for the many immigrants who came to this neighborhood. Finish the tour in Medal of Honor/ “M” Street Park where you can see the first Vietnam Memorial in the United States. find out more
dorchester burial ground entrance

Upham’s Corner

Neighborhood Series

tour duration60 minutes
tour distance0.44 mile
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Upham’s Corner is one of Boston’s oldest crossroads. Join us to explore this fascinating section of Dorchester. Find out why part of the Emerald Necklace did not get built here as planned. Learn about Amos Upham and what inspired him to open his store in 1804. And why Upham’s Corner was home to the country’s first supermarket. See Dorchester’s oldest cemetery, the North Burying Ground, as we talk about exciting future plans for this neighborhood in the Imagine Boston 2030 plan. This tour is presented in partnership with Upham's Corner Main Street , an organization whose mission is to improve quality of life in the Upham’s Corner business district by helping neighborhood businesses thrive. find out more
A Woman Booster for the Trade Union League

Working Women: Boston Women Find Their Voice

Bostonians Fight for Change Series

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.1 miles
potential uneven surfaces and moderate inclines
For most of the 19th century, Boston’s working women’s voices were not being heard. It would take the creation of the Women’s Trade Union League founded by Mary Kenney O’Sullivan in Boston to show women how to organize themselves into trade unions. On this tour, discover how women’s voices grew from the foundation laid by the Denison House and the WEIU (Women’s Education & Industrial Union). Learn about the proud, defiant women who led Boston’s women’s trade unionism and suffrage movements, and the struggles these movements faced, divided along class lines. find out more

Annual Events

Massachusetts State House

Footloose on the Freedom Trail

Our special annual 3-hour July 4th event!

tour duration180 minutes
tour distance2.5 miles
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
July 4th Celebrate the Fourth of July with us! Footloose on the Freedom Trail is a 3-hour guided walking tour of the entire Freedom Trail from the Massachusetts State House to the U.S.S. Constitution offered every Independence Day. Walk the 2.5-mile route with us on this tour through 16 historic sites, as it winds its way through Boston's history. There's no better time to do it than on the Fourth of July, no better way to start off the day, and no better way to celebrate America's birthday! The tour ends in the Charlestown Navy Yard. Following the tour, you may wish to check out the USS Constitution Museum or enjoy the views on a water shuttle trip back to downtown. find out more
lit pumpkins in the dark

Beacon Hill with a BOO!

For more than 30 years, this tour has been part of any great Halloween celebration in Boston.

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance0.94 mile
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
Join Boston By Foot for our most popular event of the year! For more than 30 years, this tour has been part of any great Halloween celebration in Boston. There is no better place than Beacon Hill to walk to the dark side on All Hallow’s Eve. On the Boo! tour, you will hear stories that shed a new light on this quiet residential neighborhood. Murder and mayhem lurk just below the surface. Beacon Hill transforms itself for Halloween with elaborate decorations and hoards of trick or treaters in costumes. If you have not seen Beacon Hill on Halloween, you are missing out! The Boo! tour highlights the Hill’s dark legacy of mystery and murder. Visit the home of the infamous Dr. George Parkman and learn what happened to his dismembered body. Learn the names and stories of Boston women hung for witchcraft. find out more

New for 2023

Betances Mural

Art Introspective: Copley Square to the South End

Discover a trove of unknown and underappreciated works of art

tour duration90 minutes
tour distance1.2 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Few are unfamiliar with the famous “Nashville Wings” done by Kelsey Montague. Did you know one of her illustrations is right here in Boston, “Balloons Over Boston/What Lifts You”? The walk from Copley Square through the South End is full of underappreciated and unknown artwork. On this tour, experience the wonder of the “Betances Mural” to the deeply symbolic work of Pablo Eduardo. One need not know anything about art, only enjoy beauty in its many forms, to love this tour. “Step on Board” as we discover these hidden gems (bring your camera)! find out more
Boston Public Library

Becoming Back Bay

Travel through Boston's Back Bay, a marvel of 19th Century civil engineering

tour duration90 minutes
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Take a trip through the Back Bay neighborhood and learn where Back Bay started, how it evolved, and where it is today. Discover why and how the Bay was filled, and peek into the homes of the Victorian residents and their servants. Learn what made Back Bay such an engineering marvel in its time. On this tour, explore why the filling of the bay was considered the most ambitious civil engineering achievement in nineteenth-century America, and uncover how it was a landmark event of urban planning in every sense of the term. find out more
Boston Freight Terminals

Fort Point and Seaport: The Evolution of the South Boston Waterfront

Tour two neighborhoods that have the same roots but look and feel completely different

tour duration90 minutes
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
The Seaport and Fort Point, two waterfront neighborhoods with the same roots but that look and feel completely different. How did the Seaport turn from a tidal marsh to the newest, hottest part of Boston with gleaming glass towers, high-end restaurants, luxe shopping, and some of the most expensive real estate in town? While only steps away is the historic, architecturally distinct urban loft neighborhood of Fort Point? Answer these questions and more on this tour as we walk through time from the late 19th century to today exploring the history of these two unique neighborhoods. Learn about how Summer Street was once the center of the wool trade in the United States and about how the Seaport became Boston’s “Innovation District.” find out more
Lincoln Street, Leather District

Leather District

Explore Boston’s Leather District, nestled between South Station and Chinatown

tour duration90 minutes
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Join us to explore the rich past, present and future of Boston’s Leather District, nestled between South Station and Chinatown. Once part of South Cove and largely built after Boston’s Great Fire of 1872, this commercial district was the hub of New England’s leather and shoe industries at the turn of the 20th century. Walk past handsome historic brick and stone buildings, some with fanciful details honoring the cattle the leather trade depended on. We’ll also introduce you to Boston’s first dog catcher, celebrate America’s Community Health Center movement, and salute South Street Diner, an enduring favorite of clubgoers and other night owls. The tour begins and ends at South Station, another star of our story with an outsized impact on the fortunes of the Leather District and one of several high-rise development sites that now hover at its edge. find out more