How to Get to Boston

Short answer: from Logan Airport, take the free Silver Line SL1 bus to South Station if you're staying downtown, or the free shuttle to the Blue Line for the Waterfront, the North End and Beacon Hill. From New York, take the train.

From Logan Airport (BOS)

Logan is only a few miles from downtown, on the far side of the harbour, and the tunnels mean a taxi can be quick outside rush hour. The public transport options are better value:

• Silver Line SL1. A bus that picks up at every terminal and runs through the harbour tunnel to South Station, where you can change to the Red Line. It's free from the airport.
• Blue Line. A free Massport shuttle bus links every terminal with Airport station, where Blue Line trains reach State and Government Center downtown in minutes.
• Water taxi. Small boats cross the harbour from the airport's dock to the Waterfront and the Seaport. The most scenic arrival, and handy for harbour hotels.
• Logan Express. Buses to Back Bay and suburban car parks, useful if your hotel is in Back Bay.

By train

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor runs from Washington and New York to South Station, with a stop at Back Bay. Regular trains take four to four and a half hours from New York, and the faster Acela a little under four. Door to door, the train usually beats flying. South Station is also the terminal for many long-distance and regional buses.

Getting around

Walk the centre, and use the T for anything further. Tap a contactless card or phone at subway gates and on buses. The Red Line goes to Cambridge, the Green Line to Back Bay and Fenway, and the Orange Line runs north to south through downtown, linking North Station with Back Bay station. Bluebikes, the bike-share, has docks all over the city and Cambridge. The F4 ferry crosses from Long Wharf to the Charlestown Navy Yard all year, and in summer boats run out to the Harbor Islands.

By car

Don't drive in Boston unless you have to. The streets are narrow, one-way and badly signed, parking is scarce and expensive, and local drivers have a reputation to live up to. For New England road trips, pick up a car on the day you leave. Our day trips guide shows which trips work by train or ferry, and our where to stay guide suggests which stations to stay near.