City Tours
2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 91% of travelers
91% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$45
per adult
Boston Citywalks
Boston Citywalks
4.5
Full view
About
Boston CityWalks does scheduled and custom private walking tours of Boston. We give walking tours with passion, covering history, architecture and the culture of Boston. We limit tour sizes and make sure you see and hear everything! We have history and architecture walking tours of the Freedom Trail, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, The North End and Harvard Square. If you cannot attend our scheduled tours or looking for something special, we will be happy to design a custom tour just for you, your friends or family and your guests. You can tell us what you would like to see or let us know the kinds of things you're interested in and we'll custom design a tour just for you.
Tours and Tickets by Boston Citywalks
City Tours
1–2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$30
per adult
City Tours
2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$45
per adult
Historical Tours
120–150 minutes
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$595
per group
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
502 reviews
Excellent
386
Very good
71
Average
22
Poor
9
Terrible
14
Carla C
Fort Worth, TX86 contributions
Sep 2021
This was a nice way to get an overview of the history of Boston and helped us decide where to spend our remaining time digging deeper. The tour was easy to book and offered great communication and flexibility when i had to reschedule. We enjoyed our guide, he was very knowledgeable about the city and its history.
Written September 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Appreciate your inputs on the ease of the process. We try.
Written September 14, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
acpodplesky
Spokane, WA10 contributions
Sep 2021 • Solo
Andrew was an incredible guide, who helped us make sense of all the historic places in Boston. I would have passed some of them by without a second glance had he not shared information about why each location was important. You can tell he really loves the city, and he made some wonderful recommendations for after the tour, including visiting the public library.
Written September 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Those are great reasons to have a our guide! Thanks.
Written September 24, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Morgan I
Olathe, KS155 contributions
Oct 2021
The Freedom Trail walking tour was a perfect way to see the city and learn the history along the way. Our guide, Alan, was incredibly knowledgeable and very funny throughout. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone (heck, I’d probably even take it again if I returned)!
Written October 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
You're welcome back any time!
Written October 25, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
N.V.
Boston, MA3 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
4 of us had a walking tour with Alan (owner of the company Boston Citywalks) last week and it was very underwhelming. It felt like it was more social interaction for Alan (he was talking more about where we are from, what do we do for living, what areas of Boston do we live in, a lot of personal information than we did not want to share with the stranger that we will never meet again, much more personal than usually requires for such a short social interaction) and VERY little information on the actual tour subject. We all live in the area and turned out knew more than Alan re history (and none of us possessed a great knowledge in this area to begin with, trust me) and subject. It was strange to hear Alan asking us (not jokingly as you might think) : " You don't know who Paul Revere was so let me tell you" or going into great details on such a trite subjects like explaining us what "brownstone" building was (we were a group of mature women, but felt like on a kindergarten tour !). I don't want to be rude as Alan is a mature kind gentleman in his late 80's, but this was a waste of our money and time, Alan mostly preferred standing, we saw very little of the area, much less that was advertised for this tour, it was visible that walking caused him physical discomfort and i felt bad for him. Point for the future - try to inquire who your guide is beforehand if it's possible.
Written June 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Natalya,
I am sorry you are so angry. Perhaps it is because you were frustrated that you were 10 minutes late for the tour and missed the introduction of Boston History or that you had to leave early to pick up your son and miss the whole Back Bay portion. So yes, indeed, you did not see half of the area planned since you left the tour well before it ended.
As far as where folks are from and what they do, this is part of a normal human interaction and I try my best to tailor the tour to the folks taking it by using that information to add some appropriate tidbits to the tour.
Not sure what the Paul Revere issue is about, but I do define brownstone because most folks do not understand that it is not design related but specifically the choice of material based on sandstone. Glad you do, though.
And I find it strange that somebody who feels knowing where you are from is obtrusive but would make totally wrong assumptions in print of someone's age and health without any basis in fact.
Hope you have calmed down by now.
Written July 15, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lisa G
New York City, NY64 contributions
Apr 2021
Our tour guide was very nice but it was very difficult to hear him so we missed some of what he was saying. I thought the tour would cover more ground but we really only covered about a half mile radius. The information that we did hear was a bit boring and not necessarily related to the Freedom Trail. The tour guide was knowledgeable but went off on tangents with information that was just not interesting. All in all, it was just ok. I would recommend going on a different tour.
Written April 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa,
I am sorry you didn't enjoy the tour I do my utmost to to combine the history, architecture and culture of the 1 mile Downtown Freedom Trail Tour in an interesting, relevant and informative way. I am disappointed you missed some of what was said or I would have found a way to make it happen had I known. I hope the rest of your group found it a better experience.
Written April 4, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hal93
Hollywood, FL475 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
We did this tour on our first morning in town. As Boston ‘virgins’ we found it very informative and it gave us a chance to familiarise ourselves with downtown and get our bearings.
Alan, our guide was very good. He was full of interesting facts and he threw in a few jokes along the way too.
Highly recommend this tour.
Alan, our guide was very good. He was full of interesting facts and he threw in a few jokes along the way too.
Highly recommend this tour.
Written May 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the good review and for not disparaging my jokes. Whew!
Written May 25, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Deborah D
Asbury Park, NJ1 contribution
May 2022 • Family
Alan is a very kind and knowledgeable guide. Learned a lot about the history of Boston's architecture! Our group included grandparents, parents and adult children. All three generations all got a great deal out of the tour!
Written May 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glad all the generations enjoyed the tour of Boston!
Written May 17, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Used Boston city walks for a tour. Alan was rude and rushed thru the tour.
Written July 11, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This "review" was written by a poster under a different name seeking retribution for having been removed from the Boston Forum. Rest assured that this person has never actually been on one of my tours. We strive to provide the best of Boston Tours and would never be rude or shorten a tour. For unedited reviews from people who have actually been on our tours, you can access independent Zerve either directly or through my website for Boston CityWalks. You will note that we have achieved a 4.8 rating (out of 5) over the many years we have been in business. Thanks very much for your consideration.
Written August 3, 2012
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Caroline B
Wheeling, West Virginia13 contributions
Sep 2018 • Friends
Tour was an easy pace and we saw many of the main attractions. Our guide was very knowledgeable on the history, buildings, events which have shaped Boston. He was easy to hear and knew where to go to show us the best views. The only down side was the guide's tendency to give too many of his own political and religious views. He may have been very passionate on these topics but I was much more interested in the buildings and the history. 2 people actually left our tour due to this. It was a shame on what was otherwise a great introduction to the Freedom Trail.
Written October 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ivana75
Mentor, OH159 contributions
I would recommend taking a longer tour, Freedom trail to Copley Square. You get to see Boston Common during the day which is very different experience than at night. It is two hours long. You get to see and hear a lot and you can always come back if you want to spend more time in one area. It was interesting to see older and newer part . We learned a lot on this tour and I liked the pace of the tour.
Written September 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, do you have any availability tomorrow 5/14 or 5/15?
I see availability for 5/16 but would like to book earlier if possible.
Written May 13, 2021
Do you offer afternoon tours or only 10am? Thanks
Written April 3, 2018
Several days a week we offer 1:00 PM 2-hour tours leaving from Copley Square and going through Back Bay and Beacon Hill to the Downtown Freedom Trail.
Written April 5, 2018
I will be in Boston for a conference and would like to join the walking tour before I leave. But is there a place I can put my luggage for about 5 hours as I will check out in the morning from Cambridge and join the tour and then head right to airport.
Written February 10, 2018
Most folks ask the doorman of a close-by hotel to store the luggage and then tip $10 or $20 (depending on how much luggage) as a tip.
If you plan to fly out of Boston, you can also utilize the Rowes Wharf Water Taxi. They will hold your luggage as a courtesy with a Taxi ride purchase.
Written February 11, 2018
Hi, We are spending 3/10 weekend in boston and would like to take our girls on the city tour. What is the maximum # of people in the group? Our last boston tour was a bust bc the shear number of people made us feel like cattle and it was hard to hear the guide if you weren't directly behind her.
Also, is the a rain or shine tour? If it rains, can we reschedule or be refunded?
Written February 28, 2017
Dana,
I understand. The maximum on any tour is 20, but this time of year we very seldom get that many on a tour. Plus,I can be quite loud so I'm sure you won't have any issues. Tours run rain or shine unless there is a safety issue (like with snow or ice) and then we either reschedule or refund if that's not possible. We try and be as flexible as possible.
Regards,
Alan
Written March 1, 2017
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