If you haven’t already noticed, I love using long weekends to create mini trips. May 2018 long weekend was no exception, as Shelly and I booked a trip to Boston! I have only been to Boston once before and it was with a bus tour and was about 15 years ago! Shelly has not been there, so this trip was going to be new and exciting for us! Below is a little insight and our budget breakdown of our trip so that you will know how much a trip to Boston cost?
Before you start, make sure you check out my Top 5 Eats in Boston!
Day 1
The first thing we did after we dropped our bags at our AirBnb, was to head to Neptune’s Oyster for some lobster rolls. Before it was even open, lines were already forming outside the small restaurant. We waited in line, but unfortunately were not able to get a seat right away. We put on the waiting list where they would call us in 30 minutes when a spot would open up. In the mean time, we decided to do dessert before the main course by going to Mike’s Pastry which was close by. We went back to Neptune’s and had their amazing lobster roll and fresh oysters!
Later that night, we head to the Museum of Science for the Coldplay Experience. This $10 USD experience engages audiences in a visual show set to the soundtrack of Coldplay. If you are sensitive to light or prone to motion sickness, I suggest not going to this as I myself got a bit of a headache.
We also checked out:
- “The Best Ice Cream in Greater Boston” at Toscanini’s Ice Cream
- Boston Public Market
- Quincy Market
Day 2
We started the day with a breakfast activity. Our breakfast activity consisted of comparing between donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts and donuts from the beloved Union Square Donuts. The former is one of the largest coffee and baked goods chains in the world, with more than 12,000 restaurants in 36 countries and the latter is a local favourite with all their 3 locations in Greater Boston.
The verdict: Between the Boston Cream Donuts, I actually prefer the Dunkin’ Donuts. It is also almost 3 times cheaper than Union Square Donuts. If you are looking for many unique flavours of donuts such as the Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch, definitely go to Union Square Donuts.
After our sweet treats, we headed to one of the most prestigious university in the world, Harvard University. We went on a Harvard student led walking tour of the campus. For $12 USD, we got see the campus while hearing stories of Harvard legends and more recent stories from current Harvard students.
A must visit in Boston is the Boston Central Public Library. This library is probably the most beautiful library I have ever visited. The building draws its inspiration from Roman architecture which shows in its lavish decoration and its central courtyard. Definitely check out Bates Hall for the amazing view below.
Later in the evening, we want to check out the sunset over the Boston skyline at the Top of the Hub. The restaurant offers an amazing view of Boston’s skyline from 52 stories high. Food and drinks are expensive as two cocktails and a charcuterie board came to $65 USD with tax and tip. I think it is still worth going as we enjoyed the views and the live music.
We also went to:
- Asian fusion at Double Chin
- Lobster rolls at Luke’s Lobster
- Boston Common
Day 3
We started the day with a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery. Samuel Adams is the flagship brand of the Boston Beer Company and has been brewed in Boston since 1984. We took the FREE classic tour where you learn all about the different beer ingredients and the brewing process. The best part is at the end where you can sample three Samuel Adams beers and receive a nice souvenir, a complimentary tasting glass to keep.
After the brewery tour, we went on another kind of tour. We stepped back into time and went on the Freedom Trail tour offered by The Freedom Trail Foundation. Led by an 18th-century costumed guide, the 90-minute tour took us to 11 of the 16 Freedom Trail sites. This was a great way to learn about Boston’s history and how much it played into the American Revolution and American History. You also get to understand cool stories and the significance of many Boston landmarks. Tickets are at around $12 USD.
Some of the sights that we saw:
- Massachusetts State House
- Granary Burying Ground
- Old State House
- Faneuil Hall
Later in the day, we also:
- Ate Chinese food at Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Cafe
- Checked out The Lawn on D
- Ate a seafood feast at Yankee Lobster
- Ate Boston Cream Pie at Union Oyster House, “America’s Oldest Restaurant”
Day 4
There was only half a day left in Boston before we had to fly out. We started the morning by heading to Massachusetts Institute of Technology where we walked around the buildings pretending to be one of its students. There was even FREE hot chocolate being handed around! We wandered around and stumbled upon an art installation by Sol LeWitt called Bars of Color within Squares. You can find this at the Green Center for Physics (Building 6C). MIT houses other great works of art and architecture such as the Stata Center, which was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry.
Later in the day, we checked out:
- Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park
- Union Oyster House again for their signature clam chowder
Bonus vlog footage:
The Sum of Our Boston Trip
The four day trip cost each person $ 848.68 CAD. I was expecting for the total spend for the trip to be around $700, but we obviously went over that. I found our Boston trip to be expensive because of:
- Flights from Toronto are generally more expensive than similar destinations such as New York and Chicago, and this time I couldn’t snag up a deal
- Accommodation is also pretty expensive as Boston has one of the most expensive real estate in the country behind San Francisco and New York.
- As Boston is known for its seafood, we ate a lot of it. Seafood is not cheap!
I had a great time in Boston but with how expensive Boston is, it makes you think twice about visiting again.
| Categories | $ (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Total | 848.68 |
| Flights | 326.01 |
| Food & Drinks | 262.63 |
| Metro | 35.68 |
| AirBnB | 175.83 |
| Activities | 48.53 |
