Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:South Station is the default main station, so I would go there unless you are staying closer to Back Bay.

If I stay near Back Bay, which train station should I choose?

Any activity recommendations for 4-5 day stay?

Back Bay is the name of both the area and the train station in the area. Are you traveling alone, with other adults, with kids?

I’m traveling with a teenager to introduce Boston and do some informal walkthroughs of colleges there. Doesn’t seem like colleges are doing in-person tours now.

I would double check this. BC is doing tours. I don't think Harvard is but others might.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d stay in Back Bay. It has more charm than the area around South Station. Plus the downtown area/financial district is pretty dead in the Covid age with remote work. Back Bay is still quite vibrant. And if the weather’s nice, you could walk or bike across the Mass Ave bridge to Cambridge.

+1

This to the umpteenth.

I had to spend the day passing time before DH and I attended a late day funeral. We were dropped near South Station and I walked over to Back Bay to cool my heels. Really is a charming city.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW I assume you checked flights too? Sometimes/often they are cheaper than the train and a lot shorter, especially for a quick trip. And Logan is a very close, similar to DCA and downtown DC.

I didn’t think to check flights. I will have to do that next time. We usually travel by train to NYC so I just had trains on mind. Plus, Amtrak had a 2 for 1 sale. I hope the train ride is scenic.

I’m flying round trip for $100 for the next few weekends.

You will almost surely be able to choose while you're on the train whether to get off at Back Bay or South Station. The train will stop first at Back Bay, and regardless of whether your ticket is for one or the other, nobody is going to care if you get off a stop early or stay on for that last stop. I will say that South Station is a bit more tourist friendly and the stop will be likely be longer.

Most universities are on either green or red T line. Copley is good for green line and nearer to Back Bay. Harvard, MIT, and Tufts are on the red line.

You could also consider the Kendall Square Marriott, which is right on top of the Kendall Square T--practically on the MIT campus, 2 stops from Harvard, 4 stops from Tufts, 2 stops from connection to green line to BU, BC, others.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW I assume you checked flights too? Sometimes/often they are cheaper than the train and a lot shorter, especially for a quick trip. And Logan is a very close, similar to DCA and downtown DC.

I didn’t think to check flights. I will have to do that next time. We usually travel by train to NYC so I just had trains on mind. Plus, Amtrak had a 2 for 1 sale. I hope the train ride is scenic.

Sorry, it is not scenic, other than a few parts along the Connecticut coast. Flights booked far in advance to Boston can often be around $100-150 roundtrip, so generally a better option than the train, as the flight is about 1:30 gate to gate. But the train ride is perfectly comfortable, you are fine this time.

Anonymous wrote:BTW I assume you checked flights too? Sometimes/often they are cheaper than the train and a lot shorter, especially for a quick trip. And Logan is a very close, similar to DCA and downtown DC.

I didn’t think to check flights. I will have to do that next time. We usually travel by train to NYC so I just had trains on mind. Plus, Amtrak had a 2 for 1 sale. I hope the train ride is scenic.