Private tour in Boston Ricky M

Pricing Details
Base cost of tour
  • $ 735 USD

Boston's Architecture & Urban Environment Tour

Tour #1129881
Pricing Details
Base cost of tour

up to 6 people

6 hours

Walking

Party Size:

1

Overview of your Boston tour:

"Men shall say…' make it like that of New England. 'For…we shall be as a city upon a hill" - John Winthrop, Boston founder, 1630. And so it was: a town on a small peninsula dominated by mountains without many trees… and mosquitos, peat bogs, flooding, tidal marshes & howling winter storms! But also, lots of fresh water and a good harbor. As the early settlement of 40 houses grew into a town of 35, 000 residents (and throngs of sailors) Bostonians' optimistic "can do" attitude literally transformed the town's landscape into a planned, relatively flat picturesque city of gardens, parks, esplanades, grand boulevards, and gas lamp lit narrow streets. This tour explores the more than 400-year history of how succeeding generations from the Massachusett people to the English colonists to the Boston Brahmins shaped Boston's urban environment, erected the public art, and utilized a myriad of architectural styles that still reflect the mostly private projects that created this great city. Customizable itinerary:

Your Boston tour itinerary

After we meet, we'll start at Boston Harbor Hotel, with maps showing Boston's evolution. •Adapting to the landscape: building "a city upon a hill" 1630-1800. Our walk begins by following the 1630 shoreline to discover its changes; -We'll pass the tallest skyscraper in America built without steel reinforcement -We'll see Boston's most complete block of early 1700s buildings. •Transforming the landscape: from Puritan to Brahmin 1800-1850. -We'll continue going through: -Beacon Hill -Louisburg Square -Acorn Street and the site of America's first railroad. -We'll then see the 18th century home of free African Americans and stroll through Boston Public Garden. •Making a neighborhood: Boston takes shape 1850-1900. We'll explore Back Bay, the architectural and cultural epicenter of Boston. -We'll then walk along Commonwealth Avenue to the Christian Science Plaza. •Building bridges between neighborhoods: Boston 'warts and all' after 1900. We'll end by identifying examples of post-1900 urban renewal efforts.

Customize your tour

Contact your local guide to know more!!

Transportation Details
Type: Walking

This is primarily a walking tour where we go at your pace. We will return from the last site visited to our starting point on the oldest streetcar system in the world - the Boston Green Line subway. Depending on the weather and your interests, we may also use Boston's subway trains between sites.

What's included
  • Other: If this tour is for more than two (2) travelers, please contact tour guide before booking online.
  • Private Guide
What's extra
  • Other: Personal expenses. We will stop for refreshments, usually 2 or three times if necessary. Coffee or iced tea at most cafes costs about $4.00, including taxes. The total approximate cost for refreshments is $12. The minimum estimated cash needed is $2.40 per person to cover the cost of the subway ticket to visit MBTA Museum (admission free) and return to the tour's starting point. While most of the sites on this tour are free, some museums do have an admission fee: Trinity Church - $8.00 per adult Mapparium - $6.00 per adult Museum hours are limited; visiting museums is optional at the discretion of the group. If this tour were to be booked by a party of more than 2 travelers, special interactive headsets will be rented for us to smoothly converse as we walk. The cost to rent each headset is 40 dollars.   No headsets are required for one or two (2) travelers, which would reduce the estimated cash needed by $40. The estimated cash needed also includes admission to all the listed museums.
  • Public Transportation
  • Food Drinks Snacks
Meeting location

Airport: ,Cruise: ,ByGuide: While I am happy to meet you at your hotel or point of arrival, the walking tour begins in or near the Boston Harbor Hotel.

  • You can request a different meeting location (for example, your hotel) during the checkout process.
Other details
Tour categories

City Highlights

History

Languages
Fluent

English

Activity level
Minimal
Accessibility

Kid Friendly

wheelchair Accessible

Book with a 20% deposit!

Size:

up to 6 people

Duration:

6 hours

Transportation:

Walking

Party Size:

1

Select tour date
Select tour start time

View our Cancellation policy

$ 735 USD

Book with a 20% deposit!

Size:

up to 6 people

Duration:

6 hours

Transportation:

Walking

Party Size:

1

Select tour date
Select tour start time

View our Cancellation policy

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Booking Confirmation

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