What is Back Bay Boston known for?

Victorian brownstone architecture, Newbury Street shopping, and Copley Square landmarks. The neighborhood was built on filled-in marshland starting in the 1860s and is considered one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the United States. Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, and the Prudential Tower are all here.

Is Newbury Street worth visiting?

Yes. Even if you are not shopping, the architecture is worth the walk. Eight blocks of converted Victorian brownstones house galleries, cafes, and boutiques, with sidewalk patios in summer. The eastern end (near the Public Garden) is the luxury stretch; the western end toward Mass Ave is more independent and affordable.

How do you get to Back Bay from downtown Boston?

Walk through Boston Common and the Public Garden, about 15 minutes from Downtown Crossing. By T, take the Green Line to Copley or the Orange Line to Back Bay station. Both stations are in the heart of the neighborhood.

What is the Mapparium?

A three-story stained-glass globe inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library at 200 Massachusetts Avenue. Built in 1935, it shows the world as it was drawn at that time, with borders that no longer exist. You walk through it on a glass bridge, and the concave glass creates a whispering gallery effect. Admission is $6.

Yes. Back Bay is one of the safest neighborhoods in Boston. It is heavily residential, well-lit, and busy with shoppers, diners, and commuters from morning through late evening. Newbury Street and Boylston Street are active day and night.

What is Copley Square?

A public plaza in the center of Back Bay where Trinity Church (1877) and the Boston Public Library (1895) face each other. The square hosts a farmers market on Tuesdays and Fridays in summer, concerts, and the Boston Marathon finish-line viewing area in April.

Is View Boston worth the price?

For the views, yes. It is the only 360-degree observatory in Boston, 52 stories up, with an open-air rooftop bar. General admission is $35. If you want to save, evening tickets after 9 PM drop to $15, and the sunset views from the Cloud Terrace are the best time to go.

Where is the Boston Marathon finish line?

On Boylston Street near Copley Square, between Exeter and Ring Road. The finish line is painted on the road year-round. On Marathon Monday (third Monday in April), Boylston Street is closed to traffic and the grandstands fill Copley Square.

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Back Bay · Boston neighborhood guide

Things to Do in Back Bay Boston

Boston's Victorian showpiece, built on filled marshland in the 1860s: brownstone-lined blocks, Newbury Street shopping, Copley Square, and the best skyline views in the city. Here's what's actually worth your time, ranked and judged.

Back Bay in brief

What should you not miss in Back Bay?

The Boston Public Library at Copley Square (free, with a vaulted reading hall and an Italian courtyard), Trinity Church (an 1877 Romanesque landmark, $10), and a walk down Newbury Street for window shopping, gallery-hopping, and outdoor dining.

How long should you spend in Back Bay?

A half day covers Copley Square, Newbury Street, and a stroll along Commonwealth Avenue Mall. A full day adds View Boston at the Prudential, the Mapparium, lunch on Newbury, and a walk along the Charles River Esplanade.

Is Back Bay worth visiting?

Yes. It is Boston's most architecturally cohesive neighborhood, with some of the best shopping, dining, and cultural landmarks in the city, all on a walkable Victorian grid.

Get oriented

How Back Bay fits together

Back Bay sits on a formal grid, unlike most of Boston, making it one of the easiest neighborhoods to navigate on foot.

The neighborhood runs roughly east to west between the Public Garden and Massachusetts Avenue, bounded by the Charles River Esplanade to the north and the railroad tracks (Back Bay Station) to the south. The major streets run alphabetically from east to west: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, Hereford. Newbury Street and Boylston Street run parallel east-west through the middle, with Newbury as the retail and dining spine and Boylston as the commercial corridor. Commonwealth Avenue Mall, a tree-lined pedestrian promenade, splits the neighborhood down the center. Copley Square, where Trinity Church faces the Boston Public Library, is the architectural and social anchor. The Prudential Center and Copley Place sit at the western end, connected by enclosed walkways.

A half-day loop from the Public Garden, heading west along Newbury and returning along the Esplanade:

See & do, ranked

The best things to do in Back Bay

Our honest ranking of what is worth your time in Boston's brownstone district, from the free public library to the top of the Prudential Tower.

Must-see

The essentials, ranked.

1
Copley Square Worth it
Boston Public Library
The most beautiful free public building in Boston, and one of the most beautiful public libraries in the country.
The Central Library at Copley Square, opened in 1895, was the first large free municipal library in the United States. The McKim Building is the draw: Bates Hall, a 218-foot barrel-vaulted reading room with green-shaded lamps, is one of the great interior spaces in American architecture. The Italian courtyard, modeled on Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome, is open-air and quiet. Upstairs, the Sargent Gallery holds John Singer Sargent's 'Triumph of Religion' murals, installed between 1895 and 1919. The Johnson Building next door, added in 1972, handles the modern lending library. Free admission, no library card needed. Open Monday through Thursday 9 AM to 8 PM, Friday and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM.
Free45 minon Google
Good for solo, couples, families
Sourcesbpl.org boston-discovery-guide.com
2
Copley Square Worth it
Trinity Church
An 1877 Romanesque masterpiece that anchors Copley Square and reflects off the glass of the Hancock Tower behind it.
Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and consecrated in 1877, Trinity Church is considered one of the finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the country. The interior is painted floor to ceiling with murals by John La Farge, and the stained glass includes windows by La Farge, Edward Burne-Jones, and William Morris. The church sits on 4,502 wooden pilings driven into the Back Bay fill. Admission is $10 for adults ($8 for seniors, students, and Massachusetts residents). Self-guided tours with an audio guide are included; docent-led tours run at select times and take 45 to 60 minutes. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM.
$1045 minon Google
Good for solo, couples
Sourcestrinitychurchboston.org bostonsightseeing.us
3
Back Bay Worth it
Newbury Street
Eight blocks of galleries, boutiques, and sidewalk cafes in converted brownstones, and one of New England's best shopping streets.
Newbury Street runs eight blocks from the Public Garden to Massachusetts Avenue, with the price tags dropping as you walk west. The eastern blocks (Arlington to Exeter) are the luxury end: Chanel, Valentino, Cartier, and high-end galleries. The western blocks toward Mass Ave are younger and scrappier: vintage shops, tattoo parlors, independent galleries, and the Trident Booksellers cafe. In summer, many restaurants set up sidewalk patios, and on select Sundays the city closes the street to cars entirely (Open Newbury). The parallel street one block south, Boylston, handles the chain stores and larger restaurants. Free to walk; budget depends entirely on willpower.
Free to walk1-2 hron Google
Shops generally 10 AM - 7 PM; restaurants later
Good for couples, solo, families
Sourcesmeetboston.com boston.gov
4
Prudential Center Worth it
View Boston
The only 360-degree observation deck in Boston, 52 stories up on the Prudential Tower, with an open-air rooftop bar.
View Boston occupies the top three floors of the Prudential Tower. The 50th-floor Skywalk is the main observatory, with floor-to-ceiling windows and the only full 360-degree aerial view of the city. The 51st floor is the Cloud Terrace, an open-air rooftop with cocktail service and views in every direction. The 52nd floor, Stratus, is a rooftop bar with seasonal drinks. Tickets start at $35 for general admission; express-line and VIP packages run up to $55. Evening tickets after 9 PM drop to $15. The views reach from the harbor islands to the Blue Hills on a clear day. Open daily 10 AM to 10 PM, last entry at 9 PM.
$351 hron Google
Good for couples, solo, families
Sourcesviewboston.com gocity.com

Worth it with more time

Good additions once you've done the icons.

5
Commonwealth Avenue Worth it
Commonwealth Avenue Mall
A tree-lined pedestrian promenade modeled on Parisian boulevards, running through the heart of the brownstone district.
Commonwealth Avenue Mall is a 32-acre park running down the center of Commonwealth Avenue from the Public Garden to Kenmore Square. Elm and oak trees shade a brick walkway lined with benches and bronze statues, including memorials to Samuel Eliot Morison, Alexander Hamilton, Leif Erikson, and Abigail Adams. The Back Bay section between Arlington and Massachusetts Avenue is the best stretch: Victorian brownstones on both sides, gas-style lampposts, and dappled light through the canopy. Joggers, dog walkers, and strollers share the path year-round. Free and open at all hours. At the eastern end, it connects directly to the Boston Public Garden.
Free30 minon Google
Open 24 hours
Good for couples, solo, families
Sourcesmeetboston.com
6
Copley Square Worth it
Copley Square
The architectural heart of Back Bay, where Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library face each other across a public plaza.
Copley Square is the public plaza bounded by Boylston Street, Clarendon Street, St. James Avenue, and Dartmouth Street. Trinity Church (1877) and the Boston Public Library (1895) face each other across the square, with the glass wall of 200 Clarendon (the old John Hancock Tower) reflecting Trinity's facade. In warm months, a farmers market runs on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the square hosts concerts, festivals, and the finish-line viewing for the Boston Marathon in April. In winter, a holiday market sets up with craft vendors. Free and open. The square itself takes ten minutes to cross, but you will want to linger.
Free15 minon Google
Open 24 hours
Good for families, couples, solo
Sourcesbostonsightseeing.us

Hidden gems

Where the crowds thin out.

Hidden gem
Massachusetts Avenue Worth it
The Mapparium
A three-story stained-glass globe you walk through on a glass bridge, built in 1935 and largely unknown to tourists.
Inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library at 200 Massachusetts Avenue, the Mapparium is a 30-foot stained-glass globe depicting the world as it appeared in 1935. You walk across a glass bridge through the center of the sphere, surrounded by 608 illuminated panels showing countries and borders that no longer exist (French Indochina, Siam, Persia). The acoustics are the surprise: the concave glass creates a whispering gallery effect where a whisper at one end of the bridge can be heard perfectly at the other, 30 feet away. Admission is $6. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM. One of the genuinely unusual things to do in Boston that most visitors miss.
$630 minon Google
Good for solo, couples, families
Sourcesmarybakereddylibrary.org lonelyplanet.com

Verdicts and rankings are our own; ratings open each place on Google. Prices, where shown, are an approximate per-person guide in USD.

Eat & drink

Where to eat in Back Bay

Newbury Street and Boylston Street are the main dining corridors, with everything from sidewalk brunches to white-tablecloth seafood. These four are the ones worth the trip.

Saltie Girl
Newbury Street
A 40-seat seafood and raw bar that treats tinned fish as a luxury ingredient. The menu changes daily based on what comes in. Standouts: the lobster roll on a brioche bun, pan-roasted halibut, and an oyster selection that changes by the tide. Reservations essential. Dinner runs $60-90 per person.
on Google
Parish Cafe
Boylston Street
A gastropub where each sandwich on the menu is designed by a different Boston chef. The patio on Boylston Street is one of the best people-watching spots in Back Bay. Sandwiches run $16-22. Come for lunch on a weekday to skip the weekend crowd.
on Google
Atlantic Fish Company
Boylston Street
A Back Bay institution since 1978, serving New England seafood in a dining room with dark wood and white tablecloths. The clam chowder and baked stuffed lobster are dependable. Lunch is the better value at $25-35 per person; dinner runs $40-60.
on Google
Trident Booksellers & Cafe
Newbury Street
An independent bookstore-cafe that has been a Newbury Street fixture since 1984. Breakfast all day, strong coffee, and a reading room upstairs. The vibe is more neighborhood than tourist. Budget $12-18 for brunch.
on Google

Getting around

Getting around Back Bay

Copley Station (Green Line)
Drops you at Copley Square, between Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library. The most central stop for Back Bay.
Back Bay Station (Orange Line)
Orange Line, Commuter Rail, and Amtrak. Located at the southern edge of the neighborhood on Dartmouth Street, near Copley Place and the Prudential Center.
Everything is walkable
Back Bay is a flat grid about eight blocks wide. Everything in this guide is within a 15-minute walk of everything else. The alphabetical cross-streets (Arlington to Hereford) make it nearly impossible to get lost.
Walk from Beacon Hill
From Beacon Hill, walk through the Public Garden and cross Arlington Street. You are on Newbury Street in two minutes.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Back Bay

Copley Square area

Classic and central. The Fairmont Copley Plaza and The Lenox put you steps from Trinity Church, the library, and the heart of Newbury Street.

Newbury Street / Arlington

Boutique and walkable. The Newbury Boston (formerly the Ritz-Carlton) overlooks the Public Garden. Smaller boutique hotels line the eastern blocks of Newbury.

Prudential / Boylston

Modern and convenient. The Westin Copley Place and Sheraton connect via enclosed walkways to Copley Place and the Prudential Center, useful in winter.

Boston skyline and harbor from the waterfront.

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Who it's for

Back Bay for families, couples, and solo

Back Bay for families: The Public Garden (swan boats in summer, ducklings year-round), the Boston Public Library children's room, and View Boston at the Prudential give kids a mix of green space, books, and big views. Newbury Street has ice cream spots and pizza-by-the-slice.
Back Bay for couples: A dinner at Saltie Girl, drinks at the Stratus rooftop bar 52 stories up, and a sunset walk along the Esplanade or Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Back Bay is one of the most romantic neighborhoods in Boston after dark.
Back Bay for solo travelers: Browse Trident Booksellers with a coffee, gallery-hop the Newbury Street art spaces, and spend a quiet hour in the Boston Public Library reading room. The grid layout and safe streets make solo exploration easy.

More of Boston

Nearby neighborhoods

A short hop from Back Bay, and worth pairing on the same trip.

Commonwealth Avenue brownstones in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.

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Things to Do in Back Bay Boston