Are you planning a trip to Boston and looking for a solid guidebook for travel tips or books about the city for inspiration about what to see, do, and experience?
Because I publish travel websites, I'm picky about guide books. Some are better than others at providing accurate, up-to-date information while a few, I suspect, were written by people who have spent no more than a couple of days here.
So in this article, I'm sharing recommendations for my own favorite Boston guidebooks as well as for a few other books about the city.
If you're already here in Boston, you can buy many of them locally. Before listing my suggested books, let me first recommend my favorite locally-owned (as far as I'm aware) bookstores where you can find many of them:
- Trident Booksellers & Cafe (338 Newbury Street, Back Bay) - Usually an excellent selection plus a wonderful cafe and lots of fun events
- Beacon Hill Books & Cafe (71 Charles Street, Beacon Hill) - Gorgeous bookstore (my fantasy is to somehow spend an entire day here) with an excellent cafe
- Brattle Book Shop (9 West Street, Downtown Crossing) - Three floors packed with a quarter of a million used, vintage, and antiquarian books (as well as maps, postcards, and a few other things); I've found some of my favorite old out-of-print books about Boston here
- Commonwealth Books (9 Spring Lane, Downtown Crossing) - Although the used books here are always worth browsing, I'm always mesmerized by the antique prints and maps, some of which are hundreds of years old; open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas (by the way, Spring Lane is one of the city's oldest streets, dating back to the 17th century Colonial days)
Why buy a guidebook when so much information is freely available online?
Well, for starters, you can easily add notes, fold down the corners of pages you want to consult again and again, and carry it with you to places where free wifi or data may not be readily available.
Plus, the best of the comprehensive guides give you all the information you need to know in one book. And the more specialized guides, such as those providing tours and itineraries, provide much more detail than you'll typically find in one place online.
Top photo: Boston travel guides at Trident Booksellers, (c) Boston Discovery Guide
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Comprehensive Boston Travel Guides
These comprehensive Boston travel books do a very good job of presenting a "big picture" view of the city while also providing enough details to help you successfully plan your trip.
You'll find tips about getting around on public transportation (trust me, you do not want to drive in Boston), where to shop, eat, and stay, and all kinds of other things to make your trip planning easy.
DK Boston
You'll find hundreds of stunning color photographs and detailed maps of locations, neighborhoods, walks, and even site plans for certain attractions throughout DK Boston.
I always seek out DK books for any city I'm planning to visit because the gorgeous photos let you visualize it and feel familiar with the city before you arrive.
Information is detailed, accurate, and tells you what you need to know for a successful visit.
What's included? Itineraries, neighborhood guides, a bit of Boston history (because you can't be here without encountering it almost everywhere you turn), restaurants, hotels, entertainment, and sports.
Good for first time as well as return visitors.
Fodor's Boston
Here's what makes Fodor's Boston one of my top city guide picks, whether you're here for your first or your 100th visit:
- Lots of itineraries to help you organize your time and destinations
- Packed with recommendations about best attractions, places to eat, hotels, nightlife, shopping, entertainment, and day trips
- 25+ detailed maps plus a pullout city map
- Solid tips
- A focus on the experiences you can have, rather than just describing sights
Lonely Planet Boston
Lonely Planet fans will love this Boston guide - well-researched, with lots of insider detail, almost all of which is accurate. Instead of just making recommendations, it often presents pros and cons of options, along with providing an excellent pull-out map and on-the-page maps.
The book is organized by Boston neighborhoods, with additional sections on hotels, itineraries, restaurants, music, shopping, etc. Particularly useful if you have previously been to Boston is the "What's New" section.
Looking for travel guides focused on traveling with kids?
All of the comprehensive guides described above include fine sections on family-friendly Boston activities for kids of all ages, and tend to be more comprehensive than books written specifically about "Boston kids activities." So save your money and give this category a pass.
Most of the compact Boston travel guides recommended in the next section also include information about kids activities in Boston, even if it's just a list - which combined with the other information, will be fine.
Finally, check out these kid-oriented pages on Boston Discovery Guide:
- Best Boston Activities for Kids
- Best Boston Tours for Teens
- Best Boston Tours for Younger Kids
- Boston Children's Museum - A favorite of the 2-10 year old crowd
- New England Aquarium - Great for the whole family
Compact Travel Guide for Boston
Condensed Boston travel guides can be convenient to carry around - but only if they include the information you need, and you can ready the print!
The compact guide that I recommend does all that, and more:
Top 10 Boston (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide)
If you're a fan of "top 10" lists, the compact Top 10 Boston will be a good choice. You'll find lists of the top 10 restaurants, attractions, hotels, and more, including itineraries.
Particularly good are the neighborhood lists, with the author's recommendations for the top 10 things to see and do in each one. You may not agree with all the choices, but it's a good beginning point. Includes a laminated pull-out map.
More Books about Discovering Boston
Want to discover the "real" Boston? Get one of these guides, follow several of the tours, and you're sure to discover plenty of places that more general guides never mention.
Although all of these books were published a few years ago, the information in them is timeless.
Freedom Trail Boston - Ultimate Tour & History Guide - Tips, Secrets, & Tricks
Author Steve Gladstone assists international travelers at Boston's Faneuil Hall as a volunteer with the National Park Service, and based Freedom Trail Boston - Ultimate Tour & History Guide - Tips, Secrets, & Tricks on his extensive knowledge of the Freedom Trail sites and his insights about what everyone wants to know about it. He combines detailed information about the Freedom Trail with a historical perspective about the events leading up to the American Revolution.
If that's all this book delivered, it would still be well worth getting - but what makes it a real standout are all the "extras" that he provides - an app with streaming translation, a multi-lingual option for translation into Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, German, Portuguese, and Italian, additional information about Boston's Harbor Islands, Lexington, Concord, and Harvard Square.
Truly a great value, and wonderful addition if you're planning a trip.
Walking Tours of Boston's Made Land
The 12 tours outlined in Walking Tours of Boston's Made Land by historian Nancy Seasholes trace how the land mass of Boston has literally been doubled in size during the past 375 years.
The tours will take you along Boston's Downtown Waterfront, Back Bay, Charlestown, Bay Village, the South End, Beacon Hill, and more, and as Seasholes explains how and why the human-made land was created, you'll learn fascinating bits of Boston history.
This is one of my own favorite books for exploring Boston. Even though it was first published a couple of decades ago, the information is still solid and the tours worth doing.
Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands
Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands about Boston's 34 Harbor Islands gives you all the information you'll need to explore this national water park that's as close as 20 minutes from Downtown Boston.
Several of the islands are accessible by public ferry, while you'll need to sail to the outer islands. One of the best resources for describing what you'll find and can do at each island.
Boston Travel Guides about Local Sports, History, Architecture, & More
Half travel guides, half entertainment, these books will give you a different view of the city.
Red Sox Nation: The Rich and Colorful History of the Boston Red Sox
Want to really understand Boston? The Red Sox, our sometimes winning, more often losing local team is the place to start. The oral history of the players, managers, and owners behind this colorful team in Red Sox Nation: The Rich and Colorful History of the Boston Red Sox doesn't really have anything to do with touring Boston - but it will give you a flavor of the local passion.
Of course, to really understand Red Sox Nation, as the inhabitants of Boston call themselves, you'll also want to order and read Red Sox Fans Are from Mars, Yankees Fans Are from Uranus: Why Red Sox Fans Are Smarter, Funnier, and Better Looking (In Language Even Yankee Fans Can Understand).
AIA Guide to Boston: Contemporary Landmarks, Urban Design, Parks, Historic Buildings and Neighborhoods
If you're an architect or fascinated with building styles, architectural history, or the social history shaping the Boston cityscape, AIA Guide to Boston: Contemporary Landmarks, Urban Design, Parks, Historic Buildings and Neighborhoods is a must-have.
Organized by neighborhoods, the book describes the history, architectural styles, and many more details of all the significant buildings in each area - which on some blocks is every single building, house, major site (such as the historic burying grounds), and even some monuments. Numerous black and white photos bring the text to life.
The authors also include short histories of how each neighborhood developed, and many insider details and stories. Bonus sections at the back of the book include a collection of excellent maps of the covered areas, a glossary of architecture terms, and a series of suggested tours based on themes such as "Boston Urban Design." More
Boston's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in Beantown
Even though Boston's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in Beantown is part of a "dive bars" series, the author - Luke O'Neil, a former Boston Globe writer - really knows Boston's dive bars. Suggestions - all 90 or so of them - are spot on.
Sure, you can have a good visit to Boston without this book. But if you want to get a glimpse of "real" Boston watering holes, beyond designer cocktails and microbrewery beers - the kind of place that your uncle might go when he wants to knock a few back with his friends and maybe toss a few darts and curse the Yankees - this is the guide book you'll want. More
Boston Sites and Insights: An Essential Guide to Historic Landmarks In and Around Boston
Boston Sites and Insights: An Essential Guide to Historic Landmarks In and Around Boston is a very readable book about the history of 50 Boston landmarks, based on author Susan Wilson's former column in the Boston Globe about the city's historic treasures.
What makes this book especially interesting is that the author - a historian by background - did extensive primary source research about each site, and in the process debunked some of the popular myths about them.
The book is actually about much more than Boston's historic landmarks - it's about the history of the city, its people, the birth of independence, and movements for human liberty. Best of all, it's written in such an entertaining way that it's hard to stop reading it until you're done.
Boston Rediscovered
By Ulrike Welsch
Ulrike Welsch's atmospheric photographs in Boston Rediscovered cover a period from the aftermath of urban "renewal" through the Big Dig mess and turmoil to the 21st century transformation of Boston.
With its wonderful mix of Old Boston and New Boston, this book will inspire your own explorations of the city - and deserves a prominent place on your coffee table. It's an ideal addition to your holiday gift list as well.
Inspirational Books: Why Visit Boston
Maybe you've never been to Boston but want to visit, maybe you've been many times and look forward to returning, or maybe you live here and want the pleasure of looking at photos of the city you love.
The stunning photos in these books will show you why Boston is the most beautiful city in the U.S. Leave one on your coffee table to look at whenever you want a few enjoyable relaxing moments, give them as gifts to inspire others, and loan them to friends - they'll bring you lots of happiness.
Boston: America the Beautiful
By Jordan Worek and Bill Horsman
The photographs in Boston: America the Beautiful capture the beauty of Boston, its iconic neighborhoods, and top attractions such as historic Beacon Hill, fun-filled Fenway Park, and a few "surprise" locations you may not have seen before.
With a 10 inch by 10 inch square format and not quite 100 pages, this book is the perfect size to pick up and read - or leave artfully displayed on your coffee table.
More Articles about Visiting Boston
- Top Boston Attractions - Best places to experience Boston
- Historic Boston Pubs & Tavern - Follow the footsteps of the Sons of Liberty ... to Boston's oldest bars
- Boston's Historic Downtown - Explore the oldest part of Boston
- Boston Holocaust Memorial - Boston's tribute to freedom and perseverance
- Hop On Hop Off Trolleys - With convenient stops in Beacon Hill, these trolleys give you a great way to see Boston!
