Getting to Gillette Stadium from Boston

Best public transportation options - and other ways to travel to Gillette Stadium

If you want to get to Gillette Stadium from Boston without driving your own car, you'll find some good options, including public transportation - but they vary based on the event you're attending.

If you're attending a New England Patriots game, you can take the Gillette Stadium train (sometimes called the Patriots Train) which comes right to Patriot Place, where the stadium is located.  For concerts, Rockbus can be a great option.  But for New England Revolution games, and even just shopping at Patriot Place, getting to Gillette Stadium requires a little more creativity but is still fairly easy to do.

View of Gillette Stadium from the parking lot

If you've ever driven back to Boston after a game or concert and spent hours on the clogged highway, you'll understand the appeal of public transportation to Gillette Stadium.  Even though the stadium, located in Foxboro Massachusetts, is only 22 miles south of the city, the drive back can take forever.

Here are the best transportation options to get to Gillette Stadium from Boston - and back - based on each type of event. 

New England Patriot home games - The Gillette Stadium Train

MBTA's Gillette Stadium Train (sometimes called the Patriot Train) provides service from Boston's South Station directly to the stadium on home game days.  You can also board the train at the Back Bay Station.  The round trip fare is $12, and can be purchased at the stations (go to the MBCR ticket window). You cannot use regular commuter rail tickets or passes for the Gillette Stadium Train.

The train departs Boston 2 hours before kick-off for the 65 minute trip.  Returning to Boston, the train departs Gillette Stadium 30 minutes after the end of the game.

MBTA normally posts the exact schedule about a week before the game on their website.

Unfortunately, the Gillette Stadium Train runs only on Patriot home game days.  And occasionally the train experiences delays . . . a total bummer if you get to the game late, and really annoying if the trip back to Boston takes longer than it should. 

So you'll have to weigh the convenience and low cost of taking the Patriot Train against the possible downside.

Check Gillette Stadium Tickets

Concerts at Gillette Stadium - Rockbus

Rockbus started up only in 2009 as a way to provide convenient, cheap transportation to concerts at Gillette Stadium, Comcast Center (formerly Tweeter Center, and originally Great Woods), and occasionally other venues in New England. 

It's also green.  Carbon credits offsets are purchased for each ticket sold to make your trip carbon neutral, plus fewer drivers clog the roads with their individual cars.

Rockbus departs and returns from locations, which they call Rally Points near public transportation and centralized parking areas.  Rally Points are driven by demand so they differ for each concert.   In Boston, South Station is a typical Rally Point. 

You can find more details about Rockbus on their website.

Other events at Gillette Stadium

Getting to Gillette Stadium from Boston for other events such as Revolution games is a little trickier, but reasonably easy to do.

The easiest option is to take Boston's MBTA Commuter Rail's Franklin Line from South Station in Boston to the Walpole station, a few miles away.  (If you're coming from Providence, the Mansfield station is the closest.)  Although service is fairly frequent, be sure to check the schedule to make sure it fits your needs.

From the station, take a taxi to Gillette Stadium, and then back to the station after the event.  Plenty of taxis are usually around but if not, call the local cab company, Foxfield Taxi - 508-543-2828.

Another option, although pricier, is to rent a car for the day or even shorter period of time that you'll need it.  Keep in mind that in addition to the car rental fee, you'll also have to pay for parking at the stadium - about $40.

If you're visiting Boston and staying in a downtown hotel, check out car rentals from Enterprise.  Their downtown location at 1 Congress Street is just a short walk from many hotels, and their prices are usually competitive.  More information: http://www.enterprise.com

Another attractive rental car option, especially if you might want to use the car for a few hours on another day or two, is Zipcar.  The way that Zipcar works is that you pay a registration and annual fee of about $75, and then you can rent a car by the hour or by the day.  The low rates include gas and insurance.

You pick up your car from a parking space, located throughout Boston.  More information: www.zipcar.com

If you drive . . .

If you do decide to drive, keep in mind that by late morning, other fans will already be setting up their tailgate parties in the parking lot. 

Be forewarned:  Boston sports fans tend to go waaaay beyond standard chili for their tailgate parties - your mouth will water when you smell the delicious lobsters, steaks, chowder, and other gourmet treats being cooked up. 

If you want to try this yourself, you'll find a few tips about how to set up your own tailgate feast on the main Gillette Stadium page.  Otherwise, bring a sandwich (or 2) so that you don't die from hunger on the spot!