<p>We have 3 days in Boston. We will be arriving from NY via amtrak on Thursday night. We have a a Tour scheduled at Northeastern on Friday, and hope to do a little sightseeing on Saturday. I need to drop my son off at Tufts for a summer program on Sunday. Where would you suggest we stay. Any must sees? Do I need to rent a car for Thursday-Sunday or will renting a car on Saturday to get to tufts be enough. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t need to rent a car at all. Tufts is pretty accessible from the T, but if you have heavy luggage, one taxi will cost a lot less than even a one-day car rental. Hotels in desirable areas will usually charge you for parking, too. What’s your budget? Do you prefer hotels or inns?</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, there is a T stop fairly close to Tufts so you may not even need to rent a car. If the weather is nice, then I definitely recommend walking the Freedom Trail if you have time. We took a partially guided one for like $10 per person, and I thought it was worth it.
If you’re in the mood for some great Italian food, then venture to the North End, you can easily walk there. It’s also just neat to walk around up there.
There are probably tours of Fenway Park going on, so if you’re into that sort of thing, then that’s something to definitely look at.
Or you can just walk around and sort of discover things on yourself and enjoy the beautiful city.
As I’m not from the city, these are just my recommendations of what I found interesting in the city. I’m sure some locals can also give you some great recommendations </p>
<p>Thanks for the info about car rental. I prefer not to do it if not necessary. Since I am traveling with my Son, we prefer Hotels. Our budget is the under 250 a night range. Looking for a hotel centrally located where we can get around via mass transit. Will certainly check out the freedom trial. Any other suggestions are appreciated. Thanks</p>
<p>If your only 2 college stops are Northeastern and Tufts, you would be better served not having a car at all. Both are easily accessible via public transportation.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/campusmap/directions.html]Northeastern[/url”>http://www.northeastern.edu/campusmap/directions.html]Northeastern[/url</a>]
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<p>[url=<a href=“http://admissions.tufts.edu/visit/maps-and-directions/]Tufts[/url”>Parking & Directions | Tufts Admissions]Tufts[/url</a>]
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<p>Depending on where you stay and the amount of luggage you have, you can easily get a taxi at either Back Bay or South Station. If there are any decent specials on hotels in the Back Bay, you could walk from the station to your hotel, and be in the midst of it all.</p>
<p>Coming via amtrak. Better to get off at south station or back bay. Sorry for all the stupid questions. Although originally from the east coast, have lived west for 20 plus years and although familiar with NY, Boston is a mystery:)</p>
<p>It depends on your hotel. I did a quick search on one of the travel websites and there are hotels in your price range in the Back Bay. South Station is in the financial district, so the streets really roll up at night. Back Bay is retail/residential.</p>
<p>I heard there are problems with Amtrak between NYC and Boston due to a bridge failure in Connecticut. The radio news said there was no info on when it would be resolved. You might want to check it out.</p>
<p>And I agree there is no need for a car. Have you looked into airbnb for a place to stay?</p>
<p>We have had great success finding affordable hotels using Hotwire.
You can limit your search to specific neighborhoods.</p>
<p>We once did 4 college tours in 2 days in boston - tufts, bc, bu, and northeastern - all by using the T to get around.</p>
<p>My advice is to stay in Cambridge - I like the Hotel Marlowe (very funky) and the Royal Sonesta (on the water). Depending upon the night their rates can vary widely from under $200 to over $350 (this seems to be true with all Boston hotels - I go frequently to visit my daughter at Northeastern and always shop around). Call for your reservation - don’t do it online because when you call you can get the “Tufts” rate at the Hotel Marlowe (which may or may not be cheaper than their AAA rate.)</p>
<p>If you stay in Cambridge you can walk to the Green Line to get to Northeastern and the Red Line to get to Tufts. Get off at South Station on the Amtrak and cab it to the hotel (pretty quick ride). (You could take the T from the station but the cab will be easier with luggage and a group). </p>
<p>The other alternative is to stay at either the Hilton or Sheraton at the Prudential Center. That will leave you in walking distance of Northeastern and at a T stop to get to Tufts (although you will have to change lines). Check rates at both of them and again call and ask for their “Northeastern” rate. If you stay there get off at the Back Bay station and it is walkable (although a little long if you have luggage - I have done it) - you could grab a cab and it would be only a few minutes to get there.</p>
<p>As far as must see sights there are too many to mention and you only have one day - I suggest walking around - starting at Boston Common/ Boston Garden (the beginning of the freedom trail) passing through quincy market/fanueil hall and ending in the north end (little Italy). </p>
<p>You are getting good advice. You don’t want a car in Boston if you can avoid it. Even with a GPS, as a long-time resident of the area, I sometimes have difficulty finding places (recently was trying to find a museum at Tufts and it was non-trivial). Plus parking can be either difficult, expensive or both.</p>
<p>There are cheaper hotels in outlying areas (Somerville or Medford but you’d probably end up needing a car) and Harvard Square tends to be quite expensive. I like the Marlowe generally and like the fact that you can walk to the Green Line from there to go to Northeastern. I generally would stay away from the Ruggles Station on the Orange line. It is not so bad, but I think was once relatively dangerous. An alternative is the Marriott in Kendall Square. You could take the Red Line from South Station directly to Kendall Square and walk into the Marriott. Leave your bags at the hotel and walk to the Green Line stop when you are going to Northeastern and just hop the Red Line from there when you are going to Tufts. There are several hotels right in Kendall Square. There’s one in an old fire house and there is a Residence Marriott (and likely others).</p>
<p>Personally, I think walking around Harvard Square and taking a tour of Harvard is fun – and if the Peabody Museum there is open, that can be fun.</p>
<p>The hotel in the old firehouse is called The Kendall and has a website :)</p>
<p>I have to put in a plug for my favorite museum – the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard. Amazing artifacts going back 300+ years that were used in the research and teaching of different branches of science. It’s free and worth a stop if you’re spending any time in Harvard Square.</p>
<p>We’re going to be up there for 2 nights in two weeks. I booked a room at La Qunita Inn & Suites in Somerville. Not sure about access to the T. We will have a car. Two nights are $324 ($162 per night).</p>
<p>Found the La Quinta on the map - I think that is where we stayed for Tufts admitted students day - no T nearby (on admitted students day they ran shuttle buses). You need a car to stay there (yes, it is cheaper than in the city).</p>
<p>Look at a T map and plan from there. Northeastern is on the Green Line while Tufts is closest to the Red Line. These connect downtown at Park Street. </p>
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<p>You don’t need to rent a car but there is really a tradeoff in price between hotels near the T and hotels that are convenient, but where you really need a car to really function. Personally, I’d rather have access to a car than pay upwards of $200 per night to stay near the T. </p>
<p>To get to Tufts with a pile of luggage, take the T to Davis Sq. It’s about a mile to Tufts. If you have a lot of luggage, you can easily grab a cab at Davis Sq. The cab stand is at the corner of Day St and Elm St (google Davis Sq Somerville, MA). The fare should be minimal. So minimal that you’ll want to tip well. </p>
<p>A few years ago we went to Northeastern Parent Weekend. We liked The Midtown hotel,walking distance to campus. It als had great access to The T. For our dates it was much more affordable than other places. <a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60745-d94350-Reviews-The_Midtown_Hotel-Boston_Massachusetts.html”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60745-d94350-Reviews-The_Midtown_Hotel-Boston_Massachusetts.html</a></p>
<p>You don’t need a car for your trip, but we did. Parking was more affordable at Midtown than other places.</p>
<p>I would recommend the Isabella Stuart Gardener museum , near Northeastern. Also, Faneuil hall marketplace! Rowes Warf & walk through Boston Common and the Public Garden. </p>
<p>Don’t stay in a hotel around South Station. Actually, there aren’t any hotels around South Station, so that’s easy enough. </p>
<p>There are a number of hotels within easy walking distance of Back Bay station in all price ranges (relative to Boston, that is). It’s on the Orange Line, which is two stops away from Ruggles (the Northeastern stop). I’ve stayed in the Back Bay area because I could roll out of bed in the morning and be at the Amtrak platform in 5 minutes. The area is generally OK.</p>
<p>The nearest T stop to Tufts is Porter Square, but you’ll have to take a cab or a bus from there unless you really like walking.</p>
<p>As many times as I’ve been to Boston I’ve never rented a car nor do I bring my own. The T should be OK, and if not cabs will make up the difference.</p>