Taking my daughter out to see campus next week. I have been warned by people who say they are familiar with the area to not rent a car and just Uber everywhere. We are flying in. I am not opposed to Ubering, but is driving there that bad? I grew up in the Bay Area of CA and have lived all over so I am not afraid to drive and certainly not afraid of traffic. Any advice? Also, if you have a favorite hotel you stayed in, would love that too. 
What city and what college? You didnāt include this in your post.
Driving isnāt that bad, now that we have WAZE and other GPS apps. Boston is just a confusing city to drive around. The best parts of Boston are walkable, and on the public transportation, the T. If youāre more comfortable in a car, thatās fine. It will be expensive to park. We stayed at one of the hotels at Copley plaza and it was wonderful, great spot!
You can drive for sure. If youāre in Boston proper and want to see NEU BU and BC. No problem. Going to MIT and H are just a bit more confusing with the bridges over the River and Storrow Drive interchanges Harvard Square isnāt Parking friendly. A drive to Tufts is no big deal if you do it as reverse commute. Same for Wellesley Babson and. Brandeis.
Just be prepared for one way streets and strange merging. Also not a great bike lane and pretty aggressive drivers. Thatās why I always suggest UBer.
We just got back a couple of weeks ago. We stayed at Westin Copley in the Back Bay and it was great. Several people on CC said to not rent a car and Iām glad we did not. The hotel is an easy walk to the T. We also bought a one week unlimited passes to use the T and buses and it worked out great. Somehow it took the kids a couple of rides to figure out how the lines worked. It was really easy and convenient. We went to all colleges using the T except the last leg going to Babson. We took the T to the end and then Uber (10 mins to Babson). We also took advantage of a free shuttle from the airport to the Back Bay- we walked with carryons and all 2 to 3 mins to the hotel. Same on the way back but I think we paid $3 per person on the way back to the airport. So convenient.
Parking cars at Boston hotels is pretty expensive ā- I would avoid renting if you were just visiting Boston schools.
I would take the T or walk. Get to get a better feel for the city and experience everything. And then Uber if you get sick of the T. I go to BC now, but when I visited we actually stayed at a hotel over by where TripAdvisor corporate office is. We Uber a few places and also did the train. Went to BC, BU, and Harvard. We did it all in a day and had a great time. One tip, I wouldnāt Uber or drive during rush hour or before or after a Red Sox game. Good luck on your visit. Make sure you see Newton Campus where a lot of the freshman dorms are. And check out the new rec center. I havenāt seen it yet, but canāt wait to use it. And hit the North End for dinner.
I lived in the Boston area for 10 years up until the late ā90s and was there last year for college visits. If you can, I suggest taking the T whenever you can; didnāt try Uber. Are you visiting any other colleges besides BC?
Californian here and almost always drive when in town.
I mostly stay at the Boston Marriott-Newton which (used to?) have a great BC rate. But its a few miles outside of Campus ā straight shot down Commonwealth Ave.
Driving around Boston is manageable, especially if you are used to SF driving. Parking is expensive though. For BC visit, there is an AC Marriott property at Cleveland Circle, within 1/2 mile of campus. There is also a Courtyard Marriott at Coolidge Corner in Brookline Village , about a 5-7 minute drive from campus. Easy T access to Back Bay Area from both of these hotels.
Thanks for all of your replies. @āaunt beaā sorry thought I was posting in the BC forum? We are only touring BC; she is not considering any other schools in the area. We are flying in on a Sunday night, touring Monday, and heading out to Philadelphia right after (have not decided if that will be Monday or Tuesday AM). She wants to go for a second look at Villanova and it makes sense to do that while I am in the general area as we are not driving distance to either school. Was debating renting the car and driving to Philly from Boston, which is why I was leaning toward renting one. (I know, it is a lot of driving and the traffic through NY is likely going to be less than ideal. 
We just did a 1000 mile trip through the midwest looking at schools. I actually love driving, even on boring I-80!)
@BCBoundMaybe can you tell me a little about the 2 campuses? I looked online at the website and was a little confused.
For us, it depends on where we are staying. Out in the suburbs (tends to be less expensive), get a car. Staying in the city, no car.
Anyone know: are there still yellow taxis, maybe down around the T stop? How about Cleveland Circle? Procrastinating on downloading uber (ok. fine. Iāll do it.)
If you are only visiting BC and donāt care about seeing the boston sights, stay closer to campus and rent a car, easy to drive around there. Ride to Villanova will take 5 hours in best case traffic conditions. Not a bad ride. Leave no later than 7:30 am to miss traffic. Newton Campus is about a mile or so away from main campus, freshman dorms, law school, cafeteria, gym , some fields located over there so definitely worth seeing. have a great trip!
When we visited, we took the T to BC ($2-3) and rented an apartment on South St through Sonder/AirBnB. The 3 bedroom apartment was less than any of the hotels and thereās a T stop right across the street (last stop before you get to BC). You can also walk to campus from there. It took just over an hour to get there from the airport.
@phxcactus Newton campus is about a 10 minute bus ride or 25 minute walk from the main campus. Itās where the majority of freshmen end up getting their dorms. They also have a small gym, a dining hall, a soccer field, the law school and law school library. Itās fine because itās the norm for freshman, but Iām looking forward to not dealing with the bus. Itās a great school and the campus is beautiful. I canāt wait to get back there in August.
@BCBoundMaybe I agree with definitely visiting the Newton Frosh/Law school campus. However according to BC 60 percent of freshman are assigned housing on Upper and 40 percent in the guaranteed doubles in Newton. Has this changed as they had some over enrollment a few years ago?
@BCBoundMaybe thank you so much! That was just what she wanted to know. Appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Not quite, only 40% of Frosh live on Newton campus. PrivateBanker is correct.
https://www.bc.edu/offices/reslife/lifeinhalls/housing-assignments/firstyearinfo.html
Thank you @bluebayou . Appreciate the info! My DD has distinct likes/dislikes about campus life and this info has been so helpful for her. Thanks again to everyone who has provided info. I appreciate you all taking the time to respond, especially since making trips out east is quite the haul for us!
^^happy to help. My D had a fabulous time at BC, and I like to pay it forward. (Iām a big BC & Jesuit education fanboy, so would recommend over 'Nova. That being said, outside of a dozen Presidentialās, BC only offers need-based aid, while 'Nova does offer merit aid to manyso it can be less out-of-pocket for many middle class folks.)