Boston Back Bay walk – Photo supplied by Ajay Suresh
| Start/Finish | Category | Distance | Estimated Walking Time |
| Arlington Station / Museum of Fine Arts | History and Architecture | 3.0 km | 45 min* |
Summary
The Boston Back Bay walk explores some of Boston’s most significant historical and cultural sites, such as the Old South Church and the Boston Public Library before winding through Back Bay Fens and finishing at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Public transport
Catch the train to Arlington Station. Ends near Museum of Fine Arts Station.
Directions
Starting Point – Arlington Train Station
The Boston Back Bay walk starts outside Arlington train station in Boylston St. From here, walk down Boylston St in a westerly direction. On the corner of Boylston St and Clarendon St you will notice the Trinity Church built between 1872 to 1877. The building style has been dubbed Richardsonian Romanesque, named after its designer Henry Richardson and its Roman influences. The church is characterised by its clay roof, rough stone, heavy arches, and a massive tower.
From Boylston St, take a detour into Copley Square, which sits next to the church, and walk along St James Ave before turning up Dartmouth St and then back to Boylston St. On the other side of Boylston St you will notice the Old South Church. Built in 1873, this church is Gothic in style and home to one of the oldest religious communities in the United States. A striking feature of the Old South Church is its tall tower visible from several Boston neighborhoods.
Continue walking in a westerly direction up Boylston St on the Copley Square side of the road and you will pass the Boston Public Library, the third-largest public library in the United States. The library consists of the McKim Building and the Johnson Building, which is attached and interconnected with interior passageways. If you have time, consider visiting the McKim building. The interior of the building is a beautiful space heavily influenced by the 16th-century Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome.
Boston Public Library
Image: Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, Photo supplied by H. Krishnan
From the library continue up Boylston St and you will pass the Boston Fire Department and then on the other side of the road, the Massachusetts Historical society. The Historical Society is a major historical archive specialising in early American, Massachusetts and New England history.
Further down the street cross over the Fenway and walk along the Emerald Necklace pathway, which hugs the Fenway in a southerly direction. Continue along this path right up to Back Bay Fens, a very popular urban park in Boston, until you get to Forsyth Way. Turn left here and walk down the Museum of Fine Arts Promenade.
Finishing point – Museum of Fine Arts
At Huntington Ave turn right and walk to the entrance of the Museum of Fine Arts where the journey ends. The Museum of Fine Arts is the 20th largest art museum in the world and contains more than 450,000 works of art. To get home you can catch a train from the Museum of Fine Arts Station which is just a bit further down Huntington Ave in a south westerly direction.
Boston Back Bay walk – GPX file
To access to the GPX file for this walk click on the download button below.
Information on GPX files and how to import them into Google maps on your phone can be found here.
Boston Back Bay walk – Map
Start – Arlington Station
- Trinity Church
- Copeland Square
- Old South Church
- Boston Public Library
- Boston Fire Department
- Massachusetts Historical Society
- Back Bay Fens
- Museum of Fine Arts
End – Museum of Fine Arts
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