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For a Saturday-to-Sunday weekend in Boston, spend Saturday walking the Freedom Trail from Boston Common through the North End to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, with lunch at the Haymarket stalls or Boston Public Market. Spend Sunday in Back Bay and at the SoWa Open Market in season, or at the Museum of Fine Arts. The plan is built around weekend hours: the State House is closed on weekends, Haymarket runs only on Fridays and Saturdays, and Old North Church opens at 12:30 p.m. on Sundays.
This version is for travelers whose two days fall on a weekend. If yours are weekdays, see our two days in Boston itinerary; with more time, our 4-day itinerary. For a base on the trail itself, the Omni Parker House on School Street is bookable on Expedia.
The weekend at a glance
| When | Plan | Weekend note |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday morning | Freedom Trail, Boston Common to Faneuil Hall | State House: outside only on weekends |
| Saturday lunch | Haymarket and Boston Public Market | Haymarket runs Fridays and Saturdays only |
| Saturday afternoon | North End, then Charlestown to the Bunker Hill Monument | The trail ends in Charlestown, not at Faneuil Hall |
| Saturday evening | Dinner in the North End or Charlestown | Book North End tables ahead on Saturdays |
| Sunday morning | Public Garden, Copley Square and the Central Library | Library opens at 11 a.m. on Sundays |
| Sunday afternoon | SoWa Open Market (May to mid-November) or the MFA | SoWa is a Sunday-only market |
| Sunday evening | View Boston at sunset, or dinner in Back Bay | Open daily until 10 p.m. |
Saturday morning: the Freedom Trail, Boston Common to Faneuil Hall
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile red line in the sidewalk that links 16 official sites, from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument. It runs one way and does not loop back. Start at the visitor center on the Common at 139 Tremont Street, next to Park Street station on the Red and Green lines. For a guide, small-group Freedom Trail history tours are bookable on Viator.
The first stretch packs ten sites into a few downtown blocks: the Massachusetts State House (closed on weekends, so admire the gold dome from Beacon Street), Park Street Church, the Granary Burying Ground, King's Chapel, the Old Corner Bookstore, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House and the Boston Massacre Site. Faneuil Hall is stop 11 of 16, the middle of the walk rather than its end. National Park Service rangers give free 15-minute talks in its Great Hall from Wednesday to Sunday.
Saturday lunch: Haymarket and Boston Public Market
Saturday is the day to see Haymarket, the open-air fruit and vegetable market on Blackstone Street that sets up only on Fridays and Saturdays. Beside it, Boston Public Market is the indoor, year-round market where everything sold comes from New England, a good place for a sit-down lunch from its food vendors. Both are next to Haymarket station and a short walk from Faneuil Hall. If you would rather have a table, Union Oyster House, open since 1826, is on the same stretch of the trail.
Saturday afternoon: the North End and Charlestown
Follow the red line into the North End for stop 12, the Paul Revere House, downtown's oldest building, and stop 13, Old North Church, where the two lanterns hung in 1775; both are open on Saturdays. Stop 14, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, is uphill from the church.
From there the trail crosses the Charlestown Bridge to stop 15, USS Constitution, an active-duty Navy ship that is free to board through a security check, with the USS Constitution Museum across the pier. It finishes at stop 16, the Bunker Hill Monument, free to enter, with 294 steps to the top if you want the climb. Walking the whole trail with a few stops inside takes most of a day, so skip the museum interiors if you are short of time.
Saturday evening
You can finish where you are: Warren Tavern in Charlestown dates its building to 1780 and seats walk-ins. Or head back to the North End for dinner at Giacomo's, Mamma Maria or Neptune Oyster, and a cannoli on Hanover Street afterwards. Saturday night is the busiest of the week in the North End, so book where bookings are taken or arrive early.
Sunday morning: the Public Garden and Copley Square
Start slowly in the Public Garden, then walk down Newbury Street or Boylston Street to Copley Square. The Boston Public Library's Central Library opens at 11 a.m. on Sundays and is free. Trinity Church, across the square, holds Sunday services and gives tours only from Tuesday to Saturday, so on a Sunday you see it from outside or at a service.
Sunday afternoon: SoWa Open Market or the MFA
From May to mid-November, the SoWa Open Market fills 500 Harrison Avenue in the South End every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with local makers, food trucks and farmers, with free entry. It is a walk from Back Bay station on the Orange Line.
Out of season, or if you prefer art, the Museum of Fine Arts is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum a few minutes' walk away; pick one, as each can fill an afternoon. Families may prefer the New England Aquarium, which stays open until 6 p.m. on weekends and sells timed tickets that often sell out, so book ahead.
Sunday evening
End with the city from above at View Boston on top of the Prudential Tower, open daily until 10 p.m., then dinner in Back Bay. If you want a harbor evening instead, see our Seaport day plan.
Can you add Harvard?
Harvard Yard is in Cambridge, across the Charles River, not in Boston. It is worth a half-day on its own, but squeezing it into a two-day Boston weekend means dropping the North End or Charlestown. Our guide to using the T covers getting around both cities.