For couples · Boston · United States
Romantic things to do in Boston
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
Quick answer
Boston's romance is old-fashioned: gaslit streets, candlelit Italian dinners, river sunsets and harbour lights. Autumn is the most atmospheric season, when Beacon Hill's doorways are dressed with pumpkins and the Charles is lined with colour. Couples tend to stay in Back Bay.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 6
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- Back Bay
- Best months
- May–June and September–October
Romantic ideas
1.Beacon Hill by gaslight
Stroll the lamplit lanes around Louisburg Square and Acorn Street after dinner on Charles Street.
2.Sunset on the Charles River Esplanade
Walk the riverbank parkland past the Hatch Shell as sailboats head in and the sun sets over Cambridge.
3.Harbour sunset cruise
Evening sailings from Long Wharf show the skyline lighting up across the water.
4.Dinner in the North End
Book a small trattoria on a side street, then share a cannoli on Hanover Street.
5.The Gardner courtyard
Sit by the flower-filled palazzo courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
6.View Boston
The observation deck at the top of the Prudential Tower looks over Back Bay, the river and the harbour at dusk.
Sights couples love
Garden · Beacon Hill
Boston Common and Public Garden
The Swan Boats run from spring to late summer; in winter, the Frog Pond on the Common becomes an ice rink.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Iconic
Museum · Fenway–Kenmore
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Anyone named Isabella gets in free, as does everyone on their birthday.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Couples
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Neighbourhood · Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill and Acorn Street
Acorn Street is a private residential lane; come early, take photos quietly and move on.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Couples
- Photo spot
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping, couples and luxury
Back Bay
Built on filled-in marshland in the 19th century, Back Bay has a grid of brownstones on cross streets named alphabetically from Arlington to Hereford, the tree-lined Commonwealth Avenue Mall and Newbury Street's blocks of boutiques and cafés. Copley Square holds Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library, and the Green and Orange lines connect it to the rest of the city.
- Good
- Elegant, walkable streets; Huge choice of shops and restaurants; Central for most sights
- Watch out
- Among the most expensive hotels in the city; Busy with shoppers at weekends
- Nearby
- Copley Square, Newbury Street, Boston Public Library, Public Garden
Romantic day trips
- Provincetown, Cape Cod (About 1 hour 30 minutes by fast ferry (seasonal)) — At the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown has a lively main street of galleries and seafood restaurants, the Pilgrim Monument, long dune beaches in the Cape Cod National Seashore and whale-watching trips.
- Newport, Rhode Island (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — The Gilded Age summer resort of America's richest families, with mansions such as The Breakers open for tours, the 5.6-km Cliff Walk between the mansions and the ocean, and a sailing harbour full of seafood restaurants.
- Rockport and Cape Ann (About 1 hour 10 minutes by train) — Rockport is an artists' fishing village on Cape Ann, with the red fishing shack known as Motif No.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as New England clam chowder, Lobster roll and Fried clams. Many restaurants and bars ask for photo ID before serving alcohol, regardless of age.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Boston romantic?
Boston's romance is old-fashioned: gaslit streets, candlelit Italian dinners, river sunsets and harbour lights. Autumn is the most atmospheric season, when Beacon Hill's doorways are dressed with pumpkins and the Charles is lined with colour.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Boston?
Beacon Hill by gaslight: Stroll the lamplit lanes around Louisburg Square and Acorn Street after dinner on Charles Street.
+Where should couples stay in Boston?
Back Bay: Victorian brownstones, Newbury Street boutiques and Copley Square.