10 Most Popular Neighbourhoods in Boston

Downtown Boston lies at the very center of the city. It’s the main hub for dining, shopping, and sightseeing, with many of the city’s best attractions located within the neighborhood. It’s known for some historic landmarks on the Freedom Trail, including the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, and City Hall.

There’s plenty of unique neighborhoods within Downtown Boston to explore as well. The eastern boundary features a beautiful waterfront area with high-end hotels and restaurants. To the south, the Theater District is known for energetic evenings of Broadway, opera, and dance performances, while Chinatown hosts excellent restaurants, atmospheric shops, and Boston’s large Asian population.

Fenway-Kenmore is a huge neighborhood southwest of Downtown Boston, most known for being home to the Boston University and student hangouts around the popular Kenmore Square. As a result, the neighborhood has quite a vibrant nightlife, with clubs, bars, and restaurants concentrated in the northern part of the district.

Toward the southern half of Fenway-Kenmore, you’ll find more park areas including the huge Back Bay Fens Park with walking trails and beautiful gardens. The neighborhood also hosts Fenway Park, the iconic ballpark home of the Red Sox baseball team, which draws huge crowds with sports matches and the occasional concert.

Beacon Hill is often described as one of the most picturesque parts of Boston. Located next to Downtown, it's bordered by the Charles River to the west and Boston Common to the south. This old neighborhood is known for steep streets lined with brick houses and antique lanterns.

Spending an afternoon strolling the streets is considered an essential part of visiting Boston, especially as Beacon Hill is also the starting point of the Freedom Trail. This means that you can find several important landmarks and historical attractions, including the gold-domed Massachusetts State House. Boston Common on the edge of the neighborhood is also worth exploring: this 50-acre park contains important historical monuments and walking trails.

Back Bay is an affluent neighborhood, located between Fenway-Kenmore and Beacon Hill, and has some of the best fashion boutiques, art galleries, and patio cafes in the city. The tree-lined streets are also dominated by grand, red-brick buildings with high real estate prices to match.

Back Bay’s upmarket and designer shops, along with some incredible dining experiences, are concentrated on Newbury Street. Copley Square is one of the must-visit attractions in the neighborhood. It’s flanked by historic buildings, including the 19th-century Trinity Church.

South End is popular for being a culturally fascinating part of Boston. The large district lies to the south of Downtown and Back Bay, between major highways. The streetscape is primarily restored Victorian houses and European-style squares. While the area was once a forgotten part of Boston, it’s been reclaimed by the vibrant art scene and LGBTQ+ community.

One of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Boston, around South End’s main thoroughfare, Washington Street, you can find art studios and galleries inside converted warehouses. There are also some of Boston’s most exciting restaurants, particularly on Harrison Avenue and Washington Street.

Allston is a large neighborhood west of Downtown Boston that's known for being full of young students. You can find a youthful and vibrant community, with most of the action centered around Harvard Avenue. This area has plenty of buzzing bars, restaurants, trendy cafes, tattoo parlors, liquor stores, and student lodgings.

This nightlife hub of Allston ends just at the edge of the university campus. Lower Allston, which is the northern half of the neighborhood, has more of a laidback vibe. While still home to a large student population, it’s dominated by an athletics and sports complex, as well as parklands which are great for escaping the crowds.

North End is popular for those looking for some of the best dining experiences in Boston as it's right on the wharf to the north of Downtown. The narrow alleyways have been home to Italian immigrants since the 1920s, which has earned the neighborhood the nickname, “Little Italy.”

You can find Mediterranean restaurants, pizzerias, coffee shops, wine bars, and Italian delis around the lively Hanover Street. North End is also part of the self-guided Freedom Trail, where you can visit historic sites such as the Paul Revere House, Old North Church, and Copps Hill Burying Ground.

Seaport District is a redeveloped part of the waterfront in Boston. Located across the Fort Point Channel from Downtown, it offers excellent views of the harbor and city skyline. The district used to be home to an industrial and marine processing center but is now populated with restaurants, bars, and hotels.

The main tourist and nightlife hub of Seaport is in the northern part, near Fan Pier Park and the Institute of Contemporary Art. This is where you can find breweries, rooftop bars, and upscale restaurants. The Harborwalk is a lovely trail along the waterfront to enjoy a post-dinner wander.

Charlestown is a historic waterfront neighborhood on the north shore of Charles River. While separated from Downtown Boston by the water, it was officially incorporated into the city in 1873. The area has Irish-American roots, with plenty of old architecture and historic monuments.

The self-guided Freedom Trail includes stops at the Bunker Hill Monument, USS Constitution Museum, and Boston National Historical Park, which detail some of the important past events. Main Street is where you can find traditional Irish pubs, upscale restaurants, and quaint cafes. The appeal of the neighborhood is that it’s much quieter than other areas of Boston.

South Boston is a less-visited neighborhood south of Boston’s Downtown and glitzy waterfront area. Known as "Southie,” it has a strong Irish heritage and has often been used as a set for Boston-based mafia movies. However, the ever-changing neighborhood has a variety of good restaurants, as well as being home to some of the city’s best beaches.

South Boston’s main dining hub can be found on East and West Broadway Streets, where you can find a mix of traditional American diners and upscale gastropubs. On the eastern edge of the neighborhood, walkers can head to the waterfront trails around Pleasure Bay. On a warm summer day, families can enjoy Carson Beach’s sandy bay and shallow water.