Boston, Massachusetts
Boston self-guided walking tour: the Freedom Trail.
A free, original loop along the downtown Freedom Trail: Boston Common, the Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, the Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, Old South Meeting House, the Old State House and Boston Massacre site, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House and Old North Church. Read the stops here, then open the mapped route on your iPhone.
Start on Boston Common
Begin at the Visitor Information Center at 139 Tremont Street on the edge of Boston Common. The loop follows the downtown Freedom Trail north to Old North Church in the North End, then returns along Hanover Street, past Government Center and down Tremont Street. The National Park Service warns that the trail’s brick sidewalks can be uneven and slippery when wet, so wear sturdy shoes. The route follows mapped pedestrian paths, but it has not been walked on site by Daily Wander.
- On iPhone, get Daily Wander if you do not have it.
- Return to this page and tap Open the tour in Daily Wander. Check the preview, then choose Open in Daily Wander.
- In the app, review the route and choose Start this route or Save route. Keep this guide handy for the stop notes.
Museum visits, tickets and meals are separate and are not included in the walking time. Follow local signs, closures and diversions.
Ten stops, in walking order
The route uses public viewpoints. Check the linked sources for current access before planning a visit inside.
Stop 1
Boston Common
Begin at the Visitor Information Center on Tremont Street, at the eastern edge of Boston Common. The Freedom Trail Foundation calls the Common America’s oldest public park: in 1634 the Puritan settlers bought the land from William Blackstone for 30 pounds, and it stayed a grazing pasture until 1830. In 1775 more than 1,000 British soldiers camped here during the occupation, and troops set out from the Common for Lexington and Concord. Look uphill across the lawns for the gold dome of the State House, your next stop.
Stop 2
Massachusetts State House
Walk uphill on the paths across the Common to Beacon Street and stand opposite the Massachusetts State House. Charles Bulfinch designed this building, and it has been the seat of Massachusetts government since it opened in 1798. The 40-member Senate meets beneath the golden dome, and the House of Representatives has 160 members. An 1829 sketch shows John Hancock’s mansion standing just to the left of the Bulfinch front. Then follow Park Street downhill along the edge of the Common.
Stop 3
Park Street Church
Walk down Park Street to the white steeple at its corner with Tremont Street. Park Street Church was founded in 1809 and designed by Peter Banner. Its 217-foot steeple was once the first landmark travelers saw as they approached Boston. The church stands where the town’s granary, its grain storage building, used to be. Cross to the Common side of Tremont Street for the best view of the stacked tiers of the steeple, then return to the church side.
Stop 4
Granary Burying Ground
Walk a few steps north on Tremont Street to the gates of the Granary Burying Ground, established in 1660. About 2,300 markers stand here, but more than 5,000 Bostonians are thought to be buried in the ground. Samuel Adams and James Otis are buried here, and the victims of the Boston Massacre lie beside Adams. Look for John Hancock’s monument, Paul Revere’s stone and the central obelisk for Benjamin Franklin’s parents.
Stop 5
King’s Chapel and Burying Ground
Continue north on Tremont Street to the granite church at the corner of School Street. King’s Chapel was founded in 1686 as Boston’s first Anglican church. The present building, designed by Rhode Island architect Peter Harrison, was completed in 1754 on the church’s original site. The burying ground beside it was the first in Boston proper. Look through the railings for the graves of John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, and Mary Chilton, remembered as the first woman to step off the Mayflower.
The Freedom Trail Foundation: King’s Chapel & Burying Ground
Stop 6
Old South Meeting House
Walk down School Street to Washington Street, turn right and stop at the brick meeting house on the corner of Milk Street. Old South was built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house. On December 16, 1773, more than 5,000 men crowded in to argue over the tea tax. When a last compromise failed, Samuel Adams gave the signal, and Sons of Liberty headed to Griffin’s Wharf, where they dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. Look up at the tall spire and its clock.
Stop 7
Old State House and Boston Massacre site
Walk north on Washington Street to the Old State House at the head of State Street. Built of brick in 1713 to replace a wooden town house that burned in 1711, it is where Colonel Thomas Crafts read the Declaration of Independence from the balcony for the first time in Boston, on July 18, 1776. Look up at the lion and unicorn; the copper versions date from 1901. Nearby, a memorial medallion installed in 1882 recalls March 5, 1770, when five people died here.
Stop 8
Faneuil Hall
Walk east on State Street, then turn left onto Congress Street and follow it to the brick plaza in front of Faneuil Hall. The hall was built in 1741 as a center of commerce, and it has long been called the Cradle of Liberty and the home of free speech for the public meetings held here. Look up at the roof for its golden grasshopper, which the Freedom Trail Foundation calls Boston’s most famous weathervane, made by the craftsman Shem Drowne.
Stop 9
Paul Revere House
Walk around Faneuil Hall to North Street, cross the Rose Kennedy Greenway and follow North Street into the North End to the house on North Square. Built about 1680 on the site of the Second Church parsonage, it is downtown Boston’s oldest building. Paul Revere bought it in 1770 and owned it until 1800, and it opened to the public as a museum in April 1908. Look at the two-story townhouse with its gabled garret, a rare survivor from 17th-century Boston.
Stop 10
Old North Church
Leave North Square by Prince Street, turn right on Hanover Street and cut through the Paul Revere Mall to Old North Church on Salem Street. Founded in 1723, the church is where sexton Robert Newman and vestryman John Pulling Jr. held two lanterns in the steeple on April 18, 1775, warning that British troops were moving by water. Today’s steeple is the third, raised in 1955. To finish, walk back down Hanover Street to Government Center and follow Tremont Street to the Common.
Keep the route with you
The tour link opens a route preview with an iPhone handoff. You can also download the GPX and open it from Files → Share → Daily Wander. The app shows the route; this page supplies the stop descriptions.
Boston walking-tour questions
How long is this Boston walking tour?
The mapped loop is about 2.5 miles (4.1 km). That is roughly 50 minutes of moving time at 3 mph; allow 2½–3½ hours with stops.
Does the Freedom Trail continue past Old North Church?
Yes. The Freedom Trail Foundation describes the official trail as 2.5 miles linking 16 historic sites, and this loop leaves out the Charlestown end. To extend the walk, follow the red line from Old North to Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, then about 0.9 mile (18 minutes) over the river to USS Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yard and 0.4 mile more to the Bunker Hill Monument. The National Park Service notes that the Long Wharf/Charlestown ferry links the Navy Yard with downtown.
Is the Freedom Trail free to walk?
Yes. The National Park Service says walking the Freedom Trail, marked by a red brick line, is free; some sites along it charge admission, while sites run by the National Parks of Boston are free. It estimates about 1½ hours to walk the trail without stopping, plus 20–40 minutes for each site you go inside.
Can I follow the route on my iPhone?
Yes. Tap Open the tour in Daily Wander, check the route preview and choose Open in Daily Wander. If you need the app, install it first and return to this page. The page supplies the stop notes; the app shows the walking route.
Does the walk return to the start?
Yes. The loop starts and finishes at the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common.
Can I download the GPX instead?
Yes. Download the GPX from this page, save it in Files on iPhone and share it to Daily Wander. The route geometry is available under the Open Database License.
Make another walk from your hotel
For a different distance or a loop from another starting point, use the US walking-route planner. Daily Wander can suggest a separate loop from the location you choose.
More self-guided tours: Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans French Quarter, New Orleans Garden District, Nashville, Washington DC, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Augustine, San Diego and Amsterdam.
Original itinerary by VANTH Studio. Reviewed October 18, 2026. Route geometry from OpenStreetMap via the FOSSGIS pedestrian router; distance measured along the track. Actual time depends on your pace, stops and diversions. Access to venues is controlled by their operators.