2026 Boston Travel Guide | Hotels, Dining & Attractions

Whether you’re a Boston native or visiting for the first time, the Editors’ Picks in our 2026 Boston Travel Guide highlight the best places to eat, stay, and explore across Beantown. Curated by the Yankee team with insights from local experts, these handpicked spots showcase the beauty, charm, and character that make Boston unforgettable.

2026 Boston Travel Guide

2026 Best Boston Attractions

Best Candy Store:
Madeleine’s Candy Shop, Boston

Swedish candy seems to be the topic on everybody’s tongues recently, both literally and figuratively. Made with real sugar and natural colorings, the confections skew extra chewy and colorful. There’s no better spot to fill a bag than Madeleine’s Candy Shop in the South End, which offers walls lined with clear acrylic containers of domestic and imported candies. Among the sweets on offer: gummy sharks, sour watermelon bears, and Bubs, a highly popular Swedish candy brand. Shoppers simply use tongs to scoop what looks yummiest into their bags, weigh them at the counter, and enjoy.

Best Craft Classes:
Tutuland, Boston

No frilly pink skirts are necessary at Tutuland, also known as “the land of craft lovers.” Just bring all the creativity you can muster to properly get in the zone. Which zone, exactly, depends on what colorful craft class you’re in the mood to try: There’s rug tufting, acrylic paint pouring, DIY beading, and decoden art, which involves decorating an accessory of your choice (like a phone case) with rhinestones, pearls, stickers, and other doodads.

Best Food Festival:
Boston Local Food Festival, Boston

Swirling scents of barbecue, dumplings, crepes, pupusas, and other culinary delights beckon visitors to the Rose Kennedy Greenway for one delicious day in September, allowing them to sample some of the region’s best dishes. Beyond the rows upon rows of food vendors, a “New England Seafood Throwdown” highlights wild-caught fish and local produce, while cooking demonstrations teach onlookers about pickling, baking, and beyond. Kids tend to linger at the Family Fun Zone, where there’s face painting, lawn games, and crafts.

Best Free Summer Event:
Berklee Summer in the City, Boston

Nothing beats catching a concert on a warm summer evening, and thanks to Berklee, you can do so without having to keep refreshing your browser for tickets. The school’s “Summer in the City” series puts on more than 200 free performances from June to September. Since 2006, the series has spotlighted more than 10,000 performers across dozens of genres, including folk, jazz, and R&B. Watch students, faculty, and alumni jam from your seat at one of the city’s loveliest hangouts, such as the leafy lawn of Cambridge’s Longfellow House, the ICA’s waterfront grandstand, and the shores of Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor.

Best Fun Spot for Grown-ups:
Park City, Boston

It’s been compared to summer camp for adults, and for good reason: South Boston’s Park City is a 30,000-square-foot outdoor restaurant, bar, and venue that feels like entering dozens of small, simultaneous parties. Based on Park City’s debut season in 2025, visitors can expect to find something always going on (live music, a fitness class, or movie night, to name a few) and the scent of something delicious in the air. Among past menu hits are “adult lunchables,” aka elevated charcuterie boards, and double dry-aged smash burgers. Dogs are invited, too: “Bark City” offerings have included unseasoned beef patties and grilled chicken tenders with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the MSPCA.

Best Indie Music Store:
Village Vinyl, Brookline

Those in search of the record-shop experiences of yore should head to Village Vinyl in Brookline, which has been offering self-proclaimed “crap-free crate digging” since it opened in 2017. It’s a laid-back place staffed by folks with encyclopedic music knowledge: You can browse new and vintage vinyl, as well as CDs, cassettes, and, for audiophiles, stereo equipment like turntables, amps, and speakers. DJs also set up shop here from time to time, spinning a variety of genres and hosting listening parties for new albums.

Best New Cultural Attraction:
Soundscape Tours, Boston

There are Boston walking tours, and then there are Soundscape Tours—punchy explorations of the city’s rock ’n’ roll history, all guided by local musician Matt Bowker. Starting from the music-themed lobby of the Verb Hotel, you’re whisked through Back Bay and the Fenway as Bowker points out legendary venues like the Rat and the Boston Tea Party, aka the Velvet Underground’s favorite place to play in the States. He goes deep on how Boston has impacted the careers of artists like Radiohead, the Pixies, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, and many more.

2026 Best Boston Dining

Best Café:
Elephantine, Boston

Stepping into this newish café-bakery off a busy Fort Point sidewalk, you may wonder, Am I in Paris? Edith Piaf on the stereo, fresh flowers in vases, stacks of croissants, buckets of baguettes … the vibe is transporting, and the food and drinks even more so. Begin the day with a cardamom bun and a latte, or the creamy soft scrambled eggs with house-made sourdough; for lunch, eggplant focaccia or Niçoise salad and maybe an Aperol spritz? Additional location in Portsmouth, NH.

Best Classic Seafood:
Row 34, Boston and Cambridge

Boston’s seafood scene has evolved to the point of specialization: prix fixe (Mooncusser), Portuguese (Baleia), steakhouse-inspired (The Banks), luxe (Ostra). But for classics like clam chowder, lobster rolls, Maine mussels, and calamari, all prepared with peak-fresh fish, you can’t beat Row 34. “Classic” doesn’t mean tired, however: The calamari comes with togarashi aioli for dipping, and there’s lobster tagliatelle with smoked oyster butter, too. All in all, the perfect “new New England” seafood spot. Additional locations in Burlington, MA, and Portsmouth, NH.

Best Indian:
Ssaanjh, Brookline

Yes, you can get that old standby chicken tikka masala, but here the flavors are fresher and more vibrant. Biryani is enlivened with fresh herbs, sizzled onions, chilies, saffron, and lemon juice. And vegetarians will love the creamy spinach, corn, and ricotta saag. The cooking is modern and improvisational, with variations on dishes from all over India, not just the Punjabi classics found everywhere else. Plus, there are zingy cocktails and desserts flavored with chocolate, rose, saffron, pistachio, and mint.

Best Mediterranean:
Sarma, Somerville

Cassie Piuma—who is part of the team that gave us Oleana and Sofra, but who has truly made Sarma her own—has been producing some of the most inventive, delicious, seasonally attuned, and expertly crafted food that Boston has ever seen, and she’s been doing it consistently for more than a dozen years. The food is spice-forward Mediterranean with an emphasis on shared plates. Some must-trys: avocado muhummara, Black Sea cornbread, lamb kofte sliders, and ricotta loukamades with halva caramel for dessert.

Best New Restaurant:
Brassica Kitchen + Café, Boston

Brassica is the kind of restaurant we wish Boston had more of: quirky, imaginative, and neighborhood-centric. After the Jamaica Plain eatery outgrew its original space, it moved into much bigger digs next door last fall, which allowed chef-owners Jeremy Kean and Philip Kruta to add a pizza oven and to experiment more. You’ll see Italian and Japanese flavors here, with lots of fermentation—in the hot sauces, the pizza dough, the koji risotto, the miso in the Bolognese. Don’t miss the pork belly, the duck, or the weekend brunch.

Best Pizza:
June Bug, Somerville

From the team behind the 2025 Best of New England pick Field & Vine, June Bug specializes in naturally leavened (aka sourdough) pies baked in a Maine-made wood-fired oven that turns the crust puffy, chewy, and crisp. Toppings are more seasonal and imaginative than the usual, so you might see squash blossoms and fresh tomatoes in late summer or morels, cheddar-beer sauce, and chives in spring. Salads are noteworthy, the flan is unmissable, and the wine list is full of delicious surprises.

Best Pub:
McGonagle’s, Boston

Boston has plenty of Irish pubs, but only McGonagle’s has such a high-level combo of wood-and-stained-glass interior, live music, perfect pours, craft cocktails, and fresh takes on classic pub fare. In fact, McGonagle’s (named after owner Oran) made it onto The New York Times’s list of the 50 best restaurants for 2025. Of particular note: gourmet pigs in blankets with locally made links, excellent fish and chips, real soda bread with Irish butter, and an ultra-cozy shepherd’s pie.

Best Sushi:
Café Sushi Nisei, Cambridge

For more than 40 years, Café Sushi, just outside Harvard Square, has been the standard-bearer for quality sushi at fair prices. During the pandemic, the restaurant went takeout-only and stayed that way for five years. Happily, table service is back in the renamed café (nisei means “second generation”), in a stylishly redesigned space—dark blue walls, cozy nooks, glowing red and white paper lanterns. And the food is even better: small plates of miso-glazed sablefish; sea bream sushi with yuzu, edible flowers, and wasabi oil; toro with leek coulis and lemon. Another must-try: the five-spice fried chicken.

2026 Best Boston Lodging

Best Affordable Overnight:
Meco Hotel, Boston

Maybe you just need a nice place to stay that won’t break the bank. Enter Meco Hotel, a “pod hotel” in the West End offering bunk-style sleeping quarters in female, male, and coed rooms that go as low as $50 a night. Each pod has a blackout curtain you can pull down for privacy, as well as charging outlets, a reading light, and storage. The place is more of a friendly hostel-hotel hybrid, with common areas for socialization and shared bathrooms, not to mention free pastries and coffee in the lounge.

Best Hotel Package:
Boston Harbor Lobster Experience Package at the Lenox, Boston

Picture this: You’re cruising out of Boston Harbor in a working lobster boat, the wind in your hair and the city at your back. Soon, you’ll haul up a trap filled with crustaceans, which you’ll feast on later tonight. That’s the idea behind the Lenox Hotel’s Boston Harbor Lobster Experience package. After learning about the lobstering business (and how to bind claws!), you’ll get cleaned up to eat the day’s catch as part of a five-course tasting menu prepared by executive chef Daniel Kenney.

Best Luxury Overnight:
Four Seasons One Dalton, Boston

Treat yourself by spending a night (or two) in the third-tallest tower in the city. Though it’s all gleaming glass on the outside, it’s total warmth and elegance on the inside, thanks to a muted palette with metallic accents. A stay includes bathrobes and slippers for both you and the kiddos, Frédéric Malle bath amenities, and impeccable views. You’ll also want to explore the “Wellness Floor”—complete with a spa, a fitness center, and a 64-foot pool with an underwater sound system—and Zuma, the sleek Japanese izakaya-inspired restaurant.

Best New Hotel:
The Atlas Hotel, Boston

It’s not every day that Boston’s Allston neighborhood gets a shining new tower—in the form of a hotel, to boot. Within its soaring 16 stories, The Atlas Hotel offers 246 eclectic guest rooms outfitted with mossy green textiles, leather seating, marble accents, and views in every direction. Contemporary art bedecks the lobby, which serves as a funky all-day lounge, while the team from Dorchester’s acclaimed Comfort Kitchen is behind the on-site restaurant, Ama at The Atlas, and the glitzy rooftop bar.

Best One-of-a-Kind Rental:
Casita Houseboat at Bed & Breakfast Afloat, Boston

You won’t have to choose between a city or coastal getaway at this marine retreat—you can enjoy the best of both worlds in the form of gentle waves and a sparkling skyline view. Docked in Charlestown, Casita is a sunny houseboat with a queen bed, en suite bath, and covered porch. A sizable deck overlooking the city offers an umbrella-shaded table and Adirondack chairs for lounging; if you need more space, guests also have access to the marina’s outdoor heated pool and communal deck with grills for use.

Best Pet-Friendly Hotel:
Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston

Three words: doggy room service. Not only can guests at the Fairmont bring up to two pets in tow, but dogs are invited to indulge in beautifully plated treats—on demand. The dog-friendly in-room dining menu offers Angus beef patties, hearth-roasted chicken, peanut butter pup cups, and even a dish of codfish and caviar. There are built-in socialization benefits, too, considering the hotel’s friendly black lab canine ambassador, Cori Copley, can often be found trotting (or napping) around the lobby.

Best Solo-Travel Escape
citizenM Boston Back Bay, Boston

The beauty of solo travel lies in your ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want. At citizenM, you can indulge in anything that strikes your fancy: luxuriating in your XL king-size bed, admiring the local art on the walls of the cozy “living room,” or toasting to yourself at the top-floor champagne bar, Bubble Bath. The best of Back Bay is only a few steps from the lobby, and Lyrik, the surrounding development, hosts unique events, too—like watercolor workshops and hiFiv, an outdoor vinyl listening bar on Sundays and Thursdays.

Honorees were selected by Yankee editors led by senior food editor Amy Traverso, longtime Boston resident and host of Weekends with Yankee, with contributions by Madeline Bilis, contributing editor at Boston magazine and author of 50 Hikes in Eastern Massachusetts.

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