How to Get Around Boston

Getting Around

Walk first. Boston's historic core is small and its streets grew rather than being planned, which makes them short, crooked and pleasant on foot and slow in a vehicle. Nearly a third of Bostonians use public transit to commute — the sixth-highest rate in the country — but for a visitor moving between Revolutionary sites, walking usually wins.

The MBTA runs everything else. Subway, bus, commuter rail and ferry, under one fare system. A one-way subway ride is $2.40, a bus $1.70, payable by CharlieCard, CharlieTicket, contactless card or cash.

From Logan Airport, the Silver Line is free. The MBTA states that service from Logan is always free; heading back to the airport, transfers from the Red Line to the SL1 are free too. A free Massport shuttle connects every terminal to the Blue Line at Airport station.

Passes only pay off if you move a lot. The 1-Day pass is $11.00 — more than four subway rides — and the 7-Day is $22.50. A monthly LinkPass is $90.00. For most three-day visits, paying per ride costs less.

Transfers changed in September 2026. The MBTA is piloting an updated policy on subway, bus and ferry: unlimited transfers within a two-hour window, paying only the cost of the highest-priced service.

Verified against Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), September 2026.

The subway

Four colour-named lines plus the Silver Line bus rapid transit. The Green Line still runs through parts of the 1897 Tremont Street subway, the first in the United States, which is why its downtown stations feel narrow and awkward — they are.

A one-way fare is $2.40 by CharlieCard, CharlieTicket, contactless payment or cash.

Buses

$1.70 one way, same payment methods. Useful for the places the subway's radial shape does not serve.

From the airport

Service from Logan Airport is always free. The Silver Line SL1 runs from the terminals to South Station, where it connects to the Red Line. Going the other way, Red Line to SL1 transfers are free.

Alternatively the free Massport shuttle picks up and drops off at every terminal and connects to the Blue Line at Airport station.

Passes

Option	Cost	Worth it when
Per ride (subway)	$2.40	Most short visits. Four rides a day is more than a walkable itinerary usually needs.
Per ride (bus)	$1.70	Crossing between neighbourhoods off the subway lines.
1-Day pass	$11.00	Five or more rides in a day — a day spent crossing the city rather than walking one part of it.
7-Day pass	$22.50	A week's stay with daily travel. Breaks even at roughly ten subway rides.
Monthly LinkPass	$90.00	Residents, not visitors.

Ferries and commuter rail

The MBTA also runs ferries and commuter rail on the same fare system — the ferry is the pleasant way back from Charlestown after the Freedom Trail, rather than retracing the bridge on foot.

Driving

Don't, in the core. Downtown has no grid, the Central Artery carries I-93 through the middle of it, and parking is priced accordingly. A car earns its keep only for trips out of the city.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) — The MBTA charges 2.40 US dollars for a one-way subway fare and 1.70 US dollars for a one-way bus fare, payable by CharlieCard, CharlieTicket, contactless payment or cash, and sells a 1-Day pass at 11.00 US dollars for unlimited travel for 24 hours from first use, a 7-Day pass at 22.50 US dollars and a monthly LinkPass at 90.00 US dollars, Starting 1 September 2026 the MBTA is piloting an updated transfer policy on subway, bus and ferry allowing an unlimited number of transfers within a two-hour window while paying only the cost of the highest-priced service, The MBTA states that Silver Line service from Logan Airport is always free, that transfers from the Red Line to the SL1 are also free when heading to Logan Airport, and that a free Massport Shuttle connects to the Blue Line at Airport station, picking up and dropping off at every terminal, The MBTA charges 2.40 US dollars for a one-way subway fare and 1.70 US dollars for a one-way bus fare, payable by CharlieCard, CharlieTicket, contactless payment or cash, and sells a 1-Day pass at 11.00 US dollars for unlimited travel for 24 hours from first use, a 7-Day pass at 22.50 US dollars and a monthly LinkPass at 90.00 US dollars, Starting 1 September 2026 the MBTA is piloting an updated transfer policy on subway, bus and ferry allowing an unlimited number of transfers within a two-hour window while paying only the cost of the highest-priced service, The MBTA states that Silver Line service from Logan Airport is always free, that transfers from the Red Line to the SL1 are also free when heading to Logan Airport, and that a free Massport Shuttle connects to the Blue Line at Airport station, picking up and dropping off at every terminal (September 2026).