If you can leave your car at home, then you will have a much more enjoyable and less stressful trip to Boston. Besides the traffic, parking is expensive and the roads are confusing. Even native Bostonians get confused and stressed while driving. As people love to say, Boston streets are not on a traditional grid system; rather, the streets developed over time which adds to the confusing layout.

The good news is that you don’t need to drive since most of Boston is relatively flat and walkable especially to the tourist attractions. You will actually get to most places faster in Boston by walking than driving (or hopping on the T—but more on that below). With that in mind you will want to bring a good pair of sneakers especially since some of the roads are still composed of cobblestones. Also, if you want to walk along the infamous Freedom Trail, that’s 2.5 miles you’ll be trekking so you’ll definitely need comfortable shoes.

If you are unable to walk then the easiest and least expensive option is to use the subway system called the T. A one-way fare is only $2.40 or an unlimited day pass is $11. An added bonus is that kids under the age of 11 are free. The subway system is easy to understand and is represented by color-coded lines like red, green, orange, and blue. Most of the tourist attractions are on the green or red lines which makes it even easier to navigate. Each line goes inbound meaning toward the four stations near Boston Common or outbound meaning away from those same four stations.

If you are traveling to Boston, book reservations as far in advance as possible since places book up quickly. You can even book museums and other attractions based on the time and day you plan to be there. This way you won’t have to worry about it being sold out and you can avoid standing in long lines to purchase tickets. If you know a local Bostonian or even someone from Massachusetts, then ask them if their local library offers a museum pass to save money on your ticket.

It’s not exactly clear who originated this quote but you can often hear Bostonians say, “If you don’t like our weather, just wait a few minutes.” There’s a reason this quote is popular—it’s because it’s true! So be sure to dress in layers and also bring many variations of apparel and gear. Besides different types of precipitation like rain, sleet, and snow the temperature often fluctuates by a wide margin throughout the day. The recent record was a 59 degree temperature change in a 38 hour time span! That’s a wicked big change!