SeeBack Bay-Beacon Hill

Marathon Finish Line

Quite easy to visit 364 days of the year, this is the endpoint for one of the largest and most prestigious marathons in the world. The Boston Marathon has been held every year since 1897, making it the world's oldest. On race day, streets are barricaded and lined with bleacher seating, and first aid tents spring up like mushrooms in Copley Square. If you like, pay your respects to the victims of the ghastly 2013 terrorist attacks here, but there is no permanent memorial at this site.

free

Address: 665 Boylston St
Getting there: T: Copley
Hours: 24 hours daily
Price: Free
Website: bostonmarathon.org (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Boston/Back Bay-Beacon Hill, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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SeeBack Bay-Beacon Hill
Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center
An independent geographic research and education center including an exhibition gallery that features changing thematic exhibitions, a public learning center with research books, and a reading room for rare map research. It is ranked among the top ten in the United States its collection of over 250,000 geographic objects, the significance of its historic (pre-1900) material, its advanced digitization program, and exceptional educational programs to advance geographic literacy among students in grades K to 12.
Free
SeeBack Bay-Beacon Hill
Boston Public Library
BPL
This is the headquarters of the Boston Public Library (BPL). This branch is defined by its two buildings, the original McKim building from 1895, and the newer Boylston building, opened in 1972. They were built to similar scale and use similar materials, but the ornamentation–or lack thereof–clearly separates them. The Boylston building completed extensive renovations summer of 2016; featuring a new cafe, radio station, and other amenities for the people of Boston. Don't miss the beautifully quiet interior courtyard, a place to spend a solitary moment reflecting in the heart of the city.
Mon-Thu 9AM-9PM, Fri Sat 9AM-5PM, Sun 1-5PMFree
SeeBack Bay-Beacon Hill
Old South Church
Third Church
As one of the finest High Victorian Gothic churches in New England, the Old South Church is a stunning aesthetic landmark within the Back Bay. The interior is filled with sumptuous materials, musical instruments, and stained glass. After a misguided makeover in the 1950s, a painstaking restoration took place during the late 1980s. Historical members of the congregation include Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and William Dawes; Paul Revere's lesser known counterpart. (Although this building would be news to them.) Willard Sears, one of the architects responsible for this structure, also takes credit for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, another European inspired masterwork.
Sun 9AM-noon, Thu 6PM-7PMFree
EatBack Bay-Beacon Hill
Stephanie's On Newbury
190 Newbury St
Mon-Wed 7:30AM-midnight, Thu Fri 7:30AM-1AM, Sat 9AM-1AM, Sun 9AM-11PMStarters $14-24, mains $20-30