Massachusetts
Freedom Trail
How to walk Boston's Freedom Trail: the 2.5-mile red-brick route, which of the 16 sites are worth paying to enter, and how long to give it.
Where
Boston, United States
Opening hours
The outdoor trail is open and free at all hours. The paid buildings keep their own hours, typically around 09:30–17:00, with shorter winter hours; check each site before you go.
Tickets
Free to walk. To enter the five paid sites in 2026, roughly: Old State House and Old South Meeting House share one Revolutionary Spaces joint ticket, about $15 adult (~£12), rising to about $18 (~£14) from 2 July 2026; Old North Church Discovery Pass about $10 (~£8), or $15 (~£12) with the bell-chamber tour; Paul Revere House about $6 (~£5); King's Chapel about $5 (~£4) general admission. Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument are free.
Time needed
2–3 hours to walk all 2.5 miles without going inside; a full day if you tour several buildings.
In short
Visiting Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail is a free 2.5-mile red-brick line set into the pavement, linking 16 revolutionary-era sites from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Following the bricks and looking at the exteriors costs nothing; only five sites charge to go inside. Allow two to three hours to walk it end to end without stopping, or a full day if you tour the buildings. Wear proper shoes — the cobbles and Charlestown hills are hard on feet.
How to walk it without overpaying
The Freedom Trail isn’t a ticketed attraction — it’s a 2.5-mile red-brick line set into the pavement that you follow on foot from Boston Common, through downtown and the North End, across the river to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Following the bricks and looking at the outside of all 16 sites is completely free. The trick is knowing that only five of the stops charge you to go inside, so you don’t end up paying at every door.
Start at the Boston Common visitor centre, where the bricks begin, and just keep the red line under your feet — it runs continuously and is easy to follow without a map, though a free NPS map from the Faneuil Hall visitor centre helps. In 2026 the paid sites cost roughly: the Old State House and Old South Meeting House share one Revolutionary Spaces joint ticket at about $15 (£12), rising to about $18 (£14) on 2 July 2026; the Old North Church Discovery Pass is about $10 (£8), or $15 (£12) with the bell-chamber tour; the Paul Revere House is about $6 (£5); and King’s Chapel is about $5 (£4). Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument are all free to enter — those are run by the National Park Service.
What to pay for, what to skip, and is it worth it?
Allow two to three hours to walk the whole thing without stopping, or the best part of a day if you tour the buildings. If you only pay to go inside one or two, make them the Old State House (the Boston Massacre happened on the cobbles outside, and the balcony is where the Declaration was first read to Bostonians) and the Old North Church (the “one if by land, two if by sea” lanterns). The Old State House joint ticket also covers the Old South Meeting House, so you don’t pay twice for the pair. The Paul Revere House is small — fine to admire from outside if you’re short on time. The Granary Burying Ground, where Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams are buried, is free and one of the better stops.
It’s worth doing, but treat it as a free, self-guided history walk through the oldest part of Boston, not as a sightseeing tour you must buy tickets for. Wear proper walking shoes — much of it is uneven cobble and the Charlestown end climbs, including the 294 steps up the Bunker Hill Monument if you want the view. 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, so expect bigger crowds and more events than usual at the central sites; go early in the morning to walk the downtown stretch before the tour groups arrive.
Planning the rest of your trip? See the Boston city guide.
