72 HOURS IN BOSTON
In Discover New England The Guide (2006)

Boston is America's nearest and best weekend break. With so much to do and see, it's hard to know where to start. Here is our three-day plan.

Day One
To understand what makes Americans tick, follow Boston's famous Freedom Trail. Walking this 2.5-mile route is like flicking through an American history book - which, of course, coincides with British history! You cannot drive it, so wear comfy shoes and follow the red line in the pavement. Although the trail links 16 of the USA's most famous buildings, there are no rules about where to start. It is easiest to begin at Boston Common, where the Boston Common Visitor Information Center (147 Tremont St, next to the Park Street T stop) has maps for self-guided tours.

Highlights include the State House, with the golden dome that you see at the start of every edition of Ally McBeal. The Boston Tea Party is famous in British and American history, and you can still see the statues of the lion and the unicorn high on the Old State House. Have lunch at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the market redevelopment that inspired London's Covent Garden - and is pronounced 'Fan-yul Hall'. Move on to the North End, Boston's Little Italy, and then cross the Charles River to see U.S.S. Constitution, the world's oldest floating warship.

Family attractions around Boston's harbour include the Children's Museum and the New England Aquarium, one of America's best, with sharks and sea turtles and more. Take public transport to the John F Kennedy Library, all about the late president and his family. In the evening, dine in the trendy South End, with its restaurants, galleries and artists' lofts.

Day Two
Start the day with a birds-eye view of the city from the top of the Prudential Tower, where the Prudential Skywalk Observation Deck is 700 feet up, with views across the city, and across the harbour to Cape Cod. Incidentally, the Top of the Hub Restaurant has excellent food and spectacular views, particularly at sunset.

The Prudential is in the area known as Back Bay, with leafy avenues, great shopping and some of America's finest cultural attractions. West of the Pru is Symphony Hall, home of the famed Boston Symphony Orchestra (October to June). Continue west on Huntington Avenue to the Museum of Fine Arts (call it the MFA). The MFA's must-sees include its collection of Impressionist paintings, while the nearby Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum boasts masterpieces by Rembrandt.

Now you are near Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, baseball's 2004 World Champions. A game or a tour of the oldest stadium in the country is a must. In the evening, head for the North End. In one of the oldest parts of the city, the accent here is decidedly Italian, with a wide choice of restaurants.

Day Three
You haven't 'done' Boston until you've seen Beacon Hill, one of America's most elegant residential enclaves. With cobbled streets, brick pavements and Victorian street lamps, it's like a period film set. The future is on view at the Museum of Science, where learning is fun for adults as well as children and the Van de Graaff generator produces lightning indoors! From here, climb aboard an amphibious vehicle for a Boston Duck Tour, starting on land and then trundling into the Charles River (adults $25, children $16).

Across the Charles River is the suburb of Cambridge where Revolutionary history and handsome houses are balanced by the student buzz at Harvard University and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Both have free student-led tours of their campus. 370-year-old Harvard, the oldest university in the USA, has its own superb museums, with a special ticket ($10) that admits to three terrific art collections. But don't miss the famous glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History - artworks in their own right.

Then stroll along Brattle Street to the home of 19th-century poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who hosted Charles Dickens among others. Or wander round Harvard Square and the surrounding lanes, where shops range from posh to quirky. The Co-op (pronounced Coop) is an institution, selling books for students and Harvard T-shirts, baseball caps and more for tourists. Stay in Cambridge for dinner at restaurants ranging from affordable to special treat.