One Of Boston's Most Coveted Neighborhoods Is A Paris-Inspired Beauty With Upscale Shopping

Looking west from the Boston shoreline in 1850, the only thing you'd see — and smell — were stinking tidal flats separated from the Charles River by a long mill dam. Gaze in the same direction today and witness a landscape entirely revised. Indeed, the only remainder of the "Back Bay" is the neighborhood's name. 

Otherwise, this section of Boston has become one of the most upscale areas of the city, a fact stamped by football god, Tom Brady's, long residence there. Framed by The Public Garden to the east, Massachusetts Avenue to the west, Charles River to the north, and Columbus Avenue to the south, the Back Bay is the city's top spot for business, shopping, and dining. Newbury Street serves as the primary promenade, with boutiques, restaurants, art galleries, salons, spas, and so much more.

Shift one street south to Boylston Street and modern Boston thrusts skyward with the iconic Prudential and John Hancock towers, 111 Huntington Avenue, and One Dalton Street, as well as luxury hotels by Hilton, XV Beacon, and Fairmont. This is also the home of Hynes Convention Center and historical stalwarts like Boston Public Library and Trinity Church. Head north from Newbury and the pedigree transfers to handsome residential streets packed with Victorian and Gilded Age architectural treasures. All are steps from the Charles River Esplanade — a three-mile riverside park and path for biking, strolling, skating, picnicking, and dog walking. All of this provides ample evidence for why Boston ranks on Rick Steves' list of the best American cities. 

The Back Bay neighborhood features prominently in Viator's Walking Tour Downtown Freedom Trail + Beacon Hill & Copley Square. The final two stops take in Newbury Street — highlighting the top sights — and the Parisian-like residences on Commonwealth Avenue. The Commonwealth Avenue Mall that runs down the center for 32 acres adds to the French flavor. In fact, it was specifically designed in the 19^th-century French boulevard style by Arthur Gilman, who consulted Central Park and U.S. Capitol designer, Frederick Law Olmsted, on tree planting. Today, the covering canopy includes sweetgum, maple, linden, Japanese pagoda, and elm trees that shade statues and memorials to Alexander Hamilton, William Lloyd Garrison, Abigail Adams, and Boston firefighters, among others.

These stops come after completing a section of Boston's Freedom Trail. The tour starts at the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was first read to the public and the Boston Massacre took place. From there, the tour meanders west to the America's oldest public park and beautiful New England oasis, Boston Common, where you'll catch your first glimpses of Back Bay. However, before diving in, the tour curves around the north side of the Common to the Beacon Hill neighborhood, old Boston's richest address. You'll see Federal-style homes, gas lanterns, and the cobblestoned Acorn Street — the most photographed street in America. From there, the tour steps into the Boston Public Garden, the first botanical garden in the U.S. and home of the famous Swan Boats.