The Massachusetts state capital is perhaps best known for its educational institutions, and Harvard University is even situated in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Boston also developed the first, and still one of the best, underground systems in the USA, so is there any need to hire a car there?

Why hire a car in Boston?

• Leaf fall — New England is most famous for its autumn leaves, and Boston is the main gateway for this. Although new England leave fall bus tours are available, this really is the kind of excursion that is best done in the car.
• Cape Cod — a car is best for Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Cape Cod.
• LimiTed although the famous ‘T’ (MBTA) network is generally excellent for getting round Boston itself, it becomes much more limited outside the central city area. The lines don’t always intersect with each other, so you often have to change twice, whereas journey to the west of the city on the Green line can be tortuously slow, as this route has so many stops, and it divides into five separate fingers, so you can sometimes wait a very long time for your train. Suburban trains operate in two separate north and south stations, but there are no direct Metro link between, and many routes only have limited hours of operation.
• New Hampshire/Salem?

Why not?

• Ride the ‘T’ – despite having some limitations as mentioned above, MBTA (Massachusetts-bay Transit Association) does offer a comprehensive network of routes within and around the city of Boston.
• Whale watching tours — take a whale watching trip from Boston harbour, and this will be one of your most memorable experiences of a visit to Boston. No car needed.
• Big dig — Boston’s infamous ‘big dig’ has ended up being one of the most expensive engineering projects in US history, but it has finally buried a waterfront elevated highway which strangled access from the city to its coastal shores. Now visitors to the city can enjoy a network of links parks, whilst the cars whiz around in tunnels below. This is definitely one to appreciate on 2 feet, not from behind the steering wheel.
• Quincy — take the T out to Quincy, Massachusetts, birthplace of John Quincy Adams, and home to the famous Quincy library, rated as one of America’s favourite buildings.

Conclusion – whilst public transport in Boston itself is perfectly adequate, you will almost certainly want to leave the city, and although you can venture out by bus or train, a hire car will definitely be best for this. This is especially so during the leaf fall season.

Verdict — yes (seasonal)

File under: Boston car hire advice - yes or no?, Boston airport car rental.