Boston's Emerald Necklace Guided Bicycle Tour

Overview

The Emerald Necklace bike tour is an amazing way to see Boston’s most famous green spaces in a ‘green’ way - you may forget you are in the heart of the city! Discover Frederick Law Olmsted’s famous system of parks on this bicycle tour of the historic Emerald Necklace. From the shaded boulevard on Commonwealth Avenue to the popular shores of Jamaica Pond to the winding paths of the Arnold Arboretum, this route is a fabulous way to experience Boston's park system. The route is a favorite among locals! The parks are gorgeous any time of the year, but the foliage peaks in color between mid October and early November.

This tour is up to 4 hours long and covers at least 15 miles, with several hills. Riders must be comfortable spending that much time on a bike and covering that distance. This ride covers many hidden gems in Boston.

City: Boston

Sun 23 Feb

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $89.00

Make a reservation

Sun 23 Feb

Starting at $89.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Professional guide

Use of bicycle

Use of helmet

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
This tour is up to 4 hours long and covers at least 15 miles, with several hills. Riders must be comfortable spending that much time on a bike and covering that distance.
There is street riding on this ride
Tours rebooked within 48 hours of your tour time are subject to a $20 rebooking fee (per person)
You MUST be at least 16 years old and at least 5 feet tall to ride an E-bike.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Guides required to regularly wash hands

What To Expect

Urban AdvenTours

Arrive at our shop 30 minutes prior to your tour time. You'll be asked to sign a waiver and be fitted on your bike. You guide will provide an overview of the ride, what to expect, as well as our safety tips and rules of the road.

North End

Our ride will start in the North End, Boston's Italian neighborhood. You will likely smell the garlic as we roll through. At the end of your tour, you guide will be happy to recommend a restaurant or pastry shop (mmm...cannolis!)

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge

Curious to know the inspiration behind Boston's new(ish) bridge? Our guides will let you know a few fun facts behind the design...

TD Garden

Along our route, we'll ride past TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, and many a concert!

Beacon Hill

Cycle through Beacon Hill, on of Boston's most famous - and photographed - neighborhoods.

Louisburg Square

Louisburg Square is famously known as a literary square, with previous residents including Louisa May Alcott and Robert Frost.

Charles River Esplanade

Our route will take us along the river on the Esplanade, where we'll ride by the Hatch Shell, the outdoor concert stage which was made famous by the Boston Pops Orchestra, which performs during the Fourth of July fireworks.

Back Bay

We'll ride through the Back Bay Fens, one of the parks in the Emerald Necklace park system, which was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The Fens are home to Victory Gardens dating back to WWII, as well as two of Boston's art museums - the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Museum of Fine Arts

The MFA is a world class art museum. We'll stop to see one of their unique art installations outside of the museum. Banners outside will give you an idea of current exhibits, but the MFA is always worth a visit while you're in Boston.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

We'll pass by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - we recommend planning a visit during your time in Boston!

Emerald Necklace

During this tour, we'll ride through the famed Emerald Necklace, which is a chain of green spaces and parks. You may not even feel as though you are right in the heart of a city!

Jamaica Pond

Ride around Jamaica Pond, a kettle pond within the Emerald Necklace.

Arnold Arboretum

We'll ride through Arnold Arboretum, the second "link" in the Emerald Necklace park system

South End

Ride through Boston's South End neighborhood.

Copley Square

Copley Plaza is the heart of the Back Bay neighborhood. The John Hancock building, Trinity Church, and the Boston Public Library surround the square. Copley Plaza also marks the finish line for the Boston Marathon.

Trinity Church

You'll see Trinity Church when we stop in Copley Plaza.

John Hancock Tower

See the John Hancock Tower during our stop at Copley Plaza.

Boston Public Library

You'll see the Boston Public Library when we stop in Copley Square.

Commonwealth Avenue Mall

Ride in the bike path along Comm Ave

Boston Public Garden

Ride along the Boston Public Garden, home to the famous Swan Boats and Make Way for Ducklings sculptures.

Boston Common

We'll visit America's oldest park!

Downtown Crossing

We'll ride through Downtown Crossing, the original shopping district in Boston.

Freedom Trail

Many people ask if we will ride the Freedom Trail on tour. While it's not possible to follow the entire route on bike, we'll cross over the Freedom Trail multiple times along our tour.

Old South Meeting House

As we ride through Downtown Crossing, you'll see the Old South Meeting House.

Rose Kennedy Greenway

One of the city's newest parks, created during "the Big Dig". Rose Kennedy Greenway is the home of many unique art installations, gardens, splash fountains, and farmer's markets.

Boston Harbor Cruises

From Long Wharf, you can see the Old State House - the site of the Boston Massacre - the Custom House Building, the Seaport District of South Boston, and the neighborhood of East Boston.

Show 23 more stops

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (9)

atgme

Jun 2019

On our tour, it just so happened that all 8 of the participants were from Boston or a nearby suburb. All of us signed up for the tour because we wanted to learn more about the Emerald Necklace and have a chance to tour the entire length of it. We LOVED the experience! En route to and from various segments of the Emerald Necklace, our guides, Greg and Michelle, led us through the city on un-congested bike routes. Aside from experiencing the beauty of the Emerald Necklace, we also explored neighborhoods that were new to most of us (back streets of JP, new development in Forest Hills). The return route on along the Southwest corridor gave us a taste of how Boston has done a wonderful job developing safe bike routes for commuters. If you are a local who wants to learn more about your city, I can't recommend this tour enough!

Response from Host

Jun 2019

Thank you for the review! Happy to hear that our tour is both great for tourists and locals

sibbis

Oct 2018

I had an excellent time riding the Emerald Necklace with Urban Adventours. Staff at the shop were very helpful in getting the bike set up and ready, and everyhing was well organized. The weather didn't start out too friendly, but our guide took care to find spots for our stops that were a bit out of the wind. Fall foliage at the parks was beautiful, and we even got to see a very cool art installation with vapor creating a mysterious atmosphere over one of the lakes. Because this was one of the longer tours, we were able to cover quite a long distance, with enough time for stops and background from our knowledgeable guide.

Ann B

Oct 2018

I didn't like biking through so much traffic. It was supposed to be a Fall Foliage Bike ride but we had to ask Pell to stop a few times so that we could take pictures, which he did. Also, one of the bikes got a flat tire and it took 40 minutes to fix. That seemed like a long time, but I was glad that he was finally able to do it. The ride through the arboretum and the ride back to the north end was pleasant when we weren't in the traffic. I am sure that is hard to avoid in Boston but maybe a different route would have been better. I am glad that we all survived and we did see some beautiful trees that we would not have seen otherwise.