Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall)
An elegant Victorian district of brownstone rows along the tree-lined Commonwealth Avenue greenway.
The call
Worth it if you are watching the budget and you only have one day.
Why
- 01
Of Boston's two great residential walks, this is the grand, formal one — the Commonwealth Avenue Mall runs a wide double row of elms and statues straight down the spine of the neighborhood, flanked by uniform Victorian brownstones, and it feels less like a street than a slow processional promenade, especially under spring magnolia blossom or in deep fall color.
Our read - 02
It's the one stretch of Back Bay that earns its own visit rather than overlapping with Newbury: where Newbury (a block over) is shops-and-patios and Beacon Hill is intimate and crooked, the Comm Ave Mall is open, axial, and quietly imperial.
Our read
Is it a fit?
Go if
You are watching the budget
On a budget, Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) still earns its price.
You only have one day
Even on a tight schedule, Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) earns the hours.
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) works.
You are traveling solo
Solo, Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) works.
Think twice if
You are traveling with kids
With kids, give Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) a miss.
You prefer local life to spectacle
For local authenticity, Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) is hit or miss.
The same streets, hour by hour
Quiet, leafy, and golden along the Comm Ave Mall.
Pleasant strolling among the brownstones and statues.
Calm and softly lit, an easy walk back from Newbury or Copley.
Worth-it spots in the area
Plan it well
- Cost
- Free
- Timing
- Spring blossom or fall foliage; daytime for the leafy mall.
- Booking
- None — it's a public neighborhood walk.
- Allow
- 45-90 min
- Accessibility
- Flat, paved sidewalks and mall paths are fully accessible.
- Getting there
- Arlington, Copley, or Hynes stations (Green Line) border it.