Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall)

Short answer

Is Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) worth it?

Back Bay (Commonwealth Ave Mall) deserves a place on most first itineraries.

The answer depends on your budget, time and travel style; the breakdown below shows who gets the most value.

Why

1. 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.

2. 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.

Is it a fit?

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.

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