What to see, what to do Boston?

Most Boston attractions and museums are open every day of the week, usually from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., year-round, except for certain holidays, including December 25, January ¹, and Thanksgiving. Smaller facilities may close one or two days a week, often on Mondays and sometimes on Sundays. Boston is especially busy from May to October, but the city is alive year-round

Generally speaking, it is not necessary to book your visits well in advance. However, if you would like to take part in a guided tour of the city, it's a good idea to book your tickets online one or two weeks before your arrival. Tours are in small groups and some slots can quickly become full

Museums are unfortunately rather expensive in Boston and the rest of the United States. The Museum of Fine Arts, for example, costs US$25, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum US$15. Even institutions that do not enjoy any kind of reputation often charge admission. However, tickets are almost always cheaper for students, children and seniors. You only need to show your ID or student card to benefit from these discounts. Many museums also offer free admission on certain days: for the Museum of Fine Arts, for example, this is the case every Wednesday from 4pm.

Perhaps the city's most famous event is its marathon, which takes place on the third Monday in April. Then on July 4, in Boston and across the country, the national holiday is celebrated with fireworks and live music throughout the city. The festivities begin on the ^{1st of} the month with Harborfest. Then comes fall: Halloween is always a big holiday in the United States, and visiting Boston at this time is an experience in itself, between the pumpkins that take place on every landing and the fall colors that transform the leaves of the trees. But the most memorable event of the fall is of course Thanksgiving. Let's not forget that the first Thanksgiving took place not far from there, in Plymouth!

There are many ways to become familiar with Boston. The Old Town Trolley (www.trolleytours.com) is a must-see, as it offers guided tours of the city's main districts while allowing visitors to get on and off at the various stops. To immerse yourself in the legend of the Red Sox, the city's legendary baseball team, there's nothing like a guided tour of their stadium, Fenway Park (www.redsox.com/tours). In the summer, finally, it's unthinkable not to enjoy the river: the Boston Duck Tours (www.bostonducktours.com), those amphibian buses that leave the mainland to go to the Charles River, are perfect for that!

U.S. cities have put in place a lot of measures to deter smoking. Cigarette smoking (electronic or not) is prohibited in all city parks, under penalty of a US$250 fine. Smoking is prohibited in museums and cultural institutions, even when they have a garden or outdoor space. Moreover, persons under 21 years of age are not allowed to buy cigarettes