HOW TO REACH BOSTON

By plane - Boston Logan International Airport is the main gateway to Boston and New England. It is located in East Boston a few kilometers from downtown. All major U.S. carriers serve Boston Logan with extensive flights to major cities across the country. Many European carriers also fly to Boston from their hubs including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (London), Air France (Paris), Alitalia (Milan, Rome), Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich), Aer Lingus (Dublin, Shannon), Swiss (Zurich), Icelandair (Reykjavik) Iberia (Madrid) and NWA/KLM (Amsterdam). Getting to Boston from Asia will require at least a one stop connection.

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is located in Manchester, NH, approximately 50 miles north of Boston. A shuttle bus is available from the airport to the Sullivan Square T stop in Charlestown, with a stop at the Anderson Regional Transit Center in Woburn for connections to the commuter rail. If you do not wish to or cannot take the shuttle, the only way to get into Boston, aside from renting a car, is a bus that runs every few hours or a very expensive cab ride. Note that this airport should not be confused with Manchester International Airport in Manchester, England. (Yes, it has happened before.) MHT serves NH and the northern suburbs of Boston.

By train - Amtrak arrives at South Station, which intersects with the MBTA's Red Line and the waterfront branches of the Silver Line. You can take the Amtrak Northeast Corridor or Acela Express from South Station all the way to Washington D.C. and beyond. Average Acela time from Boston to New York City is 3 1/2 hours, while a trip to Philadelphia takes about 5 hours. Another popular Amtrak train is the Lake Shore Limited service between Boston and Chicago (requiring a layover in Albany). This isn't as high quality or high speed as the Acela, but at around $75, the price is right (note that in order to get the low-low fare, you have to purchase your ticket a few weeks in advance). All Amtrak, and most commuter, trains to South Station also stop at Back Bay Station, which is much smaller, but more convenient to Back Bay, Beacon Hill and the South End. It is on the Orange Line on the subway.

By Bus - Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus serve many cities from South Station but are generally much more expensive than the Chinatown buses, with Greyhound and PPB averaging $30 to New York. However, eSaver fares available online make the Greyhound fare between Boston & NYC as low as $15 each way. The Chinatown buses (AKA Dragon Buses) now use South Station also and serve Hartford, Connecticut and New York City. Fares are competitive, but not as low as they once were (for example, Fung Wah was $10 each way and is now $15). Some significantly lower quality Chinatown buses average $12.50 one way.

It should be noted that Fung Wah Transportation has recently been in the headlines for several accidents involving its buses. It has an extremely poor reputation around the city.

By car - If you are driving in, you may seriously want to consider dropping your car at a lot and taking the "T" in. If you're heading downtown for the touristy sites, you will consider having a car a curse rather than a blessing. Parking at MBTA commuter rail and terminal subway locations is dirt cheap. In particular, the Riverside (Grove Street) stop at the end of the Green D line is right off I-95, and is $3.75 to park ALL DAY. You can even park overnight for something like a dollar more. Commuter rail stations are even cheaper.

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