How do I get from the airport to Boston?

Logan International (BOS) sits on a peninsula in East Boston, less than 3 miles across the harbor from downtown. The MBTA Silver Line SL1 is free when you board at the airport, making Boston one of the few major U.S. cities where airport transit costs nothing on the ride in. The SL1 stops at every terminal, runs roughly every 10-15 minutes from 5:30am to 12:30am, and deposits you at South Station in about 20 minutes. South Station connects to the Red Line for Cambridge, Harvard Square, and MIT. On a June evening, the SL1's air conditioning is aggressive enough that you'll want a layer if you've been sweating through Terminal E. The bus runs through the Ted Williams Tunnel, 1.6 miles under Boston Harbor, with no traffic lights between the airport and the city side.

The MBTA Blue Line is faster if you're headed to the waterfront, the North End, or Government Center. Free Massport shuttle buses loop between all terminals and Airport station every 5-8 minutes. From there, the Blue Line reaches Aquarium station in about 4 minutes. A CharlieCard fare is currently $2.40, or $2.90 for a single-ride ticket from the vending machines. Government Center is 2 more stops. The platforms at Airport station are outdoors and uncovered, which matters in a Boston January when the wind off the harbor drops temperatures to around 20°F. In June, the harbor breeze at Airport station is warm enough. Blue Line trains run from approximately 5:15am to 12:45am. The CharlieCard itself is free but you'll need to locate a fare vending machine at the station. If your hotel is near Faneuil Hall or the North End, the Blue Line drops you closer than the Silver Line would.

Taxis queue at every terminal's ground transportation level. The ride to downtown is metered, not flat-rate. Expect $25-35 to most downtown hotels, plus a Massport airport fee and tunnel tolls that add another $5-7 to the meter. Tipping 15-20% is standard in Boston, so budget $35-50 all in. The Sumner Tunnel can back up badly during the 4-7pm rush on weekdays. A 12-minute ride to the Seaport can stretch to 40 on a Friday afternoon. Uber and Lyft pick up from designated rideshare areas on the arrivals level. Pricing tends to run $15-25 on a calm afternoon, but surge pricing during Red Sox games at Fenway Park can push fares past $50. Worth noting, Boston drivers seem to consider turn signals optional, so the ride may feel more lively than you'd expect. If you have heavy luggage and your hotel is in Back Bay or the South End, a car makes more sense than dragging bags through two subway transfers.

If you're arriving in daylight between April and mid-October, the water taxi from Logan to Long Wharf is the best 7 minutes of transit in the city. Boats leave from the Logan dock near Terminal E. A one-way ticket runs about $15-22 depending on the operator. You step off at Long Wharf, a 5-minute walk from Faneuil Hall and the edge of the North End. Boston Harbor smells of salt water and diesel at the dock. Seagulls circle the Long Wharf pilings. The view of the Financial District and the 1915 Custom House Tower from the water is better than any observation deck in Boston. That said, this only works if you've packed light enough to carry everything onto a small boat, and most services stop running around 8pm. For a late arrival, default to the Silver Line SL1.