Boston is one of the oldest cities in the USA, and was well developed before urban planners started prioritising wide roads, giant parking structures, sprawling suburbs, and so on. As such, a lot of Boston is compact and walkable, with plenty of pedestrian infrastructure. This makes Boston ideal to visit as a car-free tourist. You can easily find cheap hotels in Boston within walking distance of the main sites and attractions due to the compact nature of the city. If you’re moving to Boston, you may actually find that it’s easier to exist in Boston without a car than it is with a car – the city’s layout means that traffic moves slowly through the narrow streets, that parking is hard to come by, and that walking is often actually faster and more efficient than driving.

Public transport is a bit hit and miss in many American cities, but Boston is a rare outlier, with a relatively comprehensive and reliable public transport system. This is one of the reasons that Boston is such a popular destination for European visitors and workers. The MBTA subway system, usually called the T, reaches most of the city’s most important locations, including Back Bay, Cambridge, Fenway, Downtown, and the waterfront. You’ll find stations regularly interspersed throughout the central districts, so you don’t need to spend long hours hiking towards transport links or waiting for expensive rideshares. The network is also very straightforward once you have used it a couple of times, particularly compared with the far more fragmented systems found elsewhere in the United States.

In some American cities – particularly in the South – the climate makes it uncomfortable to walk for long distances. Heat and humidity are the main culprits for this. Boston, however, doesn’t have any major weather issues that prohibit walking or using public transport for months on end. Winters can be cold and icy, but the city is diligent about salting the pavements on major routes. Spring and autumn are mild and manageable, and the heat of summer rarely gets too stifling to drive people indoors. What’s more, even in bad weather the short distances between amenities and attractions means that you don’t have to commit to hours of walking in snowstorms or high humidity.

Boston’s older neighbourhoods weren’t designed to be seen from behind a windscreen. You’ll get a lot more out of your time in the city on foot. Beacon Hill, North End, Back Bay, and the streets around the historic Boston Common all have quirky architectural features that reward slower, contemplative wandering. You’ll also find plenty of small shops, cafes, historic churches, and interesting public art taking in the city on foot that you’d miss from a car. As with any city, when you are wandering, please do be aware of your surroundings and keep your valuables safe.

If you’re visiting or moving to the USA and are worried about a lack of car, Boston is a good choice of destination. If you do need the convenience of a car, there are plenty of rideshare options operating in and around the city – but generally you won’t need a car. Boston is compact, was designed with great pedestrian infrastructure that still stands the test of time, and has one of the better public transport networks in the USA. What’s more, the climate is generally pretty friendly for pedestrians. In fact, Boston is so friendly for non-drivers that drivers often complain about how much the city caters for walkers, cyclists, and public transit users over private cars! All in all, if you’re heading to the USA without a car, you really can’t go far wrong in Boston.