After 7 years in Boston, I finally think I can call myself a local. While we benefit from having the airport so close to the city, it’s not always easy navigating airport signs! Keep reading for the best ways to get out of the airport and start exploring Downtown Boston.
Driving from Boston Logan to Downtown
Driving around Boston? Good luck!
Hopefully you’ve got someone nearby picking you up. Between the colonial-era urban design and the recent growth of the city, Boston roads are tougher to navigate than ever. Luckily, the airport is very close to the heart of the city. Because of this, and if there’s no traffic, driving is one of the fastest and easiest ways out of Logan Airport. (But only if traffic isn’t bad!)
Parking at the airport will set you back a couple hundred dollars for your typical week-long vacation. Once you get your car, the best way from BOS airport to Downtown Boston is via I-90. The interstate highway is connected directly to the airport, and will take you right to downtown via the Ted Williams Tunnel under the Main Channel into Boston Harbour. Once your surface, follow the signs for the exit ramps to downtown, the Seaport, or wherever else you’d like to explore.
Ride Sharing and Taxi from the Airport into Boston
If you need a ride, but are without a car, Lyft, Uber, and taxis are your friend. There’s a huge ridesharing market in Boston, and plenty of drivers. Like most major US airports, there are now designated ridesharing pickup spots at each Terminal. Follow the pink signs to your designated pickup spot, and the rest is a breeze. I’ll say again, if there’s no traffic (and that’s a big IF in Boston) then a car can be the easiest way to get from the airport to downtown Boston! If you really want to take a from BOS to Downtown Boston, you’ll likely save money by using a service like Carmel Limo — plus you can save $4 off using this link.
Another popular option is grabbing a seat on a shared express . A variety of express buses run from Boston Logan Airport to Downtown BOS and cost in the $15 to $20 (one-way) range. These are large buses designed for runs, so most of them have plenty of storage underneath the seats for luggage. GO Airlink Shuttle is one such bus – it costs about $21 per person one way. Try promo code SHUTTLE to save 5%.
Lyft and Uber dominate the Boston market, in my experience, and there’s no true difference between them in terms of speed and quality. I often favor Uber, simply because my American Express Platinum cards gets me free Uber credit every month!
(SEE ALSO – Am I Really Going to Pay a $450 Annual Fee?)
Public Transit from Boston Logan to the City
You guys already know I love the T. I’m a regular on the T, Boston’s interpretation of a public transit system. And I have to be honest with you, though it’s an easy target to make fun of, I use the T heavily, and it usually get me from A to B pretty reliably.
As far as Boston Logan goes, the T works pretty well! There are two main connections between Boston Logan International Airport and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority system. The MBTA encompasses multiple light railways, a ton of bus routes, regional commuter rail trains, and a few ferries. Both the Blue Line and the Silver Line have very easy connections to the airport.
The Silver Line runs from Boston Logan International Airport stopping a few times in the Seaport along the way to South Station. In its loop though the airport, the Silver Line will stop at Terminal A, Terminal B (twice), Terminal C, and then Terminal E. The Silver Line from the airport is free, and you can pick it up curbside at the Arrivals Level. Typically, the Silver Line will take between 10 minutes (no traffic) and half an hour (lots of good old Boston traffic) to drop you off at South Station. Once you’re at South Station, you can easily connect to the local MBTA Red Line (free transfer), regional train and bus service, or walk right out the door into Chinatown or the Financial District!
Your second option is to grab the Airport shuttle to the Blue Line. This gets a bit confusing for out-of-towners…the Blue Line has a T stop called “Airport”…but it’s not really at the airport. From the Airport stop on the Blue Line, you’ll have to catch the free Massport shuttle to the actual airport. It’s a quick ride, typically only 15 minutes or so, to get to the terminals.
The Best and Cheapest Way from Boston Logan to Downtown Boston
I’m going to stick with my gut on this one. The best and cheapest route from Boston airport to Downtown Boston is the Silver Line! I’ve taken the Silver Line to and from the airport tons of times. The MBTA Silver Line remains my top choice for two main reasons:
- The Silver Line is free when you board at the airport! (And what’s cheaper than free?)
- The Silver Line gets you from Boston Logan International Airport to South Station without any transfers. You hop on one bus at the airport, read a book or power nap after your long flight, and the bus drops you off in the heart of the city.
From South Station, it’s only a 15 minute walk to the Seaport, the North End, or Boston Common. You’re in a great spot to explore the city!
Step by Step guide on taking the T from Boston Airport to Boston
If you’re convinced like me that the best and cheapest way from Boston Airport to Downtown Boston is public transport (subway), here is a step-by-step guide on taking the subway from Boston Logan airport to just about anywhere in Boston.
First, when you leave the terminal, follow signs for ground transportation. You will end up going downstairs from baggage claim – just follow the signs. Once you get outside, look for directions to the Silver Line. It will vary depending on what terminal you’re at. Here is what it looks like coming out of Terminal A.
Once you get outside, just continue following the signs till you get to the Silver Line stop. Again, it will vary by terminal but it should be with some of the other hotel and airport shuttle buses. Here is what the sign looks like in Terminal A
If you didn’t know, the Silver Line that takes you from Boston airport to Downtown Boston is not a train – it’s a bus. This is what it looks like. There should be only one bus (SL1) that goes from the Boston airport to South Station.
Ride the bus from the airport for 4 stops. Halfway through it stops the engine and converts to electric for the remainder of the journey. The whole journey takes about 10 or 15 minutes usually but can be more if there’s traffic. You’ll arrive at South Station on the lower level. Take the escalator, stairs or elevator up to the main level. If you’re transferring to the Red Line (for other areas of Boston), just follow the signs to the Red Line (you’ll go back down to the lower level)
I hope this guide will help you get from Boston Logan International into the city – if you need to make it a roundtrip, make sure to check out my guide to the best and cheapest way from Boston to the airport!
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There is also the Back Bay Logan Express which hits every terminal and makes stops at Copley and Hynes (and although without an MBTA pass it’s $7.50 each way.
http://www.massport.com/logan-airport/to-from-logan/transportation-options/logan-express/back-bay/
Ah good catch Adam! I’ve never used it, but I see the buses at Copley all the time
Nice. Thanks. Slight correction to, “MBTA encompasses multiple light railway.” Light rail are street cars, e.g., Green Line. The Red, Orange and Blue Lines are normal subway lines or “medium rail”. Amtrak and Commuter Trains are considered “heavy rail”. The MBTA ferry service and water taxis are worth mentioning.
“Main Channel” lol
We prefer taking the water taxi. It’s not the cheapest but it is about on par with Lyft and you can’t beat the views or feel while being out on the water.
Best way is of course highly dependent on where in the city you’re going.
For instance if you are staying in the North End/Faneuil Hall, you may find it’s easier to take the blue line or the Ferry from Logan to Long Warf vs silver line.
When it comes to driving, I90 is good for the south side of the city & the back bay while the Sumner and Callahan would be better options for the North End, Cambridge and Charlestown.
If you are good on smaller boats I would highly recommend taking the water taxi. They have many stops available around the city’s waterfront. On a nice summer day you cannot beat seeing the city from the harbor. I don’t know about their luggage policy so you may want to call ahead to check.
One thing you want to keep in mind before taking the Silver line – they are buses and they spend part of their time on public roads (part of their route is dedicated) and thus are subject to traffic and longer/unreliable travel times.
Totally right Nick, I was only really looking at Downtown for this – lots of ways to get around the city!
How can I simply get into the lounge at BOS? Don’t have any premium cc’s. Have a 5 hour layover
Hey Barb! (Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been out of the country) – I know you can pay a fee to get into the American and United lounges, and if you’re flying Delta out of Terminal A, you can pay to get into either of their 2 SkyClubs.
I’m a big fan of the Priority Pass, which will get you into a bunch of lounges and restaurants throughout the world! But…you usually need a premium card for that
Which card for the priority pass?
Most of the high fee cards will get you a Priority Pass! Notably, the AmEx Platinum, CSR, Citi Prestige, Hilton Aspire; the Hilton Ascend will also get you a PP card that’s only good for 10 visits per year, but that’s plenty for some folks.
I agree with you on the driving. Something to bear in mind is that all the “easy” driving routes require a toll on the various bridges / highways you would take. This amounts to $5 minimum.
You can avoid the tolls but turning onto route 1A just before the bridge tolls as you exit the airport. Then follow that around to Somerville area where you can pick up I-93. This was the original way to get to the airport before the fancy tunnels were done.
This works for pretty much anywhere in the city as it is just doing a 10-15 minute additional loop “around” the tunnel/ bridge.
Easiest to map this out on Google Maps and select “avoid tolls” to see if it makes sense for you.
For a feel of timing for a pickup or dropoff at BOS, a 1 hour Zipcar rental could get me from Cambridge to BOS and back avoiding the toll, and that was generally enough time for the turnaround.
I’m having some trouble coordinating the posting, dated 1/15/2023, with these comments, dating from April 2019 to January 2020.
Something seems to be off.
Periodically we update and repost posts that are still relevant. That is why you see older comments, since this post was originally posted a few years ago, and then updated and reposted recently