Combine two attractions Boston has to offer—delicious food and rich history—on this tour that starts in the popular North End and continues along the Freedom Trail. Snack your way through this historic Italian neighborhood, trying fresh bread at a hidden bakery and enjoying an Italian salumeria. Once fortified, walk the Freedom Trail to discover the rich history of the American Revolution and experience the modern city Boston is now.

North End food, history, and highlights tour gives you a comprehensive view of the city
Delicious food samples, including fresh bread, meats, and cheeses
Learn fascinating facts about American Revolution history from your guide
Enjoy a surprise local treat with your guide.
Stop in front of the Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre
Discover the first bookstore in Boston
See the site of the first public school in America
Visit the first public park and botanic garden in Boston
Join a tour that is carbon neutral, operated by the world’s largest travel B Corp accredited company

What's Included

Friendly Local, English-speaking guide
3 food stops (with a variety of food samples such as fresh bread, pizza, meats, and cheese)
1 food and drink stop (Hot Italian beverage and Pastry)
Entrance fee to the historic Old North Church (or equivalent alternative)
Enjoy the stunning views from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market
Learn about the Sons of Liberty and see where the Boston Tea Party took place
Enjoy a surprise local treat

Tips/gratuities for your guide
Additional food and drink

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

The Greenway Carousel
191 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02111, USA
The Greenway Carousel (Outside - Next to the Carousel entrance) 191 Atlantic Ave., Boston, MA 02111

End point

4 Charles St
4 Charles St, Boston, MA 02116, USA
Boston Public Garden (or nearby), 4 Charles St., Boston, MA 02116

What To Expect

North End (Pass By)

Old North Church & Historic Site

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rose Kennedy Greenway (Pass By)

Marriott's Custom House (Pass By)

Faneuil Hall Marketplace (Pass By)

Quincy Market (Pass By)

Old State House (Pass By)

Downtown Crossing (Pass By)

Old City Hall

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Massachusetts State House (Pass By)

Boston Public Garden (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Entrance to the Massachusetts State House requires a government ID and all guests must pass through metal detectors. The State House is open on weekdays only, we will find alternate sites to visit on weekends.
This is a child-friendly tour. Children under the age of 6 are permitted to join this tour free of charge.
We can accommodate vegetarians and other dietary restrictions. Please notify us in advance if you have any dietary requests.
Small group of a maximum of 12 people.
Near public transportation

The Food to Freedom Tour is environmentally friendly because unlike many of the tour companies in Boston, you walk as opposed to using buses or other vehicles.
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travellers can participate
In the morning when you are in the famous North End, all of the food stops are 100% owned and run by locals, ensuring that local people benefit from tourism to their city. So any inclusions on the tour and additional purchases you make will directly benefit the local community.
You also stop at one of the world-famous churches which is as much a part of Boston's (and America's) history as you can get. The Old North Church is a non-profit organization that works hard to educate school children and adults on American history and colonial life. By paying an entrance fee, you are helping to maintain the church and their work.
We reserve the right to change both the route and places visited within the tour. Food inclusions are subject to change, dependent on availability on the day.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

Just a few tips - bring a bottle of water if you get thirsty and be prepared to walk.

If you think five hours is too long (it went by fast), you always have the option to leave the tour when you think it is time or if you have other plans.

You can leave the tour at any point, don't feel pressured to stay until the end, especially if you have plans.

Reviews

5.0

1,140 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 1,140 reviews

The Best Tour in Boston

Peter_S, Sept 2023

Out guide, Tyler, was amazing!!! The depth of his knowledge of the history of Boston and the American Revolution was remarkable. He was welcoming and friendly and put our entire group at ease. The tour involved a lot of walking and Tyler set a comfortable pace with pit stops perfectly timed. The food was delicious and filling. His restaurant recommendations were greatly appreciated. In fact, we went to dinner that evening at Benevento’s and had a wonderful meal and experience. This tour is worth every dime and is a must for your visit to Boston.

Great food and history!

Wood_S, Sept 2023

Tyler was very knowledgeable and we loved the history we learned. The food was fantastic, we felt like we got a great taste of everything.

Molly our tour guide was...

Jennifer_B, Sept 2023

Molly our tour guide was great. Our only negative was combining two tours. Next time we would onky do the food/history portion and not the add on of the additional history only portion.

Great day in Boston

Michelle_W, Sept 2023

Alex was wonderful! So knowledgeable and an adorable personality!! Loved the history, and getting to see the city through Alex’s eyes. Food was delicious, and enjoyed dinner at one of his recommendations! Highly suggest doing this tour, and hopefully you get Alex!

Great tour great food, great guide

Barbara_B, Sept 2023

Trey was a fantastic tour guide….knowledgeable and courteous. Really enjoyed his stories of the city.

Best Boston Walking Tour!

Eva_P, Sept 2023

This 5-hour tour is well worth the money. The first part is history but mostly food. The second part is all revolutionary history. While not from Boston, the tour guide Lucy is exceptionally knowledgeable and a pleasure to have is our tour guide. She was both informative on the food scene and on the history of the greater Boston area. She was professional, courteous, prompt, and not one of the those overly commercialized theatrical tours that you see here. The group was very small and seemed to be a better price and value than all of the other larger tours. There is a lot of walking so wear comfortable clothing and shoes. All the food stops were exceptional and we were nicely accommodated at each stop. I would not recommend this tour for young teenagers or small children. It is also hard to traverse if you have accessibility issues. That is nothing to do with the tour itself, but with the natural terrain of Boston.

Would recommend to a friend.

Sara_c, Sept 2023

Trey was very knowledgeable and very nice. Learning the history of the area was fun. The food was delicious! Just a lot of carbs, a salad with the rest would have been nice. Our tour was combined with another one unexpectedly which made it longer, which I hadn’t planned on, so I didn’t like that but otherwise it was amazing and a lot of fun.

Exactly what was expected

Scott_N, Sept 2023

Alex was a great guide, sharing his experience and knowledge. Great food stops and historic information.

Great experience for first time in Boston.

Jeff_C, Sept 2023

Tyler was awesome. Very knowledgeable. He really enjoys sharing his knowledge. Learned a lot and had fun too. Highly recommend. Tip.. wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water.

Highly recommended introduction to Boston.

Catherine_W, Aug 2023

Bob was a terrific guide - knowledgeable, friendly, humorous and patient. We learnt so much about Boston history, culture and places. The cannoli was exceptional! This was the ideal introduction to Boston and was valuable in framing decisions about the remainder of our stay.

Great eats and history!

Karina_B, Aug 2023

The tour was great, even in the rain! And our tour guide had great stories and amazing references that anyone would understand! Would definitely recommend

Great tour!

Jamie_C, Aug 2023

Molly was an excellent tour guide! Fun to try the food in the north end & learn about the families & businesses that reside there! Then the history portion was awesome! Loved walking the freedom trail & seeing Boston!

4.6 thumbs up!!!

Jan_B, Aug 2023

Loved the food and the experience. Adam was a great leader and passionate about Boston. Cannoli best ever had at Victoria, tried the almond soda with it. Wished the bar we went to didn’t have a speaker above us as my husband is hard of hearing and that made it difficult to join in on the conversation. Lots of walking, but at a great race for the group.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Jan! Thank you for taking the time to let us know how your tour went... cannolis and almond soda sound like a perfect pairing. We are sorry to hear that noise levels impacted your time with us, but happy you made the most of the day. Stay well.

Goo’s experience

Nancy_H, Aug 2023

Adam was very personable. It was very enjoyable to learn all about the Freedom Trail. And the food was excellent!

Level up for Boston trip

Cynthia_E, Aug 2023

Connor was absolutely great! He shared so much history and took us to great places to taste Boston. I loved it and would do it again

Must See Boston

Kristina_S, Aug 2023

We wanted a new adventure for our visit to Boston. We loved the idea of combining food with the history. We learned so much. Our guide Lucy was wonderful and knowledgeable and showed us a fantastic time. We didn’t walk too fast. The food was delicious. The treat at The Well Coffee Hiuse was a perfect pick me up near the end of the tour.

Enjoy Boston Italian food and colonial history all in the same day

denisemcwhayden, Aug 2023

Tour was wonderful. Stuffed Italian bread, cannoli, cappuccino, Caprese sub and excellent Pizza—all were delicious. Tim was pleasant, informative, engaging, and eager to answer all question. He was excellent in bringing history to life. Would recommend to everyone. There is a good bit of walking but sufficient rest times offered.

Fantastic experience

Michael_L, Aug 2023

Great experience. The guide was considerate and thoughtful to everyone’s needs during the tour. He made sure to ask for input and any questions needed from everyone.

Perfect Day in Boston

Julie_E, Aug 2023

We had such an incredible time on our Boston Food & History North End Freedom Trail Walking Tour! I love that the tour company keeps the groups small. We had 9 people in our group (just our family) which was perfect. Larry was our guide and he felt like a family friend by the end of the trip. He was so kind and took such great care of my parents who are in their 80's. We learned a ton of history and tasted a wide variety of food - pizza, olive bread, grinders, cannolis, cappuccinos and a local beer/cider. Plenty of food! It was lots of walking but Larry went at our pace and was so patient. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour whether it is your first time in Boston or you just want to try some new local restaurants and brush up on your historical facts.

Excellent

David_M, Aug 2023

Lucy was an excellent guide! She was knowledgeable, approachable, and enthusiastic! Food tour with a history tour is the way to go. Its a long day, about 5 hrs but it's broken up with plenty of breaks. Food was incredible! We recommend this tour as a great way to taste the amazing food and experience the rich history if Boston and our country!

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