The 4-day itinerary below gives you two days in Boston and Cambridge MA, and two days exploring other destinations in eastern Massachusetts on day-trip excursions by bus, train or car.

Feel free to spend a third day in Boston, and only one day on an excursion, perhaps depending upon the weather.

Day 1

Follow the Freedom Trail around Boston's most historic sights, have lunch in or near Faneuil Hall Marketplace, spend some time shopping at Downtown Crossing or along Newbury Street, and have a good dinner in one of the city's better restaurants.

Day 2

Visit one or two of the city's better museums (Museum of Fine Arts, Gardner Museum, Museum of Science, Children's Museum), then take the subway to Harvard Square for some cafe-sitting, shopping, and a tour of Harvard University.

Day 3

Drive, or take the suburban train, to Concord for a walk around that historic town and out to Old North Bridge, where the second battle of the Revolutionary War was fought.

If you're driving, you can follow the course of Battle Road from Cambridge through Lexington and Concord in the Minuteman National Historical Park.

Or, instead of heading west to Concord, you can drive or take a train north to the North Shore and Salem to explore New England's maritime history at the Peabody-Essex Museum, and Salem Maritime National Historic Site. You can get a look at some of Salem's witch lore as well.

Day 4

With an extra day you can do both of the excursions outlined in Day 3. If Pilgrim lore is fascinating to you, drive or take a bus or MBTA Commuter Rail train south to Plymouth for a look at Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower II, and other sites in Plymouth, then spend the afternoon at Plimoth Plantation, south of town.

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