Museum Hop
Three world-class museums, one easy trip on the T. Start at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum; the Green Line E drops you at the Museum of Fine Arts stop, a short walk away.
Next door: the MFA itself. Then ride Green to Park Street, Red to South Station, and the Silver Line out to the ICA in the Seaport. Any one of these is a full afternoon. Hitting all three is a statement.
- Length
- 3.6 mi
- Time
- 3 hr
- stops included
- Stops
- 3 stops
Starts at Gardner Museum, ends at ICA Boston · Directions
Unlock the Culture Collector badge
The route, stop by stop
Numbered pins are the stops.
Follow it with Shift, free
A map of the route, directions to each stop in your maps app, and automatic check-in when you arrive. Finish to unlock the Culture Collector badge.
Stop 1: Gardner Museum
Start
Isabella Stewart Gardner opened her museum in 1903, built around a flowering courtyard. Empty frames still mark the 13 works stolen in 1990.
Bluebikes: Huntington Ave at Mass Art, 4 bikes there now, 2 min walk.
About this stopNext: Walk to Museum of Fine Arts
0.4 mi · 5 min
The Gardner is right behind the MFA. Cross Forsyth Way and you're there in five minutes.
Terrain: Flat, all sidewalks.
Along the way: Forsyth Way
Stop 2: Museum of Fine Arts
Founded in 1870, the MFA has been on Huntington Avenue since 1909 and holds more than 450,000 works of art from around the world.
About this stopNext: Ride to ICA Boston
3.3 mi · 18 min
Take the T on this stretch; walking would take 80 minutes. Green Line E inbound, transfer at Park Street, then Red Line and Silver Line out to the Seaport. The ICA is a short walk from Courthouse stop.
Green Line EBoard at Museum of Fine ArtsCourthouseFare: $2.40 — free transfers within 2 hours
Transfers: Park Street → Red Line one stop to South Station → Silver Line SL2 (toward Design Center) one stop to Courthouse. ICA is a 4-min walk along Northern Ave.
The Museum of Fine Arts station is right on Huntington Ave outside the museum. The inbound platform is on the south side.
Stop 3: ICA Boston
Finish
The Institute of Contemporary Art moved into this building on the harbor in 2006. Its top floor reaches out over the Harborwalk and the water.
About this stop
Getting there
- Bluebikes near the start, right now
- Huntington Ave at Mass Art2 min walk · 4 bikes · 11 docks
- Huntington Ave at St. Alphonsus St3 min walk · 3 bikes · 11 docks
How it works
A roam is a self-guided route you follow at your own pace in the free Shift app.
Follow the route
Open this roam in the Shift app and follow it at your own pace.
Check in at each stop
The app checks you in when you arrive. No scanning, no codes. Visit all 3 stops and the roam is complete.
Unlock the Culture Collector badge
Finish the roam and the Culture Collector badge is yours.