Bicycle

In recent years, Boston has made vast improvements in its infrastructure for cyclists, including painting miles of bicycle lanes, upgrading bike facilities on and around public transportation, and implementing an excellent bike-share program. Boston drivers are used to sharing the roads with their two-wheeled friends (and they are used to arriving after their two-wheeled friends, who are less impeded by traffic snarls). Cyclists should always obey traffic rules and ride defensively.

Boston’s bike-share program is Blue Bikes (www.bluebikes.com). There are 200 Blue Bikes stations around Boston, Cambridge, Brookline and Somerville, stocked with 1800 bikes that are available for short-term loan.

Bicycle Rental

Urban AdvenTours Bikes available for rent include road bikes and mountain bikes, in addition to the standard hybrids. For an extra fee these guys will bring your bike to your doorstep in a BioBus powered by vegetable oil.

Cambridge Bicycle Convenient for cycling along the Charles River. Rentals are three-speed commuter bikes – nothing fancy, but solid for city riding.

Papa Wheelies Well-established shop convenient for the Charles River, catering to everyone from families to professional cyclists.

Bicycle Exchange This bike shop is just north of Porter Sq, convenient to the Minuteman Bikeway.

Boat

While boats will likely not be your main means of transportation, they are useful for a few destinations, primarily the Boston Harbor Islands and Charlestown. Ferries to Provincetown and Salem provide a pleasant transportation alternative for day trips out of the city. There is also a water-shuttle service to the airport and water taxis that make stops at destinations along the waterfront.

Bus

The MBTA (www.mbta.com) operates bus routes within the city. These can be difficult to figure out for the short-term visitor, but schedules are posted on the website and at some bus stops along the routes. The standard bus fare is $2, or $1.70 with a Charlie Card. If you’re transferring from the T on a Charlie Card, the bus fare is free.

The silver line, a so-called ‘rapid’ bus, starts at Downtown Crossing and runs along Washington St in the South End to Roxbury’s Dudley Sq. Another route goes from South Station to the Seaport District, then under the harbor to Logan International Airport. This waterfront route costs $2.75 ($2.25 with a Charlie Card), instead of the normal bus fare.

The silver line is different from the regular MBTA buses because it drives in a designated lane (supposedly reducing travel time). More importantly, the silver line starts/terminates inside the South Station or Downtown Crossing subway terminal, so you can transfer to/from the T without purchasing an additional ticket.

Car & Motorcycle

It is not easy and not necessary to drive in Boston. Keep in mind that Boston is notorious for counter-intuitive traffic patterns, unexpected one-way streets, impatient drivers, impromptu U-turns and the nerve-rattling `Boston left’. Most importantly, it’s often quicker and easier to reach your destination by public transportation or by bike than by car. Even if you drive your car to Boston, you might as well give it a rest while you are in the city (though it may come in handy for day trips out of town).

Taxi

Cabs are plentiful but expensive. Rates are determined by the meter, which calculates miles. Expect to pay about $15 to $20 between most tourist points within the city limits, without much traffic. If you have trouble hailing a cab, head to any nearby hotel, where they congregate.

Cabbie’s Cab Offers $35 flat-fee airport transfers from Cambridge; call 617-547-2222 or visit www.cabbiescab.com.

Chill Out First Class Cab Offers flat-rate airport transfers from all parts of Boston and Cambridge; call 617-212-3763 .

Train

The MBTA (www.mbta.com) commuter rail services destinations in the metropolitan Boston area. Trains heading west and north of the city, including to Concord and Salem, leave from bustling North Station on Causeway St. Trains heading south, including to Plymouth and TF Green Airport in Providence, leave from South Station.