How to fully enjoy your journey in the North End.

Welcome to Boston's North End, the city's oldest residential district where people have lived continuously since its settlement in the 1660s.  It is the birthplace of the Revolution, the center of Italian culture and cuisine, and one of the most colorful, vibrant urban neighborhoods in America.

Several ways abound for exploring and experiencing the North End. We recommend that you do it on foot.  Stroll down the narrow and winding streets, stop at a caffe for a cappuccino, listen to the buzz and hubbub all around you. This way you cannot help but immerse yourself fully in the many sights, sounds and aromas of European-American village life.

If you need a place to stay overnight, take a look at our bed & breakfast and hotel listings. If you want to know more about the history of the North End, you can read about it on our North End History page.

The North End offers several different group tour opportunities.  The Freedom Trail Tour covers much of the early Revolutionary historical sites.  Michele's Topor's North End Market Tour will introduce you to the many colorful Italian markets and shops of our "Little Italy." And if it's the hidden secrets of the North End that pique your interest, take our celebrated (and humorous) North End Secret Tour.  You'll visit over 40 unique sites where pivotal events shaped both the neighborhood and the life of the Nation - from Colonial times to the present day.