Boston is a city of contrasts, a gentle blend of the old and the new. The city has a very ‘English’ feel about it, with hilly, crooked, cobblestone streets, a grassy common and cosy Victorian townhouses with polished brass door-knockers. It also played a vital role in the opposition to colonial rule that led to the American War of Independence.

The Freedom Trail, which is marked by signs and a red pavement line, is a 5km (3 mile) walk that passes 16 points of historical interest, some of which are in the Boston National Historical Park. The Skywalk Observatory at the Prudential Tower is a viewing platform on the 52nd floor (open daily 1000-2200), offering a spectacular view over the city; the city’s highest observation point, the John Hancock Observatory, was closed permanently after the New York terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. Other attractions include harbour cruises, some of which enable the visitor to see the Boston skyline, the airport and the 1822 USS Constitution at Charlestown Navy Shipyard; the Museum of Fine Arts; the famous Museum of Science; the John F Kennedy Library and Museum; the New England Aquarium; the Old North Church; Faneuil Hall; and the Ball & Finch Pub, upon which the popular TV series, Cheers, was based.

Cambridge lies across the Charles River from Boston. Here stands Harvard University, the USA’s oldest university (1636). In the south of Boston is Quincy, the birthplace of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Salem, north of Boston, is famous for its seafaring history and the 1692 witch trials. Also north of Boston, Marblehead is one of the East Coast’s premier sailing centres, its old town full of 18th- and 19th-century homes of fishermen, merchants and artisans.

Just west of Boston, Concord is one of the most historic and beautiful towns in the USA. Its Old North Bridge was the site of the ‘shot heard round the world’ in the opening engagement of the American War of Independence. The engagement commenced on what is now called Battle Road in Lexington on 15 April 1775. Plimoth Plantation, in Plymouth, is an open-air museum recreating a 1627 Pilgrim village. The Mayflower II, also in Plymouth, is a full-scale reproduction of the ship in which the Pilgrims made their harrowing 66-day voyage from England. Battleship Cove, in Fall River, harbours 20th-century US Navy vessels and is the largest complex of its kind in the country.