Booking choice: The small-group Freedom Trail history walk, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Book this Compare the options below
"How much does it cost to do the Freedom Trail" has a short answer that surprises people: nothing, unless you want to go inside four particular buildings. The National Park Service is explicit about it, the Freedom Trail Foundation sells tours rather than entry, and the paid sites are private non-profits that fund their own upkeep.
This guide separates the free from the paid site by site, explains what a guided tour's price does and does not include, and points out the free days and passes the sites themselves publish. It does not print prices, because they change: the sites' own pages and the GetYourGuide checkout are the figures that count.
The quick answer
Yes, the trail is free. The National Park Service states there are no fees at the federally or municipally owned sites, which include Faneuil Hall, the Bunker Hill Monument and its museum and USS Constitution; the Common, the burying grounds and the Massacre site are public streets. Four privately run sites charge admission: Old South Meeting House and the Old State House (one Revolutionary Spaces ticket covers both), Paul Revere House and Old North Church. A guided tour usually does not include those four.
Can I walk the Freedom Trail for free?
Yes. The line is in the public sidewalk and the National Park Service runs its sites, ranger tours and talks without fees.
The Park Service's own fees page says there are no fees at the federally or municipally owned historic sites within Boston National Historical Park, naming Faneuil Hall, the Bunker Hill Monument, the Bunker Hill Museum, USS Constitution and Dorchester Heights, and that there are no fees for ranger-guided tours, talks or education programmes. Boston Common, the Granary and King's Chapel burying grounds, Copp's Hill, the Franklin statue and the Massacre site are the street.
King's Chapel, a working church, and the USS Constitution Museum, which is separate from the ship, both ask for donations rather than selling tickets.
Which Freedom Trail sites charge admission?
Four: Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Paul Revere House and Old North Church. The Park Service describes them as privately owned partner sites that do not accept National Park passes.
Each is a self-supporting non-profit. Revolutionary Spaces runs the Old State House and Old South Meeting House and sells one ticket that covers both buildings. The Paul Revere Memorial Association runs Paul Revere House and sells admission at the booth on the day, with reservations needed only for groups of ten or more. Old North Church sells a Discovery Pass for the sanctuary, its history exhibit, an audio guide and the crypt, with a bell-chamber tour as an add-on; its services remain free and its gardens are open.
| Site | Who runs it | Ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Old State House | Revolutionary Spaces | One ticket with Old South Meeting House |
| Old South Meeting House | Revolutionary Spaces | One ticket with the Old State House |
| Paul Revere House | Paul Revere Memorial Association | At the booth on the day |
| Old North Church | Old North Illuminated (the church) | Discovery Pass; services free |
| Faneuil Hall | National Park Service | Free |
| USS Constitution | US Navy with the Park Service | Free, photo ID for 18 and over |
| Bunker Hill Monument and Museum | National Park Service | Free |
| Common, burying grounds, Massacre site, statues | City of Boston | Free, open in daylight |
Are there free days or passes for the paid sites?
The sites publish their own: Revolutionary Spaces admits ages 17 and under free from July 2026 and Massachusetts EBT, WIC and ConnectorCare cardholders free; Old North Church admits EBT and WIC cardholders free.
Revolutionary Spaces also lists a Boston 250 pass covering five historic sites and a joint ticket with Old North Church sold at the Boston Common Visitor Center that bundles a Freedom Trail tour with admission to its two buildings and the church. Old North Church lists a Freedom Trail combination ticket of its own. Terms change, so check the sites' pages before you rely on one.
National Park passes, including the annual America the Beautiful pass, do not apply: the Park Service says so and its own sites are free anyway.
Two and a half hours with a historian guide from the Common to Copp's Hill; the paid doors are yours to choose.
Book thisDoes a Freedom Trail tour include the paid sites?
Usually not. The small-group, official, French and chronological walks all state that museum admissions are not included.
A guided walk is a storyteller for two to four hours, not an entry pass. The official Foundation tour says site admission fees are not covered; the small-group history walk and the French walk say museum admissions and museum visits are not included; the Revolutionary Story walk includes Faneuil Hall, which is free. The Beacon Hill story walk includes weekday entry to the State House, also free. Two exceptions: the North End food walk includes the Old North Church entry fee, and the all-sixteen tour lists entry tickets to attractions as included without naming them, so read that listing before assuming which doors it opens. Guided or self-guided weighs what the price does buy.
Is USS Constitution free, and what do you need to board?
Yes, boarding is free. Everyone 18 or over needs photo ID, and there is a security check at the Navy Yard because it is an active Navy vessel.
The Park Service's page says photo ID is required for individuals aged 18 and older, that visitors pass through a security checkpoint at the Navy Yard Visitor Center, and that active-duty crew lead the tours on board. The museum's page lists the ship as open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays and a handful of holidays. The USS Constitution Museum next door is a separate organisation with a suggested-donation admission, open daily.
The one tour here that walks you to the ship: four hours from the State House to USS Constitution via Bunker Hill.
Book thisIs the Bunker Hill Monument free to climb?
Yes. Admission to the monument and the Bunker Hill Museum is free; the 294 steps are the only cost.
The Park Service states free admission for both, with 25 people allowed inside the monument at a time and closures possible in bad weather or for safety. The lodge and the base are accessible and the museum has an elevator to every floor; the stairs themselves are a tight spiral with no lift. Service animals cannot go inside the monument.
How much does a guided Freedom Trail tour cost?
This site does not print prices because they move by date and season. The listings here range from a 90-minute introduction to a four-hour full-trail walk, and the checkout on GetYourGuide shows the current figure.
What you can compare without a price is what the time buys: 90 minutes and eleven sites from the Foundation; about two and a half hours and fourteen sites from the small-group and French walks; three hours of chronology from the Revolutionary Story walk; four hours and the whole trail from the full-trail tour. Every listing here cancels free up to 24 hours before, so a booking is not a commitment until the day before. The comparison is in the best Freedom Trail tours.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Freedom Trail completely free?
Walking it and twelve of the sixteen sites are free. Four privately run buildings charge admission: Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Paul Revere House and Old North Church.
Does the National Park pass work on the Freedom Trail?
No. The Park Service's own sites are free anyway, and it states the four paid partner sites do not accept National Park passes.
Is Faneuil Hall free?
Yes. It is run by the National Park Service, which states there are no fees there, and it houses one of the park's two visitor centers.
Do children pay at the paid sites?
Revolutionary Spaces admits ages 17 and under free from July 2026 at the Old State House and Old South Meeting House. Paul Revere House and Old North Church publish their own youth rates on their sites.
Ready to book
Choose your walk
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Guided walks booked on GetYourGuide.
Freedom Trail History Small Group Walking Tour
- Guided walk from Boston Common to Copp's Hill Terrace in the North End
- Small group, capped at 16 people per the listing
- The downtown sites and the North End sites; the Charlestown sites are not walked
Freedom Trail, Bunker Hill & USS Constitution Tour
- Guided walk of the entire Freedom Trail including Bunker Hill Monument and USS Constitution
- Meets at the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial opposite the State House steps, 24 Beacon Street; ends at the ship
- Focus on the people and events: the Tea Party, the Massacre, the Battle of Bunker Hill
