BOS to Harvard University / Cambridge

Harvard University and MIT are located across the Charles River in Cambridge. The area features Harvard Square shops and restaurants, the MIT campus, and a vibrant academic atmosphere.

Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and arguably the most prestigious university in the world. The campus centered around Harvard Yard — with its Georgian brick buildings, ancient elms, and the famous bronze statue of John Harvard (tourists rub his left shoe for luck, though the inscription has three factual errors, earning it \'the Statue of Three Lies\') — is a pilgrimage site for education enthusiasts worldwide.

Harvard Square, the lively commercial district surrounding the campus, is a vibrant mix of bookshops (including the legendary Harvard Book Store), international restaurants, street performers, and the historic Harvard Coop. The square has been a center of American intellectual life for centuries, and its cafés and bars still buzz with academic discourse.

Beyond Harvard, Cambridge is home to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) along the Charles River, the outstanding Harvard Art Museums (three collections under one roof), and the Harvard Museum of Natural History with its famous Glass Flowers collection. The residential streets of Cambridge — especially around Brattle Street (\'Tory Row\') — feature magnificent colonial and Victorian homes. The food scene in Harvard Square and nearby Central and Inman Squares has diversified dramatically, with some of Greater Boston\'s best dining.