Harvard Yard and Cambridge

Photo: Gunnar Klack, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

Harvard is the oldest college in the United States, and the town around it is older still. This walking tour loops from Harvard Square through Harvard Yard, past Memorial Hall and the art museums, out to Cambridge Common and back by a colonial church and graveyard.

Along the way you will meet the famous statue of three lies, the building where Revolutionary soldiers slept, a library born of the Titanic, and the park where George Washington took command of the Continental Army. You will also hear which campus stories are true, which are legends, and what Harvard's own 2022 report found about its ties to slavery.

The route covers about 2 kilometers on flat sidewalks and paths and takes around 100 minutes with time to look around. Start at the kiosk in the middle of Harvard Square, right above the Red Line station. Harvard Yard is usually open to visitors, but gates can close for Commencement and special events, and most building interiors are for Harvard ID holders only.

11 stops on this tour:

Harvard Square - Crossroads of Cambridge

Johnston Gate - Harvard's Front Door

Massachusetts Hall - Harvard's Oldest Building

John Harvard Statue - The Statue of Three Lies

Widener Library - A Memorial in Books

Memorial Church - A Steeple for the Fallen

Sever Hall - Whispers in the Brick

Harvard Art Museums - Three Museums Under Glass

Memorial Hall - Gothic Tribute to the Union

Cambridge Common - Where Washington Took Command

Christ Church and Old Burying Ground - Colonial Corner

Stops on this tour

1. Harvard Square - Crossroads of Cambridge
2. Johnston Gate - Harvard's Front Door
3. Massachusetts Hall - Harvard's Oldest Building
4. John Harvard Statue - The Statue of Three Lies
5. Widener Library - A Memorial in Books
6. Memorial Church - A Steeple for the Fallen
7. Sever Hall - Whispers in the Brick
8. Harvard Art Museums - Three Museums Under Glass
9. Memorial Hall - Gothic Tribute to the Union
10. Cambridge Common - Where Washington Took Command
11. Christ Church and Old Burying Ground - Colonial Corner

More tours nearby

• Boston Freedom Trail (3 mi) - Follow the red-brick line from Boston Common to Bunker Hill through the places where the American Revolution began.
• Best of New York City in 24 Hours (186 mi) - The Big Apple in a day: skyline icons, world-class art, and unforgettable streets!
• Philadelphia Independence Walk (268 mi) - A walking loop through the square mile where the United States declared independence, wrote its Constitution and first governed itself.

All campus tours →