Policies & FAQ

Boston Hidden Gems is an award-winning, family-owned business based in Boston’s famous North End! Our owners are both former city employees and have lived here for a combined 30+ years.

We carefully curate all of our tours, going deep on our research to make sure that you hear the most entertaining and interesting stories that you won’t hear from any other tour company!

We mainly offer private tours between 4-9 hours. Private tours are just for you and your group of up to 6, and generally include pick-up and drop-off wherever you need, as well as transportation during the tour. We only book one private tour per guide each day, so you’ll have your guide’s undivided attention that whole day! If your group is larger than 6, contact us!

We also offer shorter, 1-4 hour group tours, if you’d just like a sampling of what we offer.

We also offer self-guided tours and neighborhood guides for free! Have a group of 7+ people? We can help with that too, check out our large group tours!

Absolutely! You can customize any tour we offer. Go to our custom tour request page to request a quote!

If you book a private driving tour (most of our tours), we’ll pick you up anywhere within 3 miles of downtown Boston! On the booking page you’ll have the opportunity to give us a pickup location. Pro-tip: we absolutely can pick you up at the airport and drop you off at your hotel, so you can skip the cab fare!

If you book a private walking tour, it will depend on the tour, but most likely, you will either start at the Boston Common Visitor Center or at the edge of the North End.

You can decide when Private Tours start! Most tours have a start window from 8:30am - 12pm, although we recommend starting between 9 and 11 based on traffic and attraction hours.

Group tours will all start at a set time and location. Consult your confirmation email to find your details!

Yes, we operate all year! Our peak season runs from April through October, with the busiest times being foliage season in September and October. If you’re trying to book us for those months, make sure to look ahead of time, as we book up quickly! We continue our tours through the winter, and even offer a winter-only Boston tour (complete with hot chocolate!) if you decide to brave the New England cold!

Check your booking confirmation!

If you’re booking a group tour, it’s likely in the morning or early afternoon.

If you’re booking a private tour, you can choose your start time. To account for site opening times, the window available is usually between 8am-12pm, but it does vary by tour.

We’re happy to work with you! We will make sure to pace your tour carefully and ensure you can see all the best of this city! We do not, however, have a wheelchair-equipped van, so if that is a requirement, please contact us and we may be able to obtain one for the day!

For group tours, prices are per person.

For private tours, all tours have a base price that is per group. Some tours have an additional price per person, which accounts for incidentals like food and admission tickets at certain sites.

Note that if booking online, a 6% booking fee will be added by our reservation service. You can avoid this fee by calling us to book!

Gratuities, or tips, are a great way to show appreciation to your guide at the end of a tour! However, you should never feel pressured or required to tip, nor should our guides solicit tips; it is fully your choice! If your guide has solicited a tip, please let us know.

Unsure what is a “normal” tip is? Understandable! For a group tour, $10-$20 per person is common. For a private tour, $15-$25 per hour of the tour is the normal range.

All of your site admissions are included in the tour price! However, most tours do include a lunch break you’ll probably want to bring cash or card for. And of course, you’ll need money for any souvenirs you pick up along the way! Additionally, if you decide to tip your tour guide, you’ll need cash on hand for that.

We accept all major credit cards, as well as Venmo, Paypal, or cash. Payment must be completed before your tour begins.

For gratuities, please bring cash. It is up to each tour guide what other forms of payment they accept for gratuities.