Back Bay Hotels: Where to Stay in Boston's Back Bay

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By Michael Gonzales · Updated October 23, 2026

The best Back Bay hotels for most visitors are around Copley Square: Fairmont Copley Plaza, The Lenox and the Copley Square Hotel. Stay by the Public Garden at The Newbury Boston, or by the Prudential Center at Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons One Dalton or The Colonnade. The Logan Express bus to Back Bay is free from the airport.

To see what's open on your dates, compare Back Bay hotels on Expedia, or go straight to Fairmont Copley Plaza on Expedia.

Which Back Bay hotel should you book?

Back Bay runs from the Public Garden west to Massachusetts Avenue, and which end you sleep in changes your trip. These eight hotels each have a BostonVacay listing. The facts come from each hotel's own website, checked October 21, 2026. We don't show prices because they change by the day, so use the links to see live rates.

Is Back Bay a good place to stay in Boston?

Yes, for most first visits. Back Bay is flat, walkable and central, with Newbury Street, Copley Square, the Prudential Center and the Public Garden all inside the neighborhood.

Four Green Line stops (Arlington, Copley, Hynes Convention Center and Prudential), plus Back Bay station for the Orange Line, commuter rail and Amtrak, link it to the rest of the city.

It also looks the part. The City of Boston says Back Bay was a tidal body of water until landfilling began in the mid-1800s, creating over 450 acres by the 1880s.

The new streets were laid out as a planned residential district modeled on Haussmann's Paris, according to the Back Bay Architectural District page.

Houses went up block by block as the land was filled from the Public Garden westward, so a walk down Commonwealth Avenue shows how American architecture changed from the mid-1800s into the early 1900s, the City says.

For a wider comparison with Beacon Hill, the Waterfront, the Seaport and the rest, see our Boston hotels by neighborhood guide.

Which part of Back Bay is best for your trip?

Pick the end of the neighborhood that's closest to what you came for.

• Copley Square, for a first visit. You're across from Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library, a block from Newbury Street, and a short walk to Back Bay station. The Logan Express stops a block away, at Copley Place.
• The Public Garden end, for walking. Around Arlington Street you're on the Public Garden, a short walk from Boston Common, Beacon Hill and the start of the Freedom Trail.
• The Prudential and Hynes end, for events. Near Massachusetts Avenue you're closest to the Hynes Convention Center, Symphony Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts and Fenway Park.

Which hotels are on Copley Square?

Three of Back Bay's best-known hotels sit on or just off the square.

Fairmont Copley Plaza is the grand one. It opened in 1912 and faces Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library across Copley Square.

The hotel calls its bar, OAK Long Bar + Kitchen, a beloved spot for locals and visitors, and says it's the official hotel of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. There's even a hotel dog: Cori Copley, a black Lab and the hotel's official mascot. Check Fairmont Copley Plaza rates.

The Lenox Hotel is at Boylston and Exeter Streets, a block from the square. It has 215 rooms and suites that mix historic and modern design. See The Lenox on Expedia.

Copley Square Hotel, now a FOUND Hotel, was built in 1891 at Huntington Avenue and Exeter Street. The hotel says it's Boston's second-oldest hotel in continuous operation, and FOUND puts it about a 3-minute walk from Back Bay station. Valet parking is $65 a day plus tax.

It was President William McKinley's election headquarters, and Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington played its old Storyville jazz club. Check Copley Square Hotel rates.

Which Back Bay hotel is closest to the Public Garden?

The Newbury Boston. The Newbury stands at 1 Newbury Street, at the corner of Arlington Street, with the Public Garden across the road. It opened in 1927 as one of the first Ritz-Carlton hotels in the U.S. and reopened as The Newbury after a restoration. It has 286 rooms and suites, and its restaurants are run by Major Food Group, according to the hotel.

This is the corner to pick in winter, too. The lit trees of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall start at Arlington Street and stay lit from early December to late March, the Friends of the Public Garden say. The 2026 Mall lighting follows the Boston Common tree lighting on December 3. For more displays around the city, see our Boston Christmas lights guide.

Which hotels are near the Prudential Center?

Four hotels sit at the western end of Back Bay, near the Prudential Center and Massachusetts Avenue.

• Mandarin Oriental, Boston, at 776 Boylston Street, is rated Forbes Five-Star. Its restaurant is Ramsay's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay's first in Boston. Valet and self-parking are both available, with fees. See Mandarin Oriental on Expedia.
• Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street opened in May 2019 in a 61-story tower. It has 214 rooms and suites on floors 8 to 21, a 64-foot indoor pool, a wellness floor and Zuma, a Japanese izakaya, according to Four Seasons.
• The Eliot Hotel, at 370 Commonwealth Avenue, has been a hotel since 1925. It's smaller, with 95 rooms and suites, and Ken Oringer's UNI restaurant downstairs. Hynes Convention Center station is about a block away. Our Eliot Hotel guide has more.
• The Colonnade Hotel, at 120 Huntington Avenue, faces the Shops at Prudential Center and has a rooftop pool, RTP. It's the official hotel of Northeastern Athletics and close to Symphony Hall.

For a Red Sox game or a show at MGM Music Hall, this end is closest. If Fenway is the main event, also look at our hotels near Kenmore Square and Fenway.

How do you get from Logan Airport to Back Bay?

Take the Logan Express Back Bay bus. It's free from every Logan terminal to Back Bay and $3 back to the airport, running every half hour, according to Massport. Buses leave Logan from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Back Bay from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

In Back Bay, the bus stops on Stuart Street near Back Bay station and at 800 Boylston Street by the Prudential Center. Going to the airport, you board at 800 Boylston Street or at the Dartmouth Street entrance to Copley Place, across from Back Bay station. By car, Mandarin Oriental puts the drive at about 15 to 20 minutes.

If you have an early flight or a late arrival outside those hours, a hotel by the airport can make more sense. See our hotels near Logan Airport guide.

How do you get around from a Back Bay hotel?

Walk first, then take the T. A subway ride is $2.40 one-way, according to the MBTA. Green Line trains from Copley, Arlington and Hynes run east to Park Street and Government Center for the Freedom Trail and Faneuil Hall.

Back Bay station, at 145 Dartmouth Street, has the Orange Line, commuter rail and Amtrak, but no parking. Plan a route with the MBTA trip planner.

For a game or concert at TD Garden, the Green Line runs to North Station, but check the train's destination: some trains end at Government Center. Want to walk home afterwards? See hotels near TD Garden.

What's there to do in Back Bay?

Plenty, without leaving the neighborhood. There's shopping on Newbury Street, the library and Trinity Church on Copley Square, and the Esplanade along the Charles River. The Boston Marathon finishes on Boylston Street, so see our Marathon spectator guide if you're booking for race weekend.

The holidays are busy here, too. The Holiday Pops play Symphony Hall from December 3 to 24, 2026, according to the BSO, and the free Copley Square tree lighting is on Monday, November 30, 2026, from 5 to 6 p.m. Afterwards, the City says there are cookies and photos with Santa inside Fairmont Copley Plaza at 6 p.m.

For more ideas, see things to do in Back Bay and our Boston Christmas events guide.

Plan your trip

• Back Bay hotels on Expedia
• Tours and cruises on Viator
• Tickets and day trips on Klook

Frequently asked questions

What hotel should I stay at in Back Bay, Boston? For a first visit, a hotel on Copley Square: Fairmont Copley Plaza, The Lenox or the Copley Square Hotel. For the Public Garden, The Newbury. For the Prudential Center or a convention, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons One Dalton, The Eliot or The Colonnade.

Is Back Bay the best place to stay in Boston? For most first-time visitors, yes. It's walkable and central, with four Green Line stops and Back Bay station. Pick Downtown or the Waterfront if the Freedom Trail and the harbor matter more.

Which Back Bay hotels have a pool? Four Seasons One Dalton has a 64-foot indoor pool, and The Colonnade has its rooftop pool, RTP. Check pool hours with the hotel before you book.

What is the nicest hotel in Back Bay? That depends on your taste, but Mandarin Oriental, Boston is rated Forbes Five-Star. Fairmont Copley Plaza and The Newbury are the historic grand hotels.

Why is it called Back Bay? Because it was a bay. The City of Boston says the area was a tidal body of water until landfilling began in the mid-1800s, creating over 450 acres of land by the 1880s.

How do I get from Logan Airport to Back Bay? Take the Logan Express Back Bay bus. It's free from all Logan terminals and runs every half hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., stopping near Back Bay station and at 800 Boylston Street.

Sources

All checked October 21, 2026.

• Fairmont Copley Plaza
• The Lenox Hotel
• Copley Square Hotel: History
• The Newbury Boston and The Newbury: Seeing Diamonds
• Mandarin Oriental, Boston
• Four Seasons One Dalton Street: Hotel Facts
• The Eliot Hotel
• The Colonnade Hotel
• Massport: Logan Express Back Bay
• MBTA: Back Bay station
• City of Boston: Back Bay Architectural District
• Boston Symphony Orchestra: Holiday Pops 2026
• Friends of the Public Garden: Holiday Lights
• City of Boston: 2026 Copley Square Tree Lighting
• FOUND Hotel Copley Square