Cambridge Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Cambridge

Situated directly across the Charles River from Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a prominent city within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. Known globally as a major center of higher education, historic heritage, and technological innovation, the city features a mix of historic residential neighborhoods, academic grounds, and modern commercial sectors.

Long before European colonization, Indigenous peoples including the Naumkeag and Massachusett inhabited the Charles River basin, which was known locally as the Quinobequin. English settlers founded the community in late 1630 under the name Newtowne, selecting a location upriver from Boston Harbor that offered protection against naval attacks. Renamed Cambridge in 1638, the town served as a crucial hub during the American Revolution. In July 1775, General George Washington arrived at Cambridge Common to assume command of the newly formed Continental Army. Over the 19th century, the construction of bridges across the Charles River and the arrival of railroads connected Cambridge directly to Boston, transforming the rural agricultural town into a bustling industrial and residential city.

Today, Cambridge is widely recognized for its world-renowned academic institutions. Established in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest institute of higher learning in the United States. Its historic grounds adjoin Harvard Square, the location of the original colonial settlement. Further downriver, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology occupies a 168-acre campus. Surrounding MIT, the Kendall Square district has become a major hub for technology startups and biotechnology research, hosting over a hundred life-sciences companies.

Visitors exploring the city can navigate a series of distinct squares and neighborhoods. Central Square serves as the municipal commercial downtown, while Porter Square and East Cambridge offer additional dining and commercial streets. Brattle Street, historically referred to as Tory Row, is lined with grand colonial-era mansions that once belonged to wealthy loyalist elites. Along Main Street, a stretch formerly known as Confectioner's Row during the city's industrial peak, historic factory buildings mark the area's heritage as a major candy-manufacturing center.