Where to Stay for the Boston Marathon 2027: Back Bay by the Finish on Boylston Street, 12 Hotels and the 14.95% Tax

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The Boston Marathon is run on a Monday, Patriots’ Day, so your hotel choice is really a Sunday-night choice: the runners’ buses leave Boston at dawn, the course ends on Boylston Street, and the part of the city you sleep in decides how early you wake. The extra on the bill is the tax. A hotel room in Boston carries 14.95% in room taxes and fees, and a room in Cambridge carries 14.45%.

This guide covers what the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has published for 2027 and what it has not yet, five areas matched to the finish, the Expo and the bus to the start, 12 hotels, and the terms that catch runners out. For the rest of your trip, where to stay in Boston covers five areas and 12 hotels. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating in November 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.

The short answer

The 2027 race: what the B.A.A. has published

The B.A.A. lists the 2027 Boston Marathon for Monday 19 April 2027, Patriots’ Day. The course description on the B.A.A.’s spectator guide runs from Main Street in Hopkinton, through Ashland, Framingham, Natick and Wellesley, along Commonwealth Avenue through the Newton hills, then Beacon Street through Brookline and Kenmore Square, and finishes on Boylston Street near the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. The B.A.A. says Hopkinton has been home to the start line since 1924.

What the B.A.A. had not published when we checked: the 2027 Expo hours, the 2027 bus schedule and the 2027 participant guide. Its athlete page still linked to the 2026 guides, so where we describe those arrangements below we say they are last year’s, from the race on Monday 20 April 2026.

The Expo and your bib

You collect your bib at the Expo, in person. The B.A.A. says bib pick-up is only allowed during Expo hours, each participant must pick up their own bib, and you need photo ID and a digital pick-up pass. In 2026 the Expo was at the Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, open Friday 17 April 2026 from 10:00 to 19:00, Saturday 18 April from 9:00 to 19:00 and Sunday 19 April from 9:00 to 18:00. We have not seen 2027 hours, so do not book around those days until the B.A.A. confirms them. The Expo is free and open to the public, so supporters can come too.

Getting to the start in Hopkinton

The B.A.A. calls official buses the recommended way to reach Hopkinton, and last year’s buses loaded on Charles Street between the Public Garden and Boston Common, with each runner showing a bib on boarding. Loading began at 06:45 for the red-bib wave and the last bus left at 09:30. Buses dropped runners at the Athletes’ Village at Hopkinton Middle/High School.

Source: the B.A.A.’s athlete page for 2026. The 2027 table may differ, and your wave decides your morning, so wait for it before you plan a hotel breakfast. The B.A.A. also says no bags will be transported from Hopkinton to the finish, so leave nothing you want back at the start.

On race day: the T and the roads

The MBTA’s marathon guide for 2026 said Copley Station was closed for the entire day, and South Street, Kent Street and Saint Mary’s Street stations were closed from about 10 AM to 6 PM. It said the Red, Orange, Green, Blue and Silver lines ran a weekday schedule, bikes were not allowed on the subway, and it might close more stations near the finish for public safety. It has not published 2027 changes; assume similar closures near Copley and check mbta.com in the week before.

The B.A.A. says roads on and beside the route close to traffic on race day, with times subject to change. Its table last year had Boston closing at 9:00 a.m. and reopening about 7:00 p.m., and Brookline closing at 9:00 a.m. and reopening about 6:00 p.m. The B.A.A. also puts its Family Meeting Area on Stuart Street between Berkeley Street and Clarendon Street, which is useful if you are meeting your own supporters after the finish.

Back Bay and Copley Place: the finish

Back Bay is the finish, so a hotel here makes the end of the race a short walk and the Expo at the Hynes a short ride. It is also where hotels fill first and where the closures bite: Boylston Street is the finishing street, and Copley station was shut last year, so ask each hotel how guests reach the door on Monday.

Where to stay in Back Bay and Copley Place

How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

• Fairmont Copley Plaza, splurge. Open since 1912, with 383 guest rooms including 17 suites, and signature rooms the hotel says overlook Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library. Choose it to finish a few steps from the library. Watch out: its site does not mention the marathon, so ask about closures and minimum stays. Check rates on Booking.com →
• The Lenox Hotel, comfortable. At 61 Exeter Street at the corner of Boylston, with 215 guest rooms and suites. Choose it for a hotel on the finishing street itself. Watch out: that is also where the road closures sit, and its site does not publish marathon terms. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Boston Marriott Copley Place, comfortable. Marriott describes it as a Back Bay hotel near Copley Square and Fenway Park, with club lounge access in some rooms. Choose it for a large, full-service base. Watch out: its page gives no walking time to the finish, so check the route yourself. Check rates on Booking.com →
• The Midtown Hotel, budget. At 220 Huntington Avenue, with 159 guest rooms in double queen and king types, steps from the Christian Science Center and a short stroll to the Hynes Convention Center. Choose it to be near the Expo for less. Watch out: it is on the edge of Back Bay, not on Boylston, and it publishes no marathon terms. Check rates on Booking.com →

Kenmore and Fenway: the last miles

The course passes through Brookline and Kenmore Square before it turns onto Hereford and Boylston, and the B.A.A. calls the Beacon Street stretch nearly three miles of vantage points. It lists Green Line stops, including Cleveland Circle on the C branch, for watching there. A hotel here suits a supporter who wants to see the runner twice, once on Beacon Street and once at the finish, and a runner who wants to sleep away from the crowd in Copley Square.

Where to stay in Kenmore and Fenway

• Hotel Commonwealth, splurge. At 500 Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square, at the footsteps of Fenway Park by its own description, and steps from the subway according to a guest review on its page. Choose it for a full-service hotel in the square the course runs through. Watch out: its page publishes no marathon terms, so confirm your dates. Check rates on Booking.com →
• The Verb Hotel, comfortable. At 1271 Boylston Street, with rooms of about 300 square feet that face Fenway Park or the pool, and rock-and-roll memorabilia. Choose it for a quirky base beside the ballpark. Watch out: the hotel says there is no elevator access to the second floor. Check rates on Booking.com →

Downtown and the Seaport: the Common and the budget beds

The runners’ buses load beside Boston Common, so a Downtown bed shortens the earliest morning of the weekend. Downtown and the Seaport are also where the cheapest beds are, because a hostel and a compact tech hotel sit here.

Where to stay in Downtown and the Seaport

• Omni Parker House, comfortable. A local icon since 1855 near Boston Common and Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and the birthplace of Boston cream pie by its own account. Choose it for a historic hotel close to the Common. Watch out: its page does not mention the marathon, so ask about minimum stays. Check rates on Booking.com →
• HI Boston, budget. A hostel on Stuart Street that lists Boston Common 0.2 miles away, with private queen rooms with their own bathroom and four-bed dorms. Choose it for the lowest price near the Common. Watch out: dorm beds are shared, and its page publishes no marathon terms. Check rates on Booking.com →
• YOTEL Boston, good value. In the Seaport District, with a rooftop bar called Deck 12, a few minutes from the Silver Line, Logan three Silver Line stops away and South Station one stop east. Choose it for a compact room and the airport link. Watch out: the hotel calls itself compact, so expect small rooms, and it is further from the finish than Back Bay. Check rates on Booking.com →

Cambridge: Harvard Square across the river

Cambridge is a quieter base, and the room tax is a little lower. The trade-off is the crossing: on race day you would travel across the river, and the T near the finish was restricted last year.

Where to stay in Cambridge

• The Charles Hotel, splurge. At One Bennett Street in the middle of Harvard Square, with the Regattabar jazz club and Henrietta’s Table. Choose it for a treat after the race. Watch out: its site does not mention the marathon. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Harvard Square Hotel, comfortable. At 110 Mount Auburn Street, with on-site parking, a lobby cafe and Downtown Boston less than 10 minutes away, by the hotel’s own account. Choose it for a modest hotel beside the square. Watch out: it is a limited-service hotel, and it publishes no marathon terms. Check rates on Booking.com →

Framingham: a base on the course

Framingham is the one area on the course itself. The B.A.A. lists the Framingham station on the Commuter Rail for spectators heading down the course, and the MBTA said last year that the Framingham/Worcester Line had a special Marathon Monday schedule with extra trains in both directions. Runners cannot use the B.A.A.’s buses from here, because they load in Boston, so this suits runners who drive to the limited participant parking in Hopkinton or supporters who prefer not to stay in the centre.

Where to stay in Framingham

• Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, comfortable. At 1657 Worcester Road, just off Interstate 90, with on-site parking at $15 a day and a fitness centre. Marriott’s old Sheraton Framingham address now redirects to this listing. Choose it for easy driving access. Watch out: it is a conference hotel near a mall, not a walkable village, and its page publishes no marathon terms. Check rates on Booking.com →

Getting in from Logan, and around

• Silver Line SL1 goes directly to all terminals and connects Logan to South Station; Massport says it is free from the airport, with a free transfer to the Red Line.
• Logan Express Back Bay runs every half hour, and tickets to the airport are $3, by Massport’s own page. It stops at 800 Boylston Street, near the Prudential Center, and at Stuart Street near Dartmouth Street.
• The T charges $2.40 for a one-way subway ride, the MBTA’s fare page says.
• For more routes and fares, see where to stay in Boston.

Boston’s hotel tax: 14.95%, or 14.45% in Cambridge

Massachusetts has a state room occupancy excise of 5.7%, and cities may add a local excise of up to 6%, or 6.5% for Boston. Boston, Worcester, Cambridge, Springfield, West Springfield and Chicopee also charge 2.75% for convention center funding. The City of Boston’s own budget page gives a total of 14.95% from all sources. On a $300 room that is $44.85 a night in tax, which makes $344.85 a night in total (our arithmetic from the published rates). Cambridge’s local rate on the state’s register is 6%, which gives 14.45% by our arithmetic. We did not confirm Framingham’s local rate, and the convention fee is not charged there. Check the total at the payment step, because some booking sites show a price before tax.

How to book Boston for the marathon

• Book around your own bib. Your wave sets your bus time, and the B.A.A. had not published the 2027 bus table when we checked. Last year the earliest wave loaded at 06:45.
• Count the nights. If the Expo opens on Friday as it did last year, a runner collecting a bib on the Friday needs Friday night, and the B.A.A. says only you can collect your bib.
• Read cancellation terms and minimum stays. None of the hotels here publishes a marathon minimum that we found. Ask in writing before you pay a non-refundable rate.
• Ask about closures. Copley station was closed all day last year and Boylston Street is closed to traffic, so ask how guests reach the hotel and where a taxi can stop.
• Compare totals. Our hotel booking sites compared goes through where to book, and hotel taxes around the world sets Boston beside other cities.

All 12 at a glance

Before you go

• Sort your data and cover. See the best eSIM for the USA and the best travel insurance.
• More of Boston and other races. For the rest of the city, see where to stay in Boston; for another April marathon, where to stay for the London Marathon.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Boston Athletic Association: Boston Marathon
• Boston Athletic Association: info for athletes
• Boston Athletic Association: info for spectators
• Boston Athletic Association: 2026 spectator guide (last year’s)
• MBTA: Boston Marathon guide
• MBTA: subway fares
• Mass.gov: room occupancy excise tax
• Mass.gov: local option excise taxes
• City of Boston: FY26 local revenue
• Massport: public transportation to Logan
• Massport: Logan Express Back Bay
• Official websites of each hotel named above, checked in November 2026

Dates, rules, rates and hotel terms change, and the B.A.A. had not published 2027 Expo hours, buses or race-day transport when we checked; where we describe last year’s arrangements we say so. Every hotel detail here was checked in November 2026; confirm minimum stays, rates and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.

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